'Report on the operations carried out in the southern desert in connection with the Iraq-Najd borders, June 1928-May 1929.' [‎18] (20/32)

18
I
3. Traffic.
(a) The number of messages handled by the W/I station, Shaibah, for
the period July, 1928 to June, 1929, was as follows :—
Quarter ending September, 1928 .. .. .. 9,526
Quarter ending December, 1928 .. .. .. 12,844
Quarter ending March, 1929 .. .. .. ^
Quarter ending June, 1929 .. .. .. 9,733
(b) The 'Iraq Army VV/T stations handled a total of 12,740 messages
during the period January to May, 1929, inclusive.
4. Equipment.
(a) Aircraft. —(i) All W/T aircraft were fitted with type T.21 transmitter
and type T.F. receiver, and all carried forced landed W/T equipment.
(ii) Bentwood masts again gave a certain amount of trouble through
sections becoming seized up owing to climatic conditions and the ingress
of sand and dust.
(iii) All aircraft of Nos. 70 and 84 (Bomber) Squadrons were fitted with
generator. Reference 10A/3618, which has been found more reliable than
the old generator. Reference 10A/1618.
(b) Armoured Cars.— (i) In order to avoid the trouble mentioned in
para. 4 (a) (ii) all sections of armoured cars were equipped with the ordinary
30-ft. light tvpe steel mast. While these masts give less trouble than the
Bentwood telescopic mast, they cannot be considered as being entirely
satisfactory for use by mobile W/T stations in this country. Mast sections
are easily damaged, and the life of the rope guys is very short.
(ii) Two Morris six-wheelers were fitted up as V\ /1 tenders in order to
compare their performance with that of the Rolls Royce \\ /T tender.
(iii) A cabin 2 ft. 8 in. wide was boarded off immediately behind the
driver's seat, entrance to the cabin being formed by cutting a rectangular
hole, approximately 2 ft. square, through the back of the driver's hood.
(iv) The instruments were slung on ordinary suspension brackets which
were fixed to a detachable panel on the side of the cabin.
(v) From a wireless point of view the Morris W/T tender is decidedly
superior to the Rolls Royce W/T tender owing to the greater space available
for both the operator and apparatus, and the fact that whatever load is
carried in the rear portion of the tender it does not in any way interfere
with the operation of the W/T instruments.
(c) Armoured Train. —(i) A complete T.21 transmitter and T.F. receiver
station was held at Shaibah for fitting into the armoured train if necessary.
This was not required.
(ii) The telephone system in the armoured train was to have been installed
by the 'Iraq Army if required.
5, 'Iraq Army W T Stations.
(a) Procedure Used.—Permission for 'Iraqi operators to be taught and
to employ certain portions of the R.A.F. procedure was not received till
the end of March, so that the full benefit of this decision was not felt.
From the short time it has been in use, however, it is obvious that a great
saving in the times taken to pass signals between stations operated by
British and 'Iraqi personnel will be effected.
(b) Personnel. —As operators, where everything is going well, the 'Iraqis
are very efficient, but they do not seem to have the ability quickly to trace
and rectify any breakdowns which may occur.