Abwehr

[la5he@yahoo.no]

We dont see much agent radiosets here, so I decided to post a piece of Abwehr radio, which has been beautifully restored. SE98 in working order.

[csmagdo]

How come the English "labels"?

Csaba

[ARYEH]

Nice work Rag.
A description of set can be found here as well as other sources http://www.cryptomuseum.com/spy/se98_3/index.htm

Note difference in location of transmitter antenna sockets etc. Curious that no mention
in cryptomuseum article about receiver tuning graph such as used with allied radios
like Paraset's etc.

Cheers
ARYEH

[ARYEH]

How come the English "labels"?

Csaba

Hi Csaba:
The "labels" in English were used so that if the set was discovered accidentally by someone not actually searching for it the operator could try and bluff his/her way out of the situation by saying that he was a Radio Ham. In Western democracies it might of helped. An Allied Clandestine operator could not try this approach in Occupied Europe - but there were a few cases where Allied agents were stopped with the briefcase radios and bluffed their way out of it in Occupied France. One agent told Gendarmes that it was portable Radiography equipment and they let her go with it.

Cheers

ARYEH

[csmagdo]

Tnx!

[la5he@yahoo.no]

English legends

All clandestine sets seem to have English legends. Even the Sovjet sets used after WW2 had it !
Ragnar

[ARYEH]

Not all

All clandestine sets seem to have English legends. Even the Sovjet sets used after WW2 had it !
Ragnar

Hi Rag:
From what I've seen on the Internet NOT ALL WW2 Clandestine Radio NOMENCLATURE was in English. The Italian radio's had it in Italian e.g RC2 (Including manf) and the Polish ones had it in English or Polish.

Cheers
ARYEH

[Funksammler]

Both examples look like new builds rather than restorations to me. insulation materials, wiring etc are definately not period. Only the transmitter on the Cryptomuseum's example seems to be based on an original chassis....

I hope my suspicions are proven wrong, certainly the complete faking of sets would be a worrying development in our hobby....

regards,

Funksammler

[P2000]

Replica of the SE 98/3

The two SE 98/3 sets shown here are both very good made replicas, - and not restored sets. Some years ago 4 or 5 of this set was made and sold as replicas with full documentation. They were made after an original SE 98/3 found complete but in a bad condition. The problem is when the new owners later try to sell them as originals or restored originals.

P2000

[la5he@yahoo.no]

The two SE 98/3 sets shown here are both very good made replicas, - and not restored sets. Some years ago 4 or 5 of this set was made and sold as replicas with full documentation. They were made after an original SE 98/3 found complete but in a bad condition. The problem is when the new owners later try to sell them as originals or restored originals.
P2000

I acquired this from a German collector some 20 years ago. It was said to be restored based on a find after the war. I am no forensic expert, so how do we find the facts ?

Ragnar

[Funksammler]

As an observer I can only use my experience and knowledge of original contruction materials and the ageing seen on original equipment. I have already commented on the wiring and the insulation materials, they are not materials available at the time. Another dead giveaway to me are the soldering connections, they age in an unmistakable way. Suspicions arroused I start looking closer and see more and more brand new materials and a total lack of ageing not seen in original equipment.

I was not aware of the story in P2000's post, it does seem to confirm my suspicions... If more details are available it would be worth posting them here.

In itself there is nothing wrong with a well made replica of an otherwise unobtainable piece of equipment, as long as it is presented as such. As a replica they are beautifully made and are illustrative of the type. From an amateur radio point of view I can see the value of having an operable piece of equipment, as a collector however they will never peak my interest as much as an original piece, it is all about the history...

regards,

Funksammler

[la5he@yahoo.no]

As an observer I can only use my experience and knowledge of original contruction materials and the ageing seen on original equipment. I have already commented on the wiring and the insulation materials, they are not materials available at the time. Another dead giveaway to me are the soldering connections, they age in an unmistakable way. Suspicions arroused I start looking closer and see more and more brand new materials and a total lack of ageing not seen in original equipment.

I was not aware of the story in P2000's post, it does seem to confirm my suspicions... If more details are available it would be worth posting them here.

In itself there is nothing wrong with a well made replica of an otherwise unobtainable piece of equipment, as long as it is presented as such. As a replica they are beautifully made and are illustrative of the type. From an amateur radio point of view I can see the value of having an operable piece of equipment, as a collector however they will never peak my interest as much as an original piece, it is all about the history...

regards,Funksammler

In all fairness, the seller never told me it was original, but a restored post-war find. He even showed me some photgraphs from the place it was found and the condition of the radio at the time. It all seemed plausible to me.

Ragnar