[R-390] R-390 Digest, Vol 165, Issue 3
bernie nicholson
vk2abn at bigpond.net.au
Sun Jan 7 01:18:56 EST 2018
Best is quite a Subjective term, BUT most articles talk about noise and
sensitivity, I have had over a hundred R390 ,R391 , and R390A rxs go through
my hands , in the 70s I used to buy them 10 to a pallet at our Gov.
auctions , For their day they are unquestionably a very nice receiver, and
after alignment and servicing perform really well, they do have
limitations like any piece of Engineering , and the 390A was built to a
Price!............ The Receiver/exciter that I found outperformed the 390A
Re Sensitivity was the ARC58, This radio was developed by Collins for the
B52 Bombers it’s a Synthesized 28000 channel 2-30mhz remotely controlled
radio, that directly evolved from the 390 series Rxs its frequency
stability is 3parts in 10 X 8th per day , and the slug racks are motorized
and the servo s are controlled by a box of 0.01% resistors that you dial up
with the 3141 digital Control box The Mhz Numbers are fast servo info and
the KHZ is slow servo positioning info , [ in one of my Rxs I've replaced
the Mechanical switching digital readout with a couple of ten turn pots and
I have a graph like a HRO for tuning which gives an analog feel to the
radio] anyway you will all probably think I'm going on a bit BUT stay with
me .............. My ultimate test for sensitivity after full alignment ,
is to simply Plug in a 50 ohm termination to the unbalanced antenna
terminals and measure the extra noise, I've never seen an increase in a
390, BUT the ARC58 You will see it . What you see is the spontaneous
random flow of electrons in the resistor in response to the heat motion of
the molecules, you wont hear it but you will see with an output meter an
increase ...................... In the 1990 s I had a QSO with the Collins
radio club at Cedar Rapids , and I talked to an Engineer who was on the team
that designed The ARC58, He told me it was their BEST radio project they
ever had........... literally Money was no object ............. He also
told me a Direct spinoff from this project was the 618 Series of radios
which were the radio of Choice for most airlines for decades .......... Not
many Hams got this system going as it Ran on 400Hz 3 phase 208Volts , They
also made a Mains 50/60Hz Versions which I also own for the ARMY and Navy
the KWT6 and the URC32 , these are Knob operated Slug racks like the 390
series Rx s But most modules are interchangeable between systems . The
only other Tube receiver that I've tested that gives a measurable increase
in noise By connecting a Termination is the National WRR2, it’s a Wadley
loop Rx in two boxes , Very complex and about twice the tube count of a
390A and about 4 times as heavy ...................... Regarding the
reasons ............The Input impedance for the 390 with unbalanced input
is all over the place , its NOT 50 ohms , So a mismatch might be the
reason , whereas the ARC58 input impedance is pretty constant from 2-30
mhz , These radios are talked about and described in the Collins
Fundamentals of SSB the system was released around
1960.................... So it’s a bit more modern in design than the 390
series Rxs which were conceived in the late 40 s and produce in the 50 s
................. I like reading peoples thoughts on the 390A and the
fixing of various faults , it’s a great resource , . Cheers Bernie
VK2ABN----Original Message-----
From: r-390-request at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2018 2:52 PM
To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: R-390 Digest, Vol 165, Issue 3
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: The best (Cecil Acuff)
2. Re: The best (Bob kb8tq)
3. R-390A and the SP-600 (Tisha Hayes)
4. Re: The best (Cecil Acuff)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2018 20:30:09 -0600
From: Cecil Acuff <chacuff at cableone.net>
To: jbrannig <jbrannig at verizon.net>
Cc: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [R-390] The best
Message-ID: <76D14E83-DC3F-4F2F-8DB2-88959C308EE1 at cableone.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Many R-390 series receiver owners also own and use an SP-600 variant. I?ve
heard the SP-600 is great for cruising the bands and when something of
interest is found, dialed up on the R-390 to listen.
