PTC102-103 (1946)

Although this equipment was not the absolute first Pye Telecom product, it was the Company's first generation of commercial business two-way radio transmitter & receivers.  The family of Amplitude Modulated (AM) equipment was designed between 1944 - 1946 and first publicised in November 1946.   The British Home Office was the first user of the PTC102/103 equipments for Police patrol cars in 1946.   A matching base station was designed at the same time (PTC104-105-106), and also a series of point-to-point VHF link equipment.

The mobile equipment was remote mounted and consisted of four main units on a shock absorbing cradle.  These were  receiver, transmitter, modulator/public address amplifier and power supply unit.  The first three units were mounted on top of the power supply.  The individual units used the type number series PTC500 & 600 etc.  A choice of operator remote control units were available, a large one with an internal loudspeaker for use with a hand microphone and a smaller one for use with a telephone handset.  The mechanical construction of the radio units used silver plated brass chassis, the equipment exterior was finished in black wrinkle paint finish, and utilised a microphone similar to that of the war-time Wireless Sets No. 18 (also designed by Pye).  See the large loudspeaker control box at right.

The product was replaced by the PTC114/115.

Production life: 1946 - 1950
Standard frequency range: 77 - 83 MHz and 94 - 100 MHz, (27 - 125 MHz by special order)
Transmitter RF output: 12 Watts AM
Primary model variants: PTC102 simplex operation, PTC103 duplex operation, 6 Volt and 12 Volt versions, range of control units

Product sales leaflet: yes to follow
Extract from technical manual: Cover, Page1, Page2, Page3
 

The PTC107 was a first generation VHF Marine Mobile based on the same modules also used in the PTC102/3, and was the first licensed business two-way radio system in the United Kingdom.  The PTC107 equipments were installed in a fleet of tugs on the river Tyne before the first land mobile radio system was licensed using the PTC102 for Camtax Taxis in Cambridge.

The marine equipment was constructed in a flat, shock protected bulkhead mounting case, and used a waterproof remote control unit type PTC534 with separate loudspeaker and telephone handset.

The equipment was also suitable for mounting in locomotives and was installed in British Rail shunting engines using a custom die-cast protective outer casing.

The product was replaced by the PTC114/115 and later by the Marine Ranger series.

Production life: 1946 - 1950
Standard frequency range: 77 - 83 MHz and 94 - 100 MHz, (27 - 125 MHz by special order)
Transmitter RF output: 12 Watts AM simplex only
Primary model variants: 6 Volt and 12 Volt versions

The PTC108 was Pye Telecom's first under-dash mounting mobile, and one of the very first under-dash mounted equipments in the world.  It used the same first generation technology as the PTC102/3/4.

Discussions in October 2002 with the original designer reveals that the first prototype radio was unofficially created in 1948 during an unplanned lull in work on the Pye Instrument Landing System (ILS), by taking the receiver unit from the PTC102, building a low  powered transmitter on a small chassis beside it, and adding a psu using a small rotary transformer.  When the commercial potential was realised a simple front panel and a sheet steel wrapper were drawn up, some simple controls added and the first Pye Telecom VHF PMR mobile to be finished in Dimenso Blue paint was born.

See inside top view and underside view.  Unlike the PTC102, this was a simplex-only equipment, operating on a press-to-talk basis and using a telephone handset instead of a hand microphone.   The example equipment pictured above has components dated June 1950.  

Production life: 1948 - 1952
Standard frequency range: 27 - 132 MHz
Transmitter RF output: 3 - 5 Watts AM
Primary model variants:  Transportable version, extended control version, mains powered version, 6 Volt and 12 Volt dc versions

PTC114 & PTC115 (1949)

The Pye PTC114 & 115 series was a product replacement for the PTC102, providing remote mount operation and fairly high RF power output of 15 W.  It was designed before the lower powered PTC112 shown below and intended to meet the new British Home Office specifications for Police mobiles.  This was the second generation mobile radio technology.

The PTC102/3 first generation mobile equipment     was of expensive silver-plated construction and also used war surplus components, which ultimately began to reduce in availability.  Also, the future requirement for a reduction in channel spacing from 100KHz to 50KHz required higher selectivity and greater component stability.  As a result, this second generation two-way radio technology platform was designed between 1947 and 1950.

