[R-390] Collins Book and Preproduction R-390

Tue, 29 Oct 2002 18:10:46 -0800 (PST)

I believe the book about Collins amateur gear done by Trinity Publishing of
Dallas shows a gaggle of 390's being tested in a lab.

I'll  bet your radio is in this photo!

Tom
--- Barry Hauser <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Ray & list:
> 
> What Danny described was both the tag (I assume) with "PP-2" and the
> stenciled stuff which is on the _side_, not the panel.  There's also that
> PP-7 on the power supply.  An engraved (punched/stamped, etc.) is not
> inconsistent.  If I'm not mistaken, only some Collins manufactured R-390A's
> came with silk screened panels.  Weren't all the non-A's "engraved"?
> 
> It would seem there's some credence to this unit.  It's also possible that
> small batches of pre-production units were shipped at a time, and as part of
> the checkout process, modules may have been intentionally swapped to check
> consistency -- plug 'n playability -- interchangability of parts, etc.
> (consistency of machining, no custom tweaking causing one module to not work
> optimally when just dropped into another radio, etc.)  This is something you
> would do with firearms -- one of the first products of the industrial
> revolution offering true interchangeability of parts.  This theory would
> explain why the tag says PP-2 and the power supply says PP-7.
> 
> Now this was a privately owned radio.  It didn't come directly from the
> gov't.  Some post-depot module swapping may have occurred over the last
> several decades.  So it doesn't have to be 100% to have some validity.  Dave
> W. pointed out that pre-production units were not put in service, just put
> away.  But most R-390's have been around the block a few times since, in
> civilian hands.
> 
> One way to tell is to put it up for auction and see (as someone suggested)
> if it does draw enough  to pay a kid's college tuition -- and maybe some
> extra money to buy/adopt a kid if you don't already have one.
> 
> I'm still waiting for a Helga Rubenstern radio to turn up, or a Maybelline,
> Max Factor or even an Avon.
> 
> Did Gen. MacArthur have his own monogrammed R-390?  If so, did Harry Truman
> confiscate it?
> Or did it just fade away?  Or was it an SP-600?
> 
> Barry
> 
> 
> > But when the R-390's went thru the depot, didn't they just pull the tag
> > off the panel? Then when a radio rebuild was finished they pulled a tag
> > out of the bin and slapped it on the panel? So except for finding the
> > specifications of the original order (as to whether it called for silk
> > screened or engraved panel) there is no way of knowing what panel came
> > with what order. My old Imperial tagged R-390A was engraved and had all
> > kinds of modules in it, not one of which I could identify as being an
> > Imperial module. Played fine.
> >
> > Unless someone took possession of an R-390/390A direct from the factory
> > and it has never been out of their sight, I don't think anyone can truly
> > say they have an "original" radio with all "original" modules and the
> > tag that matches.
> >
> >
> >
> > Richard Loken wrote:
> >
> > > On Tue, 29 Oct 2002, Danny Lunstrum wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >>This is my first message to the group.  I have been a subscriber and
> have
> > >>been reading messages for some time.  I went to a hamfest last Sunday
> and
> > >>bought what I thought was an ordinary R-390 (non-A) receiver.  The only
> thing
> > >>that was out of the ordinary was the serial number- "PP-2".  When I got
> home
> > >>with the unit I noticed a poorly stenciled notice on the side.  I cannot
> make
> > >>out every word in it, but it sounds like this is a "Preproduction"
> R-390".
> > >>Here is the what is stenciled on the side except for the few words that
> are
> > >>illegible.  "This equipment was tested as a preproduction sample by the
> > >>Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories.  It is ??  ???? intact without
> > >>alteration or improvement of any kind for use by the Signal Corps ????
> by
> > >>???."  The question marks indicate words I cannot make out.  The order
> number
> > >>is 14214-PH-51-93 and was manufactured by Collins Radio Company.  The
> ballast
> > >>tube, V-512, is marked 2HTF11B and is missing.  The front panel
> lettering is
> > >>punched, not silkscreened.  The power supply has a nomenclature tag with
> the
> > >>serial number PP-7 stamped on it.
> > >>
> > >
> > > Sure looks the l@@k rare preproduction approval sample alright.
> > >
> > > I have an R390 Serial Number 2459 from Order Number 14214-PH-51-93 which
> has
> > > an engraved panel so the engraved part is not unusual.  I think this was
> the
> > > first order and they made a heck of a lot of them.  Did all orders
> require
> > > pre-production samples do you suppose?  Or only the first one?
> > > ---
> > >    Richard Loken VE6BSV, Systems Programmer - VMS
> > >    Athabasca University
> > >    Athabasca, Alberta Canada
> > >    ** [email protected] **
> > >
> 
> 
> 
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