[R-390] alignment assistance for an R-390A beginner

[Bryce Ringwood]

Dear Antero,

Welcome.  The majority of the group are in a different time zone and
will offer their wisdom when they awaken. I'm afraid my advice to you
would probably cause a furore as there are others who know much more
about the 390A than I do.  There is a wealth of information in the
pearls of wisdom http://www.r-390a.net/Pearls/

The R8B can be used to adjust the frequency and end-points of the PTO,
and also to check the 1st Oscillator crystal frequencies are correct.
The 455kHz IF strip must be in approximate alignment, so I would tackle
the  RF stage next.  I'm not sure how you would proceed without some
sort of signal generator.  I just use an ancient signal generator
(Clough-Brendell w/lethal PSU) and set its frequencies accurately with a
digital Rx. 

Now there's one thing I'm not understanding - "Medium Wave
Sensitivity".  In the evenings here, stations can be heard from quite
long distances on Medium Wave, but there's a huge level of background
noise - much of man-made from TVs and goodness only knows what else, but
the level of atmospheric noise is around S5 on all my Rxs.  Most of the
local stations pin the meter. (Again on all Rxs). The question then, is
does sensitivity matter much above 10 MHz or so ? and should I buy a
Drake R8B ?

Best wishes - Bryce

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