[Premium-Rx] R-1414, R-1449 & R-1451A, fascinating stuff.

[Terry O']

The R-1451 and R-1449 were two among a variety of receivers in the WLR-6 
ESM system.  The WLR-6 was originally designed for the Los Angeles class 
of US submarines, and several sources say 40 units were delivered for 
this purpose. One source says 49 were delivered.  Other sources mention 
later use on surface craft, though I haven't been able to document 
specifics.  And some sources mention overseas sales of commercial 
versions (as opposed to the good stuff for our forces).  It's hard to 
know how many were actually made, but I doubt there were over 60-100 of 
either radio, perhaps even less.

It is possible parts of the WLR-6 were adapted for airborne use, but I 
doubt the whole system was plopped into an airplane.  Its original 
configuration filed 23 racks and had 5 operator positions spread over 
several rooms.  Parts of it are likely to have appeared in other 
settings.  The components in systems like this often had many lives in 
many forms as firms recycled their in house expertise to garner a bite 
of the next batch of government largesse.

In the early 60s, ELINT and SIGINT systems were the hot ticket. They 
evolved rapidly as government accelerated development with generous 
spending.  Agencies continuously sought to update and modify equipment 
to gain an edge on their next mission in the Cold War.  As one CEI 
engineer told me, "Our best radios were never good enough."

A case in point is the R-1449, which records from WJ indicate 
Communication Electronics, Inc started on Nov 13th, 1964.  CEI developed 
it as the 350 receiver with a digital frequency counter module designed 
and supplied by Sylvania's fascinating but tough to research Electronics 
Design Laboratory in Mountain View, CA. The R-1449 is not a clone.  It 
was made in Rockville, MD by CEI.

I am trying to determine if the counter in the R-1449 is a similar 
design to the ones in the R-1414 and R-1451, which are from the same 
time frame.  A WJ engineer told me Sylvania made the first radio with an 
electronic digital frequency display.  It looks increasingly like one of 
these three was that radio.

Sylvania was a major CEI customer in the early days of the company.  CEI 
undoubtedly received a decent R&D contract from Sylvania to develop the 
R-1449 and then manufacture the small number required for the WLR-6 
system.  Often this was done as two linked contracts with the issuance 
of the production contract linked to acceptance of the prototype.  I 
haven't located the original documents, so I can't say with certainty 
that occurred for this radio.

On the R-1449, as with many products, CEI gambled on the R&D contract 
and probably made the allowable, strictly enforced profit margin on the 
production.  CEI then made most of its money in follow on designs, 
adapting the R-1449 for other customers and other markets.  There are 59 
recorded variations of the initial R-1449 design, made over many years.  
Some of the models continued from the 350 as 35x and some sold under 
military nomenclatures, like R-1401, R-1687 and R-2056.

The design finally evolved into the DMS-xxx series, which sold well.  A 
DMS-105-3 is on display in the National Cryptological Museam at Fort 
Meade in the Rissman system which can be seen on Flickr here: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9716802@N02/1393513204/

So, the R-1449 is not a clone.  It is the grand-daddy.  There's a 
terrific story here and I have many more details.  Getting published is 
another matter.  Pop Comm changed editors and is now apparently shy on 
the kind of history I do.  I can't figure out how to reach an editor at 
Radio Bygones.  I haven't looked at Electric Radio since my research 
work eclipsed restoring military radios.

My research on this equipment is for academic publication, but as an SWL 
for 46 years, a ham for 42 years and one who has owned and restored many 
of the radios currently on my website, I prefer writing for educated 
general readers.  I have several articles underway now targeting general 
readers.  The problem is the publishing business has been upended.  I 
was crushed when Invention & Technology went under as I was targeting 
them for my work.

My wife thinks this research is an obsession, but she believes in me 
when I tell her there is a great chunk of untold Cold War history here.  
As one engineer told me, "we were keeping the Cold War cold and my 
family had no idea why I was gone so many nights," then he thanked me 
and talked for six hours so his family might someday know what he did.

Dick Johnson gave me an opening to ease the financial burden of my 
work.  In October, he gave me the seed money to start a tax exempt fund 
through the Foundation at the college where I teach.  All of the funds 
go to support the research I'm doing.  Hopefully I'll be able to take a 
leave and write a book, either through fundraising or by the economy 
turning around and the college restoring sabbaticals for faculty.

Donations can made online ( 
http://www.madisoncollegefriends.org/donations/fund.asp?id=5696 ) or can 
be sent to:

Watkins-Johnson Research Fund
Madison College Foundation
1701 Wright Street
Madison, WI   53704

Thanks to everyone who has been helping with materials for my new site 
Black Radios.  I have a lot of new material on radios from Adams 
Russell, Reaction Instruments, General Electronic Laboratories and many 
others.  I'll be posting them as time allows.

Lastly, if anyone knows a publisher who would be interested in a 
Premium-Rx book somewhat like Fred Osterman's invaluable "Radio 
Receivers", I have enough material for a complimentary volume with very 
little overlap.

Terry O'
http://watkins-johnson.terryo.org
http://BlackRadios.terryo.org

By the way, the attenuator on the R-1451 is included because the LF and 
HF radios regularly did double duty as receivers and subcarrier 
demodulators. As a demod, the input signals were much hotter than when 
connected to an antenna.  In the days before computers, deviously hidden 
subcarriers augmented encrypting. But that's another interesting story 
for another time.