[R-390] Back!

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

Greetings to the list -

The trip to the Pacific NW was great, had a lot of fun, met two list 
members, got to see some nice radio and test gear, and found a few 
goodies to haul home. Ate well, slept late, and played a lot. Does 
vacation get any better than that??

Spent most of the first Saturday with Randy Zelick, visiting surplus 
stores and viewing his collection of 'stuff'. Went to three places, 2 of 
which were excellent sources of old pieces and gear, the other 
was....well...interesting? Ended up with a Rider's volume X, some pilot 
light lenses (green, 2/25�), rubber feet(4/50�), Jones/Cinch plugs(can't 
remember, but cheap) and nice old Peerless cathedral-shaped wooden 
accessory speaker(only $10!). Randy is a great fellow with a lot of 
nifty gear, some of which he is currently disposing of. Got to see his 
really clean EAC R-390A, looks like it just left the factory. Also got 
my mitts on the mysterious EK-07. Not my cup of tea (looks more like a 
piece of medical or lab equipment than radio gear to me), but it 
certainly fits the category of 'boatanchor' - you could put a pair of 
R-390s inside, and it certainly meets the weight requirement. Muckled 
onto it with both hands and had all I could do to lift it aside so I 
could get behind it. It's nearly the size of a dishwasher! Puts the 
R-390 series to shame in the 'easy-to-read meters' department, though. 
This thing has 'METERS'!

Spent last Saturday afternoon at Bob Tetrault's place. Bob also has a 
nice R-390A (can't recall the manufacturer's tag name) which I thought 
looked new or, at the very least, a low-hours rig. Bob pointed out to me 
that it was one of Fair Radio's examples from 'the pile' and sure 
enough, if you looked across the top edge of the panel it indeed had a 
slight bend to it just like he said. However, the paint, lettering, and 
knobs looked excellent, as did the internal workings. It's amazing how 
good this receiver looks, despite what it had been through over the 
years. Smooth dial spinnage, too. Looks so nice that I didn't even 
notice the ballast tube 'witch' mod at first. Nice IERC shields on the 
tubes. Also saw some very nice and extremely high-quality test 
equipment, some of which Bob used in the past for designing aircraft 
lighting, others he picked up surplus or at flea markets because the 
stuff is just so nice. Great - now I have something *else* to look for - 
more and better test gear. We then retired to the backyard for some hard 
cider and conversation. The really humorous part of visiting Bob was 
that he was right in my town just a few weeks ago for a family 
gathering, but wasn't able to wiggle free and come over for some 
radiotime. From left coast to right coast, back to left coast ending 
back on right coast. Just goes to show what us radio-types will go 
through for an eyeball.

Was also lucky enough to visit a couple of aviation museums while there, 
Pearson in Vancouver Washington and Evergreen Aviation in McMinnville, 
Oregon. Pearson is restored to an early 1900s (1920s?) airfield 
appearance with a restoration hangar attached. Both were well stocked 
with excellent examples or aircraft, Evergreen having the Hughes H-4 
(often referred to as the "Spruce Goose"). They were even having a 
'members only' grand opening of the restored cargo deck on the evening 
of the 4th while I was still there. My friend/tour 
guide/chauffeur/minder was not only tolerant of meeting some R-390 
radioheads and talking radio, she also likes warbirds and aircraft in 
general, so she bought a corporate membership through her consulting 
business and added me to the list so we could both return for the event. 
These 'independent women' aren't so bad! Anyhow, if you're out around 
the Portland Oregon/Vancouver Washington area, be sure to visit these 
museums if you like aircraft. The H-4 is just amazing, I'll eventually 
get the pictures posted online.

So, while there may not be a lot of R-390 or even 'radio-specific' 
places out there, you can certainly enjoy some interesting places, find 
a few goodies, and meet some good people from the list. That's one thing 
about R-390s and real radios in general: it's a universal affliction 
knowing no geographic bounds.

de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