Wireless Set No. 38, WW2 British man-pack radio transceiver

Description and demonstration of WS38 in use.
Technical review.
Here is a report on Market Garden Communication:
scholars.wlu.c...

[@alfamontydog]

Thank you for this great video, as a teenager back in my native country (Holland) Me and a friend bought a couple of these and tried to get them to work with very limited success. I immigrated to Canada in 1973 and took amateur radio classes later on, maybe because of my earlier exposure to the WS38 i started a collection of old military radios and test equipment,tube testers, oscilloscopes,signal generators etc. Over the years I managed to collect two WS38 with control boxes, throat mikes and head sets. They both needed some repairs,the power cables were completely rotten, I found on the internet a company that made some very similar with cloth covering, so replaced the cables, installed all NOS tubes and also the one little rectifier was replaced with a modern diode. With the help of the signal generator, frequency counter and field strength meter I managed to tune them into the 40 mtr band. I only have one long antenna,but the short ones I made from carbon fiber fishing rods,top section, with a brass base and a copper wire inside , power supplies I built one out of 9v and 1.5 volt batteries and for the other one I use an Italian built inverter that runs of a 6 volt battery. Have not tried the range yet but would think it be similar to Helge's Lots of fun to play with ! Herman VE5 HFD

[@bg2kaj732]

Another wonderful video! It is really nice to have fellow radio amateurs you can test those retro rigs! BTW have QSOed LA5UF on 20m FT8 2 times, It's really a small world!

[@andrewmawson6897]

I my youth in the 1960's I spent days tramping over Dartmoor 'netting up' 38 sets and establishing communications between various high spots (Tors) when in the CCF. (Combined Cadet Force) I remember one notable occasion when someone broke into our allocated frequency swamping us and I (aged probably 15 or 16) give him a right royal telling off. It turned out to be a regular Army unit and their Commanding Officer had the decency to trudge up to the top of Gutter Tor to appologise in person. Imagine his surprise to find he was talking to a callow cadet !!!!!!

[@jamato2004]

Hahah.....

[@Valvulo]

Amazingly simple and clever design. When you opened the box I was thinking about 7-pin miniature tubes, but the radio is packed with this old-style ST tubes! Despite its drawbacks, it's an amazing piece of technology! 73s, Álvaro Prado. São Paulo - Brazil.

[@jamato2004]

Thank you for you nice and clear explanation. I have 2 WS68T and 8 WS19 sets try to let them work after 77 years...

[@alfamontydog]

What I forgot to mention in my previous post : alignment of these sets has to be done with the radio in an alignment case, a ws38 case with holes punched in places where the trimmers are, if aligned outside this case the alignment will be off once the radio is put back into its case. I made one of these cases from a wrecked set. Another thing came to mind: the short antenna will probably work better with the set being carried instead of sitting on the bench, when carried the body of the soldier would more or less function as a counterpose

[@binarybox.binarybox]

An interesting video, thanks. I used to have three WS38 sets back in 1959 when I was in school and unfortunately sold them all. The 120 volt battery was pretty big but it all went in an army haversack.Those junction boxes are fetching over £100 now.The valve line up was one ATP4 and four ARP12. 73 de an old G8.

[@graemezimmer604]

Very interesting old set! Thanks.

[@roberts1938]

Happy New Year! I wish you good health and make many interesting films. WS38 is my favorite wireless set. I have several examples and all the equipment, but lack me one thing - I'm looking for battle aerial (one piece thin section). I knew some of the veterans who fought at Arnhem. They joked said that the WS38 works on the principle - As I see you, that's how I hear you. I see you have all the sets of one manufacturer Mitcham Work (M.W.). A total of three factories produced these radios I am going to restore my WS38 to full working order. Perhaps I will make films out of it. The attached report is very interesting, but does not reflect the difficult situation of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade. Polish soldiers of the signals company had a great influence on establishing communication and maintaining it in difficult times. They were both in Driell and at the Hartenstein Hotel (in Headquarters in Osteerbeek). It was up to them to maintain communication. I know some names and I personally knew the commander of the Polish signal company in time at batle of Arnhem. Poles' receivers were uniformly retuned. Maybe this is the secret? During the exercises matching the Polish brigade with British units, we always received high marks for the speed of establishing communication, and reprimands for impersonating their stations and misinforming the British. You have to be prepared for such cases. All Polish artillery landed with the British glider throw before the Polish paratroopers (delayed) throw dropping at Driel. Polish artillery was already in Osteerbeek and they had their radios in the British headquarters. This is why I (a history buff), got interested in old military signal equipment and I liked them and I collect them. From what I remember, the veterans mentioned that the Germans tracked the radio stations goniometrically. This was followed by mortar fire. Therefore, they often worked on remote control (this applies to the 68P and 22 radios.) Greetings. I watched your videos a few times and subscribed today - because it's worth it.

[@alancordwell9759]

I have a 38 set that I have been trying to get working, the IF and audio works after replacing the screen grid decoupling capacitors, but the local oscillator does not run. I swapped the valves around but that didn't make any difference. I have put it to one side for now but will have another go soon - especially having seen this! Thanks Helge and 73s Alan G0NFY.

[@LA6NCA]

Thanks for your post. I'm glad you're watching my videos. I've seen you comment for many years. Thanks. I have 5 pcs. WS-38 and all worked fine. It is very impressive. I therefore have no experience with troubleshooting this set. 73 de LA6NCA

[@phillipsmiley5930]

40 years ago i had one in the front basket of my bicycle, talking back to a 19 set at home. My favourite version was the 38 set AFV with 12v vibrator PSU plugged into a 19 set via its matching control box. running off 12vDC car batteries, meant i didnt have to worry about the cost of HT batteries

[@bborkzilla]

Imagine the radio guy who had to carry all that kit around, along with a rifle and the normal military gear!

