# Marconi-Lifeguard-N for Sale on E-bay



## 31552 (Oct 25, 2008)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marconi-L...sh=item25cd3730b4:g:-6wAAOSw2xRYeLsu#viTabs_0

Anyone want a nostalgia trip; price currenly about 12 quid with 3 bids on it. Due to run out 
23 Jan, 2017 11:36:01 GMT

Peter 31552


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

31552 said:


> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marconi-L...sh=item25cd3730b4:g:-6wAAOSw2xRYeLsu#viTabs_0
> 
> Anyone want a nostalgia trip; price currenly about 12 quid with 3 bids on it. Due to run out
> 23 Jan, 2017 11:36:01 GMT
> ...


Same guy selling a Marconi Marine Argonaut:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-M...006934?hash=item25cd3b5256:g:wM0AAOSw5cNYeQED


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

I decided to have a bid on the Marconi Lifeguard, as it would fit nicely in to my collection of bits.

I put in a last-few-seconds sniper bid, but it wasn't enough to secure it. I did note that the eventual winner has been very intent on buying it from the outset though and has continually upped their bid throughout the auction. Same person appears to be doing the same with the other radio gear from that seller, with an almost 'no matter what it costs...' style of bidding. 

The stuff from that seller has come from a college campus which has closed in Bristol and so some of the equipment may well have originally have come from the Brunel Technical College which closed some years ago.

Oh well, that's some money saved for the Harwell radio rally in a few weeks!

Jonathan


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

It must have been a bad night for 'us'. I missed a pul-syn-etic 'engined' clocker-in. Too timid.


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

Auctions on E-Bay are strange animals. What goes for a cheap start bid and only one bidder one week can fetch a ridiculous price the next.
There was a nice Coastal Radio 'Corvette' radio the other day went for £10 because it was local pick up only (or arrange your own courier).
I also recall 18 months or so ago the Marconi Warden & a Dynatron that went combined for £1.04 local pick up from Newcastle! 
Still, a 700 mile round trip to pick them up if I won wasn't quite justifiable even at that price.


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## southwested (Sep 11, 2010)

Ahh, yes the buyer would be me!! Yes the kit is ex Brunel tech and holds a certain sentimental value as once I had finished wrecking the gear as a student, I started work there as a technician so spent all my time trying to put it back together. This was made much harder due to "manmade" faults, bad welding (I cannot use the term soldering in this instance) and general misuse. Some people buy a Porsche during their mid life crisis, for me it's Marconi gear. Now if I could just locate the Commandant HS I modded and retuned for 14Mhz amateur use.................


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

southwested said:


> Ahh, yes the buyer would be me!! Yes the kit is ex Brunel tech and holds a certain sentimental value as once I had finished wrecking the gear as a student, I started work there as a technician so spent all my time trying to put it back together. This was made much harder due to "manmade" faults, bad welding (I cannot use the term soldering in this instance) and general misuse. Some people buy a Porsche during their mid life crisis, for me it's Marconi gear. Now if I could just locate the Commandant HS I modded and retuned for 14Mhz amateur use.................


Ahh, well, then I take my hat off to you sir!
That's a nice story behind the reason for your buying and I am more than happy to have lost out to you on the Lifeguard! (I'm sure my wife probably feels the same(LOL))
I did wonder why the college had old gear like that still around and could only assume it had come from Brunel.


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## southwested (Sep 11, 2010)

Hi Jonathan, Thank you for those kind words. I suppose most of the Brunel kit went in the skip when it was no longer of use. When I was working there we threw around 20 brass morse keys and a dozen or so old Bakelite telephones in the skip..............................sigh! Not much Marconi kit comes up these days but I keep looking just in case. 
I'm sure you will find your wife a nice present at the Harwell rally!


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

I only have a couple of small Marconi items, best buy being the Coastcall II Selcal unit for £2 from last year's Newbury Rally. It's in running order too. I keep a lookout for other bits though and have a reasonable collection of Sailor and other makes now. Is your intention to replicate a working radio room station I wonder?



southwested said:


> I'm sure you will find your wife a nice present at the Harwell rally!


