Air Cadet Radio - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

capn_banks · 1st Jul 2008, 12:51 am

Hi there,
Im from an Air Cadet squadron in Wimbledon.
We've got this radio and we dont know what it is although it has a sticker on top saying HF. It looks ex mil.
Its digital and turns on and I can scan channels and occasionally here some funny foreign music although not clearly. There is a wire going out the back to the roof but apparently the aerial was taken away years ago. We have no headsets or any other ancils.
Can anyone tell me what it is and where I can buy the relevent parts to get it going?
Thanks
Oli

Darren-UK · 1st Jul 2008, 1:42 am

Hi Oli,

It looks like a High Frequency scanning transceiver. These were/are used by the military mainly for Ground-to-Air communication purposes. It's appearance is instantly recognisable as a Racal product, as borne out by the label on the front.

Somewhere on it should be a model number, likely preceded by the letters HF.

Beyond that, these aren't really my 'thing' but I do remember similar pieces of equipment in use by the Royal Navy. My memory of them is now rather faded but they seemed to be more comprehensive and beefier than yours. Many of them had twin keypads, for example. This leads me to wonder if yours was intended for training purposes - if indeed it is a military example.

As I've said, they're not really my thing but we have other members who'll be able to help you far more accurately than I can.

Sean Williams · 1st Jul 2008, 3:44 pm

Looks like Racal equipment - Possibly part of Triffid?

If you are part of the air cadets, then might I suggest contacting JACIG at RAF Henlow - there are one or two comms experts there that might well know the set.

As for getting spares and ancilliaries - good luck, I doubt they are readily available on the common market.......

Cheers
Sean

PJL · 1st Jul 2008, 5:50 pm

Odd thing is it appears to be a general purpose transceiver with LSB USB AM and FSK. What's the frequency coverage? Looks quite useful unlike most modern military kit.

You have it switched to USB and if you want to listen to commercial stations you need to use AM.

Stockden · 1st Jul 2008, 7:03 pm

Well, it's clearly a reasonably modern HF transceiver, which appears to have RACAL stickers on it.

It is not anything to do with Clansman, Larkspur, Bowman or Ptarmigan and neither is it anything to do with Triffid, which is a multi-channel, point to point radio relay equipment.
Interestingly the audio connectors are US style not UK, suggesting that it was produced for a "foreign" market but somehow found its way into ATC service.

Somewhere there should be an ID plate with something like PRMxxxx, VRMxxxx, PRCxxxx, VRCxxxx or, given the US connectors RT-xxxx (where xxxx is a number). If you can find something like that it will help greatly in getting information for you.

Regards,
Hugh

GMB · 1st Jul 2008, 7:20 pm

I've seen some similar Racal sets which were general purpose transceivers covering the whole of 2-30Mhz. Maybe 1980's technology.

capn_banks · 2nd Jul 2008, 2:50 pm

Thanks guys in identifying that it's a RACAL.
Il have a look tonight for some model markings. Im probably gunna have to ask the wing radio officer for ancils.

Stockden · 2nd Jul 2008, 8:20 pm

Well, my suggestion that it's from the RACAL stable is based on what appears to be a silver label with that name on it stuck to the RHS of the lower front panel surround. The picture's a bit fuzzy (or it could be my eyes!) so I might be wrong.

I spent some time today looking at pictures of HF equipment from RACAL and Thales (who took RACAL over) but couldn't find anything to match.

Hugh

capn_banks · 4th Jul 2008, 11:51 am

Ok so Ive had a closer look at the sticker
it says

RACAL
Type No. VRM 4554 MP
Serial No. 41094

and somewhere else it says 24-28V DC Negative Ground.

I tried googling the model but barely got anything.

Station X · 4th Jul 2008, 12:56 pm

I note that the set has both RX and TX printed below the display. Hence it could be a transceiver, but I think it'd more likely a dual watch receiver for monitoring duplex transmissions. What appears in the display when you tune the receiver?

I'd have thought that even with a short outdoor aerial you'd pick up loads of stations.

Herald1360 · 4th Jul 2008, 1:00 pm

Sounds like it was intended for vehicle or trailer mounted use, then. 24V electrics were (are?) common on military comms vehicles and large trucks too FWIW. Otherwise I can't tell you anything in spite of working for RACAL Comms from 1974 - 1981, other than it wasn't made at Western Road in Bracknell before or during that period!

Chris

Sean Williams · 4th Jul 2008, 1:07 pm

So, it is a Racal VRM 4554 - good luck finding ant data on it in the public domain - it takes years for this info to surface!

I would really get in touch with the RAF comms dept, and grovel......

capn_banks · 7th Jul 2008, 1:48 pm

ok cheers guys ill try the RAF route then
maybe it was some kind of prototype or something that didnt really take off so they just thought theyd get rid of it by giving it to us
Ive managed to find a headset on 1 US website that looks like it might fit
dont know about aerials though but it does seem to have a normal aerial connector like a TV (pin in the middle)

Station X I have no idea how to tune it and cant quite remember what it does on a scan

1st Jul 2008, 12:51 am	#1
capn_banks Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London Posts: 4	Air Cadet Radio Hi there, Im from an Air Cadet squadron in Wimbledon. We've got this radio and we dont know what it is although it has a sticker on top saying HF. It looks ex mil. Its digital and turns on and I can scan channels and occasionally here some funny foreign music although not clearly. There is a wire going out the back to the roof but apparently the aerial was taken away years ago. We have no headsets or any other ancils. Can anyone tell me what it is and where I can buy the relevent parts to get it going? Thanks Oli Attached Thumbnails

