Marconi Guardian 2

[David Goodall]

Does anyone have information, service sheets/pictures etc of this model.
I went to pick up a lawn mower this morning, and the chap was selling off his dads radio amateur collection. I'm going to have a look at the whole collection next week. The radio looks 1950s ?
Having seen this wonderful bit of kit, I can feel the radio amateur bug kicking in !

[XTC]

You could check with the seller if he's got the manual. It just might be that radios are something he knows he can sell, but manuals are just a load of paper to get rid of.

If all else fails, this bloke does a Marconi Guardian manual for 20 Euros

http://www.kent-electronics.nl/Manuals.pdf

But it looks as if he only takes Euros and you'd best check the manual isn't in Dutch.



Pete.

[David Goodall]

Thanks Pete. That's a good start.
Is there anyone out there who has one of these?

[dave walsh]

Hope so David as I would like to see what this one looks like. Couldn't find anything anywhere so I was surprised when Pete came up with the manual ref. Never heard of this set. I presume that its a communication ? receiver?
Dave W

[David Goodall]

Yes, I think it's a communications receiver, but I'm very unfamiliar with anything along these lines. As I was saying, I was there to pick up a lawn mower, and caught a glimpse of it as I passed his shed. It is about 20 inches square, and 12 inches deep. He unscrewed four finger screws on the front, and showed me inside. Two big transformers, and plenty of miniature valves. The front was quite sparse, with a big round dial. It covered a good few ranges. It also had buttons for "Spot frequencies". Not sure what they are. I am well and truly hooked ! He's getting all his father's equipment together for me to take a look at, and I'm going back next weekend. I've no idea how much any of it will be worth. At the very least, I shall get some good pictures of it. His father was very elderly when he died last year. I hope he will be able to tell me his call sign. It would be nice to make a note of it, if I buy it. I thought perhaps it would turn out to be a very common workaday receiver. Marine perhaps. I'm quite surprised that as you say, nothing is to be found, except for one Dutch site.

[MichaelR]

There is radar warning receiver called the sky guardian by marconi

[dave walsh]

That seems to tie in with spot frequencies Michael. Can't really think that this is an amateur radio receiver as most of them are well known but I could easily be wrong.
If you can post photos of this gear David it would be very interesting and might even generate some sales, if that's what the gentleman wants! Dave

[XTC]

I'm pretty sure that after WWII, Marconi didn't manage to compete in the top end comms receiver market (Racal, Collins, National etc.) or the amateur market (Eddystone, Hammarlund, Hallicrafters and others) and they carved out a niche in commercial shipboard radio systems, which was a small market and not cost sensitive. This is almost certainly a ship's receiver.

Of course, you could get in touch with this bloke,

http://www.oldradios.co.nz/my/receivers/index.htm

Who seems to be a REAL boatanchor enthusiast, and see what he has to say.

You could also search around the WWW and try things like "ship radio".

There's also a Marconi Museum
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/marconi/collection/


As for buying it, well look at the state of it. Is it rusty and nasty or has it been kept in the dry? Does it look like there are hard to find bits that would be a nightmare to make or buy? If you want a comms receiver, this may not be the place to start. I'd think £50 would be as much as I'd want to splash myself (if I felt good about it) - others might think differently.

As for the bloke with the lawnmower, sound him out, and look at the gear. He might take £200 for the lot. He might think it's all worth thousands.

Pete.

[MichaelR]

Originally Posted by XTC

I'm pretty sure that after WWII, Marconi didn't manage to compete in the top end comms receiver market (Racal, Collins, National etc.) or the amateur market (Eddystone, Hammarlund, Hallicrafters and others) and they carved out a niche in commercial shipboard radio systems, which was a small market and not cost sensitive. This is almost certainly a ship's receiver.

Pete.

Pete

I am not so sure this is a shipboard receiver the Marconi Atlanta was the most well known shipboard receiver.Marconi was a very big group and was a GEC company, the amateur market was never going to interest them but eventually they bought eddystone anyway for their interests in the marine market.

The need for the quality of the RACAL RA17 type receiver was driven by the cold war it was not really a market as far as Marconi were concerned they conentrated on the big Radar contracts. They had companies in their group who could develop and produce the components ( Marconi Electronic Devices, EEV) as well as companies specialising in developing and producing radar systems.

It will be intersteing to find out

Mike

[David Goodall]

I awake this morning to find the debate hotting up! I can only apologize for not making more mental notes. I haven't given a lot to go on. Thanks for the input.

[Paul_RK]

Interesting indeed, and it may not be very much of a Marconi: the Atlanta as I recall is essentially a Dynatron chassis, developed by them from those fitted to radiograms at the time. Still, the round dial and large square front panel together somewhat diminish that likelihood as regards the much less familiar Guardian.

Paul

[XTC]

Mike,

I know that Marconi were a large, diverse electronics group and they had strengths in RADAR, instruments, and did a lot of defence work. I certainly wouldn't dismiss their engineering abilities.

It's just that their comms receivers are not particularly common and seem to be concerned with their other area of interest which was maritime communications.

I must admit that "Guardian" has much more of the ring of some sort of warning system, than a conventional HF receiver.

This sounds like a fascinating bit of kit, and I'd like to know more about it, but as far as David is concerned, it may be disappointing if he takes it on expecting a general coverage receiver.


Pete.

[David Goodall]

My initial excitement with this radio, was with its shear stature. I'm only familiar with "Home" equipment, and this looks so serious by comparison.
Some time ago, I saw an excellent program about the eavesdroppers that were trained to speak Russian during the cold war. They would spend long hours tuning in to East German traffic. "Guardian." It's a lovely thought, a cold war listening receiver!

[David Goodall]

Just received this from an ex Marconi engineer :

Dear David,

Whilst I did not come across the Guardian receiver myself I believed it to
be a Radio Telephone receiver designed for trawlers and small ships that
were permitted to operate on the 2182 kHz emergency R/T frequency and the
associated I.F. "trawler band". I guess it was called the Guardian because
it guarded the R/T distress frequency. It was frequently used in
conjunction with the "Gannet" transmitter.

I have checked this out with another ex Marconi colleague and he confirms
this is the case.

The receiver would have been operated from a vibrator pack to provide H.T.
and the valve heaters connected in a series parallel configuration to run
from a 24 volt lead acid battery pack - this was normal for this class of
equipment. It was designed to receive A3 class of signals - amplitude
modulated double sideband telephony.

Date wise it probably does date back to the '50s or early '60s and it
predated the "Kestrel" R/T which Sir Francis Chichester carried on his Gypsy
Moth IV.

I would think it is only of intrinsic value to someone such as yourself who
collects old equipment.

I trust this helps in some way.

Well it certainly did. Mystery solved. I will get some pictures for next Saturday.

[MichaelR]

please post the pictures David I would love to see the kit

Mike

[David Goodall]

I hope to buy it on Saturday, along with some other mystery items on offer. I will take shots from all angles inside and out. A full gallery is assured ! Should be on about 5pm, if all goes well.

[David Goodall]

P.S. Has anybody ever seen a "Gannet" transmitter ?

[XTC]

David,

Have a close look at the frequency range this receiver covers. It might just be that it covers 1.6MHz to 2.5MHz very well and nothing else at all. You may not be able to listen to very much on it, even if you overhaul it.

Pete.

[David Goodall]

Yes I will, thank you. I may be wrong, but I think I remember it having a good few ranges. It may as you say, just be covering that small range very well.