[R-390] Single Sideband reception with the R-390/R-390A

[Brad Huff]

Gentlemen,
I would like to thank all of the people that responded to my signal generator question a few days ago. I received responses within minutes of my posting. Unbelievable! That is what makes this group so great. I would now like to open a discussion about single side band reception with the R-390/R-390A series receivers. For the purpose of this discussion let us assume that the radio has been altered such that the AGC has been modified for proper SSB reception.  I have had experience with:
1) the radio with no external adaptors and increased BFO injection.
2) a CV-591A SSB adaptor.
3) a Hammarlund HC-10.
4) a Central Electronics Sideband Slicer.
5) a Sherwood Engineering SE-3
6) a PD-1.
I have not had any experience with the Capt. Lee onboard product detector mod or a couple of the home brew units that are out there. I have schematics and have ordered parts for one of the home brew units I just have not had the time to build it yet so I can not comment on these. The adaptors that I have mentioned are not necessarily in any particular order as far as favorites, I just listed them as I thought of them.
They all work. Some work better than others, and some folks can probably detect differences in the various units better than my tin ear. That is where you guys come in. I am curious as to your experiences and what you feel are the best units. Maybe we could rank the units that I have mentioned. Some units require external hardware to operate, that is, external amplifiers etc.. Some units will allow the audio to be fed back in to the receiver at the rear of the unit. Much has been written about the quality of the stock audio but I have found that the audio is quite acceptable if the audio deck is altered using Mike Murphy's suggestions. Any thoughts? Please respond to the entire group, it will be interesting to see what everyone's experiences are.-Brad