S.P.Radio

[vas]

Having put a deposit for my new craft, I'm going through a few points that I'll have to address. One is the VHF radio thing. There is this on board which I have to admit I really like (daughter likes it too) and a plastic 90ies thing currently in use (which both me and daughter hate - wife and son don't really give a s**t on such details...)

now checked on wikis found a website with old manuals and lots of info but I'm slightly puzzled:

Is this thing functional nowadays, or there is a compatibility issue with modern standards or whatnot and it's basically ornamental? Cannot ask the previous owner as he's sick and all communication is though his skipper friend that has no clue whatsoever.
And obviously being 300km away and not going down there for three weeks doesn't help as I didn't have time to investigate when onboard.

If it's feasible to use it nowadays in the Med, even if broken (which I doubt) I'd rather fix it and hide the plastic thing for emergency as a backup.

cheers

V.

 

[Spi D]

Ofcourse it might be defective, but these are one of the most rugged radio brands ever made.
And guess what? Still around..

http://www.thrane.com/Maritime/Introduction.aspx

Especially in this department new stuff is different (DSC..), but ask at Thrane's.

 

[vas]

thanks, so:

if it's not defective, it will be useable (I think it utilises a 2m long antenna...)

cheers

V.

 

[Barry Jones]

edited because in my haste I thought it was the RT144.

Don't know the RT142 which I suspect was a forerunner to the more popular RT144.

It might even be a crystal set where the RT144 was synthesised.

You can't get support from SP Radio now, but if you have a book, most spares can probably be gleaned from component suppliers.

I would check it for power output and against a handheld to ensure that all the channels are on frequency.

 

[Bilgediver]

Having put a deposit for my new craft, I'm going through a few points that I'll have to address. One is the VHF radio thing. There is this on board which I have to admit I really like (daughter likes it too) and a plastic 90ies thing currently in use (which both me and daughter hate - wife and son don't really give a s**t on such details...)


V.

http://sailorradio.enigmamachine.co.uk/rt14x.html

This is crystal controlled so possibly beyond some of todays young technicians.
It will be fine if working but do not expect DSC

 

[Barry Jones]

What d'ya mean ?

These are some of the few sets that i can actually understand the circuit diagrams and work on the circuits ??

 

[vas]

thanks for the info,

judging from the condition of the electrical subsystems in the craft, the upgrades that took place in 1999 or so (new engines, autopilot, VHF, cdplayer, etc) and the competence of the previous owner, I'm pretty sure it's something silly like the spiral cable to the headset gone or a toggle switch outside the assembly...

Similar to him saying that the autopilot is drifting and I should get a specialist to look at it, only to find the compass sensor of the Cetrek autopilot lying on a shelf by the autopilot control box obviously being knocked out of it's position by the owner during some "repairs"

Should know within a month, cant wait!

cheers

 

[ProDave]

Judging by the limited number of channels available, it's a crystal controlled set.

If it works, it will still be effective, but do bear in mind it only has a few channels so if the CG asks you to change channel, you may not have the one he nominates.

For that reason alone, I would regard it as purely ornamental.

 

[Bilgediver]

Judging by the limited number of channels available, it's a crystal controlled set.

If it works, it will still be effective, but do bear in mind it only has a few channels so if the CG asks you to change channel, you may not have the one he nominates.

For that reason alone, I would regard it as purely ornamental.

What you see in the window is a section of the tuning tape and also it is dual side ie left and right. The higher channels are on the right side. I think they are all there and marina 1 2 3 4 5 easily plugged in using the right crystals.. Maybe a use for some I have lying around

 

[ProDave]

I read it as the tuning tape apeared to have just 10 entries, meaning only 10 channels were fitted. I wonder if it has enough crystal positions to populate it with all channels, assuming you can find the crystals? (and don't even think about buying new crystals, the cost would be prohibitive)

The white paining on the front is merely to show all the possible channels and which ones are high or low power, duples or simplex etc.