Wireless Set Number 11 facts for kids
The Wireless Set Number 11, often called WS No. 11, was a special radio made for the British Army in 1938. It was designed to help soldiers communicate during World War II. This radio could be used in different places, like army offices, inside vehicles, and even in tanks.
It was built to replace an older radio, the Wireless Set No. 1, which wasn't working well enough. Even though the No. 11 was an improvement, it was also found to have some problems. Later, a better radio, the Wireless Set No. 19, took its place in tanks. However, the No. 11 was still very useful for other groups, like the famous Long Range Desert Group.
History of the WS No. 11 Radio
The Wireless Set No. 11 was a radio that could both send and receive messages. It was created in 1938 to replace an older model from 1933. At first, it was meant for tanks to send messages over short and medium distances.
Later, the Long Range Desert Group used these radios in Libya and Tunisia. They needed to talk over very long distances while deep behind enemy lines. Reports say that the Germans captured some of these radios in France and used them for their own communications. The No. 11 was also made in Australia by a company called AWA. They made some changes to its parts and design.
How the WS No. 11 Radio Worked
The Wireless Set No. 11 had several features that made it useful for soldiers:
- Power: It could run on batteries or from a 6-volt or 12-volt power supply.
- Signal Strength: The radio could send out a signal from 0.6 watts to 4.5 watts.
- Communication Distance: It could talk to other radios about 3 to 20 miles (5 to 32 km) away. This depended on whether it used a 6-foot (1.8 m) or 9-foot (2.7 m) antenna.
- Size and Weight: The radio itself was about 8.5 by 19.5 by 12 inches (22 cm × 50 cm × 30 cm) big and weighed 43 pounds (20 kg). A full radio station with all its parts could weigh much more, up to 216 pounds (98 kg).
- Control: Soldiers could use the radio directly or control it from far away. They could operate it from 400 m (440 yd) away and place the antenna up to 10 m (11 yd) from the radio.
- Frequency Range: It could send and receive messages on frequencies from 4.5 to 7.1 MHz.
See also
- BC-348
- SCR-284
- Wireless Set No. 19
- Vintage amateur radio
