[R-390] R-390 Digest, Vol 68, Issue 12

[Paul Anderson]

Hi Richard - Mark was asking about the R-391 autotune mechanism.

I have only heard about the TRD-1465 a little bit - hearing more
stories, or seeing pictures, would be very cool - anyone have any to
share?

Thanks and Merry Christmas everyone!

Paul

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 11:49 PM, Richard Spargur <k3ui at comcast.net> wrote:
> Is the Autotune you are referring to the AN/TRD-1465 system used to remotely
> tune R-390/URRs remotely?  The project name was "AUTOTUNE".  I believe only
> 11 of these systems were built and I would be supprised to see one had
> survived.  I would like to know if any survived.  Sprocketed pully
> wheels/gears were attached to the MC and KC change shafts and they were both
> tuned by belt fed servo motors to a frequency sent via teletype.  Odd to see
> work.  If not what type of autotune was this version.
>
> Richard
> K3UI
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:16:10 -0500
> From: Paul Anderson <paul at pdq.com>
> Subject: Re: [R-390] Autotune
> To: Mark McNulty <noggie1999 at yahoo.ca>
> Cc: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
> Message-ID:
>        <ee957a250912212016g5b0e82f5q2d4931d8830a8e38 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> There are slip clutches on the inside of the autotune units that need
> to turn free with the right amount of torque.  If the 50 year old
> grease is not cleaned out, they will not turn free, and the motor will
> tear up the line shaft pretty bad.
>
> If you haven't already, take the KC and MC tuner units off the
> chassis, soak them in appropriate solvent for awhile (I used kerosene
> for more than a week each).  At least then, the clutch should turn
> freely.
>
> If you choose not to clean the old grease out of the tuning units,
> then I strongly suggest not applying power.
>
> You also want to make absolutely certain that the tuner turns without
> any crunching whatsoever, as well, turning the lock pins slowly should
> produce no grinding, hangup, or other signs of dirt in the mechanism.
>
> As long as the end stop clutches can turn, then I don't think applying
> power to the motor will hurt or break anything unless you plan to use
> the tuning very much and don't lube it according to the manual.
>
> It's a neat mechanism when it works!
>
>
>
>
>