A Special Kind Of Radio

I found it in a pail in an antique store in Marion, Indiana about 40 years ago.  It was well before the internet made it possible to find out any information about it.  I'll probably never find a source for the original battery pack for it but it won't matter as one can't listen to this radio as it operates, but it made quite a noise as it stopped. During the second world war, it was a godsend to antiaircraft batteries in England and the Pacific theatre. It is a miniature tube receiver-transmitter designed to be fired as a part of an anti aircraft artillery shell and detonate at a predetermined distance from any adjacent target.





Here is a contemporary article from YANK magazine revealing the device and its use.

http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/pdf/HEAT%20VT%20Fuse_0001.jpg

And here is a cutaway view of the entire assembly with battery and detonator that would be installed in the shell.

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/015703t.jpg

I have never seen one. It should have really tough tubes if it can be fired with artillery. Thanks for sharing, 75.

WC

Now that is interesting, thanks for posting!