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Vintage and Military Radio IAIN MOFFAT G0OZS Draft A Prepared for the Leiston Radio Club – 13 th March 2018. What is Vintage Radio ?. Cars are considered vintage from before 1930 and Classic if more than 30 years old.
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Vintage and Military Radio IAIN MOFFAT G0OZS Draft A Prepared for the Leiston Radio Club – 13th March 2018
What is Vintage Radio ? • Cars are considered vintage from before 1930 and Classic if more than 30 years old. • Radios seem to be treated as vintage if they have valves or germanium transistors in. • Most people would agree that pre-1970 sets are definitely vintage. • Increasingly the first generation of “Japanese Black Boxes” are considered vintage or at least classics. • Because the military required huge numbers of sets and kept them for a long time with spares and manuals they have survived better than most.
Generations of Radios • Spark Era – 1880s to 1915 – all wood and brass • Early Valves – 1915 to 1930s – wooden breadboards • 1930s – Octal valves, metal chassis • WW2 – miniature and subminiature valves • 1950s – subminiature valves, early semiconductors • 1960s-70s – printed circuits, transistors, early ICs • 1980s to date – modern electronics !
Post WW2 Military Radio Time Line Analogue FM/AM Digital SynthFM/SSB. Hopping + Crypto Analogue Synth. Fixed Freq+ Crypto True SDR Analogue AM/CW Analogue FM/SSB
MILITARY Skeds and Nets only DF is a hazard Security matters No band limits Wideband Antennas (Trans)portable Mostly Omnidirectional Broadband Solid Copy Wanted 24V supply As little training as possible ! Military Vs Amateur Requirements • AMATEUR • Free Tuning on HF • DF is Fun • No secret codes • Fixed bands • Optimised Antennas • Permanent • Rotatable • Pre-Tuned • Weak DX wanted • 12V supply • Skilled operators
Military Radio Design Objectives • Fixed frequency channelised operation • Suitable for unskilled VHF operators • Simple tuning on HF • Compatible with RTTY/Data terminals • Usable with secure speech terminals • Electrically & Mechanically indestructible • Easy to use without artificial lights • Fully interchangeable audio accessories • Standard military power supplies
Clansman operating differences • Preset tuning with decade switches • 100Hz steps on HF • No free tuning – better to call CQ, use 2nd RX or make skeds • 25KHz steps on VHF (so only 100KHz channels usable on 6m) • Dials indicate centre frequency – so +2KHz of carrier on HF SSB • Dials have end stops (so can set frequency and mode in the dark) • USB only on HF and FM only on VHF • Sets can have 2nd CIO added easily and cheaply for LSB • 150Hz CTCSS on VHF • Heard as severe hum on older Ham receivers without CTCSS • Most Clansman receivers need 150Hz or S9 carrier to open • Can be adjusted to interwork with Amateur sets at cost of rebroadcast • Slow AGC recovery • HF sets can seem deaf in presence of intermittent QRM • ATU provided with HF and VHF fixed/mobile • Auto ATU on VHF and Manual ATU on HF
The Clansman Radios • RT320 – HF manpack 30W AM/USB/CW • RT321 – HF Mobile/Fixed 40W AM/USB/CW • RT322 – RT321 with 250W Valve Linear and Tuner • RT349 – 36-46MHz FM handheld 250mw • RT350 – 30-56MHz lightweight backpack 2W • RT351 – 30-76MHz backpack 4W • RT351M – 30-76MHz backpack with wide audio • RT352 – RT351 with 25W FM only amplifier • RT353 - 30-80MHz Mobile/Fixed 50W FM & Data
RT349 VHF FM Portable • No amateur bands • 36-46MHz by 25KHz steps • Very low power • 250mw • 12V NiCad or 10xAA cells • A good paperweight ...
RT350 VHF FM Portable • Lighter than 351/2 • More power than 349 • 30-56MHz by 25KHz steps • Only covers 6m band • 2 Watts Output • Micro-BNC connector • Unique 14V Battery • Can also use C-Cells but cases are unreliable
RT351, RT351M and 352 VHF FM Manpacks • 4M and 6M coverage • 25KHz steps only • FM only • Remote operation • 3KM range using D10 pair • Use 2 as x-band repeater • 351M has 8KHz audio • 352 sets 20-30W output • NiCd batteries only • Extension cables can be adapted ...