Les will tell you...we just can?t seem to get the job done with just one
receiver and there is great joy in owning several examples of the available
technology of the period.
I also own a couple high end modern receivers as well...nice for comparison
and great fun to use too. I only listen to AM on my boat anchors
mostly...when I want to listen to SSB or CW I have better tools for that.
Boomer...great post too...
Cecil
K5DL
Sent using recycled electrons.
> On Jan 6, 2018, at 7:32 PM, jbrannig <jbrannig at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> R-390A tuning is "too"Too fast for tuning in SSB or CWToo slow for
> cruising the SW bands.
> 73,Jim
>
>
> Sent from my Galaxy Tab? A
> -------- Original message --------From: Stan Gammons
> <s_gammons at charter.net> Date: 1/6/18 8:27 PM (GMT-05:00) To: "Todd,
> KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com> Cc: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net> Subject:
> Re: [R-390] The best
> Hi Todd,
>
> Yeah, I guess I could/should have been more specific. I meant best as
> most sensitive, best selectivity, dynamic range and so forth. I have no
> experience with the SP600 or the RA17. All I know about them is from
> what I've heard and read about them.
>
> Yes, changing bands and tuning kilohertz on the R-390A can be brutal.
> While not great quality, I have listened to some decent sounding audio
> on local AM broadcast stations with the bandwidth set to 8 kilohertz on
> the R-390A.
>
> Thanks for the links.
>
> Happy new Year to you too!
>
>
> 73
>
> Stan
> KM4HQE
>
>
>
>> On 01/06/2018 06:27 PM, Todd, KA1KAQ wrote:
>> On Thu, Jan 4, 2018 at 12:16 AM, Stan Gammons <s_gammons at charter.net
>> <mailto:s_gammons at charter.net>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> I know we all like our R-390A and it's arguably the best of the
>> tube receivers.
>>
>>
>> 'Arguably' being the key word here, Stan. "Best" is a pretty broad
>> definition that means different things to different people.
>>
>> Best at what? Best how? As a member of this group since last century,
>> I can assure you the discussion has been had here and elsewhere, many
>> times.
>>
>> While the R-390 family of receivers definitely excels in several
>> areas, it falls flat in others. While areas like appearance are more
>> subjective, aspects like ease of use and fidelity are not.
>>
>> I think in areas like stability, sensitivity, and selectivity, the
>> R-390 and later, cost-reduced A models are at the front of the pack.
>>
>> When it comes to ease of use, something like the SP-600 leaves it in
>> the dust. If you're not already familiar with the term, do a google
>> search for 'R-390 Wrist'.
>>
>> Same goes for fidelity - the pre-war push-pull audio output Super Pros
>> with their continuously-variable bandwidth are tough to beat here, and
>> good receivers in their own right. Or the SX-28 with its P-P audio and
>> flywheel tuning, or NC-240-D, NC-183, etc etc.
>>
>> And that's where the slippery slope of 'best' takes over. I think for
>> balance and aesthetics, the SX-28 is about the nicest looking receiver
>> out there, for example.
>>
>> But I'd never be without my R-390 and later A model - they are
>> keepers, definitely in the top...5 ? keeper sets for me. And yet
>> another reason to have a few receivers kicking around.
>>
>> To your question about comparing the numbers - I'm not aware of any
>> definitive source out there for comparison of all period sets.
>> However, Jay Rusgrove/W1VD has done some comparisons on sets that he
>> has gone through and brought up to spec. The R-390A and SP-600 are
>> both in the list. It can be found at:
>>
>> http://www.w1vd.com/BAreceivertest.html
>>
>> I know Jay personally, he is very thorough and professional. And a
>> decent guy as well. Happy to answer questions, give pointers,
>> explanations, and so on. You can read a bit more about him here:
>>
>> http://www.advancedreceiver.com/page11.html
>>
>> From personal experience, along with the SP-600 I've also used the
>> RA-17. Though not a clinical or technical review, I would certainly
>> put it in the same class as the R-390 series. It's extremely quiet and
>> sensitive, also quite stable if the Wadley Loop circuitry is
>> performing correctly. Excellent build quality, but like the SP-600, it
>> suffers from its own version of COC (Crappy Old Capacitors) syndrome.
