Racal VHF to HF Converter for the RA17 receiver?

#2192

Hello Racal forum members,

What in the wide world of sports is the Racal RA6338B VHF Converter? Pictures are available here (not my listing) 

The only settings on the front panel are to select bands in 1 MHz steps,  although it can be remotely controlled from connections on the rear panel. 

We know that Racal sold Decade Frequency Generators to tune the kHz setting of the RA17 family of receivers . Is this VHF converter capable of lowering 1 MHz wide VHF bands to within reach of the MHz tuning of the RA17?

Could this VHF Converter then enable the RA17 to tune to say the AM aviation bands 108 to 130 MHz by using the VHF Converter as a front end and tuning the RA17 in the range of 8 to 30 MHz?  If not, a home brew VHF converters would be straight forward to design. Such devices are also commercially available. See Tech Minds YouTube video   . But it is always desirable to go with original manufacturer equipment where possible, and you can't beat a Racal.

Given that this VHF Converter is serial number 4, it maybe a custom one-off order that Racal build for some unknown North American Customer. Then the RA6338B VHF Converter will likely remain shrouded in mystery, short of buying it and testing it out.

Apologies is this is off topic. 

Kind regards,
Terry.

#2193

Looks like a poor home-brew job to me - definitely not commercial unit IMO.
Or, could be a scam in some way.

Douglas.

On Thu, 15 Aug 2024, 14:16 Terry Gains via groups.io, <terry.waihi=
[email protected]> wrote:

Hello Racal forum members,

What in the wide world of sports is the Racal RA6338B VHF Converter?
Pictures are available here (not my listing)


The only settings on the front panel are to select bands in 1 MHz steps,
although it can be remotely controlled from connections on the rear panel.

We know that Racal sold Decade Frequency Generators to tune the kHz
setting of the RA17 family of receivers . Is this VHF converter capable of
lowering 1 MHz wide VHF bands to within reach of the MHz tuning of the RA17?

Could this VHF Converter then enable the RA17 to tune to say the AM
aviation bands 108 to 130 MHz by using the VHF Converter as a front end and
tuning the RA17 in the range of 8 to 30 MHz?  If not, a home brew VHF
converters would be straight forward to design. Such devices are also
commercially available. See Tech Minds YouTube video
 . But it is always desirable
to go with original manufacturer equipment where possible, and you can't
beat a Racal.

Given that this VHF Converter is serial number 4, it maybe a custom
one-off order that Racal build for some unknown North American Customer.
Then the RA6338B VHF Converter will likely remain shrouded in mystery,
short of buying it and testing it out.

Apologies is this is off topic.

Kind regards,
Terry.

#2194

If you look at the nameplate, it is RACAL Communications Inc, Silver Springs Maryland.

A bit of poking around revealed, on 

The statement that Thales DSI started as Racal Communications Inc

Later it says that this was a US Department of Defense Proxy Company

"Incorporated as Racal Communications in 1964
Headquartered in Clarksburg, MD
Wholly-owned Subsidiary of Thales
Free of Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence
开云体育 Defense, Federal and Commercial Markets"

So the VHF converter in the eBAY sale is out of that strange stable, and from the above website is from a US DOD "proxy" company, and nothing to do with the RACAL UK units we know and love. But they must have done a deal with the US DOD regarding the use of their trade name, possibly in return for a royalty on sales.

Craig

Show quoted text

------ Original Message ------
From "Douglas Denny" <ddennyoptom@...>
To [email protected]
Date 17/08/2024 02:59:59
Subject Re: [RacalRA17forum] Racal VHF to HF Converter for the RA17 receiver?

Looks like a poor home-brew job to me - definitely not commercial unit IMO.
Or, could be a scam in some way.

Douglas.

On Thu, 15 Aug 2024, 14:16 Terry Gains via groups.io, <terry.waihi=
[email protected]> wrote:

 Hello Racal forum members,

 What in the wide world of sports is the Racal RA6338B VHF Converter?
 Pictures are available here (not my listing)


 The only settings on the front panel are to select bands in 1 MHz steps,
 although it can be remotely controlled from connections on the rear panel.

 We know that Racal sold Decade Frequency Generators to tune the kHz
 setting of the RA17 family of receivers . Is this VHF converter capable of
 lowering 1 MHz wide VHF bands to within reach of the MHz tuning of the RA17?

 Could this VHF Converter then enable the RA17 to tune to say the AM
 aviation bands 108 to 130 MHz by using the VHF Converter as a front end and
 tuning the RA17 in the range of 8 to 30 MHz?  If not, a home brew VHF
 converters would be straight forward to design. Such devices are also
 commercially available. See Tech Minds YouTube video
 . But it is always desirable
 to go with original manufacturer equipment where possible, and you can't
 beat a Racal.

 Given that this VHF Converter is serial number 4, it maybe a custom
 one-off order that Racal build for some unknown North American Customer.
 Then the RA6338B VHF Converter will likely remain shrouded in mystery,
 short of buying it and testing it out.

 Apologies is this is off topic.

 Kind regards,
 Terry.

#2195

On Sat, Aug 17, 2024 at 03:09 AM, Craig Sawyers wrote:

Craig
Thanks for your post. That's pretty much what I expected to be the case.

So realistically, there's no way of finding out how useful the Racal VHF converter would be for tuning a RA17, RA17L, RA117 receiver to VHF Air Bands short of buying it, reversal engineering to see what it can do (sans manual), and then trying to adapt it.

Also, the link you provided was interesting in that it confirmed Racal Communications went on to acquire Regco in 1984. My Regco RG 5545A VHF-UHF receiver is technically a Racal. So I can tune into VHF Air Bands on a Racal anyways.  But just for giggles, I'd like to find a way of doing that on the refurbished and fully optioned RA117A which will be heading my way later this year.

Kind regards,
Terry ZL1NOW.

#2196

Looking at all the mega pin connectors it is not meant to be used on a 17/117 at all..

#2197

I suggest that this unit is intended  to work with the American RA6217/6218 receivers. Reference to Osterman's 'Short Wave Receivers Past & Present' 3rd Edition under RA6217 shows an accessory LF converter type RA6337, so RA6338 may be another accessory for this range of receivers.  It is therefore nothing whatsoever to do with the RA17/117 series and probably wouldn't work with them, and the thing costs megabucks anyway - even more when you add shipping, VAT, clearance charges etc.  In any case, I seem to remember that the seller won't ship to the UK.

Cheers - Neil Clyne G8LIU