[R-390] R-390a Part Of First ELINT Satellite Recon System

[Tim Shoppa]

Cecil Acuff wrote:
 > One of the R-390A's looks to have a frequency
> counter mounted above it.

Almost certainly not a frequency counter but
a "digital clock" (really a timecode generator).
It might have synchronized to other base stations
via HF radio.

Look at the heights of the neon stacks:
Leftmost digit counts to 2, then up to 9, then up to
5, then up to 9, then up to 5 then up to 9.

You're right, those sorts of counter modules were also used
for frequency counters from the 50's onward.

>  Not sure what the other is unless it's a mixer of some sort to put
the 
> audio from both radio's on tape...

The standard for rocket telemetry puts timecodes into
or alongside the analog data stream and then puts it all
on tape so a mixer is very plausible.

> http://ncst-www.nrl.navy.mil/HomePage/GRAB/GRAB_Photos.html 

Tim.