The PTC114/115 equipment consists of two separate transmitter and receiver units, both mounted as plug-in modules on to a pre-wired cradle assembly. Each separate transmitter and receiver unit has a rotary transformer for HT generation which can be seen in this interior top view.

In 1953, a PTC115 high-band equipment was fitted into the Ford Zephyr car of HRH Prince Philip and later into the De Havilland Heron aircraft of the Queen's Flight.  In 1954 the equipment was re-fitted into HRH's Aston Martin Lagonda.

The product was replaced by the PTC2201/2 Ranger Fifteen Series 15 Watt remote mounts.

Production life:  1949 - 1956
Standard frequency range: PTC114,  60 - 100 MHz, PTC115, 100 - 185 MHz
Transmitter RF output:  10 -15 Watts AM
Primary model variants: 6, 12 or 24 Volt dc operation, 1 or 2 channel operation, PTC114Z-115Z later version using QQV03/20A PA valve.

PTC112-113 (1950)

The PTC112/113 was a second generation, low powered, 1 Watt AM, single unit remote mount equipment.  It was supplied with a simple control box/loudspeaker and telephone handset similar to the PTC114 above but not fitted with an on/off switch for the loud-hailer function provided by the modulator section of the PTC114.

The PTC112 was developed by Martyn O'Dwyer in 1949 and the product started production in early 1950.  Effectively, the PTC112/113 is the PTC114 receiver unit designed by George Smith, with a low power transmitter mounted on the same  chassis.  Early internal photographs of prototypes show the hand-made modifications to a PTC114 chassis.  See photograph of prototype at right.

It was intended as a lower cost equipment than its contemporary, the higher power PTC114/115, and directed at commercial users rather than Government Agencies and Police, who were the target audience for the PTC114/115.  The PTC112/113 remote mount mobile was fitted to the car used by Donald Campbell to set the land speed record.

The PTC112 equipment pictured above left has components dated October 1951and is shown with the control box from a PTC114.  See Top side view and  Underside view.

The product was replaced by the PTC2101/2 Ranger Series  5 Watt remote mounts 

Production life: 1950 - 1956
Standard frequency range: PTC112,  27 - 132 MHz, PTC113, 156 - 184 MHz
Transmitter RF output: PTC112, 4 -5 Watts AM, PTC113, 3 -5 Watts AM
Primary model variants: Wide and narrow IF bandwidth versions,  6 volt and 12 Volt dc versions

Reporter Series, PTC116-117 etc. (1951)

A long running series of low power, dash mounted AM mobiles first promoted in July 1951.  The Pye Reporter was introduced to provide a low cost, front mounted radiotelephone using the second generation technology platform, and sold for the price of £80 throughout its life.

As with the PTC112, the chassis layout bore a strong similarity to the PTC114 receiver unit, but with the addition of a low power transmitter.  See top view, and underside view.  Unlike the PTC112 and PTC114, the Reporter did not use a rotary transformer to generate the valve HT voltages, but used a vibrator PSU to convert the 12V DC supply to AC.

A great many variants of the Reporter were created over its long production life time.  The core product was a single channel dash mount. However, 1, 3 and 6 channel variants were also produced by the Pye Finglas Dublin factory, together with the AM5D; a later version with a transistorised power supply.  The equipment also had a long production life at Pye Australia throughout the 1950s.

A specially adapted Pye Reporter was fitted to Donald Campbell's boat 'Bluebird' in September 1956 when he set the world water-speed record of 225.63 MPH.  Transportable Reporters were used on the various boats monitoring the speed run and also on the shore.

The sample equipment shown above has components dated 1953.

The Pye Ranger introduced the third generation of mobile and fixed station circuit design, and evolved into a very large product family which included AM, FM, dash mount, short remote, long remote mounted versions, and marine equipment. This third generation design was suitable for all channel spacings between 20KHz and 120KHz, which enabled the Company to supply it to a wide range of international type approval specifications, including the difficult Canadian market.  The dash mount Ranger was initially designated as the PTC143, and the series type number designation later changed to PTC2000 series for AM and PTC8000 series for FM.

