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Last Update: 24/02/09

The Waters & Stanton shop at Matlock has closed permanently.

The prices below include shipping within the UK - Order line: 01629 821474

The following items are mostly new stock which we have had for some time. We will ship worldwide but this will cost extra. You can order via fax, phone or e-mail workshop@loweX.co.uk (take out the X in the e-mail address - anti spam). For orders from outside the UK we accept payment by credit/debit card only. We don't accept Am-Ex cards.

Service Manuals and Spare Parts.

For some time the Lowe workshop has not been involved with amateur radio servicing. We are therefore selling our remaining stock of service and owners manuals. In the past we have kept at least one of every manual, so its worth asking again if there's one you're after. We have many service manuals for the classic Yaesu and Icom radios too, which we have not offered in the past.

We still have some spares for the classic Kenwood radios going back to 1960s models.

VHF/UHF Beam

GB Antennas model GB-2. 2m/70cm Yagi. Its two beam antennas mounted in line on a single boom. Frequency 144-148MHz, 430-450MHz. Gain 7.5dB, front-to-back 20dB, boom length 1.5m. There are 4 elements for 2m and 5 for 70cm, both antennas have a useful gain of 7.5dB and 500W rating on transmit. The overall length is 1.5m (5ft). Unused. £85. Please note that we can only ship this antenna to the UK mainland.

Power Supplies

We have a numer of 13.8 Volt power supplies of various makes current ratings and ages. They were used on the repair benches and in the showroom at the Matlock shop.

Daiwa PS50XM, Adjustable Voltage, 5 Amps, Meter switches to show current or voltage. £30.

BNOS 12/6A, very Well built, 6 Amps, Meter switches to show current or voltage. £30.

Radio Test Equipment

Thermocouple RF Power Meter with internal 100 Watt continuous 20 dB power attenuator. Dymar type 2081/100. Large mirrored meter movement shows RF power with full scale readings from 30 milliwatts to 100 Watts in switched ranges. Useable as-is, but after calibration this instrument will be highly linear and accurate. However thermocouple detectors do not tolerate being overloaded. Can be used as a dummy load and has an attenuated output for direct connection to a spectrum analyser. £80

Helical Antenna (Rubber Duck)

With standard BNC connector, 5 inches long. As is, its suitable for Airband reception, but it comes with a cutting chart so that it can be tuned for transmit anywhere between 135 and 174 MHz. £3. Generous discount for quantity ! The minimum total order from this page is £5.

Optional accessories

Kenwood

TS520 Fan assembly £15
Batteries - BT-4 case, BT-7 case £10
PG-3G DC Line noise filter £10
DTP-1, DTP-2 DTMF keypad, DTU-1 DTMF option £10 each.
TS-140S main display £15
TS-711E main display £15

Icom

IC-R8500 Instruction manual original print £10
BC-03, BC06 chargers £8

Murata Filters

CFK 455J ~ 3.5 kHz £10
CFK 455H ~6 kHz £10
CFW 455IT ~6 kHz £3
CFJ 455K14 "SSB" £10
CFU 455HT ~4 kHz £3
The minimum total order from this page is £5

Lowe Receiver owners ...

Lowe HF receiver Printed Circuit Boards

We have available a quantity of the two pcbs which constitute the HF-150. They are manufacturing rejects. The reasons for the individual rejections are not recorded but the most likely reason is "wobble". The pcb assemblies were tested for short term stability (jitter) during manufacture with a wow-and-flutter meter normally used in the audio industry. Some of the radios could not be made to pass this test. They may have other problems too.

The remaining Main Units are fully populated and have the "two chip" PLL divider circuit. £30.

The Control Boards are populated EXCEPT for the microcontroller and the tuning encoder. They do have LCD displays. £20.

These units are a good source of spares - for example each main unit has two of the Plessey mixers. It is highly unlikely that a pair will work together as a radio without remedial work.

HF125 Owner's manual £10
HF125 Front panel overlay £10
HF125 Whip amplifier and battery interface £20. We have no more HF225 Whip Amplifiers.
HF150 Plastic painted window £10
HF150 Battery box £10 per pair.
HF225 New top and bottom cases, grey, £20 per pair.
HF225 Owner's manual £10, service manual £17 Front panel overlay £10.
HF250 RC250 infra-red remote controller £25.
HF250 FM/sync-AM detector £35 (there are no HF225 detectors left).
HF250 Plastic painted window £10
HF235 Combined owners and service manual £17

PS12 regulated UK power supply for all sets £17

Knobs for all Lowe radios, tuning £5 on/off/tone/mode £3. The minimum total order from this page is £5.

We have no more stock of the HF-250 main tuning knob drilled for the 1/4" shaft, but a knob for the HF-225 could be used if drilled out from 6 mm to 1/4" on a drilling machine (don't use a hand-held drill).

Repairs, Servicing and Information.

We are no longer able to offer a radio repair service. It is more than ten years since Lowe stopped manufacturing HF radios, and we can no longer spare the resources which are necessary for an efficient repairs handling operation (the repair itself is often the easiest part). Spares are still available. We will be happy to discuss any problem with any particular Lowe receiver. However we can only discuss such problems by phone, e-mail is hopeless for all but the very simplest problems.

Yahoo Lowe Forums

There are two seperate Yahoo discussion groups for Lowe receiver owners, but they have no connection whatever with Lowe Electronics Ltd:

lowe_hfreceivers

and

Lowe_Receivers

There is a lot of technical information there.

Precautions!

Be very careful when using ordinary batteries in the HF-150. When the set is connected to an external power source and is switched off, the batteries will be charged continuously. Ordinary batteries will then leak and destroy the set. Even rechargeable batteries should only be charged for the correct period in this way.

The most common failures of the HF150 and HF225 occur when an external antenna is left connected to the radio during local electrical storms. With the HF150 the first mixer (Q22 SL6440C) fails causing the set to have low sensitivity and/or overload easily.

With the HF225 you get no operation over half the frequency range. Diode D1(BA244A or any low capacitance switching diode) has probably failed, this is in one corner inside the tin box enclosure. The VCO range switching diodes inside the die-cast box can also cause the set to mute over part of the range - they can go "lossy". They might measure OK but can be better checked by temporarily linking out any which are biased on. There is a silk screen print on the pcbs which indicate which component is which.

HF 225 sync AM and FM detector option D225.

We have no more of these left, but the D250 detectors are actually made on D225 circuit boards but with a few components moved around. The D225 silk screen is still there. Among other things a 455 kHz resonator and a variable capacitor have been removed. Converting one back to work on an HF225 is not a five-minute job.

For anyone who wants to do this however, we can send a D250 detector, a D225 circuit diagram and layout, resonator, varicap diode and a list of the necessary mods for £35. Other resistors and caps will be needed and the rest would be up to you.

To order, or for more information give us a ring on 01629 821474 or e-mail workshop[at]lowe.co.uk