[R-390] Registries and R-389 Info

[Bill Guyger]

Hi All
I noted the Wally Chambers anecdote, having not known him I can't comment one way or the other. But I do know that Jim Wisdom W5HFK a long time Collins employee here in Texas (Richardson) was in Viet Nam installing radio systems for Collins immediately prior to the big bug out. He told me that he snagged 5 NIB R-390A's about to be tossed into the harbor and finagled it such that Collins paid for shipping then back to his home in Farmersville. As long time Collins guys retired he'd give them one, he's just that kind of guy. I have one he removed from service at an Air Force station on the way out, he gave it to me with the proviso that I not sell it while he was still alive. I wouldn't part with it anyway since it came from my buddy. 
When he gave it to me it had crashed due to a shorted rectifier tube, dried up electrolytics, etc. and he just was not physically able to work on things anymore due to a stroke. It had seen so much "life" that the paint around the tuning knobs had been worn off by fingers turning the knob.
Jim has since been stashed in a care facility and is being basically held hostage by his daughter instructing the nursing home not to permit contact with anyone outside the family in reprisal for another friend calling Adult Protective Services about the condition he was living in.
73 Bill AD5OL

      From: Don Reaves <donreaves at gmail.com>
 To: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net> 
 Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2017 10:09 PM
 Subject: [R-390] Registries and R-389 Info
   
I know of no one keeping a formal registry for any of the R-3xx series
radios, so keep that in mind.

As for my previously mentioned R-389 "registry", its informal, casual,
started years ago for myself trying to estimate how many R-389s were extant
in the world.  This interest came about after listening to tall tales from
Wally Chambers about how many R-389s and R-390s he had personally pushed
out of military cargo planes into international waters while departing
VietNam for the last time.  I never knew if Wally was exaggerating,
bragging, or sharing secrets.  <grin>  Wally was a lot of fun to be
around.

My criteria for tracking R-389s was it was recorded in my database if I
could obtain a picture of the front panel with nomenclature tag, clearly
indicating serial number.  Data sources were hamfests, individual owners,
flea markets, surplus stores, and in later years ebay.  I kept few
ancillary notes, especially not who owned what, or the disposition of any
unit except my own.  So, here are the serial numbers I can account for:

10, 23, 28, 33, 47, 48, 79, 89, 107, 120,
148, 157, 165, 177, 185, 206, 209, 277, 280, 287,
295, 301, 350, 406, 429, 439, 460, 478, 490, 493,
532, 558, 559, 565, 590, 592, 625, 627, 671, 695,
699, 706, 723, 733.

Also I have a couple more candidates but the serial numbers are obscured or
images too grainy to positively identify.  There may be a few others in my
stash of pictures yet to be sorted and recorded.  I own one R-389 with
serial PP-4, which I take to be a prototype that probably wasn't counted in
the total production numbers.

So, out of a total production of 856 R-389 receivers, the number of known
survivors is relatively small (< 7%).  I don't rule out that there are many
others out there unknown to me or that I failed to observe in the past 25
years of sniffing around, but I conclude these receivers are indeed in
short supply.

Updates welcome.



-- 

Don Reaves  W5OR WD2XSH/15
8101 Barrett Rd. Roland AR 72135
Fiber: 501.244.3574
Radio: 501.952.8573
Diode Don:  I rectify all problems.
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