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Old 6th Mar 2021, 1:51 pm   #1
G6Tanuki
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Default Radio Taxis (1947)

From the Pathe News archive: the UK's first licensed two-way-radio controlled taxis in Cambridge. The company was indeed called "Camtax" and a picture of its radio licence appears in one of the Chris Lorek "two way radio conversion" books.

Anyone recognise the radio gear in use? Clearly Pye - but doesn't look like the "PTC" series I vaguely recall.

One of the microphones in use in the taxi reminds me of the WWII-era "Microphones Hand" used with the likes of the WS18.

See https://youtu.be/KvSE0HR06bE
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Old 6th Mar 2021, 2:51 pm   #2
AdrianH
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Default Re: Radio Taxis (1947)

The base station looks like the PTC104 and the PTC102 unit for the mobile with the smaller control unit shown here: -http://www.pyetelecomhistory.org/prodhist/mobiles/ptc102/ptc102control-unit.jpg


This is an interesting site which I am guessing you already know
http://www.pyetelecomhistory.org/pro...s/mobiles.html

The oldest set I worked on in the Pye mobile radios was the Ranger series and must have been old when it came into the workshop at Ardwick. I can remember the reporter name as well but this was before the MF6AM.

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Old 6th Mar 2021, 3:02 pm   #3
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Default Re: Radio Taxis (1947)

I think you've got it: one close-up of the car radio shows a 'selector' switch like the one shown for the control-box you linked to, and the PTC104 base-station shown in the movie looks like the one shown on the pyetelecomhistory site too.

The oldest Pye gear I worked on was the vibrator-PSU 'Ranger' series - popular with the Forestry Commission on 87MHz! Totally obsolete by the mid-70s when I saw them still in use.
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Old 6th Mar 2021, 4:36 pm   #4
dodgy-dxer
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Default Re: Radio Taxis (1947)

Camtax are still in business , unlike Pye!
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