SCR-578 'Gibson Girl' Survival Radio: Life-Saving Curves
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
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Developed during the Second World War and based on earlier German and British designs, the SCR-578 'Gibson Girl' was the standard Allied aircrew survival radio for much of the war and several decades beyond. Its unique curved shape allowed it to be securely held between an airman's knees, allowing them to power the radio using a hand crank.
I've upvoted this for the Poirot "cosplay" alone, before even seeing the main content.
The lanyard that tethers the handle to the body while still letting it be used is a love letter from engineering.
Compliments on your Poirot costume. It was also a pleasure to hear the theme song again. We watched all of the series. The Gibson Girl radio is a fascinating piece of kit, literally. I also find kits like this interesting as they are often, like this one, pretty ingenious.
We have 3 partial units at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California. Unfortunately, we don’t have a complete package. We have set one unit up in a single person life raft with the box kite extended. We allow selected guests to crank the radio and have a nearby radio turned on so they can hear the SOS. Great video, thank you!
That’s so cool that you have it set up for people to actually try and see it in action!
I will have to look for that exhibit the next time I visit March AFB Museum . Honestly it one of Favorite Aircraft Museums anywhere
Ive only recently discovered your channel and have been binge watching just a little. As a Ham with an interest in old military radios, QRP (low operating power), and the hand and pedal cranked sets used by the school of the air and RFDS in Aus, these sort of rescue sets really interest me. I dont think ive ever seen such a complete set shown off, obviously old manuals and old photos, but really underplays the sophistication of the whole system. the hydrogen generator, the weighted earth cap line, an adjustable tension brake on the antenna, clockwork morse keyer, all genius, simple elegant solutions. especially with a distressed, and exhausted seaman in mind. that box kite though... I thought before you said it "How the hell do you do that in a rubber raft??"
I would like a folding box kite tho, that seems like a very good idea for deploying an antenna. A really good way to put up a QRP station. for the many that dont know, QRP is low power operation, the sport coming from the smallest rig making the longest contact. Its not hard to be heard with a 1000w rig that needs a whole room and power circuit. something that you can pop in your backpack and go for a hike with is a really fun challenge. so you target areas that you can really optimise your antenna system. Ive either used a rope over a tall tree branch or a extendable 10m fiberglass pole, and had pretty good results. if I get 10 km out of suburbia, to a high point with a decent gumtree, you send and receive such better signals. I have also had excellent results on the beach, but your elevation is essentially Zero. I think I need a big box kite, get the antenna right up there.
a small correction to the narrator's explanation of the "tuning light": it didn't tune to frequency, rather, it tuned the antenna circuit to maximum transmission efficiency; this is necessary as the elements of this circuit would be effected greatly by the weather, time of day/night, height of the antenna, acidity or conductivity of the water, how deep the ground wire is, how far out to sea, cranker's strength, condition of the tubes (valves) inside, etc.
Thanks for the tour! It's nice to see it all together.
I loved the costume you definitely fit the part, please continue with the great videos and continue to keep having fun❤😂
I just recently discovered these wonderful videos by Gilles Messier. They are so informative, and he is so knowledgeable (and a really terrific presenter) that I have been binge-watching them!! Thank you Gilles. Please continue your work. I am a history enthusiast as well as a big-time "gear-head" (I'm actually an Engineer by training) and I am a big fan of you and your videos.
I commented on the original video that I had a Gibson Girl kite as a kid some 60 odd years ago. It's much easier to assemble the kite if you connect the 2 halves together first as the side supports don't flop all over the place. The kite also had 2 bridle attachment points for different wind speeds. It was really easy kite to launch and very stable in flight.
I remember this device from _Island in the Sky_ , a survival movie about a transport plane that crashed in the Canadian wilderness.
It really is wild that after all these years it’s still complete.
instructions unclear.... was unable to fly semi-assembled kite, manage the string output, turn the crank, drive the boat, push the button, monitor the light, and wear the strap simultaneously. i'm pretty sure i typed in "i'm dead" rather than "SOS" send help please.
