# RA17 & CR300



## spaarks (May 1, 2009)

The recent drama series about GCHQ, a retired operative had an RA17 and I think a CR300 in his shack. The RA17 wasn't marine-approved, but we had then in CWM because of the need to keep 24hr HF RT during cable repairs. The RA17 was superb - all valve and much more stable than the marine receivers of its day. It used a Wadley Loop instead of the usual superhet. We kept them for years after the Apollos were fitted.


----------



## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

A CR300 and a Reliance transmitter kept us in touch with the ‘outside world’ when I sailed on the old Marwick Head in the early sixties… Mind you the outside world was only ever a handful of miles away as we only ran up and down the UK east coast… On the odd occasion when we crossed the Channel it was like going deep sea for the mates - they'd be running around all over the place like headless chickens looking for bits of land they could recognise! I was quite taken aback when I joined and went up to the Radio Room and saw the CR300 – I’d assumed that this series of receivers had been pensioned off years ago as I’d had a CR100 and a CR150 at home for some time. The CR300 still did the job so the owner obviously decided it didn’t need changing although it was probably older than me! Interestingly the CR300/1 had a 500 kc calibrator crystal whereas the CR300/2 variation had the 690 kc calibrator crystal for giving markers in the marine hf bands. The CR300 also had an emergency crystal detector built in which would make the receiver able to copy very strong signals during a power failure...! 

The Racal RA17 was a totally different animal. Virtually no drift and frequency readout to better than a kc, not required on MF of course but would have been handy deep sea. I can understand CWM keeping them after having Apollos fitted. I had an Apollo once – much preferred the Atalanta.… The RA1772 which Racal produced some years later was a superb receiver, considered by many to be one of the best receivers ever produced. Did anyone ever sail with the RA1772?



spaarks said:


> The RA17 was superb - all valve and much more stable than the marine receivers of its day. It used a Wadley Loop instead of the usual superhet. We kept them for years after the Apollos were fitted.


----------



## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

As my first sea-going job I was excited to be appointed as 3rd R/O on a gleaming white, mail-carrying passenger ship trading to the Caribbean colonies, carrying 100 First-Class passengers, occasionally including members of the Royal Family. On joining I had my duties explained to me and, again was excited to be told that I would be involved in the production of a daily newspaper, my contribution being the reception of news items broadcast nightly in Morse code over HF radio frequencies and the production of typed copies. What an experience for a young guy!

What a disappointment! Nothing even vaguely exciting in being shown into the Radio Room to face an Oceanspan I transmitter and a CR300 receiver as the (only) main radio installation, with a Reliance transmitter and an Alert receiver. as the emergency backup. All the equipment was several years older than me. How could this be so on a British passenger liner?

Where were the Atalanta and the Mercury/Electra receivers that I'd trained on or Globescan, the Worldspan, the NT201 transmitters that I'd seen in the Marconi magazines and brochures and on visits to ships in port?

What a total letdown. An early introduction to the average British shipowner's attitude to progress. The very bare minimum to meet Board of Trade requirements, not an item more.


----------



## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Whinging Sparkie.


----------



## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

P and O seemed to be the only company with a common sense attitude to comms. 

Even the general cargo ships had two main tx and two good main rx...


----------



## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Did P&O have a dedicated radio department such as the Radio and Electronic Services department of Cunard Brocklebank?


----------



## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

sparkie2182 said:


> Did P&O have a dedicated radio department such as the Radio and Electronic Services department of Cunard Brocklebank?


Yes


----------



## sparkie2182 (May 12, 2007)

Thank you

S2182


----------



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

John

When coast stations went computer controlled, it relied on fixed tune receivers. At GKZ we had a 1772 that could be used for anything needing manual tuning. I expect it was recovered by the removal teams. I did manage to 'save' a Lowe HF235 that was used as 2182 watch remotely controlled by GND. 

David

+


----------



## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

david.hopcroft said:


> At GKZ we had a 1772 that could be used for anything needing manual tuning. I expect it was recovered by the removal teams. I did manage to 'save' a Lowe HF235 that was used as 2182 watch remotely controlled by GND.


Yes I remember you telling me you'd inherited the little Lowe receiver. We had an EC10 at GLV, quite a popular little receiver with my fellow amateurs but I was never particularly fond of it. The 235 was a better receiver but probably came after the EC10.

Interesting that GKZ had an RA1772, there were some at GKL as well. Racal also produced an RA1778 which had a small handful of memory channels and three tuning speeds. They are a bit thin on the ground and command higher prices of course - probably £500 - £600 though I've not seen one for sale for ages.


----------



## zl1bbw (May 27, 2014)

Troppo said:


> P and O seemed to be the only company with a common sense attitude to comms.
> 
> Even the general cargo ships had two main tx and two good main rx...


The PnO ships that I sailed on, some had good gear, well a Crusader and an Apollo, but there were still plenty of PNO ships that had utter crap in the Radio Room for equipment. Best day of my life when I told them to shove their ship and went freelance.


----------



## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Union Castle were direct employ and one of their RO's at Leith Nautical with me said not only was the joining interview the usual questions but one that stood out above the rest..

"Can you ballroom dance ?"


----------

