[R-390] Interesting Radio

[Les Locklear]

Well, the only thing I know for certain is that the front ends on the RF Harris sand state transceivers were lighting up like fireworks displays. I don't know if the KWM-2A's and associated ancillary equipment ever made it over there. R-390A's more than likely never made the trip either.

Regarding Nick England's info about R-390A's being installed in ships in the mid to late 80's is factual. Had Fowler or the agency (Avondale Shipyards in Louisiana) that built the Gunston Hall class of LSD's checked, R-390A's were still in stock at various supply depots. But, the U.S. Navy left the specification in place after building the originals series of LSD's by Lockheed on the West Coast. 

I personally saw two in the crate Amelco marked on the crates at Keesler AFB in Biloxi in the early 90's. I have no knowledge if they were NOS or "Depot Dawgs." To this day, Keesler still teaches the ground radio course. Prior to my retirement at Keesler in January 2009, I visited a classroom in the early 2000's and they had Racal 6790's and Harris RF-590's in place. I have no idea what they were using after that time frame.

Sangria and "Non A".....Sangria is correct and good for you. "Non A" belongs in a dumpster somewhere or wherever it started probably with some millennial that wasn't aware of how damn simple it is to say/write/type. R-390/URR or R-390A/URR.

Presently with an ice cold Yuengling, cooling down after a long morning of yard work.

Les



> Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2016 11:10:56 -0400
> From: ka1kaq at gmail.com
> To: csteinmetz at yandex.com
> Subject: Re: [R-390] Interesting Radio
> CC: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
> 
> On Tue, Apr 19, 2016 at 10:37 PM, Charles Steinmetz <csteinmetz at yandex.com>
> wrote:
> 
> 
> > Finally, "It was widely used in Desert Storm, when many of the newer solid
> > state receivers would not function reliably."
> >
> > Does anyone here have actual, documented (i.e., NOT anecdotal, "my cousin
> > was there and he said...") data on this?  I wouldn't be surprised if a few
> > were used here and there (particularly in some of our ships that haven't
> > had their HF comms upgraded in decades), but I'd be extremely surprised if
> > they were deployed to any extent that could even remotely be called
> > "widely."
> >
> 
> He's repeating a mix of stories he's heard, or nonsense he's read on ebay
> posted by the R-390A expert with candy-coated descriptions gleaned from
> stories and photos he googles or his cousin's friend's neighbor tells him,
> like 'black agencies used radios with black panels'  and similar bovine
> scathology. Think 'used car salesman' in a very stereotypical way. It's all
> about the hype.
> 
> The Desert Storm story does have a shred of truth to it. Sand storms in the
> Middle East bring along with them some pretty intense static discharges,
> which wreaked havoc on the new gear along with the fine, almost-dust-like
> sand that clogged air filters, plugged heat sinks, and so on. But rather
> than vast numbers of R-390As, it was primarily the FRC-93 equipment that
> was yanked from storage and being reconditioned for service* when the
> action ended a little sooner than expected. Just as well - along with lives
> saved, the equipment wasn't completed. You can bet the 60s-70s vintage gear
> would've been left in place and not hauled home afterward. Instead, it got
> auctioned off and appeared through numerous surplus dealers like Davilyn in
> California. Still have one of their catalogs from the mid-late 90s showing
> KWM-2As, 30L-1s and so on. Fodder for the fast-rising collector tide on
> ebay that was just around the corner.
> 
> There doesn't appear to be similar evidence for the R-390A and some
> speculate that the story was put out there to help sell new cabinets being
> produced some years back by an enterprising individual who either got a
> hold of a set of original dies or had some made up. No idea. After all,
> having a separate receiver would require a separate transmitter. Didn't
> hear similar stories about T-368s being called back to active duty. The
> Fowler foul up was the last instance I'm aware of where the R-390A is
> documented in a gov't spec of any kind.
> 
> Then again, I'm no expert.  I leave that and the non-A nonsense to Prof
> Locklear to sort out. He's better at it, no doubt having something to do
> with his superior SCR (Sangria Consumption Ratio) that retirement allows.
> (o:
> 
> de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ/4
> 
> 
> * Western Nebraska Electronics operated by Dennis Brothers, a former
> Collins tech, was one of the companies contracted to bring the FRC-93 gear
> up to spec for use. Possibly others, he's the only one I recall who has
> confirmed this.
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