[@ronlanway6667]

Thank you Helge! Nice bit of kit there!!

[@roberttaylor5764]

I had a pair of them working in the early sixties, they were made by Pye in England they were very fragile and I don’t know how they were in a combat situation. The ones built at the end of the war were built by Marconi in Montreal Canada and were superior both in construction and operation. My main rig used to be a 19 set built by Marconi and I got a lot of use out of it on 80 metres when I was a teenager, I spent 55 years in the two way radio business and still dabble a little bit now in repairs.

[@amdakal]

Greetings and appreciation for your elegant and beautiful person, frankly, I am a fan of listening to broadcasting stations on long, short and medium waves. On the other hand, I send correspondence to these stations that I have picked up, and I have letters, gifts and QSL cards, but I liked your hobby, my friend. I am thinking of entering this beautiful world, frankly.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍 Takk for videoen. Takk for undertekstene. Thank you for video. Thank you for the subtitles.

[@richardhankins]

I am not aware that the WS38 was implicated in the failure of communications at Arnhem. The main set implicated in the failure, I believe, was the WS22, which is a very different beast to this very basic WS38.

[@LA6NCA]

LA6NCA You are right. WS38 was replaced with another set a few weeks before. Unfortunately, it did not work so well either. I wonder what education the radio operators had. Did they have the opportunity to improvise? The German radio operators had a very thorough education.

[@kaptenalgysson8540]

Hej Helge! Hade en WS38 på 1950-talet, innan jag fick min licens hi! Låter mycket bra modulation med din WS38, förvånad att en sådan enkel tranceiver går så bra !! 73 de SM6AAL

[@roberttaylor5764]

I was told on good authority that the Communications failure at Arnhem was not due to equipment failure but due to the fact that the wrong frequencies to be used were given to the British and the Canadians, they could communicate amongst themselves but not between the two armies!

[@phillipsmiley5930]

Yes they were using crystal controlled wireless set no 46, the wrong crystals had been installed

[@antonysoprano7989]

Maybe they've just been a bridge too far..

[@572Btriode]

@@phillipsmiley5930 I am not sure about the 46 set, if that was used and the wrong frequencies set then it would be a big problem. The 18 sets, with the same frequency range as the 38, commonly used did not have a reasonable range in wooded country and indeed there was a later modification to lower the frequency range significantly, 68R set and especially the 68P. I think perhaps the bigger problem was with the crystal controlled 76 set, itself an army modification of the Admiralty 5G set. It was a higher powered CW only TX for rear link working and used two 807's, it was especially hard on the 10X type crystals as they were simply between the anode and grid of the oscillator/driver 807. Failure to tune the PA very quickly or an intermittency of the aerial was guaranteed to destroy the crystal, some even in proper use would fail with the current put through them. They were issues at a time with severe crystal shortages although sets at Arnhem were issued with a pair of "day" and "night" crystals, many "day" crystals failed in a short time and rear link/UK comms had to be done often on the inappropriate night crystals. It is somewhat unforgiveable as the tenderness and design problem of the 76 set with excessive crystal current was well known at the outset.

[@juanpabloaravenariquelme5461]

INCREIBLE

[@MrBugsier5]

my experience whit this troat microphones is that if you put them before your mouth they work way better. loose normal modified mirophones work well to. 73,s PD8533

[@jeffmerlin2580]

You might want to "re-cap" the tranceiver in order to increase the TX modulation. All electrolytic capacitors shout be replaced. 73!

[@mmouse928]

Very nice, thank you again for a great video. Since you have 4 of the WS38 if you ever want to sell one please let me know. Mario VE3WPZ

[@ivanburyy6622]

Interesting shema if this radio. Subscribed to this channel. 73! RD8O

[@jens-eriklangstrand1689]

Jeg må si - som gammel (?) sambandsmann - hvorfor bruker ikke amatørene (med respekt) fonetisk alfabete? Og så lurer jeg på, Helge - lytter du også på kringkasting på AM - og hvilke språk gjenkjenner du? (Jeg er språk-entusiast, og kjenner flere :D )

[@LA6NCA]

Jeg forsøker å få flest mulig til å benytte fonetisk alfabet. Bra poeng. Men de finner ofte på litt merkelige ting. Du må ta lisens hvis du ikke har det. Jeg lytter mest på kommunikasjon og ikke så mye AM stasjoner. Det har dessverre blitt mindre AM stasjoner på båndene i det siste.

[@kiwicory100]

I apologise for English...would you know the average range for armored vehicles radio sets during WW2? Thank you for video.

[@UR3QQC]

Отличный канал ))))

[@成非-l6c]

久前曾使用NTE336 $15作天线功率输出。

[@lucase6407]

6:40 volume warning

[@12kpevents7]

Sir I am attempting to make a working reproduction for use in a reenactment. I have some questions regarding wiring and the ability to use headsets and mics with a modern receiver such as a Baofeng UHF/VHF.

[@LA6NCA]

Thanks for the question. You want to use a modern radio and original headsets and microphones. Yes it should go well. The headset is probably to just plugg in. Should work fine. Push to talk switch as well. Must find the right cables and solder on. The microphone may need a little amplification, but it will probably work fine. if Charcoal microphone, need a power to operate, but it is probably in the microphone jack of the radio.

[@indrajitR]

good.

[@andersonpuma4218]

muito bom PU1OBV

[@aik200]

😂Радиотрансляция на русском говорит о том, где и за сколько жители деревень заказывают черешня из Чили. )))