[R-390] R-390A vs RA 17

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

You see this receiver in a lot of the old Bond/007 films with Sean Connery.
In one(can't recall which), they show what appears to be a large intercept
room full of operators, each in a cubical with an RA-17 or two. In the movie
Goldfinger there is a scene where Connery is about to get modified by a
laser while strapped to a table. In the background is a room with a glass
wall and several racks of RA-17 types and associated gear. Considering these
were filmed in the 1960s, you have to wonder where they shot these scenes.
I'm guessing the gear was still current technology and used for many years
to come, like our venerable R-390s.

I need to find a complete set of original knobs for mine, the kind with the
hex nut in the middle of the knob face. A panel would be nice, too. Mine
came out of Maryland and was updated/modified for other service with the
later-style knobs, and I'd at least like to restore it cosmetically. Maybe
it's actually a 117 and I'm just not bright enough to figure it out!

Bryce Ringwood wrote:

> Hi,
>
> No, this is the same size as the R-390A with KHz and MHZ tuning dials
> (Nothing digital). They're fairly common here and would not be too
> expensive (about $100) ... the shipping costs would be astronomical from
> S Africa, however. Plus, I think in this case you would need to buy two
> to get one working specimen. - Bryce
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