[NJARC] AR-88/89 inquiry (Al Klase)

[Magoun, Alexander]

Al,

I thought that you or Ray or Jim Whartenby might have something to say at length about this.  Thanks also to Rob Flory for the informed opinion on the likelihood of a typo in the "AR-89" and the follow-up on the Navy receivers.

If you could send me the scanned data note on DR-89, that will probably help and I'll ask that you credited as the source.

Cheers,

Alex

Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:50:00 -0500
From: Al Klase <al at ar88.net>
Subject: Re: [NJARC] AR-88/89 inquiry
To: New Jersey Antique Radio Club <njarc at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <4970D6D8.1020005 at ar88.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed

Alex,

I think he could safely assume that the reference to AR-89 was a mistake, and they were actually referring to the DR-89. The DR-89 was three AR-88's plus a "tone keyer" that combined the outputs of the AR-88's for diversity reception of RTTY signals.

The known AR-88 derivatives are:

AR-88 550-32,000 KHz
ER-88 AR-88 with 10-watt audio output. ( I'd like to have one of those.)
CR-91 73-550 KHz and 1500-30,500 KHz
AR-88LF Similar to CR-91
DR-89 Diversity system w/ 3X AR-88
CR-88 AR-88 with external crystal-filter phasing control.
Raymond Moore, "Communications Receivers" suggests there were DR-89's incorporating CR-88's

Most of this stuff went to the Soviets and the UK during WWII, so they are not that well know in the United States.

Diversity reception was originally developed by Dr. Harold Beverage of RCA Communications for internal use. The only RCA diversity "product" I know of prior to the DR-89 is the U.S. Navy RAE (early 1930's). RAE was three RCA RAB receivers plus combining circuits.

I can supply a scan of a catalog page showing the DR-89 if that helps.

Al


Alexander B. Magoun Ph.D.
Curator and Executive Director
David Sarnoff Library
201 Washington Road
Princeton NJ 08540-6449

609 734-2636
amagoun at davidsarnoff.org
f 609 734-2339
davidsarnoff.org
davidsarnoff.blogspot.com

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