Each equipment was made up of 3 individual chassis (receiver, transmitter & PSU) which allowed great flexibility and enabled a matching fixed station equipment to be developed from the common chassis assemblies.   This construction can be more easily seen in the large 25 Watt boot mount version, shown below with covers removed.  See also 25 Watt remote with control unit.  It is interesting to note that as late as 1962 the Ranger and F27AM  fixed stations were still being fitted with the old wartime 'Pye coaxial connectors'.   The smaller 5 Watt remote mount version is also shown to the right.  See top side and underside views.

The 5 Watt dash and remote versions were replaced by the Cambridge series and the 25 Watt remote by the Vanguard series and the Continental

Production life: 1955 - 1963

The Pye Vanguard was a family of high power remote mount mobiles and was the first of the fourth generation of mobiles which included the Cambridge series.  The design used a sealed block LC filter for receiver IF selectivity, as opposed to using  distributed interstage band pass filtering by transformers.  See inside top view and underside view of an AM25B valve receiver version.

The Vanguard was originally designed to meet a requirement specification issued by the UK Home Office.  Pye won the contract with the PT B10AM design which started production in 1962, and following the success of the product, a range of standard commercial versions were created.  See the pictorial 'Story of the Vanguard' in the Photo Gallery section.

The initial PT B10AM and AM25B models were valve designs with transistors used in the audio and power supply circuits.  The later AM25T and FM25T  versions used the same fully transistorised receivers as the Cambridge AM10/FM10 series.  Transmit powers of 20 Watts AM and 60 or 100 Watts FM were available.  A 30 Watt UHF FM version, the U30FM, was also produced.

The product family was first introduced as the PT B10AM, PT B25AM, PT B25FM and PT B100FM, but was later renamed Vanguard AM25B, AM25T and FM25B. The designation B100FM remained for the 100 Watt version.  Various marine variants were introduced, as was a fixed station version in a distinctive green cabinet.

The Vanguard product was partly replaced by the Westminster W25FM and W30AM series remote mounts, but the Company did not produce high power RF output mobiles again until the 100 Watt PMR2 model of the early 1970s, and the 50 Watt M206 of the late 1970s.

The Pye Cambridge series of dash mount and boot mounted equipments was a very successful family of fourth generation mixed technology equipment design, with all solid state receivers and valve transmitters giving RF power outputs of 5, 15, and 25 Watts.  See top view and underside views.  Initially designated the PT. D10 AM, the type number was changed to AM10D etc. in 1963.  The higher power "Pye Continental" FM models BC25 and DC25 were originally given the designation B20FM and D20FM.  A UHF remote mount was also created, based on the low-band version but equipped with an extra receive down-converter with made the receiver a triple superhet.

The product was replaced by the Westminster series of AM and FM dash and remote mounts.

Production life: 1961 - 1970

The Westminster was the the fifth generation mobile technology platform since 1947 and a major family of all-transistor PMR mobiles (except the PA valve of the W30).  First introduced in 1967, the Westminster was claimed to be the worlds first all-semiconductor PMR mobile, and more than 120,000 were produced. 

The standard range covered AM and FM VHF models in front mount, remote mount, transportable, marine, motorcycle and universal mounting versions, plus various ancillaries such as battery chargers, power supplies, carrying cases etc.

The equipment construction although hard-wired, was essentially modular, using small PCBs for each of the main circuit functions mounted on a double sided aluminium platform chassis.  Many common PCB and circuits were shared with the fixed stations of the time.  See top side and underside view of an AM Westminster short remote mount.  The product also marked the change in product colour scheme from Dimenso blue hammer finish paint to a blue/grey textured acrylic.

In addition to the range of standard VHF 6-15 Watt dash and remote mounting equipments shown above, other higher power or specialist versions also evolved, including the W25FM, W30AM, LW15FM radiophone, W15U and W20U UHF.  These models all utilised a longer chassis and mounting cradle than the standard short VHF models.

The MF5AM Motafone was a single product, lightweight, low cost, all-transistor AM mobile, designed primarily for the UK market, and was the forerunner to the FM Europa series.  This sixth generation technology mobile product introduced the use of integrated circuits and reduced the component count compared to the Westminster.  It was designed to be a limited feature dash mount only product, positioned below the AM Westminster, at a time when cheaper competing products were taking market share from Pye Telecom.

The construction used an aluminium chassis with a separate vinyl-clad sleeve wrapper and front panel.  An internal loudspeaker was fitted and the audio output power was limited.  See top side view and underside view.