Naval Communications Receivers

 At sea weight was no object and radio sets were made from steel plate, unlike their aircraft counterparts, which were made from aluminium with lots of holes to further reduce weight. Army sets tended to be half-way between, using steel but usually of much lighter gauge.


The Marconi HR110 Receiver click to see more of this set

 I don't know anything about this receiver except it reminds me of my old war-time R206 with its drum dial.

It was almost certainly made for marine use and covers the following bands...

0.5-1.45MHz; 1.45-4MHz; 4-11.8MHz; 11.8-19MHz and 19-30MHz

Tuning arrangements include a 5" logging dial with a 0-20 counter similar in operation to that in the HRO. This type of tuning dial is used more for noting and returning to a spot on the dial rather than measuring the frequency. Its small size belies its weight which must be around 70lbs.

The Murphy 62B Receiver

 This "62B"receiver, described by AP677571, would be more at home in a battleship, which is probably where it came from! It was the last of the line of a series of receivers commencing with the "B40", and as such, is similar in specification to the B40D. The coding "B40" confusingly was previously associated with one of the Marconi CR100 models which is totally different.

Since being demobbed, it appears to have "suffered" from modifications including replacement of some of its control knobs, a signal strength meter, and a 10-turn slow motion tuning dial. The mods are properly recorded and are detailed in the manual I received with the set, which was supplied originally by G3EDW.

It weighs in at over 100lbs and has a complicated tuning arrangement including a five inch logging dial. This model has improved audio output and extends to the low frequencies.

Bands covered are:

150-300KHz; 560-1500KHz; 3.9-10MHz; 9.5-18.5MHz; 18.5-30.5MHz

The seventeen-valve line-up is based on "modern" types unlike the earlier B40 models and is as follows:-

1st RF amplifier CV4014 (EF91); 2nd RF amplifier CV4009 (EF93); frequency changer CV2128 (ECH81); local oscillator CV4014 (EF91); 1st IF amplifier CV4015 (EF92); 2nd IF amplifier CV4015 (EF92); 3rd IF amplifier CV4015 (EF92); AGC and signal detector CV4007 (EB91); noise limiter CV4007 (EB91); BFO CV4015 (EF92); 1st AF amplifier CV454 (EF93); AF output CV2136 (6BW6); power rectifiers, two CV493 (6X4); voltage stabiliser CV1632 (0A2). The modifications have added a product detector 6BN6 and an S-meter amplifier 12AU7.

Inside this receiver is a turret carrying the coilsets for the five wavebands, almost exactly the same design as the R206 which leads me to believe the origin of the latter was a Murphy factory rather than a Marconi factory.

Maybe someone knows?

See it's overhaul


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