Marconi CR150 & Other Stuff....

[pwdrive]

So what vintage is the Faz then Alan?

I will post a request for a copy manual on the Racal Forum tomorrow if nowt turns up in the meantime.

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

Lawrence,

The Manual is dated 1967 with updates up to '74.

Alan

[pwdrive]

Thanks Alan, I have to turn in now otherwise I will turn into a pumpkin...

Lawrence.

[Skywave]

[This CR.150] appears to have the 1st. local osc. intact. Do you have any info on the CR150? All I can find free on-line manual-wise is the CR150/3, which the receiver that I have definitely isn't. There's no provision for diversity connections on it so far as I can see and no user antenna trimmer control.
Lawrence.

I have delved into my archives and unearthed the following - which is abridged: the salient features that differentiate the variants.

First, the base model: CR.150.
Freq. range = 2 Mc/s to 60 Mc/s in 5 bands.
Dual conversion s/het. 1st. IF = 1600 kc/s; 2nd. IF = 465 kc/s.
Image rejection ratio @ 30 Mc/s = 40 dB; @ 60 Mc/s = 20 dB.
Bandwidth variable: 100 c/s to 10 kc/s in 5 switchable steps.
Stabilized HT, (but my notes also state that an external PSU is required. Perhaps that 'stabilized HT' remark refers to the oscillators, which, again, according to my notes, are temp. stabilized)
Crystal calibrator.
S-meter.

Secondly, CR.150 / 2. As CR.150, but . . .
Freq. range = 1.5 Mc/s to 22 Mc/s in 4 bands.

Thirdly, the receiver which yours isn't: CR.150 / 3.
As CR.150, but . . .
Crystal-controlled 1st. osc. (Therefore receiver was designed for fixed frequency use).
Front panel aerial trimmer.
Widest B/W setting is 13 kc/s.

My notes also state that the CR.150 is quite a rare receiver and that few of them were ever manufactured.

So, on the basis of those summary specs. and what you have told us about yours, it's either a CR. 150 or a CR.150 / 2. A glance at the front panel bandwidth switch will determine which.

Al. / Aug. 9, 2013 //

[pwdrive]

Ok, thanks to a prompt from Andy (up north) I took another look re diversity, I said earlier that I could not see any diversity connections, well should have gone to Spec Savers, bloody obvious when I look at the receiver and the photo I took of the rear panel connections.... like the AGC line terminals and the 1st Osc input socket....!

For diversity reception a couple of soldered connections have to be altered near the 1st Osc tuning gang, there is evidence that these connections have been altered for diversity reception (ie: non original solder) in the past.
However the receiver as I bought it has had the connections put back for normal reception, and a shorting plug fitted to the diversity oscillator input socket.

Thanks for looking through your notes Al, from what you have found it's looking more like a CR150 and not a /variant.

Observations on mine are:

2 to 60 Mhz coverage.
User selectable bandwidth = 100 Hz to 10 Khz.
No desensitizing connections.
No user antenna trim control.
No provision for Xtal controlled guard channel.
Diversity terminals (AGC) and coax socket (Osc In) are fitted.

Lawrence.

[boiss]

There's a guy with a CR150 for sale without the valves for 60Eu on one of the local sort of ebay thingies. Would it be worth offering a tenner for it? what is the valve line-up apart from the stabiliser, is it all run of the mill (mil?)
Mike

[pwdrive]

Valves not too bad...EF50's, X66, 6K7G, DH63, L63.

Needs ext. psu 300vdc @ 65ma, 6.3vac @ 4a

Lawrence. [EDIT: That's not the total number of valves, just the number of different types of valves excluding the stabilizer valve]

[Skywave]

There's a guy with a CR150 for sale without the valves for 60Eu. Would it be worth offering a tenner for it?
Mike

In a word, "Yes!"
Even if it turns out to be a write-off, (which is probably unlikely), the salvage scrap alone should be worth more than that . . . or so I would have thought.

Al.

[pwdrive]

Yes Mike, go for it, quite a few of the valves have more common substitutes.

Lawrence.

[boiss]

The Knobs are missing too.....