AR8 WW2 Aircraft Radio As New Tested Out

A detailed look at an Australian made AR8 ww2 aircraft receiver
that is new old stock and never been powered up before. After a detailed inspection we check our it's performance on AM across the bands and ssb on the ham bands. All that was needed to make this set work was a bit of RP7 on the switches and pots. What you hear is the original set with out modifications and sound coming from a loudspeaker connected to the headphone out put. This is very impressive performance for some thing made for world war 2
audio quality is excellent and rf performance is very good for the time.

[@neilpatton9068]

Excellent video. I was recently gifted an AR8 minus its valves and side covers. Also a bit of damage, but the innards appear mostly unmolested. Great to see one operating. Now I know what I am aiming for with the restoration. 73s de Neil VK3ZVX

[@helraiser666painkil]

Very impressive receiver and your very lucky to find something like that in a disused house very lucky indeed and it receives everything really good as you where going through all of the different bands and it was very interesting to listen to on your video. Thanks and best 73's for now cheers. Stephen M3SNV 73's.

[@rayaninc.electronicindustr1402]

Hi, this is great. I have one of these and I intend to sell it

[@cthoadmin7458]

I have one of those dials in my junk box, glad I’m not the only one to notice it’s similarity to the female breast…

[@cthoadmin7458]

@Jack O'Bean Yeah mate I'll dig it out, don't know what state it's in but you're welcome to it.

[@kabuti2839]

You really wrecked that house looking for that radio

[@Red-Magic]

8:25 my god that is so clear

[@radiorider8249]

What a beautiful piece of history. Fantastic ! 73 Denis F6CRP

[@ramjet4025]

Amazing that the capacitors etc, are still working well, The audio quality is amazing. Odds are it will need most of the caps and resisters changed out sooner or later now its getting some use. I had one of these as a kid and many were canabalized for other projects. Yes, MB ion 398 s one of the last remaining NDB's in the world.

[@OwOUwUOnO]

That is pretty cool that you have one of these in the condition is currently in on this video.

[@ramjet4025]

wow, 398 MB NDB, still on the same frequency after 50 years or more

[@nigelholmes9332]

Lovely specimen. Excellent & informative presentation too, I didn't know the Waltham Dan receipts used a sketch of an AR8. Of course you'd need a 75+ year-old rx like that one to pull some of those amateurs out of their graves...

[@ingussilins6330]

This is superhet receiver or TRF regenerative receiver? Sounds is good and clear on strong stations.

[@althepal6818]

how did you ended up in that old house attic?

[@msf60khz]

Excellent receiver and the audio quality is amazing. Why are the modern receivers so distorted?

[@fascistalien]

CAUSE ARE CHEAP

[@Retired_Retard]

It is amazing this thing works that well. Usually most of the Capacitors are dried out and trashed.

[@troysvisualarts]

I recently pulled a modified version of an AR8 out of a bin, looked up the model number identified it as an AR8 and found your excellent video, thanks for sharing! I am super impressed with the excellent audio quality and the vast range of frequencies you've picked up with this 1940s AR8 receiver, it's just mind blowing there's that many analog stations still out there in 2020 and easily picked up with such an old receiver and with crystal clear quality!!! Anyhow my AR8 unit is a modded one housed in a blue and white faux crocodile skin leatherette covered enclosure with an elliptical speaker, I initially intended to rip the valves out and stripping it for parts and repurposing the enclosure but after seeing your video, I now want to restore it!

[@vk3ase]

Still plenty to listen to but most people live in an RF noise hell and can not hear anything and think the bands are dead. There were adds in 1950's Radio Television and hobbies for re packaged AR8's with 240 volt power supply and oval speaker in a box for domestic use so maybe you have one of those. Yes the audio quality was amazing and that is straight from the head phone output un modified so the old ww2 circuits and audio transformers were very good.

[@TheOpticalFreak]

Cool!! 😃👏👍

[@vk3hau]

another great video, thanks.

