New Field Telephone (Canadian Army Journal Vol. X No. 1 January 1956)

New Field Telephone

Image of Quartermaster Sergeant (WO 2) C.E. Fralic, City View, Ont., a member of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, sends a messge over the new telephone.

From the Army Newsletter issued by the Directorate of Public Relations (Army), Ottawa

A new field telephone, more rugged and having better performance than the current models, has gone into large-scale production and will be in general army use early this year.

The new instrument, known as the TA-43, replaces the familiar Second World War "F and L" sets which have been in use for 15 years wherever the Army has service.

The new Sets are American-designed, but have been approved for use by the Canadian Army. They are being produced in this country in considerable quantities (more that 6000 initially) by the Northern Electric Company of Montreal. The set has a working range up to 20 miles using field wire. It is made of materials specially selected for durability and long wear under the toughest field conditions and is completely water-proof.

The weight of the new equipment is about eight pounds. it is designed to "talk" and "listen" much better than the old "F and L's" and will be utilized for all field switchboard work. Its signal "bell" actually is not a bell at all but a "clacker" which makes a noise comparable to that of a woodpecker. Volume is adjustable and extensive tests have shown the "clacker" is more audible under battle conditions than the conventional phone bell.

The set's new magneto generator is a "free-coaster" and can be operated with nothing of the hard labour associated with the old sets. The new telephone can be used either as a desk set or mounted vertically on a tree or a pole.