[ARC5] Ceramic insulator beads

[Mike Morrow]

It seems to me that the use of many individual beads strung on a wire was a bad idea.  I wonder how often a bead-covered lead broke or came loose from an antenna terminal and dumped scores of the beads into the bottom of the airframe.

Bead use seems to have been a USAAF custom.  I don't recall seeing any pictures of USN installations using the beads, nor manuals calling for their use.  The USN seems to have been content with using appropriately insulated wire.

Still, for historical restoration, one has to go with what was used, no matter how impractical it was.

William Donzelli ("toober" on ebay) once had supplies of IN-33 insulator packets that he sold or auctioned.  I don't know how many beads were in each packet...it didn't look like all that many, so many packets of beads would be required in a typical installation.

Mike / KK5F