[R-390] FRR-59/URR

[Craig Anderson Ext 1365]

I actually owned two of these behemoths back in the late 80's.  One of
which I purchased from Rick Mish at Miltronix.  The FRR-59 makes the
R-390A look like a crystal radio in its complexity since it uses 64
tubes and uses a tube based frequency synthesizer.  Trying to get the
thing to work was a nightmare.  The documentation is hard to get and the
thing is so big that it is difficulty to work on.  It is not a
particularly good radio anyway.  I think this was the contract that
finally killed National.  I talked to an ex-Navy technician who had
worked on these and he was not impressed.  Their reliability was less
than stellar.  No comparison to the R-390A or R-1051.  The two best days
of my life...the day I acquired and FRR-59 and the day I finally sold
them both!

 

W9CLA