[R-390] Black Panel '390A and other rambling

[Bob Camp]

Hi

Based only on talking to people at Motorola who worked on the R390's 
they put  a lot of work into them. The PTO corrector stack adjustment 
process was famous even twenty years later. I suspect they bid the 
contract as they saw it - build the whole radio. Some of the later 
contracts had the PTO built by an outside contractor.

	Take Care!

		Bob Camp
		KB8TQ


On Apr 22, 2005, at 10:49 AM, Steve Goode wrote:

> My understanding, which is fourth hand with no real facts, was that 
> Motorola
> was not disqualified from bidding.  They just lost the bid to other
> companies.  The lowest bid/bids win.  I think my dad's complaint was 
> that
> Moto had two contracts of experience building 390A's.  They knew the 
> costs
> and put in a fair bid.  The other companies had no experience, except 
> for
> Collins which I don't know if they bid or not.  Helena-Rubenstein 
> would know
> better than Motorola what it cost to build an R-390A?
>
> Is there any evidence that the later Motorola units were assembled 
> poorer
> than the earlier units?
>
> Steve, K9NG
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Camp" <ham at cq.nu>
> To: "Steve Goode" <goode at tribeam.com>
> Cc: <R-390 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 9:31 AM
> Subject: Re: [R-390] Black Panel '390A and other rambling
>
>
>> Hi
>>
>> The contracting on the 390A was very similar to a lot of systems. As
>> time goes on the contractors are often less and less capable. There 
>> are
>> a few cases this has not been true, but usually it is.
>>
>> Take Care
>>
>> Bob Camp
>> KB8TQ
>>
>> On Apr 22, 2005, at 10:18 AM, Steve Goode wrote:
>>
>>> I talked to my dad last night.  Unfortunately the only info I was 
>>> able
>>> to
>>> get from him was that I did not go to Augusta.  He took me to Clyborn
>>> to see
>>> the dew line printers.  There you go for remembering facts.  Although
>>> I was
>>> about 10 years old and really only knew I was going to where dad
>>> worked.
>>>
>>> He could not remember anything about the 390.  I believe he only
>>> worked on
>>> the 390A's.  I vaguely remember him complaining that Motorola lost 
>>> the
>>> 390A
>>> contract to some company that had no experience building them.  They
>>> were
>>> not even an electronics company! This could have been referring to
>>> Helena-Rubenstein.  But it also could have been Stewart-Warner, or 
>>> even
>>> both.  A short time after Moto lost the contract my dad was laid-off
>>> for
>>> quite a while.  It was hard times for the family.  He was mad at the
>>> world
>>> and we were the closest part of the world.  I do not know why he did
>>> not go
>>> to Stewart-Warner and work for them on the 390As.  They were also in
>>> Chicago
>>> at the time I believe.  He was finally called back to Moto to work on
>>> other
>>> government contracts.
>>>
>>> So I would have liked to own a Motorola R-390A.  I never wanted a
>>> Stewart-Warner.  If a Helena-Rubenstein actually exists, I'd only 
>>> want
>>> to
>>> piss on it.  What I have is a nice depot-dog with no Stewart-Warner
>>> modules.
>>>
>>> So much for history,
>>>
>>> Steve, K9NG
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Steve Goode" <goode at tribeam.com>
>>> To: "Bob Camp" <ham at cq.nu>; "Les Locklear" <Llgpt at aol.com>
>>> Cc: <R-390 at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 9:52 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [R-390] Yet another Black Panel '390A on the 'bay
>>>
>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>
>