>> It is not easy to service, either. Takes a little getting use to with
>> its tuning arrangement, but when it's working well, it's a truly
>> wonderful set to use.
>>
>> Hope this info helps. Happy New Year to you and the list, as well.
>>
>> de Todd/'Boomer', KA1KAQ/4
>>
>>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2018 22:09:07 -0500
From: Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org>
To: Cecil Acuff <chacuff at cableone.net>
Cc: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [R-390] The best
Message-ID: <D48FAA0E-800D-44DC-ADCB-1C6F234B55F6 at n1k.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Hi
Any time you have a ?band? that goes from a bit below a 1 MHz division to a
bit above a
1 MHz division (SWL band at 7 MHz comes to mind) the R-390 style radios
become a
bit of a chore to use ?.
Bob
> On Jan 6, 2018, at 9:30 PM, Cecil Acuff <chacuff at cableone.net> wrote:
>
> Many R-390 series receiver owners also own and use an SP-600 variant. I?ve
> heard the SP-600 is great for cruising the bands and when something of
> interest is found, dialed up on the R-390 to listen.
>
> Les will tell you...we just can?t seem to get the job done with just one
> receiver and there is great joy in owning several examples of the
> available technology of the period.
>
> I also own a couple high end modern receivers as well...nice for
> comparison and great fun to use too. I only listen to AM on my boat
> anchors mostly...when I want to listen to SSB or CW I have better tools
> for that.
>
> Boomer...great post too...
>
> Cecil
> K5DL
>
> Sent using recycled electrons.
>
>> On Jan 6, 2018, at 7:32 PM, jbrannig <jbrannig at verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>> R-390A tuning is "too"Too fast for tuning in SSB or CWToo slow for
>> cruising the SW bands.
>> 73,Jim
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Galaxy Tab? A
>> -------- Original message --------From: Stan Gammons
>> <s_gammons at charter.net> Date: 1/6/18 8:27 PM (GMT-05:00) To: "Todd,
>> KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com> Cc: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
>> Subject: Re: [R-390] The best
>> Hi Todd,
>>
>> Yeah, I guess I could/should have been more specific. I meant best as
>> most sensitive, best selectivity, dynamic range and so forth. I have no
>> experience with the SP600 or the RA17. All I know about them is from
>> what I've heard and read about them.
>>
>> Yes, changing bands and tuning kilohertz on the R-390A can be brutal.
>> While not great quality, I have listened to some decent sounding audio
>> on local AM broadcast stations with the bandwidth set to 8 kilohertz on
>> the R-390A.
>>
>> Thanks for the links.
>>
>> Happy new Year to you too!
>>
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Stan
>> KM4HQE
>>
>>
>>
>>> On 01/06/2018 06:27 PM, Todd, KA1KAQ wrote:
>>> On Thu, Jan 4, 2018 at 12:16 AM, Stan Gammons <s_gammons at charter.net
>>> <mailto:s_gammons at charter.net>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I know we all like our R-390A and it's arguably the best of the
>>> tube receivers.
>>>
>>>
>>> 'Arguably' being the key word here, Stan. "Best" is a pretty broad
>>> definition that means different things to different people.
>>>
>>> Best at what? Best how? As a member of this group since last century,
>>> I can assure you the discussion has been had here and elsewhere, many
>>> times.
>>>
>>> While the R-390 family of receivers definitely excels in several
>>> areas, it falls flat in others. While areas like appearance are more
>>> subjective, aspects like ease of use and fidelity are not.
>>>
>>> I think in areas like stability, sensitivity, and selectivity, the
>>> R-390 and later, cost-reduced A models are at the front of the pack.
>>>
>>> When it comes to ease of use, something like the SP-600 leaves it in
>>> the dust. If you're not already familiar with the term, do a google
>>> search for 'R-390 Wrist'.
