[Milsurplus] [MMRCG] "Radio Prepares for War"

[Hubert Miller]

Super Pro variable selective IF has stood the test of time. They still work fine, are not nearly as complex as some Collins creation such as the ( later, yes ) ARC-2.
If your interest is in monitoring AM or perhaps even RTTY, variable L-C selectivity is better, in my estimation, than series single - crystal filter. As for noise, well,
the HRO still uses the same pentagrid mixer tube. Unlike the Navy RBM, RBS, RBB, RBC and some others maybe. 

But at the time, we would be talking about "best for the job". So for example, a monitoring position assigned to copy one CW station  or one narrow range of 
frequencies, the HRO would be perfectly fine, and to expend more resources on a more complicated receiver would not be rational. 

I think the RAS was actually the first ex-military radio I ever saw. A high school friend had in the family's garage an RAS in the full rack setup. It barely worked,
but I was impressed by what looked to me like a medieval artifact. I was impressed, but I didn't learn until I visited an actual "surplus store" that an ordinary
person could acquire such things.
-Hue