On Mar 18, 9:43 pm, DeserTBoB wrote:
On 18 Mar 2007 15:24:35 -0700, "Bret Ludwig"
wrote:

Also this is not a common piece at all-it has to be late 1920s
construction. snip

Late '20s-early '30s in design, bu that particular specimen was built
in 1947. The stenciling on a component inside is the giveaway there,
UNLESS that particular compoenent inside was changed out at some time.

All WECO gear had date and plant codes well into the '70s that
consisted of the month, a single letter denoting which plant (V was
Virginia Works, O was Oklahoma City, M was Merrimack Valley, etc) and
the last two digits of the year.

Thus, this stenciling of 5V47 meant the particular piece was made in
April, 1947 at WECO's Virginia Works.

The later poster is confusing this with the AC powered
metal case 19C, I think, which was thick on the land until orientals
started buying them for their not very good transformers. snip

The 19C was central office test equipment, usually, but also had a
portable version. The 11A was designed to be a lineman's portable,
but was also found in considerable numbers inside many toll offices
for decades.


Your eyes are better than mine, I missed the date codes. I would have
thought the wood case, four pin tubes and cloth wires would have been
long since superceded by '47. One of my 19Cs has all 1948 date code
transformers, the other has a mishmash. Neither is very clean inside
but both work.

He didn't give a very good photo of the front of the set.

The 19C has both a hole in the front panel and a hole on the side
where the cord can come out or some have a recessed two conductor male
on the left side. All have holes galore for mounting a lid, rack
ears, or WHY. The handles or lid are mounted as needed apparently,
Both of mine make audible noises- a sine wave, but a different pitch
than the gen output-when operating on certain frequencies. The
acoustic pitch varies dramatically when the dial is turned. I noticed
that if the AC supply voltage varies at all the sound varies too. It
sounds like a pure sine wave. I have been meaning to use a
stethoscope to see what is making the noise, I assume the caps, but
you know what assume means. I also haven't figured out WHICH of the
transformers they are really after. There is no pilot light.

I used a similar beast where I worked a long time ago. It was not a
19C, I don't remember the designation. It had the female longframe
jacks for output and the manual indicated it was for 110 VAC-DC but
that a 48V Co version was available. No one else seems to know what I
am talking about and you seem legit Bell.

I do not have the book although there is a very yellowed schematic in
the back of the set on one. The other has been stripped and repainted.
Local ex-Bell people all think these things are a POS until I tell
them they will bring $500 now. i always thought het oscillators were a
cheap way of doing things but it has been pointed out they sweep far
more stably than Wien bridge sets.

Perhaps someone reading this has the service notes and would send a
good copy or scan to one of the boatanchor or test Web sites where
they put manuals so we can all see this. Probably out of copyright
now.