>>>
>>> Same goes for fidelity - the pre-war push-pull audio output Super Pros
>>> with their continuously-variable bandwidth are tough to beat here, and
>>> good receivers in their own right. Or the SX-28 with its P-P audio and
>>> flywheel tuning, or NC-240-D, NC-183, etc etc.
>>>
>>> And that's where the slippery slope of 'best' takes over. I think for
>>> balance and aesthetics, the SX-28 is about the nicest looking receiver
>>> out there, for example.
>>>
>>> But I'd never be without my R-390 and later A model - they are
>>> keepers, definitely in the top...5 ? keeper sets for me. And yet
>>> another reason to have a few receivers kicking around.
>>>
>>> To your question about comparing the numbers - I'm not aware of any
>>> definitive source out there for comparison of all period sets.
>>> However, Jay Rusgrove/W1VD has done some comparisons on sets that he
>>> has gone through and brought up to spec. The R-390A and SP-600 are
>>> both in the list. It can be found at:
>>>
>>> http://www.w1vd.com/BAreceivertest.html
>>>
>>> I know Jay personally, he is very thorough and professional. And a
>>> decent guy as well. Happy to answer questions, give pointers,
>>> explanations, and so on. You can read a bit more about him here:
>>>
>>> http://www.advancedreceiver.com/page11.html
>>>
>>> From personal experience, along with the SP-600 I've also used the
>>> RA-17. Though not a clinical or technical review, I would certainly
>>> put it in the same class as the R-390 series. It's extremely quiet and
>>> sensitive, also quite stable if the Wadley Loop circuitry is
>>> performing correctly. Excellent build quality, but like the SP-600, it
>>> suffers from its own version of COC (Crappy Old Capacitors) syndrome.
>>> It is not easy to service, either. Takes a little getting use to with
>>> its tuning arrangement, but when it's working well, it's a truly
>>> wonderful set to use.
>>>
>>> Hope this info helps. Happy New Year to you and the list, as well.
>>>
>>> de Todd/'Boomer', KA1KAQ/4
>>>
>>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> R-390 mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/r-390
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:R-390 at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> R-390 mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/r-390
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:R-390 at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> R-390 mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/r-390
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:R-390 at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2018 21:16:54 -0600
From: Tisha Hayes <tisha.hayes at gmail.com>
To: R390A <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [R-390] R-390A and the SP-600
Message-ID:
<CAACTF123cX=AfTZkvBnr2qvmpDRL3doRYxGUB8QytGtXKSW_GA at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
I have had a chance to compare "a few" receivers. Presently I own;
R-390A (three of them so there is some general opinions)
R-390
R-392
SP-200
HQ-129
SP-600 (JX17)
RF-590A (Harris)
R-3030 (Cubic)
CDR-3250 (Cubic)
RA-6790 (Racal, four of them)
WJ-8718 (Watkins Johnson)
5650 (Telefunken, three of them)
- It may seem like "a bunch" of radios but that is just the premium stuff.
I have a tendency to chase after perfection. (it may seem weird but I am
for-real, ask Perry, he knows me personally). Here is my opinion on the
Hammarlund family in comparison to the R-390A;
The SP-600 was a fantastic radio that came out when AM and CW were king
around 1951. The design is reminiscent of the pinnacle of "knob turner"
radios and is a pleasure to use for SWL or BCB-DX listening. The JX17 is
really not the "best model" of the receiver, it was designed to support
diversity pairing with another radio and some changes in the circuitry and
voltages were made. If the crystal filter is close to the IF frequency it
can be a decent radio but often the crystals have changed frequency or the
radio was mis-tuned somewhere along the line. It also has a big problem
with BBOD (black beauty of death) oil caps and the electrolytic (the cans
and the bathtubs) capacitors.
