[R-390] TUBES

Fri, 15 Feb 2002 15:59:35 -0600

He wasn't kidding!  The Harris "Pacer Bounce" $15,000 KWM-2A replacement
radios all went down from sand static.  As well as all the solid state
receivers, I imagine.  They were shipping KWM-2A's over from a lot of
different bases.  Word is that there is an inventory of k-2's somewhere in
CA.....  Don't have personal knowledge, but I think one of the old Collins
repair guys was pulled out there to look them over.  Anyhow, Phillips may
well be still building tubes for europe......So, it looks like they do still
use the old radios....wonder if they are very quietly having some built in
Europe????

Cory/N2AQS

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Melland" <[email protected]>
To: "Roy Morgan" <[email protected]>; "Mike O'Brien"
<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 1:39 PM
Subject: Re: [R-390] TUBES

> On Fri, 15 Feb 2002 13:30:36 -0500
>
>   Roy Morgan <[email protected]> wrote:
> >At 12:26 PM 2/15/02 -0600, Mike O'Brien wrote:
> >>In the dim recesses of my fading memory, I seem to recall
> >>plans
> >>announced about five years ago by Western Electric
>
> All this talk of tubes had me thinking over noon.  I just
> returned from lunch with the LTC that is the commander of
> our regional ROTC units based here at the college I work
> at.  Earlier I learned he was a "signals" officer and he's
> been very helpful scrounging parts for me for various
> receivers, including my R-390A.  I asked about the
> military supply of vacuum tubes and he tells me that they
> had a warehouse full of new tubes at the last base he was
> assigned to two years ago.  He informed me that many of
> the tubes were routinely surplussed as they got older and
> rotated with fresh stock. He informs me that many of the
> current tubes in US Army stock were made by Philips in
> Germany.  Must be NATO purchases ??? Interestingly he was
> in the Gulf and actually had to request R-390A's be sent
> there from Germany.  Apparent;ly according to him some of
> their sofisticated receivers had trouble with static
> damage due to charges from all the blowing sand ??? I
> don't know if he's kidding me or not on that..... but he
> sure is familiar with the R-390A for a guy that entered
> service probably in the late 1970's or early 80's.
>
> Mike
>
> --
> Michael Melland, W9WIS
> Winneconne, WI USA
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