[R-390] AN/FRR-51 dual diversity system?

Fri Apr 29 19:51:20 EDT 2011

There's good news and there's bad news.

The good news is that sometime around 1955 to maybe even 1958, the Navy published a ten-volume set of books titled "Director of Communication Equipment" (NAVSHIPS 94200.1) and it described everything, including using poor quality images, that the Navy was using or could use (therefore including Army and USAF equipment) on land, sea, and air.  I have all ten original volumes.

The bad news is that I can find only Volumes 4 through 9.

Some examples of equipment described therein:

AN/TRD-3, covered by TM 11-629/TO31R4-2TRD3-21:
1 R-389
1 AS-595( )?GR
1 IP-137( )/GRD
Shelter S-44
1 GO-9( )/TRD-3
1 GO-5( )/GRD

AN/MRD-15, specified but never produced
It included 3 R-390( )s
1 GO-5( )/GRD
1 GO-6( )/GRD
1 MX-1170( )/GRD
1 AM-496( ).TRD-4
1 T-279( )/TR

AN/URR-49( ), specified but never produced
2 R-390( )s
1 AN/URA-8B

AN/URR-23 or 23A
1 Radio Receiver R-388 or R-381A (51J4)
1 LS-175/U or LS-199/U
1 CY-1235/URR

AN/MSQ-38, specified but never produced
1 R-220/URR
1 R-390( )/URR
1 AN/FRR-21
1 R-467/ALR
etc.

AN/FRR-49 is described in many variants based upon frequency range, using tuning heads for the FRR-502

Many other AN/FRR receiving sets ranging from the AN/FRR-3 to the AN/FRR-5 (never fielded) to the AN/FRR-60 are described but NOT the AN/FRR-51.  However, an AN/FRR-51is certainly within the realm of having been planned.

Of course, there's also multitudes of AN/MRR, SRR, and URR, and WRR receiving sets listed.

Bill Neill
Conroe, Texas

On Apr 28, 2011, at 1:53 PM, Nick England wrote:

> Anyone ever heard of the following?
> Navy AN/FRR-51 dual-diversity HF receiving system with 10 channel
> auto-tune (0.5-32 mc)
> components -
>   R-792/URR receiver (2 ea.)
>   CU-560/URR antenna coupler
>   C-2087/URR receiver control
>   C-2086/URR remote switching control
>   CV-116/URR dual diversity FSK converter
>   CV-395/U Signal Data Converter
>   CY-1119/U cabinet
> Googling didn't show up anything except on the CV-116 and I know what that is.
> Above info from a September 1956 Nomenclature Card according to a Navy
> ESO publication
> 
> Anyone? Anyone?
> 
> What about this theory - I read somewhere that Hoffman Labs developed
> a receiver but it never made it into production - could this R-792
> nomenclature have been assigned for this system that never got built?
> 
> Time frame seems right, CV-116 was a Hoffman design, and Hoffman
> supplied FRR-38 diversity systems (2 R-390 + CV-116) - would have been
> a logical step for them to make an R-391 competitor?
> 
> (Note this FRR-51 is not a relabeled R-391 based system - R-391 had 8
> channels, not 10, and also required a 28v supply for the autotune)
> cheers,
> Nick K4NYW
> www.navy-radio.com