1st Jul 2008, 1:42 am	#2
Darren-UK Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. Posts: 4,061	Re: Air Cadet Radio Hi Oli, It looks like a High Frequency scanning transceiver. These were/are used by the military mainly for Ground-to-Air communication purposes. It's appearance is instantly recognisable as a Racal product, as borne out by the label on the front. Somewhere on it should be a model number, likely preceded by the letters HF. Beyond that, these aren't really my 'thing' but I do remember similar pieces of equipment in use by the Royal Navy. My memory of them is now rather faded but they seemed to be more comprehensive and beefier than yours. Many of them had twin keypads, for example. This leads me to wonder if yours was intended for training purposes - if indeed it is a military example. As I've said, they're not really my thing but we have other members who'll be able to help you far more accurately than I can.

1st Jul 2008, 3:44 pm	#3
Sean Williams Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW Posts: 3,517	Re: Air Cadet Radio Looks like Racal equipment - Possibly part of Triffid? If you are part of the air cadets, then might I suggest contacting JACIG at RAF Henlow - there are one or two comms experts there that might well know the set. As for getting spares and ancilliaries - good luck, I doubt they are readily available on the common market....... Cheers Sean __________________ Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished

1st Jul 2008, 5:50 pm	#4
PJL Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Seaford, East Sussex, UK. Posts: 5,997	Re: Air Cadet Radio Odd thing is it appears to be a general purpose transceiver with LSB USB AM and FSK. What's the frequency coverage? Looks quite useful unlike most modern military kit. You have it switched to USB and if you want to listen to commercial stations you need to use AM.

1st Jul 2008, 7:03 pm	#5
Stockden Heptode Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK. Posts: 648	Re: Air Cadet Radio Well, it's clearly a reasonably modern HF transceiver, which appears to have RACAL stickers on it. It is not anything to do with Clansman, Larkspur, Bowman or Ptarmigan and neither is it anything to do with Triffid, which is a multi-channel, point to point radio relay equipment. Interestingly the audio connectors are US style not UK, suggesting that it was produced for a "foreign" market but somehow found its way into ATC service. Somewhere there should be an ID plate with something like PRMxxxx, VRMxxxx, PRCxxxx, VRCxxxx or, given the US connectors RT-xxxx (where xxxx is a number). If you can find something like that it will help greatly in getting information for you. Regards, Hugh

1st Jul 2008, 7:20 pm	#6
GMB Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: near Reading (and sometimes Torquay) Posts: 3,094	Re: Air Cadet Radio I've seen some similar Racal sets which were general purpose transceivers covering the whole of 2-30Mhz. Maybe 1980's technology.

2nd Jul 2008, 2:50 pm	#7
capn_banks Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London Posts: 4	Re: Air Cadet Radio Thanks guys in identifying that it's a RACAL. Il have a look tonight for some model markings. Im probably gunna have to ask the wing radio officer for ancils.

2nd Jul 2008, 8:20 pm	#8
Stockden Heptode Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK. Posts: 648	Re: Air Cadet Radio Well, my suggestion that it's from the RACAL stable is based on what appears to be a silver label with that name on it stuck to the RHS of the lower front panel surround. The picture's a bit fuzzy (or it could be my eyes!) so I might be wrong. I spent some time today looking at pictures of HF equipment from RACAL and Thales (who took RACAL over) but couldn't find anything to match. Hugh

4th Jul 2008, 11:51 am	#9
capn_banks Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London Posts: 4	Re: Air Cadet Radio Ok so Ive had a closer look at the sticker it says RACAL Type No. VRM 4554 MP Serial No. 41094 and somewhere else it says 24-28V DC Negative Ground. I tried googling the model but barely got anything.

4th Jul 2008, 12:56 pm	#10
Station X Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK. Posts: 21,288	Re: Air Cadet Radio I note that the set has both RX and TX printed below the display. Hence it could be a transceiver, but I think it'd more likely a dual watch receiver for monitoring duplex transmissions. What appears in the display when you tune the receiver? I'd have thought that even with a short outdoor aerial you'd pick up loads of stations. __________________ Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron.

4th Jul 2008, 1:00 pm	#11
Herald1360 Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK. Posts: 16,535	Re: Air Cadet Radio Sounds like it was intended for vehicle or trailer mounted use, then. 24V electrics were (are?) common on military comms vehicles and large trucks too FWIW. Otherwise I can't tell you anything in spite of working for RACAL Comms from 1974 - 1981, other than it wasn't made at Western Road in Bracknell before or during that period! Chris

4th Jul 2008, 1:07 pm	#12
Sean Williams Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW Posts: 3,517	Re: Air Cadet Radio So, it is a Racal VRM 4554 - good luck finding ant data on it in the public domain - it takes years for this info to surface! I would really get in touch with the RAF comms dept, and grovel...... __________________ Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished

7th Jul 2008, 1:48 pm	#13
capn_banks Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: London Posts: 4	Re: Air Cadet Radio ok cheers guys ill try the RAF route then maybe it was some kind of prototype or something that didnt really take off so they just thought theyd get rid of it by giving it to us Ive managed to find a headset on 1 US website that looks like it might fit dont know about aerials though but it does seem to have a normal aerial connector like a TV (pin in the middle) Station X I have no idea how to tune it and cant quite remember what it does on a scan