[R-390] Anyone Know about this FSK device & Value?

[Roy Morgan]

At 10:59 AM 6/23/2005, RLucch2098 at aol.com wrote:
>Hi All;
>When I bought my last Motorola R-390A, the seller included this device.
>He said it was used with the R-390A's but would like to get any info I can,
>like value, etc!
>It is an FSK converter CV-116C/URR, no cables & untested.

Rich,

Yup, sure enough.  It's a CV-116 terminal unit. these things apparently 
preceded the URA-8A with it's pair of CV-89 converters (though it might 
have been the other way around.)

The CV-115 is more or less half of a CV-116, with only one channel. I have 
a CV-115 and a manual for the CV-116.

As you can see, it is a tube- and mass- intensive device. The 115 is about 
all I want to lift at one time.  And apparently they really DO need all 
those fans.

If an R-390A owner wants an authentic period companion tuning unit for 
his/her radio, this is a prime candidate.  I plan to get my CV-115 running 
for the experience, then will perhaps pass it along to someone else as part 
of a long-term weight and volume reduction program here.

I can't say a thing about the performance of these things, 
unfortunately.  I think they are slope (discriminator) type units, and will 
not outperform a Dovetron by any means.  The 116 seems to contain a 
comparitor of sorts for two-channel mulitplex.  Very likely it will drive 
your 60 ma machine(s) directly.

  As to the value, quite some years ago, I paid about $100 for my CV-115, 
and that may well have been too high.  At that time, the Hamfest price 
might have been much less.  I don't know of any being sold other than mine, 
though, so this is only one spurious data point.

I suggest you try the electrolytics if you can find any, the fire it up. 
Those little metal cans in among the tubes are capacitors, and may well be 
paper caps that are subject to failure/leakage.  If so, any would-be 
operator will have quite a restoration project on his hands.

Roy



- Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing!
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