R1155 model E (we think it's model E, certainly an R1155)

[milairuk]

Originally Posted by goodfortune

I shall take the front off this weekend and post some pictures, as I'm very interested to know what's inside, myself!

Hope you actually mean the case !!

[dave walsh]

I quite enjoyed your "spirit level" interpretation myself GF! Beware though, other people have started out like you and finished up with a new hobby/obsession. Thanks for that info Andy. I will be getting the sledge and huskies out for a trip north soon and will report back if I can find any ID on my aloominum [as they say in the states] TU box. If these are out of aircraft, then I suppose it's a new take on "Aerial" Tuning Unit.
Dave W


PS Out of interest GF you might want to search R1155 and look at Radio Dave's thread 6/5/10-pictures post1*. He made the PSU case out of MDF [believe it or not]. Not metal so no electric flotation difficulties there!

[onewatt]

Hi Dave W,

There are some pics around on the net but for info, my bc191 round tuit attached.
I'm missing the connecting leads unfortunately, but have a good selection of tuning units that came with it, I will power it up oneday.

Onewatt

[goodfortune]

I think (haha) the penny has just dropped!

I was rootling around looking for pictures of the MDF power box thing and came across another thread by Radio Dave in which he was speaking of distortion on one of these.

It has NEVER crossed my mind that this radio set might actually work. It was given to us by a retired BAE electronics man. This radio is effectively the same thing roughly as the little gizmo my husband listens to airband on, isn't it Amazing. Just amazing. And I never gave it any thought.

I imagined that whatever the receiver used to receive was unavailable in 2011.

Gosh.



goodfortune

Originally Posted by dave walsh

I quite enjoyed your "spirit level" interpretation myself GF! Beware though, other people have started out like you and finished up with a new hobby/obsession. Thanks for that info Andy. I will be getting the sledge and huskies out for a trip north soon and will report back if I can find any ID on my aloominum [as they say in the states] TU box. If these are out of aircraft, then I suppose it's a new take on "Aerial" Tuning Unit.
Dave W


PS Out of interest GF you might want to search R1155 and look at Radio Dave's thread 6/5/10-pictures post1*. He made the PSU case out of MDF [believe it or not]. Not metal so no electric flotation difficulties there!

[dave walsh]

Yes GF. Even in these Internet days, Short and Medium Wave Transmissions are still out there for your set. It's the same basic principles as your husbands Gizmo [Airband Scanner] but the R1155 only goes up to 30 Megahertz [10 Metres in old speak] whereas he will be listening around 118 Megs, which is way above Classic FM at the top of your VHF radio dial. Sounds like a much cared for item even if you have not brought it into use [yet]. Nobody quite knows why these are so popular but it does relate to their association with the WW2 Lancaster Bomber.
Thanks for the interesting photos One Watt. Sadly, I fear that my box is simply a passive ATU with no valve lineup.

[Madeirajon]

I thought at first the OP was referring to the PSUs which were sold by Laskys Radio shop in Tottenham Court Road in the 1950s-60s. These cost £5.19.6d which was the same cost as the R1155 which went with them. However they were exactly the same dimensions as the 1155. which made nice match. I had mine until 1970 when I unfortunately had to sell it.

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by dave walsh

but the R1155 only goes up to 30 Megahertz [10 Metres in old speak]

Not even that. 18 Mc/s ISTR.

[goodfortune]

Good morning gentlemen,

Well, after a lovely long (wet) dog walk, I hoisted the radio into the kitchen on bubble wrap, undid the screws (took a while to realise they wouldn't come all the way out but they undid so easily!) and had a look inside. Clean as a whistle, but of course I don't know what I'm looking at!

Here are some pictures because I know you do know what you're looking at.

After putting it back together, I shall dismantle the other box of tricks...

Regards,

goodfortune

[goodfortune]

Unfortunately, I couldn't open the power box, but I did find a plate on it, and the gentleman who posted about US Signals was right. The date on the right says June 30 1947.

The second picture is slightly off topic, but I hope not too much. It's just a picture of "Mr Pye" the working valve radio, the only other one we have.

Goodfortune (Lisa)

[Sean Williams]

OOOH!

Almost unmolested internally - nice to see.

Most of the normally missing DF circuitry seems to be there.

Nice!

I think the power supply will come apart by sliding the clips away from the pins by the handles.

"Mr Pye" is a 39J/H - A very nice, if somewhat large receiver, with a nice push pull output stage, and a nice RF amplifier in the front end - a very capable set, which will give excellent results (have you had it restored electrically? if not I would get this done as a matter of urgency - to nice a set to have it fail for the sake of a few quids worth of repairs)



Sean

[MichaelR]

I was hoping to see it complete but there has been some of the Directional Finding circuitry removed. It does not look as though it has been butchered but if you want to use it I would advise you have it completely checked out by someone with some competence. It would be nice to see it back in use again.

Mike

[goodfortune]

Thank you for your comments.

I believe both radios have been restored electrically by the person who gave them to us, who was MIEE and a Fellow of something or other electrical institute.

He insisted we have these items as he believed that the family might not appreciate them in the same way he did if he passed, and also because my husband, before his own illness, used to take him to the pub weekly.

Mr Pye will never leave us, certainly. And I'm becoming more attached to the R1155!

