[Milsurplus] R-390
Ray Fantini
RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu
Thu Jul 28 11:13:22 EDT 2011
Back in the late eighties and early nineties was fortunate enough to be in the pipeline for NSA disposal for awhile. At that time they were dumping most of the equipment from the late seventies and early eighties and never saw one tube base radio. Think by the seventies with the exception of maybe military intercept everyone was using Watkins Johnson stuff or custom built receivers. Saw things like Interrad, Microdyne and many others including weird things like Bearcat programmable scanners mounted in tempeasted rack mount enclosures but never one R-390. The R-390 is a great receiver if you know where something is that you want to listen to, or if it's a static non changing circuit. I saw them used as WWV receivers where you can stick it in a rack somewhere and forget it as late as the eighties. But it appears to me that in the last several years they are reaching some form of almost mythical status. Now know that the receiver in question is a custom rebuild with the polished panel and can see where many would find this desirable and can understand that some may want to buy them who may not have the expertise required to work on or overhaul them but somehow, not cretin how maybe it's just my psychotic nature or that I was traumatized at a young age by suffering thru a mechanical alignment on a 390 that inspires me to rant agents them.
Ray KA3EKH
-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Peter Gottlieb
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 10:48 AM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] R-390
I don't have any problem whatsoever with him doing what he's doing. What can be wrong with making these receivers cherished, beautiful items?
Peter
Jul 28, 2011 10:25:56 AM, kb1fqg at yahoo.com wrote:
Hi Kids,
Perhaps some of you missed an earlier post I made about this guy. This
"polished panel" thing came about as he was restoring a unit and had stripped
the paint for refinishing. He was wet sanding it down and noticed the surface
getting shiny and said.... "WHAT IF?!?".... polished it up some more and then
filled in the lettering black. Someone paid him crazy money IMHO for it, I'm
sure the audiophile / RadioMart description helped. So after another one sold
for similar crazy money he kept going. He's selling them to the 'have money,
want it all fixed up and running' crowd. If he can keep getting that money,
fair play to him I say. I looked and his customers all left good feedback for
him and I haven't heard any "radiomart" stories from any of his customers.
Now the required disclaimers I have known him for years, am largely responsible
for him getting bitten by the R-390A bug, and he is only a couple of miles from
my house. As much as it sounds like, I am not defending him or promoting him.
When you figure in time and materials I don't think he is making minimum wage!
But he appears to be coming up with a few of his own tricks in rebuilding these
toys. However now that he is opening and fixing up the meters, next time I'm
going over there, I'm bringing my survey meter with fresh batteries to look for
radium!. Feel free to flame away I'll get out the asbestos ....(oops) Nomex
suit.
John Flood
KB1FQG
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