This is so interesting. I've been looking for documented instances of this tech being used, albeit unsuccessfully...
A very well thought out set up.
FWIW: I first learned about these -- at least the kites -- from the book *The Penguin Book of KITES* by David Pelham, copyrighted ©️ 1976.
On page 76 there is a reproduction of an illustration from the launching instructions for the kite, along with a photograph of one of the box kites sitting on the ground.
I _think_ there was also an article in the now-out-of-print quarterly USA kite magazine *KITELINES* about these as well. I may have that magazine issue somewhere, but it will probably take me forever to find it...😊
*EDIT:* Although that Pelham book was published in 1976, IF you can find a copy -- they may still be in print, I do not know -- it is a GOOD BASIC PRIMER on kite history. The book also contains plans for _many_ types of kites. Be aware if you DO get one the _spine_ of the book will not age well. I purchased my first copy in 1980, and ordered a newer copy around 1996. The first one finally came apart and I put the pages into document protectors in a 3-ring binder. I have kept the second one in the mailer pouch it arrived in for most of the time I have had it, and ITS SPINE has also crumbled...🤦♂️
I have/had that book and build some of the designs.
Ditto: Agree re the crappy binding 😢.
Well done. Thank you.
In the British movie "The Sea Shall Not Have Them" (1954) one of the surviving aircrew uses a Gibson Girl to no effect. "Maybe it's busted" he says.
Wonderful. Very helpful and clearly presented. I have several of these kits and I learned new things from your video - Thank you
I was in the US Coast Guard -- mostly working in Aviation -- but for the first two years I was stationed aboard a USCG Cutter.
IF I remember correctly, I discovered the Electrian's Mates {EMs} or Electronic Technicians {ETs} on the Cutter actually had one of these Gibson-Girl transmitters aboard. {I presume it was a post-WWII model.} They MIGHT have had a G-G BOX KITE to go with it, I also cannot remember for sure.
I remember thinking at the time {1986-1987} that I was rather surprised I would ever see one of those systems on an active USCG vessel. .
If the cutter you were on was from that time period, I'm not surprised it had one. It would probably stay on board until decommissioned.
A) You look better with the beard. B) You make a supurb Poirot!
I would love to fly that box kite, my did bought me one when I was about 6 or 7 and it flew very well.
Super!!!
Yes.
I myself have shave my mustache for a Halloween party.
Nice kit!
You make such interesting content.
I watch your videos to “exercise the little grey cells” as Poirot would say!
So you could theoretically use it to transmit cw other than the distress signal, that’s cool.
Look good with a handlebar mustache
Cool.
Nice to see how one works
Cool
Great costume !
You should take one of them, and retune it so it is in the hf ham bands, and reprogram the beacon to play your ham call, and other information about the beacon lol. Would be something if someone did that.
And to think, not even a decade later, a hand-held small rectangle with built-in battery could locate your position via GPS and send the coordinates via emergency satellite communication to rescue services.
Oh... the thumbnail had some Sting references I think... :-)
Great video, thanks
Great video. I have one complete, except that Hydrogen Generators are empty cans.
At around 1:00 you mention an earlier video. This seems to be missing. Could you put the URL for it here please?
Hydrogen and heat sounds great in an emergency situation 😁
Peebody and sherman type vibes heheeh
The Gibson girl was common in ships all over the world.
I understand it is a 500kHz transmitter. It has no receiver build in. Is this correct?
To the best of my recollection, transmitting (screaming HELP!! in radio terms) was to have a plane track your signal as to begin a rescue. Not much more room inside a box for another set of tubes, and transmit/receive switch, power supply for receiver, and so on...Things were mush bigger back in those days.
i know of a youtuber who owns a gibson girl!
I have a sailor skanti marinetta TRP 1 in very good condition
Does anyone want to buy
Hm