I am, however, curious about their value (for insurance) - can anyone suggest a proper valuer in the North? (I have asked if it's ok to ask this question on the forum, but no answer yet. I apologise if I've infringed the rules and of course this can be removed.)

I am off to google Pye 39J/H...

goodfortune (Lisa)

[MichaelR]

Valuation is difficult , it is really what an enthusiast is willing to pay. On auction sites I would think that you would probably have to pay £250 to £300 for the R1155 and the PSU. I have seen them go for more than this and I must say sometimes less than this. As to whether you can insure them I would advise you talk to your insurance company and clarify exactly what radio you are wanting to be insured , I am not sure general contents insurance would cover them.

The chap that gave you the kit no doubt was competent but there are components in the set that degrade with time and in partcular if they have not had power applied to them for some time. Before you use it, you should have somebody check them over to be safe.

Mike

[goodfortune]

That is exactly what concerns me MichaelR, that our contents insurance might exclude them. (Or might assign them no value at all, which would be a shame both for us and for the gentleman who gave them to us.)

The initial impetus that lead me to post - the fact that someone not from this forum had suggested a swop for a type/age radio which I really would like - is no longer relevant as my searches have lead me to a couple of shops selling vintage radios and I now know I can obtain the type I would like for not a huge amount of money.

Mind you, I can't see a band of ne'er do wells deciding to take them. They wouldn't have the class and taste...

goodfortune

Michael, before using, I promise to get it checked out. That is excellent advice.

[M0FYA Andy]

The three DF valves are missing, but this is no problem, indeed they were often removed in service to reduce power consumption if the DF function wasn't required.
Before you put it back in its case (but now you know how to remove it it will come out quicker!) it would be useful to see a picture underneath the chassis, particularly the end shown in your fifth picture where there are two empty valveholders, to see if the DF circuitry has also been removed.

Andy

[Station X]

Going off topic a bit. Insurance companies will generally state in their small print that some items need to be specified if they're to be covered. It may be that items over a certain value need to be specified, or they may state that items such as coin collections need to be specified. In many cases specified items may attract an increased premium, especially if the items are used away from the home. The insurance company may insist on a professional valuation too. The valuer will give you a letter which the insurance company will want to see.

This company offers a valuation service:-

www.vintageradio.co.uk

Othe valuers are available.

[Sean Williams]

From experience

I would suggest a value of £500 on the R1155, with a further £200 for the PSU - this will allow you to replace the units with ones of similar condition.

The Pye is probably worth around £130 retail, they make about £30-70 at auction, so factor this in and add a service/repair to an auction find and I would think about £150 for insurance purposes would not be too far off the mark

This is what we used to do when loaning items to Museums from other collections....

Sean

[MichaelR]

Originally Posted by Sean Williams

From experience

I would suggest a value of £500 on the R1155, with a further £200 for the PSU - this will allow you to replace the units with ones of similar condition.

The Pye is probably worth around £130 retail, they make about £30-70 at auction, so factor this in and add a service/repair to an auction find and I would think about £150 for insurance purposes would not be too far off the mark

This is what we used to do when loaning items to Museums from other collections....

Sean

Remember this is a household insurance not commercial. If you could get somebody to insure it for you I bet the premiums would not be far off a couple of hundred a year and you certainly would have to prove value not just quote figures out of the Sky.

Mike

[dave walsh]

Insurance is a personal issue really. GF is right that the Ner Do Wells would need to know what they were dealing with [like the insurance company I suppose]. The 1155 does look very complete but [as with the one I have here] not very "plug in and play". It might be a lot of time, trouble and expense to get it going safely. Just keeping it preserved might meet your friends wishes and avoid the dreaded "family fate". We know too well on here that items get unecessarily dumped [there is a tip rescue example from HCS today]. Some forum members have turned up to enquire and found items already being scrapped or burnt.

Re the Pye radio ID'd by Sean, I happen to have one of these that I bought from a very nice chap in Newhaven. He was so glad to see it go somewhere it would be looked after. His family had actually been in the Radio Trade with a shop and it was the last item from that era. It even has a brand new spare glass scale already with it, carefully wrapped, in case of a breakage as it was considered a superior item in it's day! You don't often see that. These are excellent sets, even if not suitable for RAF service and it should pick up anything the 1155 once did-especially with a bit of wire in the aerial socket.

Herald you are right. 18 not 30 Megs . I was going by the usual comms wavebands I think [my excuse anyway considering that the set is on a shelf in front of me].

PS. I note that it doesn't say keep the boxes from touching but rather "don't earth the PSU".
I suppose this could amount to the same thing though!

Dave D

[goodfortune]

Crikey! Say, £800 insurance value and an insurer would charge 25 per cent per year? That sounds iniquitous to me.

I have approached a website to ask if they do valuations, based in Hawarden near Chester, can't remember the website name but I'm sure you chaps will know it. But if you have a better suggestion I'm all ears.

If the premium was £200 pa it would almost double our annual contents insurance and I would have to exclude the radios. If that turns out to be the case I shall have to sell them, just so they are cared for properly. That is really sad.

So much in my home is second hand and old because I preferred to fashion my home as it would have been when it was built. The Pye, I know is too "new" but I like its warm glow. Does anyone else hate the new digital tellies as much as me? Completely wrong.

Ah well....


goodfortune