How sensitive is a Wartime Civilian Domestic Receiver?

[NickG0HIK]

I've just collected a Lot I won in the Jan BVWS auction.

From the tags attached it was restored in 2010, probably by someone on this forum. It notes some caps have been restuffed and appears to be a good restoration.

Running it up with just six foot of wire in the workshop it only brings in my two local stations which are about six miles away.

I note from other posts that this set works well, do I need to set to and delve further? I do like to listen to BBC Radio Wales which is quite a distance from here in Cumbria but my other set receive it quite well.

Thanks Nick G0HIK

[Beardyman]

I've got one of these on the bench as we speak & from what I have read you are right, they do work well, but the Westector (WX6) can go a bit deaf. Replacing it with a germanium diode usually has the desired effect, something like an OA90 or so I've read. Lots of information here on the forum about them.

[ColinB]

Worth checking the alignment if you have a sig gen available? Is the HT correct?

[crackle]

6 feet of wire is not very much, and if it is in the house it will probably be picking up mostly interference which will be swamping all but the strongest broadcast stations.
Try a longer/higher antenna further from sources of interference, most of these sets were designed for around 30 foot of wire.
Mike

[Hybrid tellies]

Interesting that you are picking up BBC R Wales in Cumbria. Is this during the day? If so I expect you are receiving the signal from their Penmon transmitter on Anglesey.

Enjoy this experience whilst you can because the BBC are switching off their BBC Wales AM transmitters in North Wales at Penmon and Wrexham on the 9th of June. After this with a decent radio and aerial you should get BBC R Wales on 882Khz after dusk from their Washford transmitter..

I have heard that a Wartime Civilian radio works well with reasonable sensitivity especially if a decent aerial is used.

[wartime sounds]

Hi Nick,

From my experience as someone who collects nothing but Wartime Civilian Receivers (trying to get every manufacturer that made them!) yes they are reasonably sensitive sets but I suspect that that is probably normal to be honest for your location. Here in Bristol I can only pull in two stations but having said that it would definitely be worth checking the Westector (WX6) as suggested by Beardyman and also checking the HT as the old BVA rectifier valve BVA 211/5/6 etc. (if fitted) is very prone to going low emission. As others have said as well, a decent size aerial will help a lot also with these receivers.

Peter

[Restoration73]

It's worth checking the IF alignment. Luckily where I am there are plenty of strong MW
signals, all can be heard on the wire. My set has been officially modded for LW, the
coverage of 140-420 kHz brings in all the usual stations and NDBs.
I have no experience of the battery set.

[NickG0HIK]

Thanks for the information, I'll check that out.

Nick G0HIK

Originally Posted by Beardyman

I've got one of these on the bench as we speak & from what I have read you are right, they do work well, but the Westector (WX6) can go a bit deaf. Replacing it with a germanium diode usually has the desired effect, something like an OA90 or so I've read. Lots of information here on the forum about them.

[NickG0HIK]

The H.T. is 275v.

Yes, I have a sig gen, I can align.

Just cant find my BVWS CD's with the service sheets on, they will turn up somewhere.

Nick G0HIK

Originally Posted by ColinB

Worth checking the alignment if you have a sig gen available? Is the HT correct?

[NickG0HIK]

Quite a lot of stations with my 100ft Doublet, infact it's being overload by the local two stations.
So that is too long a aerial, where I intend to use the radio is going to be quite screen, so I'll have to decide how I'm going to use it.

Nick G0HIK

Originally Posted by crackle

6 feet of wire is not very much, and if it is in the house it will probably be picking up mostly interference which will be swamping all but the strongest broadcast stations.
Try a longer/higher antenna further from sources of interference, most of these sets were designed for around 30 foot of wire.
Mike

[NickG0HIK]

I get a good signal Day and night from BBC Radio Wales, there does not seem to be any continentals that interfere with it at night even.

Oh no, they are switching it off, that is a blow, I guess it's not going to be long before they are all gone.
I guess I'll have to buy/build an AM modulator then.

Nick G0HIK

BTW, I took a M.W. radio into the local PC world to check out which telly's produced the worst interference to M.W.
The assistant thought I was a dinosaur and could not believe anyone still listened to A.M. radio

Originally Posted by Hybrid tellies

Interesting that you are picking up BBC R Wales in Cumbria. Is this during the day? If so I expect you are receiving the signal from their Penmon transmitter on Anglesey.

