This month we had a very interesting talk by Tony, G3YYH, who is working to restore an Air Ministry T1154 transmitter and T1155 Receiver, or, as I tweeted at the time;
Tonight Tony G3YYH will be telling us all about these impressive dials! pic.twitter.com/gwCWSOUhFJ
— CheltenhamARA (@CheltenhamARA) July 16, 2015
The radio was designed in the late 1930s, around 1939 it went into production at various manufacturers, with production continuing throughout the war.
Around 75,000 R1155 were produced, Tony tells us
I can’t tell how old mine are, but I’m fairly sure the R1155 is an early one because it has the early tuning knob that W/Ops hated and was therefore replaced
Tony discussed the various issues with restoring these radios, from difficulty finding suitable screws (apparently BA or British Association aren’t hard to find, but new ones aren’t dirty enough) to lack of spare parts.
Because so many were made, it was common for hams, and other hobbyists, to butcher the radios for parts, or even just to get a good box. Sadly there were some guilty parties in the room.
As these radios were designed or, and used in, aircraft, they have some interesting and unique features, such as a Morse key specifically designed to be immune to vibrations, and not produce sparks, as the operator would be sat between, and often in, the aircraft’s fuel.
The radio would also be directly connected to the aircraft’s internal headset system, and as Tony doesn’t have a whole Lancaster in his shack, he’s had to produce his own.
Custom made AF valve amplifier and power supply. Loud speakers not included in the Lancaster bomber. pic.twitter.com/c9HeQ5Rx4o
— CheltenhamARA (@CheltenhamARA) July 16, 2015
Tony’s radios are mostly in fully working condition, although no one replied when he called CQ in voice, or CW
Full break in keying! pic.twitter.com/JRpNfXqCq6
— CheltenhamARA (@CheltenhamARA) July 16, 2015
And finally, for those who like to see the inside of things…
And the inside… pic.twitter.com/gPJZpFsMJu
— CheltenhamARA (@CheltenhamARA) July 16, 2015