Hi All.

I've been dragging around this thing for the best part of a decade and would love to know if anyone knows what it is and how it could be used today.

The only information I have is as follows

From the decal on the front
V.H.F radiotelephone
-Fixed station unit-
Type No. BTR10r RFoutput 50 Watts
Moduation FM Frequency 159.16 M/CS
Serial 105 Installed 03.1962
Viten Communication products PTY. LTD. Richmond Vic

Searching on business of australia it appears the company was registered in 1955 and deregistered 1987.

I've searched high and low on the internet but failed to find any information on this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated


Thanks

Alister

I don't know what 159.16 MHz was used for back in 1962, but today:

158.29375MHz to 160.60000MHz: Land Mobile Service (two frequency, base receive) Australia Wide


Land mobile system

A land mobile licence authorising a land mobile system includes the base station, standby base stations, supplementary base station(s), mobile stations, overlay paging receivers, remote control stations up to one watt and bi-directional amplifier systems operating within the operating range of the main base station area. A notional service area radius of 40 kilometres is assumed for a land mobile system.

http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/land-mobile-licences-guidelines#what_is

Thanks GTC interesting info.

Also, pictures have now been uploaded.

Suggest you contact the Wireless Institute (WIA). Their members are heavily into transmitter gear.

Its a base station. located on a hill, or other high point. Usually controlled by a fixed Telecom line. A handset would be located in an office that would directly control the base and from there talk to vehicles.
By the age and frequency, more that likely a Taxi or local council.
Telstra no longer offer fixed lines so the equivalent setup today is via RF control, or lately an IP link.

It's probably not worth more than scrap value, but if you could obtain some history particular to this unit , it would make it worth keeping.


cheers
Ben

Would have been impressive in its day.

I see 11 crystal sockets (all empty), and 20? valves. If I lived close by I'd take it off your hands for parts.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what you could do with it. Maybe donate it to a museum?

Somebody at the WIA might be interested. Worth asking them.

If it works, it should still key up a VHF amateur repeater if you found the correct crystals.
I do have one for my local repeater that can bring these back into service,
though I have to derive the receive frequency from the transmit crystal.

Your crystals are missing so it won’t do anything but damage the transmitter.
They are usually removed or squashed by the company licensing the frequencies,
so that when they pass on the equipment, the recipient doesn’t get ideas about testing on those frequencies.
It’s not at all uncommon for industry to pass on old equipment for private use in this era.

These days you’d get a $12 frequency generator from eBay to replace the fixed frequency channels with a digital VFO.

Yes, if you got licensed and it works you could use it.
What do the two empty valve sockets on the big chassis say?
I see a big rectifier, but nothing that would seem to quality as a final RF amplifier pair.
It looks like someone could have stolen the final amplifiers for a commercial transceiver, as that is also common.

Stereophonic....I also have a extremely similar Vinten unit. I also have had no luck in finding any information or history about it. I've hopefully uploaded some pics of mine. Inside the unit is the elec/circuit schematics too, if this model has same internal layout I can upload these also.

The sub chassis looks like a mobile rig: MTR-13 for VHF hi-band (148 to 174MHz), the "crystal sockets are test sockets where you "meter" the current by way of measuring the voltage drop across the resistor soldered under the "crystal" socket and tweaked oops aligned the grid and anode coils.. 50w base rigs like this one used a QQE03-6/40 tetrode with 2 anodes (double beam) inside the separate shielded box on the top right.
The "final" for the mobile version is the tinned copper wire tank coils you can see at the bottom left of the 4th pix near the coax connector.
We used to convert them to 2 metres and work Mt William VK3RWZ with them in the 1970's.
Alignment by way of spreading or compressing the turns and varying the coupling with the output (secondary) single turn by bending with a insulated tool.
And adjusting the dual rotor air spaced capacitor, these adjustments interacted as one would expect when playing with the L-C ratio..
One had to start the alignment from the Xstal osc to get enough drive then repeat the alignment from the TX final back to peak up. Ditto with the RX.
The Mobile rig had a germanium transistor DC to DC inverter to generate the HT, but the Base was mains powered, I can see a 5AS4 rectifier...lurking in there..!!!

Note that you need a co-axial alignment tool for tweaking the IFT's, and RF coils, the outer sleeve had protruding slots to loosen the locking nut and the inner part turned the slug, then you have to relock the lock nut while watching your mVmeter at the test sockets or RF power meter depending where you were measuring.
Mobile rigs used a QQE03/12 double beam output valve (2 anodes) push-pull making about 12 to 15 watts on a good day!!!
We coaxed 18 watts out on 2mx after lots of tweaking and valve replacements, re-capping the power supply etc etc...

Current consumption was about 7 to 8amps on TX (50% of the output of a Lucas C-39 generator fitted to a Holden of the day)
By the way the nick-name for lucas is prince of darkness!! and leaked a lot of manufacturers imbedded smoke out ( sometimes even flames) when the reverse current cut-out contacts failed to separate when you stopped the engine!!!!

When the Microphone was hung up in its hanger on the front panel, tis disabled the heaters of the TX section reducing current drain.

I believe Vinten was swallowed up by Plessey in the late 70s, seem to recall seeing the name Plessey-Vinten for a while then by the 80s it was Plessey only.

By the way the nick-name for lucas is prince of darkness

Among owners of vintage British motorcycles Lucas means "leaves us cold and stranded".

I meant to say " Meter the current for each stage"

Vinten was part of Rola, which became Plessey - Rola. It was all downhill from that point....

Rola used to also make broadcast tape recorders at the time. Yes they were based in Richmond, Vic. As well as speakers they used to make components (including germanium transistors for a short time) and magnet winding wire at Leightonfield, NSW.

In the late 60's early 70's while working for a TV service company at Drummoyne I used to look after an AWA BST50B base station on VHF low band - 77.90MHz as I recall. It was a hybrid design - 4 valves and everything else germanium transistors. The front end of the receiver was a couple of 6EJ7s. I recall replacing these, aligning the front end and thus extending the reach of the radio to most of Sydney. Receiver sensitivity went from 20mV to 1uV! And on another occasion replacing a broken relay that switched HT to the PA screen in transmit. A very reliable unit, apart from that.

If I remember correctly, Vinten gear VHF gear was used by Silvertop Taxis in Melbourne when I was briefly a driver there (1973). It may also have been used by ABCTV mobile camera crews later in the 70s.

Maven

Wirelessvalve said the following:-

"I believe Vinten was swallowed up by Plessey in the late 70s, seem to recall seeing the name Plessey-Vinten for a while then by the 80s it was Plessey only."

I think you'll find its more like the late 60's that Vinten was part of Plessey because if you have ever watched old episodes of "Homicide" or "Matlock Police" in the end credits where the mention of the supplier of the 2-way radio that was used in those shows (an Vinten MTR-27) is said supplied by Plessey.