[R-390] (no subject)

[Bob kb8tq]

Hi

Well, I certainly would not debate the cost of the Hydrogen Maser one might
(or might not …) attach to the system. :) The CPU side of things can be handled
pretty well with one of a multitude of cheap “Raspberry Pi” like devices. The 
price more or less comes out to:

Board - $140 
Computer - $75 (board $35, display $40)
GPSDO - $100
Enclosure - $35

No, that’s not the whole thing, but it’s pretty close. It’s based on what you would
buy today. Wait a few months and the details will change when the next this or that
hits the market. Do the software with open source packages and there is no big deal about
this or that outfit stopping support ….(and no cost for that side of it). 

Indeed, R-390’s could be had from Fair a while back for $125 plus shipping. 
You still can find a range of prices even on eBay. What one sells for depends a
lot on a whole bunch of things. There is no fixed price. I would not suggest to a 
new guy that $350 was his target budget for buying one though.  

I’d say that it comes as no big surprise to anybody on the list that buying the radio 
is just the first part of the cash outflow. I can’t even remember all the bits and pieces I’ve 
accumulated to keep things running over the years. My guess is that the sun will 
cool to room temperature before there is a shortage of some (but not all) parts. … 
hmmm …just how many spare power transformers is a good number? …hmm…..

There’s only a fixed price on a project once you decide to stop doing it. Same is true
of fixing up an old car or buying a used boat or just about anything else in life ….

Again, I’m by no means trying to talk people out of their R-390 project and into
playing with SDR’s. From what I’ve seen, the “group” in each area is a bit
different and each are very dedicated to what they play with. That’s great
and it’s what makes it fun. I most certainly do not have any fond memories 
of playing with an SDR software stack as a kid. I also know a number of kids
these days that would *much* rather play with tubes than sand. It’s not a one
size fits all / this is fun for everybody kind of thing. 

On the XYL side, none of this (SDR or R-390) is going to be a “living room” sort of thing. 
It’s a messy / dirty / fun / exciting project. Yelling nasty words at the dead circuit 
is *very* much part of the process. Tearing things down and putting them back
together is part of either side of it. If you want a living room device, by all means,
go for the $9,000+ super button machine. I have a few of them as well…. (though
not the in the $9,000 category).Somehow I seem to play with the other stuff a bit more. 

Bob

> On Jan 8, 2018, at 11:35 PM, Perry Sandeen <sandeenpa at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> Yo Again Dudes,
> 
> My Learned Friens Wrote:
> 
> Well, the ?gotcha? is that the alternative is no longer a $9,000+ super duper box. There are a lot
> of sub $300 SDR alternatives out there. 
> 
> Yes the SDR can be sub $300.  The "gotcha" is that you also need a 27" monitor (minimum) $175, a good PC for $450, a better video card $185, Rb or GPS $200. A good backlighted keyboard $125 and a wireless mouse $30.  Less see Ahum...$1465 + tax.
> 
> You forgot the XYL factor.
> 
> XYL  What's that?
> 
> You:  That's my new SDR radio.
> 
> XYL:  What's that funny screen?
> 
> You: That's a water fall disply of the radio frequencies I'm looking at.
> 
> XYL:  Can I watch re-runs of I Love Lucy on it?
> 
> You: Uh no, not really.
> 
> XYL:  Well that doesn't seem like a good deal.
> 
> You: Well it is as it's the latest technology.
> 
> XYL: OK, Whatever
> 
> You:
> Locked to something good (an Rb or a GPSDO) they are way better than any of the ?old stuff?. Selectivity wise ? yup ? Dynamic range ? gulp ? take a look at the numbers. Sensitivity keeps getting better. If you live on planet Earth with normal noise levels and antennas, not much wrong with SDR sensitivity wise. Want to demodulate this or that weird signal? ? not a problem. 
> 
> Me: Yes but that's only if you need it. My point was maybe 90% don't
> 
> You: Something new comes out next week? Download new software.
> 
> Me.  If they are still in business and will it rus when MS does a forced update on Win 10?
> 
> You: Price wise, less money than an R-390 on eBay. Yes, you will do a bit of this and that. You also will
> poke a bit at than 390 ?
> 
> Me: I just proved that is incorrect.
> 
> Now, I'm not trying to sell anybody a SDR board or get them to toss out their R-390. Far from it actually.
> 
> You: One is very much not the same as the other. Both are projects, they have different ends and stops on the way. 
> 
> Me: My original point.
> 
> You: I?m just pointing out that there has been a lot of change in how you do a radio, even in the last 
> decade or so. If you are going to decide ?best? by the numbers (which I happen to think misses 
> a lot of stuff), it?s really hard to beat the newer SDR boards ?..
> 
> Me: It depends.  You can't move a mouse as fast as you can twiddle the knobs.
> 
> Me: You're forgetting the $9K ricebox and the XYL.
> 
> Wife: What's that?
> 
> You: That's my YIK 9000 Limited edition receiver.
> 
> Wife: It seems to have a lot of buttons.
> 
> You: Yes.  I think I counted 33, not including the multi-function ones.
> 
> XYL: What do they all do?
> 
> You:  They allow one to maximize the best possibility to hear the other guy.
> 
> XYL:  Gee, and I thought my micro-wave was complicated.  Well good luck with it.
> 
> Boat anchor scenario:
> 
> XYL: What's that your doing?
> 
> You: I'm restoring this antique R390A to it's original condition.
> 
> XYL:  Wow, there's a lot of gears in there. Is is like a cars manual transmission?
> 
> You:  That exactly describes what it does to the radio signals.  It was break-through marvel in it's time. Unfortunately there will never be another type of that radio again.  That's why I'm preserving it so our kids and grand-kids can see how far we've come.
> 
> XYL: Gee, that's neat.  Good luck with your project.
> 
> You: Thanks, I think it's going to be worth the effort.
> 
> XYL leaves to watch TV and you get to do your radio stuff with her blessing.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Perrier
> 
>