[Radio Wrangler]

The R1155 was a set designed for airborne use, and as pointed out above was cut back as much as possible because of the short life expectancy, so materials and assembly labour was minimised. So they rank highly on the iconic scale, but not so well on the radio receiver performance scale.

They were sold in large numbers on the surplus market through the fifties and sixties. It was soon recognised that they weren't suited to the way the air defence business was going. Easier operation and better performance were wanted.

The 1155 lacked an audio output stage for driving a loudspeaker, it also lacked a power supply, so almost all the people who bought surplus 1155s immediately ripped out the direction-finding bits to make space for an audio output stage, and set about building a power supply.

If you want to go for originality, you'll likely have to find replacements for the D/F parts and undo a lot of drilling, cutting and all sorts of modifications that were on the whole not much better than bodging.

Unspoilt R1155s do turn up, but prices are significantly higher. There are enough people trying to build up an R1155/T1154 setup as in a Lancaster. Where will they stop? The full aircraft? (I wonder who they plan to bomb?). consequently R1155 prices are rather inflated, and some people have great expectations on top of that.

If I'm talking you out of the R1155, then what else is there?

HRO - a very good receiver a little before the R1155, but far more capable. Designed by a mechanical engineer, James Millen. These got used in quantities. They were one of the main types handed out to the voluntary interceptors who eavesdropped on coded nazi orders and sent what they copied on a telegram to an anonymous post office box, which turned out to be Bletchley park code breakers, so the HRO has a fully intriguing history. It has plug-in coil packs to change bands. It has an audio amp to drive a speaker, but needs an external power supply. As they were fairly complete sets from the 1950s amateur radio perspective, they weren't mucked around with. They;re fairly simple electrically. The HRO was originally designed for aviation ground stations just before the war.

AR88 a good looking very heavy set. Built in power supply and audio stage. Add an antenna and a speaker and it's good to go. LF suffix has long wave, D suffix has medium wave and shortwave bands spread out more. Very good sets. Comparable to HRO in performance, but easier to drive. They got used in ground and shore stations, they also got used to capture enemy coded orders. THere's a wall full of them racked-up on display at Bletchley. Like any set of this era there is a number of capacitors and resistors which have degraded and will need changing or checking that they've already been done.

If you want airborne sets:

BC348 is an American receiver that got fitted into lots of British plane types as Marconi couldn't produce R1155 fast enough. It's a better radio, better built and easier to work on. Originally it had an internal motor-dynamo to convert 12v DC yup to HT for the valves. So they need power supplies and audio output stages. Better than R1155, but not so iconic, prices aren't silly though.

You might find an R1475. Ground station or airborne receiver from just a little later. Has a rather neat tuning mechanism with a 5-turn helical scale for each of its 4 bands. Not so common and looks remarkable. Needs external PSU etc. Designed and made by Marconi usually rather cheap.

Doing an R1155 comes with an amount of baggage, so it's only fair to point it out.

THere's aso the Marconi CR100 of the same era. The British equivalent to the AR88. Power and audio in the receiver. Performance not quite an AR88. Not too bad to work on. Usually cheaper. Not such a looker.

Me? I've owned my AR88 since 1967. I paid £33. R1155 were in the magazines for about £6/19/6 if memory serves me well.

The RAF still flies a Lancaster, Spitfires, Hurricane and DC3 in the Battle of Britain Memorial Fleet. What they now use for radio compatible with modern systems is made by a firm I worked for - I designed the radio frequency sections of the transmitter, receiver and the radar transponder. Back when I bought that AR88 I could never have thought of this.

David