Converting Crystal controlled radio to VFO

[Yorkie]

Conceptually, yes, it is possible. I did just that many, many years ago during the early, formative years of A.M. of 2m; 'tuning high to low', etc. I may well have the cct. of what I used somewhere, buried in the archive of archives!
Al.

As Al says, in the 70s when lots of valved ex PMR AM equipment was available cheaply, it was customary to have a fixed crystal for a frequency on the 2M amateur band, and to have variable tuning on the receive side. You put out a call on that fixed frequency, and annouced that you would 'tune high to low' across the band, hoping to come across a like minded amateur who was transmitting on a different crystal controlled frequency. If you did make contact, your receiver would be tuned to his transmit frequency, and his to yours.

It's not just the technical aspects that are the limiting factor - it's low acitvty levels that have to be considered. There's little activity on any mode on 2/4 M these days, even in urban areas, though no doubt it varies. There are 22 amateurs listed in my village, but I only know of two others - I see no other evidence of antennas. There are at least 300 amateurs within a ten mile radius, but I got rid of my 2M gear a decade ago as there was no activity at all, apart from a few numpties on the lcoal repeater who thought it was safe and legal to give running commentairies about their near misses as they drove to work, dicing with death in heavy traffic with one hand on a mike, the other on the wheel, and their minds elsewhere. For a time, in the late 90s I used to take a 2M hand-held with me when I went up on the N Yorks Moors on my motorbike - I could access Tyne & Tees, Yorks across to Leeds, York, Humberside - Hull & Grimsby etc. Hopeless - rarely heard a thing, so stopped bothering.

But as you say, it's nice from a technical point of view to breathe new life into gear that was very robustly built for a hard life, and was, indeed still is, well up to the task. Pye Cambridges and the like were beautifully constructed, and the QQV06/40 transmitting valves were just about bombproof. In the early 90s we had happy times locally converting solid state ex PMR FM gear -Pye MX294s, Dymar Lynx etc, reprogramming e-proms. The Lynx was an AM rig primarily, but removing one link changed it to FM. A different world - people these days are cash rich/time poor. Too easy to flash the plastic at Martin Lynch et all, for the latest offerings from Keyasuicom.

There's bound to be info out ther in cyberspace about converting your Murphy, I'm sure. VMARS for example?

Lamented David.