I have tried a bunch of things on an SP-600. Taking B+ ripple down to the
single millivolt level with filtering changes, building the "Nuvistor first
RF" plug-in instead of a 6BA6 and fighting (the never ending) battle
against drive slippage between the frequency disk and the knob
The SP-600 is "drifty" for the first few hours and it is definitely not
frequency stabilized but if you leave it on for a long night of listening
to SWL it is a pleasing radio to listen to. The sound is very full and
sometimes I just listen to AM-BCB at night for the background noise while
doing something else in the house. As has been said it is a pretty
"intuitive" radio except for the IF bandwidth that can be a little
confusing unless you read up on it first.
-----------------------
The R-390A is almost a generation newer than the SP-600 and is meant to get
on a frequency and stay there. Probably more than a few people on this list
spent their times wearing green or tan, wearing boots and eating K-rations
while they maintained racks full of R-390's in RTTY service. It works great
for data, is not as deaf as the SP-600 at higher frequencies and can be
passably good with SSB with an external converter.
The R-390A is not a knob spinner (we all know that) and I invested
significant time in to smoothing out the drive mechanisms, playing with
synthetic oils and tungsten disulphide to make it less straining on the
wrists. It has a better tube line-up in the RF deck and the advantages (and
disadvantages) of mechanical IF filters. I have added roofing filters
between the RF and the IF and rather than butchering the audio deck I just
pick off the audio and feed it in to the AUX input on a Telefunken 5650
receiver (fantastic audio quality).
By itself the R-390A can be "tiring" to listen to all evening long. It has
a hard to describe "robotic" sound. One receiver does not have that effect
but it is a rare R-390A variant with ceramic filters in the IF.
How I wish the R-390A had an SSB mode.. it might be another reason from
keeping me away from the Harris RF-590A that I have been increasingly using
for dial hunting to listen to the chatter on the geritol-net on 80 meters.
-----------------------
In the past six months or so I have been buried in Telefunken rebuilds and
while I read the postings on this list I do not contribute as much as in
the past.
*Ms. Tisha Hayes*
*AA4HA*
*Sr. Engineer, 4RF USA.*
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2018 21:51:55 -0600
From: Cecil Acuff <chacuff at cableone.net>
To: Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org>
Cc: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [R-390] The best
Message-ID: <A91767CA-5833-41E1-BDCA-BFD33E39CD2E at cableone.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Yup...agreed.
Sent using recycled electrons.
> On Jan 6, 2018, at 9:09 PM, Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org> wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> Any time you have a ?band? that goes from a bit below a 1 MHz division to
> a bit above a
> 1 MHz division (SWL band at 7 MHz comes to mind) the R-390 style radios
> become a
> bit of a chore to use ?.
>
> Bob
>
>> On Jan 6, 2018, at 9:30 PM, Cecil Acuff <chacuff at cableone.net> wrote:
>>
>> Many R-390 series receiver owners also own and use an SP-600 variant.
>> I?ve heard the SP-600 is great for cruising the bands and when something
>> of interest is found, dialed up on the R-390 to listen.
>>
>> Les will tell you...we just can?t seem to get the job done with just one
>> receiver and there is great joy in owning several examples of the
>> available technology of the period.
>>
>> I also own a couple high end modern receivers as well...nice for
>> comparison and great fun to use too. I only listen to AM on my boat
>> anchors mostly...when I want to listen to SSB or CW I have better tools
>> for that.
>>
>> Boomer...great post too...
>>
>> Cecil
>> K5DL
>>
>> Sent using recycled electrons.
>>
>>> On Jan 6, 2018, at 7:32 PM, jbrannig <jbrannig at verizon.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> R-390A tuning is "too"Too fast for tuning in SSB or CWToo slow for
>>> cruising the SW bands.
>>> 73,Jim
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my Galaxy Tab? A
>>> -------- Original message --------From: Stan Gammons
>>> <s_gammons at charter.net> Date: 1/6/18 8:27 PM (GMT-05:00) To: "Todd,
>>> KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com> Cc: R-390 List <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Subject: Re: [R-390] The best
>>> Hi Todd,
>>>
>>> Yeah, I guess I could/should have been more specific. I meant best as
>>> most sensitive, best selectivity, dynamic range and so forth. I have no
>>> experience with the SP600 or the RA17. All I know about them is from
>>> what I've heard and read about them.
