Early Pye Ranger RT
 

The AM Pye Rangers started falling in to amateur hands in the 1960's, being easily tweaked to run on 2m. There were a number of variants of the Ranger, one of earlier ones using a pair of EL90's (6AQ5) in the modulator, which had a distinctive oil-filled transformer, nicknamed the "bean can" on account of its size/shape, and this hooked up on to the QQV03-10 PA.

Does anyone have a circuit diagram for that modulator or any info on the three windings on the transformer? Possible reasons for the third winding is that it fed back into the modulator circuit for speech compression (or some such) or could it have been used for a public address function (as was the case for at least one other model, i.e. the Vanguard). I'm sure I've asked this question before, but the quest goes on!

B

Re: Early Pye Ranger RT
 

I remember the aluminium can transformers used as mod or ht inverter back on early gear, even W30AM, but thought they were resin filled as the bottom was just crimped over.
I think you are on the right track regarding secondaries though.
ISTR a compressor winding feeding back to the earlier stages and a public address one as well being included back then, which would be an option in the internal wiring and control box. It was easier to standardise by putting the PA winding in place. Whether yours is, I don't know. The compression one would be tens of ohms, the PA very low resistance.
I well remember in the late 70s pulling up outside my mates house to pick him up on a Saturday morning and he wasn't up. I selected PA option on my Westminster W30AM (there was a 5 or 6 inch horn under my transit bonnet). I then played the "Time" extract ftom Dark Side of yhe Moon, with all the alarm clocks going off. A few curtains nearby were pulled back to see what was happening!
Rob

Re: Early Pye Ranger RT
 

That transformer was my first mod transformer.. used on my 2 M AM home built..I dont recall a third winding..but thats my memory not actual fact.

Re: Early Pye Ranger RT
 

At some point in time, probably during the later Ranger models, the Pye RT's developed a more modern appearance and style that was definitely in place when the Cambridge came out and continued in the subsequent models. But the very early Rangers looked like they came from an earlier era, not totally distant from WWII military equipment. The bean can could pass as something from WWII equipment.

The bean can connections (8) are as follows;
2,3,4 this is the centre-tapped primary, something like 290R per section
5&6 the secondary for the 03-10, around 80R
7&8 the "mystery winding", about 1R on my multimeter (my bridge is stashed way).
1 NC

@Wendy - I recall those transformers frequently showing up at the rallies in Leeds in the late 60's, usually demanding prices as much as £1.00 8-\ and my first 2m rig also used one.

B