Naval B40 installation - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

G4XWDJim · 2nd Oct 2013, 10:09 am

This picture of the radio room of the HMAS Vampire in Sydney Harbour Maritime Museum has been sent to me so I'll pass it on for interest.

There look to be 3 different models but I can't make them out clearly. Perhaps also a 62B and a B41. Maybe someone could identify them from their knob layout.

In the late 1970s or early 80s I used to buy B40s from a firm called Reclamations just off Digbeth in B'ham.They had a warehouse with B40s stacked 4 high, 10 deep and about 20 wide, hundreds of them and pretty well all model B40Ds in very good condition. It was a strange experience climbing and walking over a pile of B40s to select the best.

Over a period of two months I bought nine at a total cost of £120. Their policy was that if you bought two they'd throw a faulty one in FOC so for £40 you got three. The 'faults' most commonly were caused by the warehouse men banging them about. If the front B40 was banged into one behind it, it had the effect of forcing the tuning knob hard back against the panel. This made the knob very stiff to turn and also took the spring pressure off the dial drive clutch so the tuning drum wouldn't turn. It was usually a simple case of freeing off the knob and everything was fine. Everybody I knew in those days had a B40 or two. Of my nine only one a had a genuine fault.

All of mine are long gone as is the strength I had then to carry them about.

Jim

Aub · 2nd Oct 2013, 10:46 am

Thanks for posting Jim!

Aub

turretslug · 3rd Oct 2013, 6:09 pm

I make that around 40 tons of radios! They broke the mould when they designed it, with that helter-skelter tuning dial and clunking turret.

Dave757 · 4th Oct 2013, 12:08 am

Hi,

A good friend of mine used to sell a lot of B40s
Attached a couple of pics of his stockroom.

He always said that if they were half the weight and size,
they would sell for four times the money.

I remember him walking to his car with one in each hand.

Kind regards

Dave

RogerWalker · 10th Oct 2013, 7:07 pm

". . . I remember him walking to his car with one in each hand . . ."

He must have been a VERY tall, strong fellow! I can barely move mine around with a sack barrow.

Roger Walker

Dave757 · 10th Oct 2013, 10:55 pm

Hi Roger,

Not particularly tall, but very strong, - he had been a builder.
I was chatting to him a week or so ago, and reminded him of his antics 20
years ago. He did say that he wouldn't do that now, but he still manages one set without any problem.

Strange coincidence but I used a sack truck for the last B41 I moved!

Kind regards

Dave

QWENIX · 30th Oct 2013, 4:08 pm

Back to the question. Its a guess due to the distance and sharpness ?. Shelf below: 2x B40D (because of the small BFO/VFO oscillator knob between the cross mod knob and the crystal selector knob) on the right upperside. Shelf above: Leftside in the corner B40D on the right it could be a B41 or a 62B. I've never seen a B41D (do these exist

) and the 62B (the one with a audio amplifierstage for more entertainment radio).

See my B40 collection:

http://www.gloeidraad.nl/radioforum/index.php?id=146815

(I am a Dutch Murphy B40 collector and as a SWL I do have about 8 pieces (2 B41, 62B and a few B40 A,C,D, models) working. If someone has a spare original B41 or B40 manual BR1617, BR1618 or the FAZ manual B.R.2432 then send me an PM please.)

best regards Qwenix

2nd Oct 2013, 10:09 am	#1
G4XWDJim Octode Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Littlehampton, West Sussex, UK. Posts: 1,465	Naval B40 installation This picture of the radio room of the HMAS Vampire in Sydney Harbour Maritime Museum has been sent to me so I'll pass it on for interest. There look to be 3 different models but I can't make them out clearly. Perhaps also a 62B and a B41. Maybe someone could identify them from their knob layout. In the late 1970s or early 80s I used to buy B40s from a firm called Reclamations just off Digbeth in B'ham.They had a warehouse with B40s stacked 4 high, 10 deep and about 20 wide, hundreds of them and pretty well all model B40Ds in very good condition. It was a strange experience climbing and walking over a pile of B40s to select the best. Over a period of two months I bought nine at a total cost of £120. Their policy was that if you bought two they'd throw a faulty one in FOC so for £40 you got three. The 'faults' most commonly were caused by the warehouse men banging them about. If the front B40 was banged into one behind it, it had the effect of forcing the tuning knob hard back against the panel. This made the knob very stiff to turn and also took the spring pressure off the dial drive clutch so the tuning drum wouldn't turn. It was usually a simple case of freeing off the knob and everything was fine. Everybody I knew in those days had a B40 or two. Of my nine only one a had a genuine fault. All of mine are long gone as is the strength I had then to carry them about. Jim Attached Thumbnails

2nd Oct 2013, 10:46 am	#2
Aub Nonode Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK. Posts: 2,038	Re: Naval B40 installation Thanks for posting Jim! Aub __________________ Life's a long song, but the tune ends too soon for us all.

3rd Oct 2013, 6:09 pm	#3
turretslug Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Surrey, UK. Posts: 4,394	Re: Naval B40 installation I make that around 40 tons of radios! They broke the mould when they designed it, with that helter-skelter tuning dial and clunking turret.

4th Oct 2013, 12:08 am	#4
Dave757 Heptode Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Scratby, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 650	Re: Naval B40 installation Hi, A good friend of mine used to sell a lot of B40s Attached a couple of pics of his stockroom. He always said that if they were half the weight and size, they would sell for four times the money. I remember him walking to his car with one in each hand. Kind regards Dave Attached Thumbnails

10th Oct 2013, 7:07 pm	#5
RogerWalker Hexode Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Powys, Mid-Wales, UK. Posts: 289	Re: Naval B40 installation ". . . I remember him walking to his car with one in each hand . . ." He must have been a VERY tall, strong fellow! I can barely move mine around with a sack barrow. Roger Walker

10th Oct 2013, 10:55 pm	#6
Dave757 Heptode Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Scratby, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 650	Re: Naval B40 installation Hi Roger, Not particularly tall, but very strong, - he had been a builder. I was chatting to him a week or so ago, and reminded him of his antics 20 years ago. He did say that he wouldn't do that now, but he still manages one set without any problem. Strange coincidence but I used a sack truck for the last B41 I moved! Kind regards Dave

30th Oct 2013, 4:08 pm	#7
QWENIX Pentode Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Posts: 180	Re: Naval B40 installation Back to the question. Its a guess due to the distance and sharpness ?. Shelf below: 2x B40D (because of the small BFO/VFO oscillator knob between the cross mod knob and the crystal selector knob) on the right upperside. Shelf above: Leftside in the corner B40D on the right it could be a B41 or a 62B. I've never seen a B41D (do these exist) and the 62B (the one with a audio amplifierstage for more entertainment radio). See my B40 collection: http://www.gloeidraad.nl/radioforum/index.php?id=146815 (I am a Dutch Murphy B40 collector and as a SWL I do have about 8 pieces (2 B41, 62B and a few B40 A,C,D, models) working. If someone has a spare original B41 or B40 manual BR1617, BR1618 or the FAZ manual B.R.2432 then send me an PM please.) best regards Qwenix Last edited by QWENIX; 30th Oct 2013 at 4:13 pm.