[R-390] 5749 Tube purchase

[DJED1 at aol.com]

I don't think the prices had dropped that much by the mid-70s.  I  bought my 
R-390A in the early '70s, about a year after they first made it onto  the 
surplus scene.  They started out at $2000, and had dropped to $695 by  the time I 
bought.  (I've got an ad from Dec, 1972 CQ sitting here which  advertises the 
R-390A for $750, the SP-600 for $285, and a CV157 for  $125!) Got a CY979 
cabinet for another $100.  Accounting for  inflation, I figure I paid the 
equivalent of $3000 in today's dollars, so the  prices have to go up some more before 
I break even.
On the topic of 5749s I've only replaced a couple of tubes in the  35 years 
I've had the radio, so I don't need to add to my stash of tubes in my  
lifetime.  Turning the radio on and off all those years finally did wear  out the 
microswitch, but it saved replacing a lot of tubes.
Ed



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