NAVY’S 15,000 RADIOS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 1 September 1942, Page 1

NAVY’S 15,000 RADIOS

DO NOT GIVE POSITIONS TO THE ENEMY Portable radio sets for ships' crews which do not give away positions to the enemy are now in use in Britain s Royal Navy, The Navy has received more than 15.000 sets and £25.000 raised by voluntary subscriptions have been spent by the Admiralty in supplying them. Corvettes, minesweepers, sloops, submarines and torpedo-boats aie among the small craft whose ship's companies can now listen in when off duty. As the sets are “screened.” they do not re-radiate, and so do not disclose the ship’s position to the enemy. The manufacturers made several modifications in a standard portable radio, giving it an exceptionally strong cabinet and fitting up the “chassis” so that the set would be able to stand up to the many hard knocks likely to be received under Service conditions. It has roughly 800 separate parts.

No accumulator is necessary and the battery gives 240 hours’ service. The makers have been able to issue fresh batteries at the rate of 1.000 a week, and 10.000 valves have been sent out in the last twelve months. The Royal Air Force has been supplied with 5.000 sets and the Army has had 8.000. They are being used in many remote districts of Britain as well as in Iceland and the Middle East.

The manufacturers carried on producing the sets throughout the “blitz” although their factory and workshops were actually razed to the ground and many essential parts and machine tools destroyed. Despite these difficulties, they have been able to carry on. and there are now more than 100.000 of their sets in use.