[R-390] Filter Options II

[Bob Camp]

Hi

For a while tubes were the "panic item" on these radios. Eventually we found that the DOD had a panic attack over them as well. Net result is a stack of tubes big enough to keep the radios going in occasional use pretty much forever. That of course assumes there is no nasty fungus that eats tubes or something like that. 

Power transformers are another common lose it and you're dead item. Short of a lightning strike, they seem to be pretty durable. Like other modules there are spares running around. We seem to panic over the every time lighting strikes…

We do indeed have or ballast tube issues. Long ago the assembled multitude figured out how to get around that issue. Can I buy one - sure. Would I pay the price - nope. At least I have a choice. 

Radios like the R-390(A or not) likely will out live much of what came after them. Integrated circuits have a number of issues that limit their life. Not all of them will die, but the ones that do will be impossible to replace. Loose one and you loose the radio. Might you cobble something up? You might for one or two failures. The most likely to fail parts (CPU's / ROM's / RAM) are also the ones that went obsolete the quickest. We have fun looking for the last stock of filters that was built for 20+ years, they have to look for the last stock of CPU's that were made for 2 or 3 years.

We may not like it, but the market does work in all of these situations. There is indeed a price that you can pay for the last CPU in the universe. As with the ballast tube, it's not one I would likely pay. Just as Fair Radio wants $1,200 for an R-390A (up from $125), things don't seem to get cheaper as time goes by. I seem to recall spending $125 just for partial IF deck long after the $125 radios were all gone. 

Not getting any cheaper, but I believe it's still worth it.

Bob




On Feb 18, 2013, at 1:25 PM, Tisha Hayes <tisha.hayes at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am guilty of keeping a pristine condition IF deck as a spare module. The
> same with every other module in the receiver to keep my two active
> receivers up and running. Squirreled away is a engraved faceplate with
> handles, a bag of connectors that had been cut-off of some eBay special by
> a salvager, maybe a half dozen loose filters of unknown vintage and enough
> tubes, knobs, clamps and pieces and parts to practically build another
> receiver (minus the chassis).
> 
> I hope the folks who do keep living receivers going have a tiny preserve of
> spare parts to keep them glowing. If we keep a sense of community then we
> can help each other out without giving away the bank. Some people have
> massive parts collections (remember me in your will, LOL) and build or
> rebuild receivers for a hobby. If Perry ever wants to sell one of his
> "specials" I would love to have one. In fact Perry has an impressive
> collection of test equipment too that I have an envious eye for (lol).
> -- 
> Ms. Tisha Hayes/ AA4HA
> 
> 
> *"neque est alter hujus universi locus quam anima"*
> *('For there is for this universe no other place than the soul or mind')*
> *-Arthur Schopenhauer*
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