[R-390] Nolan's Flight of the Phoenix

[Don Heywood]

Some one wanted to see the Flight of the Phoenix email from Nolan Lee, here is part one.  
I miss him too.  Don WC4G

Subject: 
>         [R-390] Flight of the Phoenix Msg 1
>   Date: 
>         Tue, 19 May 1998 17:30:22 -0500
>   From: 
>         Nolan Lee <nlee at communique.net>
>     To: 
>         R390A Gurus <r-390 at qth.net>
> 
> 
> Starting a couple of days ago, I pulled what was left of my first
> (aquired in the mid 1970's) R390A out of the attic where it's been
> baking for 5 or 6 years or so at high temp, here in the Deep South.
> Is it soup yet ma? You bet! Mmmmm mmmmmm good bubba!
> 
> I had retired it after a rather spectacular IF deck meltdown. When
> it went, it looked like a special effect from either Star Trek Next
> Generation or an old Voyage to the Bottom of ther Sea re-run. Ever
> wonder why they didn't used fuses on that submarine?
> 
> After putting the fire out. I shut it down and stuffed one of the
> spare IF decks in it. No good, it was gone. DOA bubba. I didn't feel
> like looking for a cure at the time so I did something like was done
> to Walt Disney's body. Since I was just a rather poor Redneck at the
> time, and am still, I didn't have access to a cryogenic chamber to
> freeze it. Instead, I stuffed it in the attic where a generous coating
> of mud dauber nests and some of that there theroputic heat stuff would
> preserve it for future generations in the event I died before I could
> fix it.
> 
> At any rate, a couple of days ago, I was up there fixing the attic vent
> fan that died a couple of three years ago and I happened to see it.
> It was setting there calling to me. "Fix me....fix me......" I sat the
> quart of beer down and hauled the 390A down the ladder. I let it sit
> in a low spot under a tree in the shade for a few hours to cool down
> before I hosed it off. I didn't want to subject it to sudden thermal
> shock. If might have damaged something. After it cooled (about 4 beers
> later) I took it apart and used about 6 cans of Gunk on it. Sure nuff
> looks purty now. All of the protective mud dauber nests are gone along
> with the grease off of the geartrain. A side benefit was that I finally
> got around to filling in that low spot that the wife's been complaing
> about for ten years or so. I bent me up a mess of hooks and then hung
> each
> of the modules on the clothesline to dry in the sun.
> 
> I intend to go thru each of the modules and resurect this thing. Since
> the RF Deck is a pain to remove for occasional repairs, I want to pay
> special attention to it.
> 
> Here is a list of questions concerning the repair of that there RF Deck
> thing that I'd really appreciate yall answering.
> 
> 1. I've checked all of the carbon resistors in it and will have to
> replace
>    about a half a dozen or so of them. Since carbon resistors suck in
> the
>    long run, what would be the best non-inductive resistor to replace
>    these with? Think it's worth the hell of changing ALL of them?
> 
> 2. The three brown tubular caps suck (1 blowed up bubba, 2 cracked).
>    What's the best long term replacement for these?
> 
> 3. What's accepted as the best grease for lubricationg the gears and
>    rollers. I used rifle grease for years, but remember, I'm a Redneck
>    so I'm sure that there are higher tech lubricants.
> 
> 4. Ideas on the best oil to lubricate the bronze bushings in the gear
>    train where the various sharts extend thru the RF Deck panels? I
>    used 40W motor oil, jes' like the tractor.......ideas on something
>    better?
> 
> 5. This deck is marked as having Mod 5 done. What exactly did Mod 5
>    involve? What's the oldest bulldog you know of?
> 
> 6. I don't like the looks of several of the little coaxial cables
>    that extent to the other modules. Anyone know the specs on this
>    coax? I'd like to replace several of them.
> 
> 7. I've never knowingly had a mica cap go bad in a 390A. Come to think
>    of it, I don't think I've ever had a mica cap go bad in anything.
>    Removing and checking every one of them with a bridge would take
>    forever. ;-( Should I even bother? I say know, but some of yall
>    are a lot sharper. What do YOU think?
> 
> 8. Have I missed anything concerning the IF deck? Anything I should
>    look for that some of you guys that have repaired dozens of these
>    things have seen? Evil forces? The dark side?
> 
> 9. I'd imagine that the chokes and ceramic discs are all OK. Comments?
> 
> 10.See, you didn't think I could count that high with only 9 fingers,
>    huh?
> 
> thanks in advance,
> nolan
> 
> 
> If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number
> of pickup trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an
> infinite number of highway signs, eventually they will produce all
> of the world's great literary works in Braille.