[R-390] Faux Spook R390A 282314863791

[Les Locklear]

All this "talk" about this subject matter has revived my memory (distant it may be) of the two "Black Faced" R-390A/URR receivers that I have owned in the past.

The first was back in the early fall of 1994... a gentleman on the west coast in California contacted me with some information regarding a R-390A/URR that he said was manufactured in 1984 by a company named Fowler Industries. After making many telephone calls (I was not yet connected to the internet) and snail mails to many friends it was determined that they (Fowler) had indeed manufactured a very short run of R-390A's for a U.S. Navy contract. He also mentioned he had an R-390A/URR that was painted black, a Motorola from the 1956 contract, serial No.. 2665. We made a deal and it was shipped to me, it turned out to be a rebuild by Miltronix for him as determined by the label on the rear panel. It performed very nicely and in time (2 - 3 months it was sold to another gentleman once again in California. This started me on my quest to document the history of who and where they (R-390A/URR Receivers) were manufactured and how many. I had a few partners in crime, namely Tom Marcotte N5OFF, Walter Chambers K5OP (a silent key). and Chuck Teeters W4MEW (a silent key). along with many R-390A owners who help provide me and many readers of Electric Radio Magazine with additional information and reading enjoyment.

During that time frame 1984 - 1998 I decided to have Rick Mish at Miltronix rebuild my 1962 Amelco R-390A/URR and paint the front panel matte black. It was a beautiful receiver and I have always regretted selling it several years later.

But, back to the point of this reply. I know of no black faced R-390A/URR or for that matter any R-390/URR receivers delivered to the military or any governmental agencies that were painted black. I have seen various shades of gray running from gray/green and gray/blue. I saw one claiming to have been on a USMC contract that was painted Olive Drab Green. Go figure.

I'll leave the comments regarding the various "upgrades," etc. on the receiver in question to the peanut gallery.

Les Locklear


----- Original Message -----
From: Tisha Hayes <tisha.hayes at gmail.com>
To: R390A <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: 1/12/2017 5:03:43 PM
Subject: Re: [R-390] Faux Spook R390A 282314863791
________________________________
*Actually he should of said "since anodized surfaces are insulating in
nature this radio was capable of being used on a B2 stealth bomber"*

*-or-*

*"in the cold environments of outer space the astronauts on Apollo 17
huddled around this particular radio to keep from freezing."*

The sum total of every possible mod in Y2K R 3.0 and the supplemental
guidance just makes the radio in to a better performer. Nothing that is
super-magical in this day... But in it's day in the 50's and 60's it was a
very solid performer that played a very important role in reliable
communications to far away places.

There are more things you "could" do to the radio but then you begin to
really drift far away from what it was (like a synthesizer instead of
crystal oscillators) or true SSB capability without the CV-591A. Some have
even suggested heresy by wanting to pop a transistor in the place of every
tube socket (more like the R-392 crowd).

I sinned by changing out the mechanical filters for ceramics, adding the
squelch facility, roofing filter and making audio mods. To a purist I
should be dragged through the streets for such evil deeds.

But it is all fun, I have taken it as far as I want to mod it, now it is
just a performer in the circus of radios.


*Ms. Tisha Hayes, AA4HA*



*A sweet romance is not for meI need electricityIf you wanna make me
flipHit me with a micro chip*


*I'll be a diode, cathode, electrodeOverload, generator, oscillatorMake a
circuit with me*
*-- The Polecats*
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