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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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6th Mar 2021, 1:51 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,953
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Radio Taxis (1947)
From the Pathe News archive: the UK's first licensed two-way-radio controlled taxis in Cambridge. The company was indeed called "Camtax" and a picture of its radio licence appears in one of the Chris Lorek "two way radio conversion" books.
Anyone recognise the radio gear in use? Clearly Pye - but doesn't look like the "PTC" series I vaguely recall. One of the microphones in use in the taxi reminds me of the WWII-era "Microphones Hand" used with the likes of the WS18. See https://youtu.be/KvSE0HR06bE |
6th Mar 2021, 2:51 pm | #2 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 1,567
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Re: Radio Taxis (1947)
The base station looks like the PTC104 and the PTC102 unit for the mobile with the smaller control unit shown here: -http://www.pyetelecomhistory.org/prodhist/mobiles/ptc102/ptc102control-unit.jpg
This is an interesting site which I am guessing you already know http://www.pyetelecomhistory.org/pro...s/mobiles.html The oldest set I worked on in the Pye mobile radios was the Ranger series and must have been old when it came into the workshop at Ardwick. I can remember the reporter name as well but this was before the MF6AM. Adrian |
6th Mar 2021, 3:02 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,953
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Re: Radio Taxis (1947)
I think you've got it: one close-up of the car radio shows a 'selector' switch like the one shown for the control-box you linked to, and the PTC104 base-station shown in the movie looks like the one shown on the pyetelecomhistory site too.
The oldest Pye gear I worked on was the vibrator-PSU 'Ranger' series - popular with the Forestry Commission on 87MHz! Totally obsolete by the mid-70s when I saw them still in use. |
6th Mar 2021, 4:36 pm | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Newmarket, Suffolk, UK.
Posts: 611
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Re: Radio Taxis (1947)
Camtax are still in business , unlike Pye!
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