RT353 VHF Fixed/Mobile • Hybrid Valve/IC design • Motorised Tuning • 4m and 6m bands • FM wide & Narrow • 25KHz steps • FM & 16KHz data • 0.5 to 50W output • 24V 12A supply • Fan Cooled – LOUD !
RT320 HF Manpack CW/AM/SSB • Man-Portable HF Radio • 2-30MHz • 30W or 5W • AM, CW & USB • Builtin ATU • Optimised for end fed antennas • BNC output not tuned • Works well with 321 25W ATU for coax fed antennas • Very sensitive RX • Single Conversion 1.75MHz IF
RT321 HF Mobile SSB/AM/CW • HF Fixed/Mobile • 5 or 40W from 1.5-30MHz • CW, AM, USB • Uses external manual ATU “TURF25W” • Prefers ¼ wave and electrically short antenna • Dual Conversion • 1.75MHz final IF and Variable 1st IF at 37 and 43MHz • Digital synthesiser with Varicap Tuning • Internal mechanical preselector • 5s tuning delay on 1KHz and larger steps • Easily disabled for steps up to 100KHz • Optional external BPF “SURF25W” • Silent – no fans ! • 35KG with SURF and TURF • 24V @ 10A on TX, 3A RX • Optional 250W PA makes station UK/VRC-322
RT322 • Adds RF Amp 250Wand TURF 250W to RT321 driver • Manually tuned • TURF-250W is a very good ATU • Coax or end fed antennas • Air cooled • VERY loud • Single Valve tetrode PA • 300W output on 80M • Requires 24V @ 50A !!
Antennas • Use BNC and C connectors • C-Type is N-sized BNC • Hard to get but adapters exist • Whip Antennas • Use 2 x 1M with TUUAM auto-atu for VHF • Use 3 x 1m or 4 x 1m at the halt for HF • HF Dipoles • Centres are not BALUNs • Coiled wires act as end loading • VHF ground spike • End fed ½ wave - add elements to tune • VHF Pineapple • Wideband 30-80MHz sleeve dipole • “Washing Line” • Properly “Ground Mounted Monopole” • Is really a Ground Mounted Discone • Inverted V • Is really an end fed ½ Rhombic
Batteries • The 351, 319 and 320 can use: • 24V 1AH Ni-Cad - used with hand generator • 24V 4AH Ni-Cad – standard manpack battery • 24V 16AH LiSO2 – Long patrol non-rechargeable • The 321 and 353 used • 110AH signals batteries in vehicles • or the 50A PSU in fixed locations.
Chargers • DCCU • 14V and 24V versions • Charge 24V batteries • Can power slow charger platesfor 349 & 350 batteries • ACCU • Charge 16 x 24V 4AH • IBMS • Microprocessor Controlled • Charge Anything ! • Hand Generator • Used with 1AH battery
Audio • Standard 7 pin plug • 600 ohm balanced in • Ground PTT to TX • 60 ohm output • Separate L & R earpiece connections • Morse key operates PTT • Headsets, Handsets and Speaker/Mic available • Handset includes PTT • Headset uses separate inline PTTbox • Single ear PTT/Mic/Speaker with built in PTT • 2 wire remote interface used for • Remote Handset/PTT • Remote Combining unit and standard headset • RTTY Modem
Foreign Counterparts • RT-320 • German SE6861 • US PRC-47 and PRC-105 • Yugoslav RUP-20 (Collins PRC-515) • Soviet R-143 • RT321/322 • USA GRC-106 • RT-353 • Soviet R123 • German SEM-25 • US VRC-12 • US PRC-25/77 with VIU • RT-349 • USA PRC-68 • RT350 • Czech RF10 • German FSE38/58 • RT351/2 • USA PRC-25 and PTC-77 • French ER-95 (Italian RV-3) • German SEM-35
Web Sites • Vintage & Military ARS: www.vmars.org.uk • WS No. 19 Group: www.royalsignals.org.uk • Radionerds: www.radionerds.com (US Technical Manuals) • Army Radio Sales Co. www.armyradio.com (UK Dealer) • Withams: www.mod-sales.com (UK main disposal route) • Radiosurplus: www.radiosurplus.it (US, German, French & USSR) • Crypto Museum: www.cryptomuseum.com (also a lot of radio info) • Greenradio: www.greenradio.de (DH4PY’s website) • PA3ECT: www.pa3ect.eu • My Web Site: https://moffatig.plus.com/g0ozs/