[R-390] Modded my R-390A...

Fri, 25 Oct 2002 19:38:57 -0400

All: I haven't laughed so hard at all this in a long, long time.  It sure
makes radioing fun again.  And believe me, folks, when you do this stuff for
a living as I do (commercial "wireless" [boy, I HATE that term!] provider},
the diversion and recalibration is VERY important!  Yes, Phil is
guilty...and so are the rest of you...of reminding me again why I continue
to do this and enjoy it so.

At least a few folks mentioned ARC-5 stuff.  They are absolutely correct
that the ARC-5 platform (along with the BC-348 and some others) probably
taught more folks more about radio and electronics than many, many other
devices.  It sure helped me along (although I could have learned a lot
more).

On a more serious note: I'd love to see the 6AQ5 audio mods for the R-390A
audio stage, and the low-frequency mod that Phil is "guilty" of carrying
out.  The only LF work I have done with the R-390A was shown to me by
another fellow, and it wasn't much of a mod (I didn't retain it).  Are those
published anywhere?

I'm sitting listening to the R-390A right now, tuned to the BBC...

Dave WB4FUR

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
Behalf Of Barry Hauser
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 5:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [R-390] Modded my R-390A...

Greetings to the list ...

Now that we've established, or re-established that Roy's a great guy (and I
agree), I'm afraid there are some other issues to deal with.  They concern
our dear friend Phil A.

For one, he outright admitted that he actually drilled a hole to install an
RCA jack in _our_ R-390A.  (Private ownership of historical relics is a mere
illusion, a commercial technicality, and in Phil's case, often very
temporary.)  In one move,  a double infraction.  First, there's the hole.
Then -- an RCA jack?  What's this, some kind of Victrola?  At least he could
have had the common decency to be thematically consistent and installed a
BNC.

There's more.  What's the purpose of the abovementioned abomination?  To
connect a Q-multiplier, right?  The physical act of the connection is
reversible -- just a single coax connection (albeit via that unauthorized
orifice).  However, it does, in no uncertain terms, indicate the intent to
operate an R-390A at a Q other than the official, sanctioned Q.  The Collins
gurus in their wisdom equipped the R-390A with a wide range of selectivity
settings. They did not see fit to add a Q-multiplier.  Enough said.

Finally, Phil Atchely is a great guy, but he's also a self-confessed lowfer
with a penchant for dx-ing and monitoring beacons.  This gives cause for
concern.  Perhaps the only thing worse is someone admitting to listening to
numbers stations -- the whole program -- and writing all the numbers down.
Highly suspicious.  But that's not the issue.  While R-390A's differ as to
numbers of holes, official and unofficial mods, manufacturer, purity of
modules, etc., what do all have in common?  Even though the tags vary
somewhat, what do they all say, emblazened and indelibly etched alongside
the voltage requirements?  A low end of 500 kc.  Phil is operating his
R-390A at odds with the official nomenclature plate and, yes folks,
technically he is therefore "out of bounds".  Is nothing holy?

All this will have to be taken up before the tribunal.  Of course, I'll be a
character witness.  (People say I'm a real character ;-)

Barry

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