RACAL RA17 Mk II with MA1350 Synthesiser and RA218 SSB Adaptor
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- A look at the RA17 MkII Receiver along with its Synth MA1350 and SSB adaptor RA218. Note the RA218 is really for the RA117 Series but as it has the 100kHz input it can be used with with the RA17. The RA218 has a fine tune adjust whihc can be used only with the RA117.
Why restore the RA17? for me it has some nostalga, I previously worked for RACAL in the late 1970's to 1984. Bought a second hand RA17 MkII from a ATC group, went half with my father who was also a ham. for the grand sum of 200Pounds. It was the first serious HF receiver giving readout to 1kHz and increadibly stable. Used it for OSCAR 7 Mode J downlink @ 28.9MHz. Called into USA from UK on several occasions. Very interesting time with DOppler shif meaning you had to adjust the RX frequency and 'track' the downlink. This was real radio comms!!.
After building a RTTY decoder and picking up an old Creed 75 TTY We used the RX for monitoring various Press agencys at the time on HF, Reuters, Associated Press, even Pyongyang and many more give a lot of fun.
I have heard others critisise the drift? The RA17 does not drift much is all I can say. Once it was warmed up over an Hour it couldnt have been more than a few cycles, I used to leave the TTY printing for hours without touching the VFO. ( Now the RA117 is a different story).
A real great reciever of its time and was made in high volumes and various IF bandwidths and AGC characteristics. When fully restored this is still an excellent performer. Audio through the SSB adaptor is excellent.
Keep em' glowing........
Hope you get a lot of payback for your hours in terms of operation hours. Nice job -- JS
Thanks for the nice comment Jerry
Came across the RA17 many times in the wireless operator part of my telegraphist trade during my RAF career, 1965 to 1978.
Spent most of my two years at HQ Bomber Command operating them with the V-Force Vulcans and Victors and reconnaissance Canberras.
I've also noticed them popping up regularly in the earlier Bond films, Dr No, Goldfinger, Goldeneye, also in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and many more.
I also took part in the trials of the SSB communications at HQBC in 1969, talking to a Victor which was on the ground at RAF Luqa, Malta.
Another incident was when I took a position report from a Vulcan. Ops asked me to query the report, which I did and it was accurate. He was over Darwin, Australia. The Power of HF eh! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Hi David, good to hear from you, very interested to hear your stories, My father was in the RAF and worked at Waddington on the Vulcans, He went on a 'world tour' with the Vulcans in 74'
One of the stops was Darwin (not long after the infamous cyclone that went through). He told me of a time when on the ground in a Vulcan calling up UK on HF (Upavon?) ( using the old Collins 618T, 400W) and got through clearly. Not bad from an aircraft on the ground 12,000 mile away!. He also was on Canberra's in Malta 75-78, 13 Sqn. Small world.
@@vk4gxc thanks Peter, it would most likely, but not definitely, have been HQBC RAF High Wycombe. And if it was it might very well have been me he was communicating with. I'd like to think so anyway.
I used to volunteer with XH558 (Vulcan to the Sky), manning Vulcan Village and Club stand. Then volunteered at the Jet Age Museum, Gloucester, running the team that looked after the forward fuselage section, cockpit, and carried out cockpit tours for visitors. Had a few ex-Vulcan crew up there and also Al Murray, the historian and comedian. He was incredibly interested about it, I've never had such a grilling about the controls and general info about the V Force.
You don't say if your father is still with us, if he is please give him my very best regards.
I had to go inside my 17L and replace an r.f. choke and resistor in the 2nd v.f.o. about 5 years ago, quite a big job to get inside. It's just gone a bit deaf now so I need to find out why. A bit different as regards the filters. I never managed to get the RA218.
G4GHB.
Thanks for this Peter. Would loved to have seen the restoration. I'd never seen the lower two units until your channel. A very results.
Very interesting, the RA17 was such a ground breaking receiver. I've never seen one in the flesh but I have seen pictures of the inside and I'm sure it's in no way easy to work on. Well done on an excellent restoration, 73's.
Thanks ojnoj. The RA17s are tricky to work on but not impossible. When I first started to work on these I was really concerned about the Wadley Loop and Filters'
I am fortunate to have some swept test gear which allows me to check these items. All the other items are std Mixers/Amps/Oscillators. Usually once overhauled they go for a good long while before needing any more work. Next time i open one up Ill take some pictures. PS they are a desk filler! and pretty heavy....
@@vk4gxc I have a few Eddystones and a CR100, but there punny compared to this. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing Peter !