ATR-5

ATR-5 IN THE AVRO ANSON MK II

The Official RCAF Transmitter-Receiver Installation

The ATR-5 (built by Canadian Marconi) was the standard wireless set in the majority of Canadian-built Avro Anson Mk II aircraft used for:

  • Wireless Operator training

  • Navigation training

  • General communications

  • Domestic RCAF liaison dutie

HOW IT WAS INSTALLED IN THE ANSON MK II

The Mk II had a redesigned cabin with a full Canadian instrument and electrical suite.
The ATR-5 was mounted:

Location:

  • Directly behind the Wireless Operator (W/O) seat

  • On the right-hand side of the fuselage interior

  • In a shock-mounted frame bolted to the radio table bulkhead structure

Your museum’s photo matches this mounting arrangement perfectly.

Associated Components:

  1. Remote Control Panel

    • Mounted forward, reachable to both pilot and W/O

    • Allowed quick switching between channels

    • Metering and keying controls

  2. Intercom System 10D/2437

    • The Canadian intercom amplifier for the Mk II

    • Provided headset/mic routing

    • Enabled W/O to key the transmitter

  3. Antenna Switching Box

    • Located near the fuselage side

    • Routed output to long-wire or trailing antenna

  4. Trailing Aerial System

    • Anson Mk II retained the manual trailing aerial drum

    • Vital for longer-range HF work with ATR-5

  5. Power Unit / Dynamotor Box

    • Mounted either below the ATR-5 or on an adjacent shelf

    • Provided high voltage for the PA stage

ANTENNA SYSTEM IN THE ANSON MK II

The ATR-5 usually fed:

Primary:

  • Long-wire dorsal antenna from mast to tail

  • Good HF efficiency

Secondary:

  • Trailing aerial

    • Stowed on a hand-cranked reel

    • Used for MF/HF when range or SNR required improvement

    • Standard for BCATP nav exercises

Emergency:

  • Belly wire or wooden-frame liferaft antenna (training aircraft only)

The ATR-5 had controls for AERIAL SELECT on its front panel, which you can see on this unit.

Technical specifications

WHAT THE ATR-5 ACTUALLY IS

Unlike earlier AT-1/AR-2 combinations (separate TX + RX), the ATR-5 is a complete transceiver:

✔️ Contains:

  • HF Transmitter

  • HF Receiver

  • Shared tuning circuits

  • Mode switching

  • Internal dynamotor

  • Keying circuits

  • PA tuning and loading

  • MCW/Phone circuitry

✔️ Modes

  • CW

  • MCW

  • AM Voice (“Phone”)

✔️ Frequency Range

Depended on version, but typically:

  • 2–12 MHz (HF)

  • Some variants included 500 kHz marine distress frequency

  • Pre-set channeling for training operations

✔️ Power

  • 24 V DC aircraft system

  • Draws heavy current on transmit → required a dynamotor with adequate airflow