# Sailor 26D Transmitter - Ex GPO?



## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

Hi all

Looking for some help on a Sailor Transmitter.

I have recently purchased an S.P. 'Sailor' 26D Transmitter to add to my collection, but it appears to differ slighty to others I have seen on the web.

Firstly, over the '26D' on the cabinet front, it has another Sailor label which designates it as a 'GPO 37'. 

Secondly, The meter push button switch appears to have never been fitted, although the hole is there. Reason I think it wasn't fitted is that there are no witness marks around the hole such as scuffing, discolouration etc. that you might expect of switch being fitted, but then being taken off or breaking off.

Thirdly, just to the right of the main selector knob, is an extra switch fitted for normal output and attenuated output. It seems to have been professionally done with an engraved plate around it. Other 26Ds I have seen don't have this switch fitted. I assume it would drop the power down from 25w to a lower level.

The condition cosmetically of the radio is excellent for its age, which makes me wonder if ever went to sea. The GPO label kind of got me wondering whether it was used on shore in perhaps a costal station, harbour office, coastguard post or the like.

Any ideas??

All help gratefully received!

Jonathan


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## sven-olof (Jul 12, 2008)

Hi
I suppose that you know some collector sites on SP-Radio esp. from Denmark. Quite easy to google at. 

I saw a picture on an 26D from ebay similar as you described. Empty button hole and an extra toggle switch.
(was it yours ?)

Im not an expert but the switch is probably a low level harbour output. Used when the skippers talked to each others all night long with 50-100 vessels close in harbours and also during trawling with other fishing vessels very close nearby. (before VHF was common in fishing vessels).

SP-radio was quite close to the market (in beginning the very large fishingfleet in denmark/scandinavia) so probably was the constructors sensitive to conversions demands. 


http://www.spklubben.dk/

http://www.peel.dk/SP/26.html


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

Hi Sven

Thanks for your reply.
Yes, that would make perfect sense having the switch to reduce power when in harbour or close quarters with other shipping I guess.

It sounds like the one you saw was the one I purchased. It came from the owner of a Lightship permanently moored in Gloucester, UK.
The radio wasn't an original fit on the Lightship, but had been bought previously to complement the Radio Room.

I have looked at several of the websites you have suggested and obtained a copy of the manual from the Peel website.

Thanks again for your help,
Jonathan


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Do I dredge some half forgotten regulation that regardless of rated power type approval required switched attenuation?


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

Thanks Varley.
I have no idea about the regulation you mention, but you may well be right.
I have noted that one of the later, higher powered Sailor Transmitters (the 56D I think) did have a power level switch fitted as standard. 

Thanks
Jonathan


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## David Fyfe (Nov 19, 2011)

Hello Jonathan,
Welcome to the wee band of owners of ten series(26D to 96D) Sailor Tx's. I have a 76D & an 86D. The 76D is paired with a 66TS Rx.
Right enough, they have a Low/High power o/p switch. 10/35W for the 76D & 10/50W for the 86D.(1 x 6883 B/Tet / 3 x 6883's). A 12 or usually a 24V DC supply is required, which in turn supplies an internal st/inv for HT.
Aerial matching is via a variometer. The wavelength of the aerial is whatever the distance is between the masts of the fishing boat, but ranges of 200 - 300 miles is achievable on high power. As folk have said, low power was used for harbour comms, or between pair trawlers, or just for general banter through the night whilst sailing to & from the fishing grounds.
My 76D, on full power, has reached about 600 miles, using a 1/2W Doublet. I expect your 26D is capable of that.
Faults - Low HT due to duff DGT1200 Transistors in the inverter circuitry, the PA valve having low emission, worn studs or dirty contacts in the turret switch & xtal switch.
The manual should be online somewhere, I think. Please PM me for email address. I might have spare valves & crystals.

Regards, David


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## sven-olof (Jul 12, 2008)

Here is another collector-site with nice pictures and also manals.

http://oh6lsl.kuvat.fi/kuvat/OH6LSL/Sailor+S.P.+Radio/


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## Jonathan H. (Jul 3, 2015)

Hi David
Thanks for the welcome!

I am not sure whether I will ever attempt to get it up and running. The previous owner had it for 6 years or so, purely as a decorative feature in the radio room of his Light vessel. That having been said, for its age it is in very nice condition inside and out. If it's possible to fit an an amateur frequency in the 80m band in one of the spare crystal slots, I may be tempted in the future perhaps.

The odd thing about it is it's 'GPO' type designation. Have you come across any others that have that?

