[R-390] R-390 Frequency Label 4596.5

[rbethman]

The entire RBS - (Radar Bomb  Scoring) System was a good bit more 
widespread than most would believe.  In addition to places like 
"Beefeater Bombplot", there were USAF rail cars that traveled the 
country as RBS mobile stations.

Additionally, the Army Nike sites ran RBS missions.  They would track 
the incoming acft, communicating with them, using the winds aloft data, 
get tone at the BRL, (Bomb Release Line), then using those antique 
computers, calculate the point of impact.

A score of "Shack" was issued when the calculated point was within 
300meters.

The actual track plots, and resultant calculations were packaged up and 
sent as classified mail.

I have NO idea how many of these locations used R-390s or R-390As.  I 
would suppose that the rail cars used them at a minimum.  The folks at 
the Nike sites never saw the radios used.  So I could not tell you from 
that aspect.

Bob - N0DGN

On 4/10/2010 10:21 PM, Gary Pewitt wrote:
> The R-390 receiver at Beefeater Bombplot -Radar Bomb Scoring Site- near
> Wilder, Idaho was set on 5710 HF permanently.  That was in the middle to
> late '60's.
> 73  Gary  N9ZSV
>
>
>
> On 4/10/2010 11:15 AM, James Young wrote:
>    
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> My recently acquired R-390 (1951 Motorola contract) came with a Dymo-type
>> label at the top center above the nomenclature tag that simply says "4596.5"
>> and it has me curious. Should I infer that my 390 spent countless hours
>> listening to this one frequency at some Cold War listening post? Or would
>> that be over-romanticizing the vague history of my receiver?
>>
>> I will not pull the label off, nor would I paint over a blue stripe if I had
>> one. These and other artifacts are testaments to the serviceability of the
>> design and in the case of the blue paint, the indignities so many sustained.
>>
>> If anyone has comments about the "4596.5" label I'd be interested to hear
>> them. Does it ring any bell or conjure up speculation about my 390's
>> previous life?
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Jim Young W8MAQ
>>
>>
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>>      
>
>
>
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