WW2 Wireless Set WS38 MkIII Tropical Man Pack Military Radio

This is a valve operated WW2 Wireless Set WS38 MkIII Tropical Man Pack Military Radio. In pretty good external condition with surface marks and blemishes commensurate with age and use. Many of the rubber components have perished with age. It has not been tested.

A follow-on from the popular WS38 Mk I and Mk II / Mk II*, the Mk III was introduced towards the end of WW2 in 1945. It is a short wave manpack set designed for use in the tropics.

Specification: according to Wireless For the Warrier Compendium 1 by Louis Meulstee

• Frequency coverage: 7.3-9 MHz
• Receiver: Superheterodyne with an IF of 285 MHz
• Transmitter: master oscillator/doubler, RF power amp, microphone amplifier, control grid modulation
• Range: 0.5 mile with 4ft rod
• RF power output: 200m W
• Separate crystal calibrator no.9 ZA26288
• Power supply: dry battery pack
• No. of Valves: 8

It has superior netting and tuning abilities compared with the earlier Mk II* variant. The hermetically sealed aluminium exterior casing was designed to exclude moisture from the internal electronics for use in tropical climates. The internal radio circuitry remained the same as the Mk I and II.

The WS38 MkIII is a man-pack radio with all the controls immediately accessible by the operator when located in the back-pack. It is fitted with a hand-held control or 'Bowden' cable, which sits outside the back-pack, allowing the operator to transmit to a pre-set radio frequency or switch the radio off via the button on the top of the control.

A must have for the Military Radio collector!