>>>
>>> Yes, changing bands and tuning kilohertz on the R-390A can be brutal.
>>> While not great quality, I have listened to some decent sounding audio
>>> on local AM broadcast stations with the bandwidth set to 8 kilohertz on
>>> the R-390A.
>>>
>>> Thanks for the links.
>>>
>>> Happy new Year to you too!
>>>
>>>
>>> 73
>>>
>>> Stan
>>> KM4HQE
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> On 01/06/2018 06:27 PM, Todd, KA1KAQ wrote:
>>>> On Thu, Jan 4, 2018 at 12:16 AM, Stan Gammons <s_gammons at charter.net
>>>> <mailto:s_gammons at charter.net>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I know we all like our R-390A and it's arguably the best of the
>>>> tube receivers.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 'Arguably' being the key word here, Stan. "Best" is a pretty broad
>>>> definition that means different things to different people.
>>>>
>>>> Best at what? Best how? As a member of this group since last century,
>>>> I can assure you the discussion has been had here and elsewhere, many
>>>> times.
>>>>
>>>> While the R-390 family of receivers definitely excels in several
>>>> areas, it falls flat in others. While areas like appearance are more
>>>> subjective, aspects like ease of use and fidelity are not.
>>>>
>>>> I think in areas like stability, sensitivity, and selectivity, the
>>>> R-390 and later, cost-reduced A models are at the front of the pack.
>>>>
>>>> When it comes to ease of use, something like the SP-600 leaves it in
>>>> the dust. If you're not already familiar with the term, do a google
>>>> search for 'R-390 Wrist'.
>>>>
>>>> Same goes for fidelity - the pre-war push-pull audio output Super Pros
>>>> with their continuously-variable bandwidth are tough to beat here, and
>>>> good receivers in their own right. Or the SX-28 with its P-P audio and
>>>> flywheel tuning, or NC-240-D, NC-183, etc etc.
>>>>
>>>> And that's where the slippery slope of 'best' takes over. I think for
>>>> balance and aesthetics, the SX-28 is about the nicest looking receiver
>>>> out there, for example.
>>>>
>>>> But I'd never be without my R-390 and later A model - they are
>>>> keepers, definitely in the top...5 ? keeper sets for me. And yet
>>>> another reason to have a few receivers kicking around.
>>>>
>>>> To your question about comparing the numbers - I'm not aware of any
>>>> definitive source out there for comparison of all period sets.
>>>> However, Jay Rusgrove/W1VD has done some comparisons on sets that he
>>>> has gone through and brought up to spec. The R-390A and SP-600 are
>>>> both in the list. It can be found at:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.w1vd.com/BAreceivertest.html
>>>>
>>>> I know Jay personally, he is very thorough and professional. And a
>>>> decent guy as well. Happy to answer questions, give pointers,
>>>> explanations, and so on. You can read a bit more about him here:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.advancedreceiver.com/page11.html
>>>>
>>>> From personal experience, along with the SP-600 I've also used the
>>>> RA-17. Though not a clinical or technical review, I would certainly
>>>> put it in the same class as the R-390 series. It's extremely quiet and
>>>> sensitive, also quite stable if the Wadley Loop circuitry is
>>>> performing correctly. Excellent build quality, but like the SP-600, it
>>>> suffers from its own version of COC (Crappy Old Capacitors) syndrome.
>>>> It is not easy to service, either. Takes a little getting use to with
>>>> its tuning arrangement, but when it's working well, it's a truly
>>>> wonderful set to use.
>>>>
>>>> Hope this info helps. Happy New Year to you and the list, as well.
>>>>
>>>> de Todd/'Boomer', KA1KAQ/4
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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End of R-390 Digest, Vol 165, Issue 3
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