[Milsurplus] R 391 autotune question

[Bruce Gentry]

On 1/9/13 2:47 PM, Boeing377 wrote:
> Although I have drooled over Rick Mish's super duper OH'd 390s and 390As, my approach is very different and far cheaper. I get them working, spend an hour getting the front panel very tidy, repainting knobs if needed and then just pretend the innards are shiny and new and fastidiously aligned like a Rick Mish version. I'd love to have the amazingly light KC tuning torque that Mish can achieve, but it's beyond my pay grade (lube lightly and forget about it). I look at my 390 class rcvrs as wrist exercise machines and they perform that function quite well.
>
> 73
> Mark
> AF6IM
> www.parachutemobile.org
>   

  Your restorations and enjoyment are just fine, and I will guarantee, 
historically accurate. There was no time allowed in Southeast Asia for 
detailing. Get it and keep it working, vacuum out the worst of the crud, 
don't worry about the rest. If it's insensitive, find the bad tubes, 
clean and oil the gear train-especially the slug racks-, tune it up and 
put it back into service. They are surprisingly robust and can give good 
results with minimal attention.    I like seeing war  veteran radios 
that show they saw  action, like a dirty R-390, KWM-2 or 30S-1 with 
scratches and grafitti, or a PRC-25 with a dent in the front panel. 
Maybe the one who left the grafitti or didn't get the wiring harness 
back to factory spit shine perfect didn't make it home.    Makes you 
wonder. Regarding the tuning motor in the R-391, I would recommend 
against lowering the voltage. All the Collins rigs I have worked on with 
Autotune  tend to use small motors designed for intermittent duty. 
Giving it rated voltage so it can get the job done quickly and rest is 
better than dragging things out. Make sure everything is properly oiled, 
of course. Don't use the autotune too often, don't keep changing 
channels one after another and keep the motor running constantly.  I 
wanted to throw the guys in the tower who did this to GRC-27s over the 
railing, changing a smoked motor was a pain. One channel change every 
few minutes shouldn't hurt anything. Nothing wrong with doing 
restorations with style and making them look like they just left the 
factory, but doing what needs doing to get it working counts  too, and  
it's just as worthy. The most important thing is to enjoy this great hobby!

      Bruce Gentry  KA2IVY


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