The Canadian Marconi PV-500 was the high powered workhorse transmitter in the Royal Canadian Navy spanning from WWII to the the mid 1960's. Starting it service life as a CW transmitter, it eventually it found its way  into ship-to-shore radioteletype service . Aboard HMCS HAIDA, the transmitter was situated in Radio 2 but remotely controlled from Radio 1. Because the Navy also operated Canada's signals intelligence stations, the PV-500 saw service at many locations in the 1950's.

General view of the PV500 with protective panels removed. Weighing up to 695 pounds, the only way to easily move this transmitter is to disassemble it into four pieces: cabinet, RF unit; oscillator unit and power supply.  Note the RG-18 (7/8 inch dia)  coax connecting to the right side of the transmitter. This transmitter has only been flashed up several times since 1994. It sure gets hot in Radio 2 when the unit is powered up and the room ventilation is not running. (Photo by Jerry Proc)

RF Unit: This assembly contained the driver stage plus two 810 triodes in push-pull configuration in the RF output stage. Power input is 500 watts. Since this assembly has a tan coloured panel, it is believed that it came from another transmitter. Note the sprocket and chain drive at the back left.  (Photo by Jerry Proc)

Oscillator and Control Deck: At the left side are four, selectable master oscillators which could be preset to specific frequencies. In between are sockets for four crystals. Stages include: Crystal oscillator, Master oscillator, Multiplier and MCW tone oscillator   At the right is the control panel for the entire transmitter. (Photo by Jerry Proc)

Power Supply: Provides all DC voltages to the transmitter using 866 and 872 rectifier tubes. It is by far, the heaviest assembly in the transmitter. All the panels engage gate switches (interlocks) which drop power if any one of them is removed. It is then necessary to use the override function of the gate switch to restore power.  (Photo by Jerry Proc)

Back to Radio 2

 
Nov 5/07