Hi Guys,
I might be in over my head this time, but I hope not!

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If I get this one to transmit I'll have the oldest set in my ham club.
Currently the oldest working unit is transistorised with a valve RF output stage.

I'm going to be on the lookout for that knob, or something close
if I have any luck even with the receive sections.
It's more likely going to come from an old transistor radio I think.

Also any info would be appreciated! A schematic would be a little too hopeful I think.
I read that Dick Smith worked in a Weston Electric factory!
Dick Smith is one of my heroes for the books and kits he did for kids, and I owe any electronics hobby to him

What model is it?

I read that Dick Smith worked in a Weston Electric factory!

That's true, he did a short apprenticeship there, and word is that he's on the lookout for certain early Weston gear

Dick Smith is one of my heroes for the books and kits he did for kids,

I have a lot of time for Dick Smith, but I was very annoyed when he sold his business to Woolworths. I know $25 million would be hard to knock back, but I wish he had've sold it to somebody that would have grown it rather than driven it (and Tandy) into the ground with inept management.

I wonder if he didn't regret that move.
A lot of his work was lost when Woolworths transformed it.
All of the Funway books and kits, non-Funway kits,
and of course components.
Jaycar hasn't quite filled the gap with regard to the former.
Jaycar doesn't offer a personalised consistent tutor with a progressive system.

I can't tell what model it is, the only Google search
"Weston Electronics Radio Telephone"
yields one proper result which is an expired eBay auction image.

He can have it if he can get me a good transceiver with valve RF output stage.
This certainly isn't the only one out there.

So far, no audio, valve filaments light,
I think it might want to come back, but I should wait and take it to ham club.

I found the other Weston thread here, pity the fellow's address is hidden.
That's probably where I read about DS. That thread is found with Google.

I was also annoyed, but a few of these helped soften the blow at the time

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In the 2011 thread DS is quoted as saying "By the way, if you ever hear of a LM18 being available – I am sure it was a HF transceiver used by the Fire Brigade in western New South Wales and other places. I would love to get hold of a copy of one for my old museum."

That rotating tower is a big score! What store did it come from?

I only know what it says on the front "Type VR.60 T.M.",
and a serial number... if I looked very hard with a magnifying glass could probably be determined.

I went to innocently buy some discreet components at DSE Yamanto (Qld),
and was told they don't have any, they sold everything to a guy for $800.

Then I rang head office and learned that each store manager
was responsible for selling their component stock and towers
at the time their particular store was being refitted (converted to another Harvey Norman).
I got Warrick which was the next one, only I did it for $400.
They were a pair of 2 unit high, that I condensed into a single 3 unit high.
Needless to say I made a lot of fun stuff, I still have a lot of it,
and will never run out of 1/4 watt resistors.

...but I wish he had've sold it to somebody that would have grown it rather than driven it (and Tandy) into the ground with inept management.

That's what happens when people get a lust for corporate power. I remember back to when Woolworths was just Woolworths - a division of David Jones which was a division of the Adelaide Steamship Company.

Looking back to now, David Jones let Woolworths go in a public float, the new management moved in and it seems like it all happened overnight - Woolworths now has several divisions of its own, it the world's largest single owner of poker machines, owns more than 300 pubs, dominates liquor sales through several chains of off-licences - Dan Murphy's, BWS, First Estate Wines, Mac's Liquor, etc; and they are powerful enough to pull the strings of an oil company, hold primary producers to ransom and dictate as to what they put on their shelves.

EOR (End of rant)

I suppose all the electronics shops had their advantages. Tandy was selling valves for a lot longer than most others and many of their stores still had valve testers well into the late 1980s. Dick Smith Funway kits were great for kids starting out, though I'd already built some of the simpler adult kits before Funway was made available. I guess that was just bad timing. I could also never fathom as to why Funway literature represented transistors with the letters TR instead of the more standard Q, even though the change did seem to make more sense. Jaycar was a merge of John Carr Electronics and Bill Edge Electronics. I never visited an original John Carr shop though I had Bill Edge almost around the corner on Parramatta Road in Concord. I was in there a lot. There was also Altronics and David Reid Electronics in York Street.

About three years ago I got Dick's email from his food company,
and I emailed him, and got a reply, but this time it wasn't so easy.
The lady that answered told me to send her another email
addressed to DS, and it would be considered for forwarding,
and also a PO box address.
I just went for the former this time.

I told him if this is significant to him, he can have it so long as
he can get me any old Transceiver with at least a valve RF output stage.

I brought it back today, good receiving on all bands including AM broadcast!
I just have to hope the RF output valve is good, but suspect it is.
I don't currently have anything to load the antenna for transmission.

I don't currently have anything to load the antenna for transmission.

What bands/frequencies are covered by this transceiver?

Over both HF bands, 2-10.5 MHz, so 40 & 80 metre amateur bands are covered.

It can use the tuning gang, or lock to one of several crystals for
stability on some fixed frequencies.

I already have one of the cheap UHF/VHF handhelds,
but the reason I chased this one down is I'm interested in
frequencies below 30MHz for propagation.
Not so excited about using repeaters on higher freqs to do the work.

There is a fellow at my ham club with a valve radio who
was previously able to boast about having the oldest transceiver at the club,
but I've taken his position

It turns out I was supplied with full schematics and user manual
by a fellow who used to service them back in the day,
If anyone is after the info in future pls drop me a line.
Unfortunately the other fellow who posted here going back a bit
did not unhide his email address, as I am now in a position to help.

The commercial name for this unit is the Marina 60,
and it's top of the line for cruisers. I also have detailed info on the
Kingfisher 65.

Dick Smith is after an LM (Land Mobile) version from the same era.

It will be a right pain to transmit with it, but I will likely try it once.
Each of the five channels have to be tuned physically by tapping a coil with one tap for each channel.
Only the receiver section uses the manual tuning gang,
with provision for receive crystals as well.

There is still an active AM group twice a week on 7.125 MHz,
and the crystal is available, but you'd be driving it out somewhere and setting it up for use on a single channel and hoping for the best.

The four marine crystals it's supplied with are illegal for me to use.

It turns out I was supplied with full schematics and user manual by a fellow who used to service them back in the day,

Well done.

Unfortunately the other fellow who posted here going back a bit did not unhide his email address, as I am now in a position to help.

I expect that Brad, as Admin, can see all email addresses.

An idea without breaching the member's privacy too much,
is to send Brad the files, and see if he wants to pass them on.
I'll first check the model of the unit the other fellow had,
but I'm sure I can get most of them now.

Interestingly, according to a HRSA member, Ferris also made a "Marina 60".