SAAF MUSEUM, SWARTKOP AFB, WIRELESS ROOM.
{IWM No.5128 ZS6MUS 25o 48’S 28o 10’E}
South African Air Force Museum Centurion Pretoria

WIRELESS ROOM AT SAAF MUSEUM SWARTKOP AFB

THE FRIENDS OF THE SAAF MUSEUM.
WIRELESS SECTION.

AIMS.

1. TO SUPPORT AN INTEREST IN THE HISTORY OF RADIO IN
   MILITARY EMPLOYMENT, INCLUDING RADIO IN ALL
   ARMED FORCES, PARA-MILITARY AND CLANDESTINE
   (RESISTANCE) GROUPS, AND EXTENDING TO RADIO
   EQUIPMENT OF OTHER COUNTRIES FOR COMPARISION.
2. TO SUPPORT AN INTEREST IN, AND ASSIST IN THE
   PROVISION OF, AN EXHIBITION OF RADIO (AND OTHER
   ELECTRONIC) EQUIPMENT IN ACCOMMODATION
   PROVIDED BY THE SAAF MUSEUM.
3. THE OPERATION OF AN AMATEUR RADIO STATION WITH
   THE CALL-SIGN ZS6MUS, USING BOTH MODERN
   HISTORIC EQUIPMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH
   THE PROVISIONS OF THE AMATEUR LICENCE.
4. TO ADVANCE TO AIMS OF THE FRIENDS OF THE SAAF
   MUSEUM BY USING THE CHANNELS/MEANS PROVIDED BY
   AMATEUR RADIO. (THAT IS, PUBLIC RELATIONS.)

FRIENDS OF THE SAAF MUSEUM, SWARTKOP, 6th APRIL 2006.
WIRELESS SECTION REPORT. For MARCH 2006.

Many thanks also go to a fellow amateur James du Toit ZS6JDT who donated a carpet from the Wireless Room.
The normal Saturday mornings radio net with the SA Antique Wireless Association, took place as normal. Nevertheless, the research for aircraft radio history and the search for equipment continues.
We are looking for information on World War 2 Radio and RADAR jamming equipment used by the American “Secret Squadrons of the Eighth” which operated from the UK. The systems used went under the names of; Jackal, Carpet I, Jostle, Dina, Mandrel, ELINT.

HISTORIC DATES.
18/04/1944 First operational use of the Munro bomb (Used for distribution of leaflets. See explanation below)
20/04/1897 Adolf Hilter’s Birthday
25/04/1874 Guglielmo Marconi’s Birthday.
06/05/1937 Hindenburg, crash and destruction at Lakehurst, U.S.A.

The Munroe T-1 BOMB.
This bomb was invented by Capt. James Munroe of the 305th Bomb Group and could be dropped by B-17 Flying Fortresses. He used some old laminated paper containers for M-17 incendiary bombs, 48″ long and 16,5″ diameter. standard M-111 bomb time fuse connected to primer cord in pipes around the sides of the container at 6″ intervals. These “bombs” could be exploded any where between 30 000ft and 2 000ft, a big improvement on the older methods of releasing propaganda leaflets .

FRIENDS OF THE SAAF MUSEUM, SWARTKOP, 02nd March 2006.
WIRELESS SECTION REPORT. For FEBRUARY 2006.

Capt. Mark Edwards’ Aircraft.
(that is, the Mirage between the Club House and the Radio Room.)
We have made contact with Capt. Edwards and are trying to establish the necessary/correct “lines of communication” to get the Air Scouts busy with the cleaning of this particular “Mirage”.

MORE ABOUT THE Q-Code.

FRIENDS OF THE SAAF MUSEUM, SWARTKOP, 02nd February 2006.
WIRELESS SECTION REPORT. For JANUARY 2006.

SATURDAY MORNINGS.
Although the usual Saturday activity (4 mornings in
January) is to join with the SA Antique Wireless Association, we do get a few visitors. The children are the most intrigued by the use of Morse Code.
Saturday 28-01-2006 was of particular interest as we made contact with a special event station ZS5A1GP run by the Durban Hams and set up somewhere near the track of the A1 Grand Prix in Durban!!!

