[R-390] It followed me home

[triodes at optonline.net]

Hi Barry,

The CY-979A/URR was made by several different contractors. Taffett  was one of them, along with the following others that I have seen:

Avco, Division of Crosley Mfg.

Radio City Manufacturing

There were several other contractors, but I cannot seem to recall them at this time.

I have both Avco and Radio City cabinets. I think the build quality of the Avco unit is better than the Radio City Unit. Of possible interest, the Avco CY-979A/URR that I have is serial number one. I often wonder if this was the very first CY-979A/URR to roll off the assembly line for an early run of the R-390 receivers, but I think the correct answer is long lost to history.

A quality restoration of these cabinets is quite easy. Have the cabinet and the mounting rails/sleds glassbeaded at low pressure with a fine grade abrasive, so as to avoide damaging or distorting the wire mesh shielding. Before glassbeading, neatly mask the  nickel-plated rails the receiver rests on within the cabinet with several layers of masking tape, so the glassbeading will not ruin the shiny finish of the plating. Feather sand out any imperfections in the cabinet surface with a fine grade of sandpaper. Remove the masking tape and polish the nickel-plated rails to a high gloss with very fine steel wool. Be sure to also carefully mask before painting, the nickel-plated rails as well as the attachment points for the two spring grounding clips mounted on the top inner surface of the cabinet. 

For paint, I used an oven-dry enamel that matches the FED-STD-595 color code these units (and the front panel of the R-390/390A receivers) were originally painted with; the color code is 26152, light gray semi-gloss. This material is available from Spectrum Coatings of Providence, RI.

Good luck with your CY-979A/URR!

73,

Bruce, W2XR

----- Original Message -----
From: Barry 
Date: Monday, August 18, 2008 2:24 pm
Subject: Re: [R-390] It followed me home
To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net

> > Sometimes it pays to look under the tables at a hamfest. A CY-979A
> > followed me home from the Huntsville Hamfest today. Looks 
> really nifty with my
> > R390A (what there is of it) inside it. It has a few 
> scratches, and one of the
> > skids is slightly bent (an easy fix), but overall, a nice cabinet.
> > 
> > Barry - N4BUQ 
> 
> Just wondering if anyone knows anything about the manufacturer 
> of this case - Taffet Electronics, Inc. A web search doesn't 
> turn up much, especially not for a CY-979A/URR.
> 
> Barry - N4BUQ
> 
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