B13, B19 & B50 receivers (Navy)

[ms660]

Anyone know who manufactured the B13, B19 & B50 Admiralty receivers?

Lawrence.

[Andrew Sinclair]

The IEE published a paper in about 1946 from a conference that described RN communications developments in WW2. I have a copy at home, and it was re-printed in the VMARS magazine a few years ago.
This stated that all these receivers were built in the signal school in Portsmouth. When war was declared they realised they could not possibly meet the demand for receivers for all the new ships being built and that these designs were too old fashioned for the new conscripted recruits with their limited training.
They then bought the Marconi CR100 (B28) and Eddystone 358(B34) which were not ideal for RN use but available in large numbers.
The old sets you referred to Lawrence are now quite rare, but very interesting, Do you have examples of any of them?
I will try and dig out the IEE paper this evening.
Andrew

[ms660]

Thanks Andrew, I was aware that there was a shortfall of receivers and that Marconi & Eddystone's filled the gap, but did not know where the receivers I was asking about were manufactured so many thanks for posting that.

Yes, those types of receivers seem to be rare these days.

No, I don't have any examples, the nearest types I have are the CR150, CR300 and a B40d on the marine side of things.

Also seen a picture of AR88's in a WW2 ship somewhere.

I don't have any examples of boat anchor TRF/Regens, one day maybe, I'm getting bored with superhets

Lawrence.

[G4XWDJim]

There was an article in last Christmas's issue of radio Bygones where Ben Nock restored a B19 receiver from a very poor state to a very tidy worker. I don't have the magazine any more but I'm sure someone on here will be able to help.

Jim

[Andrew Sinclair]

I have a B28, B34, B40D and RA17L. Some of the pre-war sets were low IF superhets. The Admiralty Handbook of Wireless Telegraphy 1938 edition shows typical circuits and advises if problems were experienced with interfering signals on the image frequency, to swap the local oscillator from high side to low side! This can be done on these sets as there was no ganged tuning.
The tuning scales are calibrated in degrees with calibration graphs. To change frequency would have involved changing several coils and setting a number of variable condensors from individual graphs. It must have seemed very primitive compared to a good late 1930s domestic shortwave set.
HMS Collingwood museum (about 1 mile from my house) has examples of most of these sets.
The IEE paper was called "Low-, Medium-and High-Frequency Communication to and From HM Ships" by W.P. Anderson and E.J. Grainger. It was apparently read at the Radiocommunication Convention in March 1947. You can buy this paper from the IEE, but I don't know what it would cost!

[Andrew Sinclair]

The IEE paper I referred to was re-printed in the VMARS newsletter Issue 33 Feb 2004 and Issue 34 April 2004. You might be able to get copies from VMARS or know a member with a good stock of back issues.

[dave walsh]

Yes Jim Mr Nock start's with the notion often advanced in "alternative History circles that the pace of technology might have gone much more slowly without the Second World War. He says the B19 radio was designed around 1937 but it has an ID plate dated 1941. There doesn't seem to be a Manufacturer quoted for this "regenerative set but it has the formal name of Tuner-Amplifier B19, Admiralty Pattern 4046.

I was thinking earlier of a Boat Anchor I saw at Punnets Town last year-a bright blue B36, very new to me, for sale at £90. Was this a rare TRF set? I recall it looked more like a TX. Skywave started a thread on the B36 in 2009. Prior to that a 2008 thread by Plaka78 has a photo and Keith's comment "if the B36 is anything like it's predecessor the Tuner-Amplifier B35 [note that designation again] it is likely to be a CR100/6 modified for DF use"!

It's not really conclusive but that link suggests the B36 is certainly not a TRF. "Tuner Amplifier" might link the B19 to the Marconi Company though [perhaps].

This is a side issue for me as I was originally just going to point out that I have a CR200/B29 Submarine VLF Set that IS a TRF. Being a bit dim I puzzled over it for a long time as, with the standard rotary CR100 etc dial, I'd expected a Superhet type construction I was also going to ask if the B29 will in fact be the last example of a TRF in the CR/B range?

Dave W

[ms660]

Changing the local osc from above to below the signal frequency can aid to better reception in some cases, I used that trick in a tunable IF regen I built.

The Admiralty handbook can be read online/downloaded here:

http://www.***********/doc/104291487...ble-With-Cover

Lawrence. EDIT: Whoops, just tried the link and it doesn't work at my end, Googling will find the site.

[radioman]

The B36 is definitely a superhet. I know because I've got one (but not for much longer as its headed for the Maritime Museum in Irvine in a few weeks time)
I mentioned it in this thread about 'boatanchors' :- https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...8&postcount=42

Andy

[dave walsh]

That seems like a very appropriate donation Andy as long as they don't actually use it to anchor anything. Your info seems to confirm that it is a CR100 type SH as Keith suggested.These must be rare as well as heavy [not quite in the non aquatic DST100 receiver league] but definetely a true blue Navy item! After finding out that they needed a separate PSU I wondered how big that might be.

I don't think we are going to unearth any more TRF's beyond the B29 given the SH superiority in general. That TRF exception approach clearly had some advantage at VLF [unless it was just done for economy at that point] the low range B40's are SH's after all.
Going to the original question and given that the Marconi Company was in existence until 1946, they seem to be front runners as manufacturers of the B13, 19 and 50 at the moment!

Dave W

We might be in the Glasgow environs later this year. If so, I will try and get to the Museum.

[ms660]

Thanks for the replies, interesting stuff.

Lawrence.