[R-390] R-388 Info

[Cecil Acuff]

Good info Roy...I didn't know that.

I had an R-388 when I was a teenager....It had been dropped, it looked like,
out of the back of a truck.  The front panel had a rounded bend in it near
the bottom right corner you could place a lemon in.  It also damaged the
chassis and some of the assemblies behind the panel.  I had hopes of
straightening everything out and rehabilitating it. (had it in my blood even
back then)  My parents though I was crazy I think.

It would have been a nice companion to the complete and beautiful Collins
KWS-1 I had picked up for $100 from an Air Force Officer who was shipping
out.  I had restored the KWS-1 power supply and fired the transmitter up.
It never made more than a few watts.  Didn't have the test equipment nor
experience/knowledge to fix the thing...(did have a full manual)..and my Mom
wanted the thing out of my room.  I allowed it to be stolen from me by a
knowledgeable local Collins guy by trading it for a National NC-183D that
did at least work.  Wouldn't give me the matching speaker though.

Sure wish I had that KWS-1 back.

An R-390A would work well with it too....(I'm back on topic now!)

Cecil...


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roy Morgan" <roy.morgan@nist.gov>
To: "Bud K5IUO" <K5IUO@sbcglobal.net>; "R-390" <R-390@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 10:48 AM
Subject: Re: [R-390] R-388 Info


> At 04:08 PM 2/5/04 -0700, Bud K5IUO wrote:
> >I have an opportunity to obtain either a R-388 or an SP-600. Both are in
> >very good condition.
>
> Cecil,
>
> One point that may not have been mentioned yet: the R-388 PTO's.
>
> The R-388 PTO's can be divided into two groups: those which do not drift
> and those which do, always have and always will.  By "drift", I mean the
> "endpoint spread" increases slowly over time.  That means that it takes
> more than 10 turns of the shaft to change the PTO frequency the one
> megacycle it is intended to change.
>
> Here are significant points about this situation:
> - The only way you can know which you have is to get the radio and try it
out.
> - Non-drifting PTO's are not rare but you don't know which you have till
> you have it. Do not rely on any seller to tell you the truth. They may not
> know what you are talking about.
> - There is no cure for a drifting PTO.  You can re-align it to bring the
> spread back to correct, but it will continue to drift.  (Some folks
> overcompensate about 2 to 3 years worth of drift and then count on doing
it
> again after 4-6 years.)
> - Careful overhaul of a PTO and correction of drift is not for the novice,
> but is certainly doable if you are a capable technician and take advice
well.
> - This situation of a drifting PTO only bothers some people, not all.
> - The receiver is still very useful, and normal operating procedure
> compensates for the errors.
>
> Roy
>
> - Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing!
> 7130 Panorama Drive, Derwood MD 20855
> Home: 301-330-8828 Work: Voice: 301-975-3254,  Fax: 301-948-6213
> roy.morgan@nist.gov --
>
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