[Premium-Rx] PLESSEY PRS2282A

[richardreich at aol.com]

Hello Mike,

I have also checked my Plessey manuals, and similarly can't find any reference to the 2280A. 
My manual version is dated Dec 86, and was the property of a former salesman for Plessey (now retired and living in Bognor. The first 2250 ever made was used by him as a demonstrator, and I have it in my possession now).

In the 2280 series manual here has a page which lists all the versions and possible options including remote controls, spares kits, additions, etc, etc (presumably a salesman crib page) - but no 2280A version. There is 2281, 2282, and 2283.

The causes of the demise of Plessey (and the 2280 series) are well known among those in the industry at the time.
I believe it is sufficient to say it was partly due to senior management attitude and cheapskating. In the end, IC manufacturers refused to make/supply their special ICs because of it. In one case the master mask for a critical IC device was destroyed making re-manufacture near impossible.
The rest is history.

Its a pity someone hasn't written a book about this company.

Richard

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on O2

-----Original Message-----
From: "Michael O'Beirne" <michaelob666 at ntlworld.com>
Sender: premium-rx-bounces at mailman.qth.net
Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2013 13:19:31 
To: PREMIUM-RX<premium-rx at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Premium-Rx] PLESSEY PRS2282A

Dave

I have had a look through my manuals for the PRS2280 series but there is no 
mention of the 2280A.

I thought at first it might be the slave version for diversity application 
but the panel for the slave receiver has only a few panel controls - AF 
Gain, and speaker and power switches.

I wonder whether Plessey developed a version for transceive??  I think they 
did with the earlier PR2250.

I suspect the A version may have been a special version made for the RAF and 
has the BFO frequency derived from a synthesiser and shown as an LED display 
on the panel.  I have never seen one.  That would have been useful for FSK 
where the internal CIO is derived I think from an ovened crystal.  The RAF 
made extensive use of the Piccolo data system which has very stringent 
frequency stability requirements.  You are probably aware of the variants to 
the older Racal RA1772 for Piccolo.

That all said, I am told by an engineer who used to work at Plessey that 
their sales were not wonderful.  Many went to the China News Agency 
(Taiwan), a few to GCHQ and a few to the RAF.  Other than mine, I have not 
seen another 2282 in the flesh ever.

The radio is beautifully made and well designed and has excellent recovered 
audio but the tuning feels "rubbery" probably because of a slow loop 
constant in the synthesiser.  Yet there is no such momentary wobble when 
changing frequency with the keypad.

What may have killed it was the carve up of Plessey between GEC and Siemens 
in the mid- late 1980s.  Who knows, perhaps Siemens bought this part out in 
order to kill off competition.  Perhaps some knowledgeable members can tell 
us more.

73s
Michael
G8MOB


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Mikewhiskyone at aol.com>


> Hi,
>    Does anyone have a download of a manual, operators or  service for the
> above receiver? It seems to be quite different from the PRS2282,  buttons
> different on front panel, module lineup different, etc etc, and now I 
> thought
> would be a good time to read up over the holiday, any offers? Many  thanks
> and complements of the season, Dave MW1DUJ.

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