[R-390] Yet another Black Panel '390A on the 'bay

[Steve Goode]

My dad worked at Augusta as a QA inspector.  I actually visited Augusta when
I was about 10 and saw the high speed printers for the dew line being
tested.  I had a print out from one of them for many years.

My dad also worked on the R-390As.  I am not sure that was at Augusta.  It
may have been at Clyborn.  I will try to ask him about these things.  The
problem is that he at times does not recognize my brother or myself, so I am
not sure how accurate any information from him would be.  This is really a
problem with anyone's memory.  Time plays tricks on what you believe is
fact.  The only real believable way to prove the black front issue would be
an original contract with black fronts being specified.

My 2 cents,

Steve, K9NG




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Camp" <ham at cq.nu>
To: "Les Locklear" <Llgpt at aol.com>
Cc: <R-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 7:18 AM
Subject: Re: [R-390] Yet another Black Panel '390A on the 'bay


> Hi
>
> This is more in the line of an interesting story than hard data.
>
> The R390's and 390A's from Motorola were made at the Augusta Boulevard
> plant in Chicago. That plant was long gone from the Motorola empire by
> the time I got there but the stories lived on.
>
> Like a lot of factories in that era pretty much everything was done on
> site. They did painting in house. Repainting equipment carts to your
> department's colors was a favorite night time sport. They would paint
> anything any color 24 hours a day ....
>
> Since they did the front panels in house varying the color would have
> been easy. I have also seen evidence that they repainted front panels
> on new radios in production. It's very likely that they repainted
> panels as a repair process.
>
> I find the theory that they painted some of the production radios black
> plausible. I have yet to see evidence that it happened as a "painted
> that way new" process rather than a repaint later in life. There is
> evidence of white panel and light blue panel radios out there. The same
> thing applies to them. They certainly existed in military service. How
> they got that way nobody seems to know.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> Bob Camp
> KB8TQ
>
>
>
> On Apr 19, 2005, at 11:20 PM, Llgpt at aol.com wrote:
>
> >
> > Several ex-operators who worked for the NSA in various capacities while
> > still attached to the United States Naval Security Group (in various
> > locations)
> > would tell us different. Another friend who worked for Motorola at
> > Wright
> > Patterson said that they (Motorola) made up a batch of fifty for the
> > USN. If you
> > have ever been aboard ship at night and tried to see the front panel
> > detail
> > with  red night lanterns will know what I'm talking about. The claim
> > was the
> > black  panel with the white engravings/silk-screen provided a much
> > better
> > contrast.  Howard Mills has what sure appears to be an original black
> > front panel.
> > I've  seen several myself.
> >
> > For the non-believers, be careful of strange visitors.............
> >
> > Les Locklear
> >
> >
> > In a message dated 4/19/2005 10:08:30 PM Central Daylight Time,
> > chacuff at cableone.net writes:
> >
> > Well his  text states there is no documentation that black faced
> > R-390A's
> > were ever  manufactured.  I thought there was.....Where's Les!
> >
> > It looks like  a demilled radio to me.  Missing meters.  Missing tag.
> > Who
> > knows.  Bet it still goes for over  1K....
> >
> > Cecil...
> >
> >
> >
> >
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