Enjoy this experience whilst you can because the BBC are switching off their BBC Wales AM transmitters in North Wales at Penmon and Wrexham on the 9th of June. After this with a decent radio and aerial you should get BBC R Wales on 882Khz after dusk from their Washford transmitter..

I have heard that a Wartime Civilian radio works well with reasonable sensitivity especially if a decent aerial is used.

[stitch1]

Mine works well but as others have said they need a good length of aerial.

I’m sure you know this but just in case as it hasn’t been mentioned, there are 2 aerial connections, A1 and A2 one is for local stations the other distance.

John

[FERNSEH]

Should perform as well as any other short superhet such as the Pye 15A and Ekco A22.
Recently restored a Wartime civilian Receiver. All that was required to get the set going was a set of valves and a replacement HT reservoir capacitor. The Westector is OK, I was expecting it to be faulty.
Ten feet of aerial wire is all that is needed to bring in the five local MW stations and in the evening stations from further afield are coming in loud and clear.
The set was bought from an online auction site, sans cabinet.
A replica cabinet has been made for the receiver.
The chassis was made by McMichael, U20.

DFWB.

[NickG0HIK]

I've had a better look today.

I found my Service Sheet CD's

H.T. Good, changed the Detector for a OA81 which made a slight improvement. Peaking the I.F.'s also made an improvement.
It looks like all the waxy's have been replaced, a nice job, new caps put in a tube and covered in wax by the looks of it.

I can now get Radio Wales on a decent aerial, but not having experience of a "Short" set, I didn't know what to expect.

V1 and V2 appear to be a bit low on my valve tester. I dont have V1, but I have several options for V2, new 6K7's actually were worse and new OM6's just "hooted".

I also found cleaning the valve base of V2 with an interdental brush and metal polish and then cleaning with switch cleaner helped as it was intermittent

Nick G0HIK

[SeanMcGee]

I get a lot of stations on mine. I get absolute radio crystal clear, BBC radio Cambridgeshire, 5 live, Caroline, and some french, Spanish stations with a wire running up my wall and half way across the ceiling. I live on the Beds/Cambs border.

[SeanMcGee]

Originally Posted by FERNSEH

Should perform as well as any other short superhet such as the Pye 15A and Ekco A22.
Recently restored a Wartime civilian Receiver. All that was required to get the set going was a set of valves and a replacement HT reservoir capacitor. The Westector is OK, I was expecting it to be faulty.
Ten feet of aerial wire is all that is needed to bring in the five local MW stations and in the evening stations from further afield are coming in loud and clear.
The set was bought from an online auction site, sans cabinet.
A replica cabinet has been made for the receiver.
The chassis was made by McMichael, U20.

DFWB.

You should start a thread on that cabinet on its own, I’d love to see how it came along 😊

[FERNSEH]

Hi Sean,
pictures of the stages of cabinet construction still exist on the shop computer.
When I return there later today I'll post up the pictures on a separate thread.

DFWB.

[frsimen]

Chas Miller’s book Valve Radio and Audio Repair handbook has a chapter on the Wartime Civilian Receiver. In particular it quotes the specification.

The sensitivity is stated to be no less than 325µV @ 220m and 625µV @ 500m for 50mW output measured at the loudspeaker terminals.

The book actually states the levels as mV but that appears to be an error. The modulation depth isn’t mentioned but the selectivity specification calls for 30% modulation.

If you have a signal generator with a calibrated output, you will be able to check the performance of your receiver.

Paula

[Murphy Maniac]

This thread prompted me to dig out my Civilian Set and have another play with it. With about 10' of wire in A1, I find it receives a wide variety of stations, both local and distant, including the Welsh stations.
Can anyone tell me what the cabinet finish was when new please?
Mine is a U1 model and appears never to have had any wood treatment of any sort. It has a very distinctive grain pattern but no varnish/polish. The original transfer is still in place on the top of the cabinet.
Looking at the finish achieved by Paul Stenning in a previous post, I am tempted to copy his approach by using a wood renovator followed by Antique Oil to improve the appearance. However, if it was originally just left plain, I might just leave well alone.

[FERNSEH]

Link to the construction of a cabinet to house the chassis and loudspeaker of the U20 receiver:
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/....php?p=1372410

DFWB.