[R-390] Re: R390/Solid State

[blw]

> Mike, we're really not a bad bunch of guys. This list probably contains
> the biggest wealth of R-390*(and other) knowledge that you'll find
> anywhere. We are focused on preserving and fine-tuning an outstanding 50
> year old design that still manages to whoop the hell out of much (most?)
> of the newer SS gear. Wouldn't it be more challenging to take some of
> the older 'new' techonolgy Yaecomwood receivers and see if you could
> eliminate all the phase noise, chuffing, and bring the noise floor down
> to something approaching the R-390? I'm certainly not against
> experimenting and making new discoveries, but it's going to be difficult
> making most of the list members believe that solid-stating an R-390 will
> make it 'better'.
> 
> de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ


What gets me is all of the new sandstate rigs that try to tune "just like
analog" with different schemes. You ain't going to get analog out of a
slotted wheel letting light strobe through the slots. I always chuckle when
I play around with some sandbox. The choppy tuning is awful. You can't tune
some things in like you can with analog. There is always going to be that
digital edge you either cross or don't cross, and those are never aligned
perfectly to what you want to fine tune in.

Then there is the noise. Most of the time, that is enough said. Look at all
the mega-bucks WJ put into the doomed HF-1000. You know, the R-390A killer.
It suffered from lack of shielding. What's that? You mean that rolling stock
grade chassis we have on our boatanchors serves another purpose? That
HF-1000 was a transmitter in it's own right with so much RF leakage. I think
Chuck Rippel can say more since he is the one who went head to head with
George Zeller's HF-1000 on a DXpedition.

Did we mention fixing the things? I mean those surface mount parts on the
motherboards.  

Yeah, the R-390A doesn't have memory banks. It takes a while to tune around.
It makes noises when tuning.  No tuning dimple on the KC knob.  But, it sure
is nice to get stations so elusive that editors question whether it was
really heard at all. That sort of makes me smile when my logs seem a bit
past what the sandstate guys are used to.

Did I mention that it has been working for about 9 years now?



Attila the Hun