[R-390] More Advice on Replacing Components

[Perry Sandeen]

Hi Jerry,

Welcome to the list!

I’m making an educated guess that you are a new owner of one of our beloved Boat Anchors.  If I’m wrong, I apologize.

All the proceeding comments that have been made are accurate but I want to add a bit more.

There are three ways to do this hobby.

1.  Use the radio until it fails then seek help.  Not recommended

2.  Buy a top-notch refurbished BA radio from Rick Mash, Chuck Felton, Charles Ripple or other well known restorers.  Then fire up and listen.  Expensive but very doable.

3.  Buy your BA, some test equipment and spare parts and learn to maintain it yourself.  This is what most of us do.  There is no Radio-TV repair shop service.  You will probably end up spending as much or more for test equipment than you paid for your radio. 

Some, like me, get into it fairly deeply.  I have 16 BA’s of various types awaiting restoration.  My test equipment investment over the years totals over $2k.  Many others have much more invested many less.  (FYI Uncle Sam trained me on the R-390/A in 1962.)

As these radios are over 50 years old my personal belief is to replace all the resistors with metal film types and at least all the paper capacitors, postage stamp micas, bypass ceramics and some silver mica capacitors.  (You will get various opinions about this.)  A complete rehab takes a lot of time and patience.  The benefit is that once you do this your radio probably not need any more components during all the time you’ll you use it.  With the new components it will be able to be aligned to perform better that when it came from the factory and stay that way.

Knowledge is your most valuable tool.  Download the Y2K-R3 manual from the R-390 faq site.  Roger  Ruszkowski has gracious donated enough material that when learned will make you a master of repairing the R-390/A.  

Also download W. Li’s “Pearls” as well as the previous reflector notes.  Last but not least the list members are always willing to share their knowledge.  However, under any circumstances do not to use the word Kielbasa.  The list reaction will be worse than saying squirrels to a pack of dogs.<G>  

So you pays your money and takes your choice.

Regards,

Perrier