MWE. C FU 8 30watt sender Project info needed

[whscharfschütze]

HI,

I am new on the communication forum, but not new on the forum. I have a panzer mannequin and i want to make a nice display with some radio equipment.
I have already a MWE C in my collection and i think i want to make a combination with a 30watt sender to make a FU8 like in a panther.

Does anybody have pictures of both of them in combination? or info about what i need, and if there i someone who knows a 30watt sender for sale.

I am also planning to weld a rack(frame) to make them fit in , just like in a tank or armoured vehicle so i need pictures of those racks, but i cant find them.

anybody have experience with this?

Best regards,

Karel

[Funksammler]

Hi Karel,

I guess not a lot of information is available on the use of the Fu 8 installation in the Panzerbefehlswagen, as they were quite rare beasts. I have not been able to find production numbers for the Panther, but for the Panzer IV, less than 100 conversion to Befehlspanzer were were done from March 1944.

Befehlspanzer would only be found in the Staff company of the Panzer Regiment and Batallions, in theory three vehicles each. Given that in 1944 most panzer regiments had at most one batallion of Panthers, there would have been no more than 6 Panzerbefehlswagen Panthers in the panzer regiment of the division; a rare beast indeed.

As to the Befehlspanzer, the place of the normal Fu 5 installation in the hull would be taken by the Fu 8, with the Fu 5 moving to the turret. Unfortunately I have yet to find a photograph of the Fu 8 mounted in a Befehlspanzer, so the exact details are not easily available.

The crew of a Befehlpanzer where also different from the normal panzercrew. The radio operator in the hull which operated the Fu 8 set would be a qualified Funker, The radio operator for the Fu 5 set in the turret would also act as loader. Instead of a gunner, the Befehlspanzer carried a communications officer (who acted as gunner in emergencies), so three of the five crewmen were involved in managing the communications. The commander of a Befehlspanzer was obviously of more senior rank.

As for the radio mountings, they would have been similar to those used in the command half tracks of which I attached a photo:

<a href="http://s672.photobucket.com/albums/vv86/Funksammler/?action=view&current=DSC00122.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv86/Funksammler/DSC00122.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Bottom left is the frame for the 30 W.S; on top is a double frame for Mw.E.c's. Instead of the double frame for the Mw.E.c's only a single frame would have been used in the Befehlspanzer, mounted next to the transmitter frame.

regards,

Funksammler

[Yuri D.]

Nice rack Funksammler!!! Is it all original? I would love to get one made if the frame is a copy.

The hull rack in a command tank was a vertical 2-level type like an "H" where on top was the 30W.S.a and below was the Mw.E.c

Yuri



There were 329 Befehlspanthers manufactured total

[Funksammler]

The frame is a replica, which was copied directly from a surviving original, so it is correct in all it's details. I am replacing elements with originals when I get the opportunity, but I suspect the original outer frame will be difficult to find. Still working on some cabling and the antenna mount of my Fu 8, I will post some more pics when it's all up and running.

regards,

Funksammler

[Yuri D.]

Funksammler,

Do you have intercom components of the "Bordsprechanlage B"? I saw a variable condenser next to the stern-antenne.

Yuri

[Funksammler]

Hi Yuri,

Unfortunately I don't have anything of the Bordsprechanlage B, about 5 years ago I remember quite a few of the boxes passing through Ebay and I have seen a view at Beltring, so they are around from time to time. Silly money though....

The antenna coil (Antennenspule 30/80 Watt) is required to get at least some energy into the Sternantenne D and needs to be placed as close to the antenna as possible. Even thoug the mounting frame has provisions to mount the coil as shown on the photo, in the Sd.Kfz 250/251 the coil was placed in the armoured 'box' that also housed the antenna base.

regards,

Funksammler

[whscharfschütze]

Hi Funksammler,

Thank you very much for your information and help. I was indeed planning to make a frame like you showed me, as i read it is yours?could you make some more pictures or do you have measuremnts. if you have blueprints i also want to pay for it. I planning to make one, what is not so difficult for me as i am metal construction worker.

I have been to a friend of me today who has a 80watt sender for sale together with the u80 and some cables. After seeing that i was thinking about making a rack like yours. upper left the mwe c uppre right ukwe and underneath the 80 watt sender. i think that is a realistic display isnt it?

Best regards,

Karel

[Funksammler]

Sorry, I don't have any blueprints, I can make some some detailed pictures later. The construction of the different frame sizes is more or less the same, they are abviously sizes to fit snugly around the equipment.

To get a a realistic setup with the 80 W, you would need two Mw.E.c's in the two racks over the 80 W. In some lineups they could combine the Fu 5 with the Medium wave installation, the FU 5 would be mounted in a separate frame on the left side of the outer frame, transmitter stacked on top of the receiver.

regards,

Funksammler