[R-390] Depot Dawgs

[Llgpt at aol.com]

I could not have said it better.....................well, I could have in  25 
words or less. But, this seems to be a "Barry" sort of thing......
 
Art Coalins, inventor of the coal fired,  Steam  Powered Radio
Cedar Lake, Ohio
 
 
In a message dated 7/25/2005 1:23:41 PM Central Daylight Time,  
barry at hausernet.com writes:

Oh no --  another Barry.  Well, I guess we may be missing one or two, but  
there's another who also just has "Barry" as the display name, so might be  
helpful if you added something to it.

"Depot Dawg" is more of a  realistic "term of endearment".  Whether done at 
the depots or some  time later, as you've affirmed, R-390's are modular and 
you're supposed to  be able to swap modules around.   Some have in mind the 
"holy  grail" of R-390A's -- the one where the modules all match.  From where 
 
I sit, I don't even know if all of the new receivers direct from the  various 
manufacturers matched in the first place. (could have "borrowed"  modules 
from other subcontractors if they needed them to complete rigs. )  The "NIB" 
find on the e-place may well be a matching one.

Are  radios with matching rubber stampings on the modules better than the  
majority?  Probably not.  It's just the rarity and novelty, I  guess.  Not 
motivating enough for me to go chasing one for a primo  price.

I don't know of a single "radio snob" on the list.  OK,  some are 
opinionated.  Some say that it's the original R-390 that's  the "man's 
radio", etc., but really not coming from an elitist  position.

Actually, it's pretty tricky to even set out to become an  R-390A snob. 
What's better?  Some prefer Collins made, but they are,  on average, older. 
There is the segment that want EAC '67's or  nothing.  How about an all 
Collins with matching modules except one,  an SW audio deck, vs. an EAC '67 
with matching modules, but isn't working  and has seen better days.  Or that 
Collins with one mismatch vs. a  Teledyne with all matching ones?  There are 
some practical reasons to  prefer the EAC '67's -- better Teflon insulated 
cables, etc, but not the  smoothest gear train.  And, going on 40 years old 
anyway, subject to  the same rebuild caveats as all of them.

Even that NIB -- if it is  really so, is way overdue for PM and is sitting 
there with failed caps  needing replacement.  Functionally, you're better off 
with a  privately preowned one that's been worked on and running up to  
yesterday.

But, back to simpler things.  The origin of the  "depot dawg" term is that a 
radio with mixed modules is analogous to a  mutt, while a radio with matching 
modules has some sort of pedigree.   The mongrelization may have just as 
readily occurred long after the  military, by private owners and even as you 
read this, somewhere in Lima  Ohio, modules are being mixed 'n matched to 
cobble together working radios  from the remains of St. Julien Creek massacre 
victims.  They may be  closer to "Franken-radios" than dawgs.  But after 
they're purchased,  cleaned up, restored and tweaked, they're as good as any.

Some still  seek the matching modules pedigrees, the grails.  Don't know what 
 
happens after they find 'em.  Either they get really lucky or struck  by 
lightning.  Maybe that explains what happened to some of the  missing list 
members. ;-)

To be clear, "depot dawg" is not a  putdown of the depot work.  Just an 
expression that covers the  majority of the receivers, including the ones 
that have been  professionally rebuilt at high cost.

Nobody's casting aspersions on  your work at the depot -- at least I'm not. 
The problem we have is with  the guys who ordered the guys who ordered the 
tank drivers to run over and  put down the other puppies.

best  regards
Barry