Will PM you too for E-mail

Cheers
Jonathan
M0ZGB


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## David Fyfe (Nov 19, 2011)

*26D Tx*

Jonathan,
No reason why the Tx shouldn't work on the 80m Amateur Band. 3615/3690 KHz etc. are within the range of the Tx. HC6/U crystals are available from several companies. The Manual will tell you how to retune by altering the wee yellow studs on the long paxolin turret switch.
I forgot to mention before - despite being pristine inside - you'll probably need to replace a number of electrolytic capacitors. Particularly in the inverter & HT circuitry. They're 40 to 50 years old & well past their lifespan.

Regards, David


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## aerakis (May 14, 2016)

Jonathan H. said:


> Hi all
> 
> Looking for some help on a Sailor Transmitter.
> 
> ...


hi jonathan. i purchased a SAILOR (TYPE GPO 37o) too. my transmitter have a push button for the meter,but is very difficult to find the right manual for (GPO 37o)


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Great link - thanks.

The pic below was fascinating..

http://oh6lsl.kuvat.fi/kuvat/OH6LSL/Sailor+S.P.+Radio/Tandem/691507715_o.jpg

Never knew that Icom R71s were type approved...


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

Troppo.
That Sailor rack is only MF. There would have been a separate 1000 HF SSB unit to go with it. It broke all our sparkie hearts when RH started selling the Sailor MF/HF stations for US Flag vessels. FCC made us take out the HF synthesizer and make the whole rack just MF. Absolute stupidity. RH keep the R1117 receivers but Mackay came up with the R71A receivers instead. From memory those Icoms were not approved for shipboard use. There was a lot of don't ask and don't tell during that time. We saw some wonderful interpretations of the GMDSS rules too. We put a fair few of those stations on US Flag government vessels even though they had been fitted with GMDSS consoles so they just sat there collecting dust. Another great use of public money.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks Bill.

I'm confused - what was the MF only rack for? W/T?


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## J. Davies (Dec 29, 2010)

The MF/HF Sailor 1000 was a thing of beauty. Bomb proof. The quality was superb. 
I managed to buy a complete rack including TWO R1120 receivers, for US$ 400 a few years ago. This included a wonderful 800 Watt PA, synthesiser, and an MF tuner with variometer etc. Even the Amplidan Morse key was included. It came off a ship bound for the scrapyard. 
I only have bits of it left now, having canibalized it and sold off parts on Ebay, which I sometimes regret.
The R1120 receivers are both in my ham radio shack ready to go, however. They use a permeability - tuned front end instead of the usual capacitors, and had an early digital frequency LCD display. They can hear anything that the modern receivers can. They would be circa 1990 design.

I went on a couple of Sailor SP Radio training courses in Aalborg over the years, to do the GMDSS thing. By that time the 1000 series was obsolete and the 2000 GMDSS console was out, quickly followed by the 4000 console. The quality was poor because they had to compete with the Japanese makers, and some of the old guys in the factory became glassy-eyed when you mentioned the 1000 racks, which were one of the finest CW/SSB/RTTY stations ever put on ships, in my humble opinion.

Sorry I have gone off the original topic. Blame it on old age.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Sailor GMDSS was junk compared to Skanti.

Now they have amalgamated....


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

Troppo
Yes it was W/T only. All that console and only good for 410, 425, 454, 468, 480, 500 and 512Khz CW. I had two complete stations like that from ATT cable ships. Gave most of it away to a work mate. Those 1000 HF stations were beautiful and was the last piece to go. We were appalled when we saw what they did to the normal rest of world console. It made no sense at all. CP added the 1000 stations as backup radio stations on our ships but I always kept the RMT1500 and R551s working and hardly ever used it. I agree that at the advent of GMDSS Skanti was better than Sailor. We couldn't keep the Sailor 600 watt SSB radios running as they regularly ate their PA transistors. Furuno used the Skanti SSB as their FS5000 SSB which only in the last few years went out of production. I always preferred to have a separate receiver and transmitter and have never really found a SSB that I like. The Icoms R71A are really good receivers. I have one in my living room and it is way better than any receiver I sailed with, that doesn't include my Atalanta. The Sony ICF radios that came out in the 70s were better than most marine receivers. One trip in CP the old man kept coming up to the radio room asking what it was like for a phone call. The Sony was loud and clear and the R551 rubbish. The Sailor R11xx receivers were pretty good though.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks Bill. Yes, I used a R71 a bit - nice rx.


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## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

Fitted 3 or 4 of the Sailor main stations ( RRS Charles Darwin, Tankerman etc) in the early 80's. Great kit to work with and really good to install. Their Telex kit was also first class.


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