Yes, I'm kind of like the house cat which brings home the half eaten mouse now and again. I'm very pleased with myself, but that's not always reciprocated! 

Cheers
Jonathan


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## southwested (Sep 11, 2010)

Ahh yes the Coastcall, a bargain at £2! I have a Seacall unit which is the bigger brother of the Coastcall. Yes eventually I hope to have a complete radio room setup ideally based around the 1970's ish (which is the era of kit I trained on). Almost there, just need a Autokey N a Salvor III and a Commandant HS. I have been buying other bits and bobs when I see them and have some Decca, Kelvin Hughes and Sailor kit also. Sometimes you have to travel to find bits and I have bought an autokey 2 which came from Canada and a Sentinel from the Radio museum in Denmark! My wife is very understanding, but everything on Ebay and at Rallys is a tenner right?


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

I did consider this offer but decided my practice would not have been up to maintaining it. A Lifeguard I could have dealt with and am keen to find that truly elegant marriage of electronics and mechanical engineering the Seaguard.

I'm pleased to see this one was 'up-cycled' anyway. Good for you. I would offer some platitude to pass on to your good lady wife but fear I would be found out.


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

southwested said:


> Ahh, yes the buyer would be me!! Yes the kit is ex Brunel tech and holds a certain sentimental value as once I had finished wrecking the gear as a student, I started work there as a technician so spent all my time trying to put it back together. This was made much harder due to "manmade" faults, bad welding (I cannot use the term soldering in this instance) and general misuse. Some people buy a Porsche during their mid life crisis, for me it's Marconi gear. Now if I could just locate the Commandant HS I modded and retuned for 14Mhz amateur use.................


Hi,

Many moons ago I converted an ex-trawler Commandant to LSB to allow operation on the Sea Cadets radio net, (6992 kHz?). At that time the set was owned by the Lowestoft Sea Cadet unit. Later, the set and an Apollo receiver passed to the Radio Hut at the Muckleburgh Collection in North Norfolk and was on display. 

Unfortunately, a few years ago, a disagreement between the Collection's owner and the radio group meant the radio collection got the boot. Where the set is now I'm unsure but I can give contact details (via P/M) of the radio group's ex-chairman if anyone is interested.

73

Searcher


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## southwested (Sep 11, 2010)

Hi Searcher,
Feel free to PM me the details, it's always interesting to do a little detective work and you never know.
Thanks
Ed


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## Rvator (Aug 27, 2012)

Varley said:


> that truly elegant marriage of electronics and mechanical engineering the Seaguard


Slightly off topic - however the Seaguard yes a magnificent invention however the bane of my life the one time I sailed with it a voyage from the Gulf to Aussie with much lost sleep when the thing would be overwhelmed to QRN5 overnight.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

#14 . Weren't they all like that? I can't imagine why anyone would want an auto alarm but I used to love testing them with the AKD when going off watch - those catchy clicks made me want to dance. Maybe I just loved going off watch.

John T


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

*Marconi Memorabilia...*

Another ex-Marconi Marine collectable item maybe...:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1946-Vint...417862?hash=item58eb46f446:g:jF0AAOSwtnpXl6t8


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

johnvvc said:


> Another ex-Marconi Marine collectable item maybe...:-
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1946-Vint...417862?hash=item58eb46f446:g:jF0AAOSwtnpXl6t8


Probably of less interest...:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marconi-E...728961?hash=item35fe995781:g:~ncAAOSwWBJXBR3E


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

Searcher2004 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Many moons ago I converted an ex-trawler Commandant to LSB to allow operation on the Sea Cadets radio net, (6992 kHz?).
> Searcher


My Racal TRA-952 is also an ex-Sea Cadet unit. That wasn't mentioned in the auction, but on pick-up there was a nice little brass plaque on the side saying that it had been donated to the Sea Cadet unit by Racal. I assume it would have been refurbished and tested by them too. Unfortunately the plaque wasn't dated, but as the radio hadn't been used for some 15 years I would guess it may have been late 80s early 90s.

Soutwested - I think my wife is way past the 'It was only a tenner' excuse! My usual line is 'Well, you rarely find these, especially at the price I paid'...(*))


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