[Boatanchors] WJ closes and completely exits

[Rob Atkinson]

Word comes via the SWL column in the September CQ that Watkins-Johnson
has shut down.  I never owned a WJ receiver (too high end $$) but the
legendary spook rx company picked up in the years following the R390
series and some of their sets made it down to the ham market.

Quoting from CQ:
"The Watkins-Johnson firm, which manufactured excellent (and
expensive!) communications receivers, has closed operations.  Not only
that, but all the remaining parts, chassis, partials, schematics,
manuals --everything-- were destroyed.  It's as if they were angry at
the world and closed down in a huff [probably had more to do with
proprietary and classified designs-Rob]  They certainly built great
units ... I used one once for a few hours, at a friend's QTH in
California."

Rob
K5UJ