Just Bagged Me a PCR.

[Skywave]

A very good buy at the price, Joe, especially since it includes the PSU: don't see many PCRs for sale with its PSU these days. A PCR is not a receiver for which I have a strong desire to own or one that I would readily buy, but at that price, I'd have to say "Yes please!"

I owned a PCR for a couple of years - back in the late '70's. I found it under a pile of junk at the local tip. Those were the days when such a 'public amenity' was totally and completely 'unsupervised': it was amazing some of the stuff I took away with me: sometimes it was more than I had taken to the tip in the first place! I could relate many an anecdote on that theme of 'recovery', (as expect others could here too) but I shall desist, to stop going totally OT & hijacking this thread.

So, anyone care to start a new thread on that topic?

Al.

[Andy M0FYA]

I have happy memories as a teenager of listening to the Apollo 11 moonlanding on my PCR3.
BBC TV for the picture, Voice of America on shortwave for the sound. VoA just rebroadcast the communication between the astronauts and the ground control without the inane waffling of some so-called expert, unlike the BBC!

Good luck with your bargain-price PCR - as Yorkie says, everything is getatable.

Andy

[Joe]

looking at the entry point of the flex into the PCR, I don't think Joe will be plugging it in and playing with it any time soon!

Why not? Looks OK to me.

It's interesting to see that originally they had DAC90a-style connectors.

- Joe

[Andy M0FYA]

In case you don't have any information on the PCR, here is some!
Andy

[Joe]

Thanks, Andy. I put a copy of that in The Archive a few days ago along with a Practical Wireless article about a couple of mods.

For all that they were so popular back in the day and got hacked around so much it seems as though very few of these articles have made it onto the web.

- Joe

[pwdrive]

If you check the link to the e-bay listing at Joe's first post you'll see that it comes with a Philips mains unit - plug 'n play - but looking at the entry point of the flex into the PCR, I don't think Joe will be plugging it in and playing with it any time soon!

Thank you for your endearment Lawrence - I never knew you cared!

Hello David, I was just pointing out that the PCR needs the ancillaries for it to work like many other receivers of that period, although some versions do appear to have a speaker built in as original spec and poss a PSU as well? I once heard about the reason for the spare valve holder opening on the chassis on some versions, can anyone refresh?

Keep 'em coming.

Lawrence.

[Andy M0FYA]

Lawrence,
Certainly some PCR's were built with a speaker fitted - I have one which has a speaker, and it looks totally original.
I would certainly agree that it looks like space was left on the chassis for an internal psu, but I'm not aware that any were in fact fitted as built, at least I have never seen one.
It does mean that it was easy and common to fit one in amateur ownership.
Andy

[Andy M0FYA]

A further observation on PCR psu's. They were fitted with a very thick and heavy rubber-insulated cable, connected to the set via a rubber-shrouded 'snatch plug'.
I have a couple of the mains versions, and a couple of the 12v versions. In all cases the rubber has become perished and brittle with age. I don't think there is a way of restoring rubber that has failed in this way.
Andy

[Joe]

The PCR1 had an internal speaker. It was of the energised variety so I'm quite pleased to not have to face that.

- Joe

[Yorkie]

I once heard about the reason for the spare valve holder opening on the chassis on some versions, can anyone refresh?

The chassis of all models of PCRs were punched to take an extra valveholder near the IF strip for a BFO, as fitted in the 'PTR' - a variant communications receiver similar to the original PCR receiver, but which was fitted with a BFO valve stage and other circuit features making it suitable for both speech and CW (Morse code) reception.

I guess that the circuitry from the PTR could be copied to add the BFO to the PCR, or more simply, a transistorised BFO used, as per the PW article which Joe has added to the forum archive.