AR88 Front Panel Colour

[ian rose]

I remember seeing a 'photo of some 88's in a rack mounted situation with grey front panels.

[turretslug]

Do you recall if they still had the horizontal chrome strips flanking the frequency scale/logging scale/meter aperture- I'd heard it said (usual disclaimer for hearsay!) that some RAF (?) ones had the chrome strips removed and front panel finished in smooth grey paint, supposedly to assist in decontamination. I was never very convinced by this explanation, as it's far from being a sealed piece of equipment (no base or lid gaskets and lots of big ventilation slots in the rear panel, whose bottom third is cut away anyway) and front panel strips would be a very minor consideration compared to the rest of the case and innards, really,

[ribbonmicsrus]

Yes, I have seen those grey ones, also some of the "RAF" vesions looked grey but were very pale blue.
Mine came with the strips in a kind of khaki colour, no hint of chrome unlike the majority. Just trying to find someone locally who can re-chrome mine.
Andy

[ian rose]

I fear I cannot remember if those grey versions in the rack sported chrome strips.

[HamishBoxer]

So,were the AR88,s used by the RAF?

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by HamishBoxer

So,were the AR88,s used by the RAF?

Yes - many of the RAF ones were modified, with a different antenna socket and a panel with an on/off-switch and jack-socket fitted below the off/trans/rec switch on the front panel. The socket was for high-impedance headphones.

RAF had their own 'number' for these modified AR88s - they called it the R1556.

There's a thread about this here: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=90185 and a photo of one in use here: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...4&d=1352667668

[HamishBoxer]

Thank you for that,I saw a few at E.Kirkby where I went to see the Lancaster a few weeks ago and was not sure they were correct.
Now it seems they are indeed.Saved me posting pictures I took inside the control tower,although there was other interesting stuff too.

[ribbonmicsrus]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

Yes - many of the RAF ones were modified, with a different antenna socket and a panel with an on/off-switch and jack-socket fitted below the off/trans/rec switch on the front panel. The socket was for high-impedance headphones.

RAF had their own 'number' for these modified AR88s - they called it the R1556.

There's a thread about this here: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=90185 and a photo of one in use here: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...4&d=1352667668

Mine is one of the early AR88, s/n 1017 not a D or LF, frequency range is same as D, it had two extra holes in front panel that had been filled. When I had it paint stripped to renew it and make sure engraving was good, I decided to fill them in again as the chassis appeared not to have the wiring for the extra parts. I have a feeling this particular radio has had many changes done to it in its lifetime so its ancestry is a bit difficult to define.

It had the wiring and pot for the S-meter however. Have found a local company who caan do re-chroming of the strips for a nominal sum.

I really cannot believe how sensitive and stable these radios are after replacing most of the suspect components.
Andy

[Radio Wrangler]

And your tuning dial should be black lines and numbers on a yellow background for all bands.

David

[ribbonmicsrus]

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

And your tuning dial should be black lines and numbers on a yellow background for all bands.

David

Yes David
It does.
.
Regards
Andy