Antique Heliograph w/ Tripod Visual Signalling Equipment "HELIO 5" MARK V WWII

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Antique Heliograph w/ tripod "HELIO 5" MARK V L.A.M. No. B 41090 This auction is for an antique "Helio 5" MARK V mirror signalling device used as a wireless solar telegraph that signals using Morse code flashes of sunlight. The unit is in GREAT condition. The mirrror is intact, clear with no cracks, and the brass hardware shows normal signs of wear. The wood tripod legs work properly with no cracks. Stands approximately 62" tall. There is a leather strap missing on one of the legs. I am selling as is, as I received it. ************************************************************************************************ The Heliograph was a simple but highly effective instrument for instantaneous optical communication over 50 miles or more in the 19th century. Its major uses were for military and survey work. It was still in serious use at least up to 1935, for example by Glubb Pasha's Arab Legion in Palestine. The heliograph sent its signals by reflecting sunlight towards the intended recipient with a mirror, the beam being keyed on and off with a shutter or a tilting mirror, allowing Morse code to be sent. Heliographs were used by the armies of several countries during the late 1800's; they were highly popular with British forces in India because of the dependable sunlight. The classic heliograph is the Mance pattern, devised by Sir Henry Mance at Bombay in 1869. Heliograph equipment varied somewhat from country to country. The U.S. Army heliograph had a mirror with a sighting rod mounted on a tripod. A screen or shutter for interrupting the flashes was mounted on another tripod. If the sun was in front of the sender, its rays were reflected directly from a mirror to the receiving station. The sender used the sighting rod to line the flash up with the receiver. If the sun was behind the sender, its rays were reflected from one mirror to another, to send the beam on to the target receiver. The distance that heliograph signals could be seen depended on the clearness of the sky and the size of the mirrors used. Obviously a clear line of sight was required, and the earth's surface is curved, so the highest convenient points were used. Under ordinary conditions, a flash could be seen 30 miles (48 km) with the naked eye and much farther with a telescope. You might think that reflecting a beam to hit a target 30 miles away would require some precision optical alignment- fortunately this is not so because of the finite size of the sun's disc. The maximum range was considered to be 10 miles for each inch of mirror diameter; mirrors varied from 1.5 inches to 12 inches or more. Heliographs could be used with moonlight, but at much reduced range. Speed was 5 to 12 words per minute, depending on the Morse skills of the operators. USERS OF THE HELIOGRAPH included: Xenophon's Hellenica contains the phrase "to signal with a shield" which is thought to refer to reflecting sunlight with a polished shield, in 450 BC. Some evidence for use by the Chacoan Indians (circa AD 850) in North-Western New Mexico, using mica mirrors. British forces in India from 1870 onwards. Heliograph training in the British Army was still going on in 1907. Both sides in the Boer War USA Cavalry in the campaign against Geronimo in 1886 Glubb Pasha's Arab Legion before WW2 in Palestine Portugese forces. No details known. Afghan forces during the Soviet invasion of 199*. Most all of my auctions are vintage estate finds and therefore their condition is consistent with their age. Every effort is made to accurately describe items including flaws or wear due to age.Antique Heliograph w/ Tripod Visual Signalling Equipment "HELIO 5" MARK VClick images to enlargeDescription~ * ~ Welcome To Our Estate Find Auction ~ * ~AntiqueHeliograph w/ tripod"HELIO 5"MARK VL.A.M.No. B 41090This auction is for an antique "Helio 5" MARK V mirror signalling device used as a wireless solar telegraph that signals using Morse code flashes of sunlight. The unit is in GREAT condition. The mirrror is intact, clear with no cracks, and the brass hardware sh... read more

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