REES MACE Rx Type 'N'

[David Simpson]

Folks, I've also a new post in 'Vintage Radio(Domestic)'. However, as Rees Mace also made Marine equipment, this nice old Type 'N' Rx I've just aquired might fall into the scope of 'Vintage Amateur & Military Radio'.
I'll leave this quandry to the expertise of the Moderators.

Regards, David

[David Simpson]

Folks, I've re-awakened the thread running in 'Vintage Radio(Domestic)'. As some of you might have seen.
However, a glimmer of information has revealed itself. Pye, as you may well remember, took over Rees-Mace in 1944, but kept the badging for their Marine & Admiralty equipment. Pye also made WS19 & other wartime Army & RAF equipment.
Whilst delving into the innards of the RF unit I discovered an electrolytic capacitor with 10C 15969 stamped on it. And a waxie capacitor with AP 50755 stamped on it.
Myself & a keen vintage radio pal discussed this yesterday and wondered if prahaps this Rx Type N was a bespoke marriage between a civilian line-up of valves(Cameo U54A/EL80) and surplus ex military components. Prahaps built at the end of the war or just after - for coastguard or fishery office/depot usage.
Does AP 50755 ring a bell with anyone ?
Also, (Please peruse the pictures in the other thread), I can see no sense in the peculiar mounting of the 3 gange tuning capacitor. It faces foreward at an angle of approx 15 deg., but has a side shaft connected to the slow motion drive. Thus the utilitarian plywood cabinet frontage has to be sloped. It just doesn't make sense. Unless, of course, the tuning capacitor, being surplus from another piece of equipment - was the only one readily available at the time.

Regards, David

[turretslug]

Could the angled mounting simply be an ergonomic consideration, so that the baffle holding tuning scale and loudspeaker presented towards the user on a table/bench placed set? A lot of e.g. Eddystone sets had options for wedge-shaped feet or loudspeaker plinths so as to present the scale at an upward-looking angle. Maybe the worm-drive and side-mounted knob were a compact way of getting a good reduction ratio simply- viz. the BC348 receiver where something like 100:1 is acheived in one go with front panel tuning knob and side-ways mounted gang capacitor.

Re. the other thread, the combination of "AC/DC" type supply arrangement and 6H choke suggests that the prime consideration really was supply flexibility rather than cheapness- if they were going all out for penny-pinching, they might just have felt a wire-wound smoothing resistor would "do"? Slightly amusing to note that the mixer-osc valve demands more cathode heating power than the rectifier.

I wonder how soon after the war sets such as the R1155 (even BC348 and CR100) and so on were available and at what price relative to this set? They all offer trawler band coverage and possibly at better performance, for shore-based utility use the traditional ugliness of comms receivers would have been immaterial. True, they needed external speaker and some would need a suitable PSU but they were straitened times and folk took a pride in making do. Maybe sets like this didn't sell in big numbers for this sort of reason.

[David Simpson]

Hello again turretslug. I dont think ergonomics came into the design of this set. Despite the cabinet being sheathed in nice black rexine, it is very plainly knocked together with sections of plywood glued or screwed together. Had it not been for the awkward angle of the tuning capacitor, I'm sure that a simple rectangular box shaped cabinet would have sufficed. The reduction ratio is only 22:1, and the same ratio could have been achieved, I'm sure, had an alternative front spindle arrangement been made to a horizontal mounted T/cap.
I reckon this set must have been used in an RF sensitive location, going by the amount of tinned copper sheeting used as screening. Either they didn't want interference from the LO or IF affecting other radio equipment in the location of use. Or didn't want such equipment(or electrical apparatus) interfering with this set.
The serial number on the front nameplate is 6961. But I certainly dont think that nearly 7 thousand identical sets were made by R - M or Pye. Otherwise, by now, someone would have recognised the set, surely. Also, the metalwork for the two seperate chassis haven't been stamped out on a machine. I can recognise guillotine, shearswork, bending machine work, and hand drilling, - having taught similar chassis building techniques in sheet aluminium to RAF apprentices.
I reckon prahaps several dozen, or maybe a hundred or so were handmade. Using whatever civilian and military components were availabe in those straitened end of war or post war years.
Apart from a skim of dust & a few spiders webs etc, this set is jolly clean and corrosion-free. Its never been on a trawler or coastal craft, or on the back of an Army or RAF truck.
I'll plumb for a Coastguard office, or the NAFFI in a Naval Shore Station.
There is still a Lowestoft & Pye Amateur Radio Club on the go. So have emailed their secretary. But no reply, so far. Fingers crossed.

Regards, David

[David Simpson]

Never did source any gen on this obscure Rx. However, now renovated & working fine on all three bands.
The PSU/o/p Amp chassis had been bodged in the past. Completely stripped back to bare chassis & re-sprayed. Rewired & replaced waxie capacitors, and replaced suspect U201 with a CY31.
The matt black Rexine on the plywood cabinet cleaned up reasonably well. But 60 years in an Aberdeen loft had taken its toll.
Boy, does that Pen383 put out some volume, running at approx 60mA Ia. Far far more than anything required by a domestic table-top wireless.
Overall, a worthwhile project. So, a large expanse of garden beckons. But an aquisition of a promising CT436 for a quid will suffice for rainy days.
Many thanks to those who offered advice.

Regards, David

[turretslug]

Should be good for another 70 years now! Difficult set to categorise, I wondered if Rees-Mace were looking to the schools market but it wouldn't need the extensive screening and the upward-facing baffle would be out of place, too.