[@martinotobias]

Ein sehr schoenes Radio

[@geoffarnold8483]

Wow very impressive straight out of the box. I also have an AR8 and AT5 plus antenna coupler. I had to replace all the caps to get it running and use it regularly on 7.125kc . 73's VK3XHM

[@geoffarnold8483]

@Jack O'BeanHi mate yes quite often have it set up for a month at a time between projects. Just finished cleaning up switch contacts in the AT5 along with a bias problem that developed but yes it gets a good work out.

[@mikecarlson6416]

that was quite impressive

[@LifeIsTooShortForQRP]

Lucky are the ones that can listen on 160 meter without ANY QRN ... The last time I heard a station on 160 meter was about 30 years ago, before the rise of CFL bulbs, LED bulbs, switching wall warts and solar panels....

[@bborkzilla]

"Hammed up" - like so many BC348 receivers in the US...

[@alexandermenzies9954]

Needs a Fatty Adams by-pass capacitor. Very impressive reception.

[@moodyga40]

loved the old video you made on the 807 valve, i am building a stereo 807 class A amp

[@jerryuhte1284]

Great Receiver !

[@justinellison4214]

Good audio !

[@vk3ase]

Yes puts most AM "hifi" tuners to shame. The audio was taken from the head phones out put totally un modified from the original 75 year old ww2 design. The radio and intercom systems of the aircraft at the time was hi quality as testified by recordings taken during actual bombing raids when a BBC engineer went up with a disc recorder. I used to think this was a recreation but has since been verified by old BBC staff that it is the real thing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3eYkJusepmKe6M

[@eddyaudio]

A great find from over 70 years ago when Australia Had a great Electronic Industry and AWA was the leader I’m Surprised it is pristine condition that said AWA is no more due to incompetence CEO A brilliant engineer but a Incomplete CEO, I read some time ago if had survived it could be be Bigger that MicroSoft. But they got into Future Trading and The Fellow that doing the Trading broke his leg on Skiing Accident and there was no body a the wheel so to speak and they got into Massive Debt so was demise of AWA.

[@vk3ase]

Should have stayed with their core business.

[@eddyaudio]

That is right that was there Core Business it would not Happen if Sir Lionel Hooke was still CEO but he died it went to his Son John as CEO and rest is History Sadly.

[@frankhughes_vk6fh]

The AWA company failed because of fraudulent (bad) foreign exchange deals by a young arrogrant 'financial wizard' called Andrew Koval, employed by the company. He stripped AWA's cash reserves trying to cover his bad trades, without the CEO or board knowing what he was doing, (not CEO incompotence) The losses were so huge that the company went into receivership, and a great enterprise since 1913 was gone for ever!! I was in the 1980's in the employ of AWA and saw the whole mess unfold! The skiing accident story is a furphy. By the time they got Koval (extradited from USA) to face a court, for fraud years had passed, some of the key AWA bosses were RIP, so Koval got off with a suspended sentence!!! The 1980's were full of headstrong people, all that thought they were like Ted Turner, Alan Bond, Christopher Skase etc etc and could do what they liked! If you care to read; I have documented the tragedy from start to finish: link www.vk6fh.com./vk6fh/awacrashindex.htm

[@eddyaudio]

FRANK HUGHES I have talked to ex AWA employees also John Hooke did know what was going on but ex Manager he all ways had Head in the Clouds unlike his Father Sir Lionel Hooke who was Hand on Manager on the floor talking to all employees and Knew there name But John wasn’t they should have never got into Future Trading that was there Core business John knew what was Going on as CEO but when he found the out the Company was dire straits which it never recovered John is now deceased May he Rest In Peace.0

[@frankhughes_vk6fh]

@@eddyaudio point taken; anecdotal stories from AWA employees would, fill in a lot of gaps in my analysis, which came from all the print media stories I found at the time. Regardless of who/what/why was the true cause of AWA's collapse, it was a sad regrettable outcome for a powerful behemouth of an organisation. I was told all the equipment, spares and warehouse contents at Leichhardt was dumped and bulldozed into a council tip! Frank