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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment.

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Old 1st May 2018, 9:28 pm   #1
SiriusHardware
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Default Pace 166 CB - a few images

The fault on this was quite straightforward and has now been fixed, but I thought those with some interest in this sort of equipment would like to see a few images of it before it goes back to the owner, from whose collection it is.

The circuit is like no other CB radio I've ever worked on, with the synthesiser largely comprised of discrete digital logic ICs and the audio power amplifier a discrete transistor / two - transformer push-pull circuit rather than an IC. It also has a pre-LED 'optical' channel indicator which only has the even channel numbers marked on it, although there are in-between 'clicks' for the other channels.

It's in beautiful condition complete with its original microphone, the only blemish on it anywhere is a small dent in the top cover, which is artfully hidden behind the microphone in my shot.
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Old 1st May 2018, 11:41 pm   #2
Biggles
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

It's a classic. I've never worked on anything that early. Must have been one of the first. All the ones I have seen have a dedicated synth chip and as you said earlier, the TA7205 audio chip that always seemed to go faulty, due to someone shorting out an external PA speaker I suspect.
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Old 2nd May 2018, 12:09 am   #3
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

There was originally a 23-channel version, so this is the Mk2, with 40 channels but otherwise more or less identical. The extension from the original 23 channels to 40 came about in 1977 as far as I can make out, so while this probably dates from around 1977-78 it looks half a decade older because it is a subtly updated version of a radio which would already have been around for some time in its original 23-channel form.

Probably the only difference between the two versions is the channel switch having 40 positions and outputting 40 binary codes instead of 23. The parts I needed to work on were identical to the more easily obtained circuit of the 23-channel version, even down to the individual component numbers.

Apparently this model has 'celebrity' status of a sort because one of these (although not this actual radio) was the radio used in the Bandit's Pontiac Trans-AM 'Firebird' in the original 'Smokey And The Bandit' film.
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Old 2nd May 2018, 6:37 pm   #4
Jon_G4MDC
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

It's a very pretty example.

I am puzzling over the maker's name Pace....
Now I remember that name from about a decade later - possibly with DECT phones or something - but don't quote me on that - it could be spurious!

What is the history of Pace with CB? If in the mentioned film possibly quite a lot?

And just a slightly tongue in cheek comment - since these could be converted to 10m Band if required, are CBs amateur or military or neither? Please only take as intended - for amusement.

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Old 2nd May 2018, 7:33 pm   #5
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

Neither.

Although this area is titled 'Vintage Amateur and Military Radio', there seems to be a gentleman's agreement that it can be used for discussions about a broader range of historic radiocommunications equipment. PMR equipment, for example, is often discussed here. CB radios - old ones - have also been discussed here before from time to time.

The PCB has the PACE logo and 'Pathcon INC.' etched in the track side of the PCB, but the radio and its microphone both have 'Made In Japan' on them - hardly surprising as all the better CB radios (and arguably most high quality consumer electronics) were made in Japan at that time, the mid seventies - early eighties.

You will be thinking of 'Pace' primarily on set top / satellite boxes, I think, but I'm not sure there is any connection between that Pace and this Pace.

The logos are not in the same font or style.

'Pace' was certainly one of a number of brand names (like Cobra, President, Uniden, Sears, Midland, Stalker, Teaberry, Kraco, Royce, Lake, General Electric, Sharp and Realistic, to name just a few) which were familiar to CB radio followers in the late seventies / early eighties.

Some of those brands I have only ever seen on CB radios, but one or two of them were obviously household names which appeared on a wide range of consumer electronic goods.
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Old 3rd May 2018, 6:01 pm   #6
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

Thanks, yes that could be the Pace I was thinking of.
On the other matter - your argument about PMR conversions is a good one...
Just a little mischief...
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Old 5th May 2018, 7:04 pm   #7
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

The retention of a 'classic' transformer-coupled-push-pull audio stage is not so odd when you remember that this is an *AM* CB transceiver.

Given that you're going to need a modulator-stage providing 3 or 4 Watts for the transmitter, and this would need to be transformer-coupled to the RF output-stage, adding an extra 'speaker' winding to the modulation-transformer and a bit of input-switchery essentially gives you your receiver audio-stages for-free.

The idea of using one audio-strip as both RX speaker-driver and TX modulator was widespread in AM mobile-radio gear of the 60s and 70s. Even stuff like the little Pye Bantam 'handbag' walkie-talkies did it.
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Old 5th May 2018, 10:34 pm   #8
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

It's not the dual use of the audio power amplifier which is unusual, it is, as you say, absolutely normal.

It's the fact that the audio PA/ modulator is not an IC which is unusual, and marks this out as a design several years older than the ones most of us are familiar with.

In more familiar designs the modulation is still carried out using a large audio transformer with its secondary inserted in series with the power supply to the transmitter driver and output stages, but the drive to the transformer primary is from an Audio PA IC, most commonly the Toshiba TA7205 or a derivative. The same IC is always used as the audio PA in receive mode.

In all my years of interest in / working on CB equipment, I have never seen one which had a discrete transistor audio PA, nor for that matter a synthesiser made from general purpose / discrete logic ICs - all the ones from my previous experience have used specialised PLL ICs which were either generic / unrestricted (early sets) or band specific ROM-restricted PLL ICs (as in later sets).
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Old 7th May 2018, 3:15 pm   #9
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

I see a number of comments and questions about the history of Pace. I used to work for them, in fact I started Pace in the UK in 1983, then importing and selling marginally legal cordless phones. Indeed Pace were a large, if not the largest, producer of CB's during the late 70's. They went into serious decline when the FCC changed from 23 to 40 channel almost overnight leaving them with huge inventory to replace or update. They recovered when they started in the cordless business, also made the first air-phone, when you had to stand at the front of the cabin to make a call, and moved to commercial two-way around 1980. At that time they were based in Harbor City, CA and moved in 1983 to Torrance, CA. They produced a pretty good cordless which we approved in the UK and sold to BT and Plessey. It was never sold in the UK under Pace, but in the US was marketed direct and under a number of "well known" brands. Finally the move to two-way radio was completed in UK in 1988 when cordless models were going digital, and we continued to sell Pace Landmaster VHF and UHF radios, even having one model accepted and branded by Philips. The US arm changed to Telemobile and focused more on the rural telephone market (combining two-way and cordless technologies) and did very well until late 90's when again digital took over. The owner (Bill Thomas and my boss) then more or less wound the business down and by 2000 it was pretty much gone.

We had R&D in Japan and Korea with manufacturing in USA, Korea and for higher-tech products, in Japan. Hope that helps someone!
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Old 7th May 2018, 11:56 pm   #10
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Default Re: Pace 166 CB - a few images

John, thanks for the information. Your information about cordless phones ties in with Jon_G4MDC's recollection better than mine.

We mentioned that 'Pace' as a brand was also something we would have come across in the nineties / noughties or even later in the UK, in particular I can remember some Sky TV boxes being discreetly 'Pace' branded. Was this your by then defunct 'Pace' brand bought and resurrected by someone, or just not the same 'Pace' at all?

If you were selling the original Pace brand in the UK in the early eighties it's surprising that not one CB radio made for the UK market (that I can recall) was 'Pace' branded, but some other famous old USA CB radio brands such as Midland and Cobra did find their way onto UK spec CB radios.

Was there never any interest from Pace in putting their brand on UK spec CB radios?
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