[AC/HL]

Could be at home on a Plantation somewhere. Sundowners on the verandah with World Service in the background?
The styling doesn't seem domestic, or the construction Military, but it was made for a market somewhere.
Anyway, looks good to me.

[G4XWDJim]

David,

Are you familiar with the Wireless for the Warrior series of books produced by Louis Meulstee. Volume 3 Reception Sets has a section at the end entitled Welfare Sets which have similarities with your set and were intended for entertainment in the NAAFI rather than communications.

I know at one time Louis was actively seeking out different varieties of these welfare sets and may well have come across yours. His website is http://www.wftw.nl/
and he's usually very amenable to enquiries.

Jim

[David Simpson]

Guys, the vast amount of sheet tinned copper screening over the RF chassis lends one to believe that this set was used in an enviroment which either produced heaps of RFI, or was sensitive to RFI from the LO or IF. Hence my thoughts on it being used on a military unit. Certainly, a NAAFI set might fit the bill.
Thanks Jim for the Louis Meulstee link, I'll follow it up.
Anyway, its now in the livingroom next to a Ferranti 145 Jellymould of a similar age. Although my wife tolerates it, I've to keep them dusted, along with another 145, a Murphy U128, a Pye Black Box, Cossor's 3339,339,343,Coastal Radio Curlew Marine R/T, and a Venner Nixi Counter/Timer.
Drizzle permiting, most of today has been spent outside, and I suspect that electronicing will be on the back burner for the next few months.

Regards, David

ps. Re the pictures, the cups & wee awards on the dresser arn't mine. They're my wife's WRI & Camera Club awards.

[David Simpson]

More delving, but with no success :-
Got in touch with Louis in the Netherlands - no joy.
Nothing from Lowestoft & Pye Amateur Radio Club.
Emailed the Pye Museum - no reply yet.
I just cannot come to terms with the fact that, going by the serial no, nearly 7000 of these sets were built. But no one in our specific vintage radio fraternity, or out there in the vast internet ether has ever recognised or heard of such a Rx.
Awful grotty weather has driven me inside, hence the soapbox.

Regards, David

[Synchrodyne]

In terms of the intended market, the attached, from 1953, indicates that Ress Mace was in the marine cabin receiver business, which typically required AC/DC receivers. Perhaps the Type N was an earlier cabin receiver model?

Cheers,

[David Simpson]

Right enough, Synchrodyne, its certainly a possibility. As the Type N uses almost identical circuitry & valves as the Cameo - and I see that your advert mentions the Cameo Senior Model RM1.
In fact, there were clamp-down brackets on the bottom of the Type N at either side.
The chap who owned it back in the 40's worked for the Aberdeen Coal and Shipping Company. I just found that out last night, so am following up that lead.

Regards, David

[David Simpson]

Just wondering, does anyone out there ken anything about the Pye Museum &/or it's website ?
Despite a couple of emails & a couple of phone calls to the head mannie's (?) answerphone - no response.
I would have thought that that Pye figured pretty big in the vintage radio fraternity.
I had hoped that someone in the ex Pye employee community might remember a snippet about Rees Mace.

Regards, David

[G4XWDJim]

David,

Have you looked up G8EPR Dave on QRZ. It gives you his address and webmaster so that you could possibly write to him.

He's around at a good many of the rallies.

Jim

[David Simpson]

Jim, already done that. He's the mannie I've been trying to contact. Prahaps he's on holiday, or poorly.
Just wondering if there was an alternative Pye Museum contact.

Regards, David

[David Simpson]

Yes, I've had a reply from Dave - G8EPR, he'd been on holiday. I understand that his is a private collection in Bewdley. However, there is a Virtual Pye Museum which can be viewed online, run by the Pye Telecom History Group. Amazingly, they don't show any contact details, and even BT118 500 cannot find a telephone number.
Some later post-war Rees Mace badged equipment is shown on their site, so I'm guessing that someone in the group has shown an interest in RM.
But how on earth does one contact them ?

Regards, David

[dodgy-dxer]

But how on earth does one contact them ?


By reading the web site?

http://www.pyetelecomhistory.org/ says

Contact information: pthc1 [at] pyetelecomhistory . org ( please remove the spaces )

But also note from the same page

Pye Telecom Historic Collection
Please note:- The collection does not have any information on Pye or Philips domestic broadcast radio, television or audio equipment - this collection consists only of military and professional two-way radio communications equipment.

RTFWP

Fred
ex Pye Telecom but never came accross "Rees Mace" in my times

[David Simpson]

Thanks Fred. I know a public joke, but I have just recently been to SpecSavers & I'm awaiting my new specs.
Really though, I'd just gone straight to their "HF & Marine" page, and had missed the small print on the home page. Shall get in touch.

Regards, David

[David Simpson]

Well Folks,
I guess I've hit the inevitable brick wall regarding my Rees Mace research.
I must thank Richard Howes from PTH for his help. Seemingly, my Rx's S/No might be partially made up with a batch no. So my asumption that nearly 7000 Rx were made is way out. Sadly, Richard had no info on my Rx. However, they might soon be delving into the history of Pye's (Rees Mace's) factory in Lowestoft, which might reveal some info.
My thanks also to Dave Hicks from the Pye Museum.
Also, I managed to contact the surviving retired member of the Money Hicks(no relation to Dave) Board, (Money Hicks made the freq. dial), but sadly, all the old records were dumped when the factory closed a few years ago.
In general, also many thanks to Forum members for advice and support.

Regards, David