[R-390] Re: Shipping R-390s

[ToddRoberts2001 at aol.com]

I haven't had an R-390A damaged yet when it was properly double-boxed and 
using dense foam as packing material. I have had good luck with styrofoam sheet 
in the past but dense foam sheeting is even better as it has a little more 
"give" and will cushion better in the event of a hard knock. First surround the 
radio on all sides with about 2 or 3 inches thickness of dense foam packing 
inside an inner box. The radio should be firm inside the inner box. Then pack this 
inside an outer box with another 2 or 3 inches of dense foam between all 
sides. It is also good insurance to use double-wall cardboard boxes for the 
containers, not single-wall. Also recommended to remove the power supply and ship 
separately to reduce weight-stress on the radio during shipping. Only problem 
with that is most people don't know how to pack a heavy dense object like a 
transformer for shipping. Best way is to get a long sheet of stiff cardboard a few 
inches wider than the power supply and literally roll up the power supply 
inside the cardboard sheet and secure it with strong tape. There should be an 
inch or two of overlap of cardboard around the edges of the power supply module. 
Then surround this with about 3 inches thickness of dense foam or 4 inches of 
styrofoam sheet on all sides inside a double-wall cardboard box. Make 
double-sure the power supply is firm inside the box. If it can shift around then it 
could be headed for trouble, as the heavy weight can pound around and damage 
styrofoam sheeting. I have found that bubble wrap is almost worthless around 
edges and sharp corners of heavy items. It is okay around light items like tubes 
but for heavy items dense foam works the best that I have seen. Noodles can 
work for filler between the inner box and outer box but if the box is torn or a 
flap opens up during shipping then the noodles can leak out leaving the radio 
more vulnerable to damage. Plus you have to pack very tightly with noodles to 
avoid having them drift around or settle to one side during shipping. That is 
why it is best to use dense foam. Dense foam is available in sheets of varying 
thickness and is easy to cut with a knife. Also best to use fiberglass 
reinforced shipping tape, not the cheap clear plastic tape and be generous with the 
tape when sealing the cardboard boxes.  73 Todd Roberts WD4NGG.