THE Q-Code.
Some of our “research” involves a “bit of paper work”. The following item resulted from a request from Evert for something regarding Morse Code for publication in The String Bag.
In order to shorten any message a system of three letter groups, each one beginning with the letter “Q” representing often sent phrases, was devised. Two examples are QSY = Change frequency to ….. and QTH = My position is ……
When asking a question, a question mark is added after the last letter, QTH? = What is your position?
The longest sentence we have come across contains 32 words!!
QNH is slightly shorter with the question representing 29 words and the answer 31!!
The series QAA to QNZ are reserved for aeronautical services whilst QOA to QQZ are for maritime use.
I general radio amateur “conversation” abbreviations of words, similar to those used cell-phone SMS’s are used.
Some cell-phones also make use of morse code, the letters SMS are sent as dididit dadah dididit.
The following items in the Q-code might be of interest to the Friends”. The “Unofficial” meaning is put in the right hand column.
Little is known about the origins of this

Another story comes to mind During the liberation of some Far Eastern Country (probably Burma) the Allied forces were approaching a POW camp which house certain air force officers, mainly RAF. In order “encourage” their liberators the letters QED were written on the roof of a building! The polite meaning is “Please hurry up”

HISTORIC DATES.

01/02/1920 START OF SAAF
02/02/1946 Last Lancaster delivered to RAF
22/02/2003 B-P Birthday (Boy Scout Fame!!)

FRIENDS OF THE SAAF MUSEUM, SWARTKOP, 12th JANUARY 2006.
WIRELESS SECTION REPORT. For NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2005.

Sincere apologies for the “non-arrival” of the November 2005 report which seems to have gone astray in the “bowels” of the e-mail system!

SATURDAY MORNINGS.
As usual ZS6MUS was activated on the 4 Saturday mornings of
November to join with the Southern African Antique Wireless Association.
Saturday 26th November was actually important milestone as 50% of the Wireless room did some work! They were helped by Peet ….(?) and Dave Pearson. A new nylon rope to hoist the antenna was installed in place of the old one which has given great service over the last 5 years. Nylon does not last very long when exposed to the sun for so long. Peet did the hardest part of the work. He opened the end of the old rope and fed the start of the new inside so that it could be pulled through the pulley. No mean task!!
Many Thanks!!!
As usual ZS6MUS was activated for the first time in 2006 on Saturday morning 07-01-2006 to join with the Southern African Antique Wireless Association net.
Ionospheric propagation never ceases to amaze us, especially, this Saturday morning, whilst the Natal stations are heard loud and clear at Swartkop those on the Reef, even Kemptom Park, are barely heard!!!
We all thank Frans van Nieuwekerk for cleaning out the Wireless Room during December 2005.

NEW EQUIPMENT.
A Collins transmitter and receiver (Naval types) plus a home-made power supply were donated to the museum by Dave Smith ZS6AZP of Irene. These new pieces have promise of being restored in the near future than other items.

AMERICAN WOMEN IN WW2 US INDUSTRY.

The most famous real-life “Rosie the Riveter” was Rose Will Monroe, who was a riveter at the Ford Willow Run Aircraft factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where bombers were built.
Monroe was the model for the famous poster, showing a woman wearing a polka-dot bandana on her head with her sleeves rolled up, flexing her muscles, and the caption, “We Can Do It!” Unlike most of the “Rosies”, Rose kept working after the war.
An even more famous lady worked in an aircraft factory in Bakersfield, California, during the war, Norma Jean Baker. She worked in the same factory as husband James Doherty. An army photographer spotted her and asked her to pose for posters for the troops. That led to a modeling career, and a whole new life and a new name: Marilyn Monroe.

HISTORIC DATES.

07/01/1935 AVRO 652 ANSON
08/01/1941 AVRO 683 LANCASTER
27/01/1945 Ausweits “”Liberated””
27/01/…….. Australia Day