[R-390] R-390A and the SP-600

Fri Jan 12 20:11:08 EST 2018

I as well would love a copy.
looks like there are a number of us that would like a copy.....
Renée, K6FSB

On 2018-01-12 01:29 PM, Francesco Ledda wrote:
> I would love to have a copy.
>
> Frank, K5URG
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
> On Behalf Of Norm n3ykf
> Sent: Friday, January 12, 2018 3:24 PM
> To: Alan Victor
> Cc: Tim Holzheimer; 390 list
> Subject: Re: [R-390] R-390A and the SP-600
>
> Alan,
>
> I've got a scanner with an automatic doucment feeder. Happy to scan it if
> you'd like. Live in Binghamton, NY currently.
>
> Usually have the wide pages done at the local print shop. Easier that way.
>
> Norm n3ykf
>
> On Fri, Jan 12, 2018 at 4:04 PM, Alan Victor <amvictor at ncsu.edu> wrote:
>> Hi Tim, Bob, others.
>>
>> I had several inquires once I fixed the misunderstanding that this is
>> paper and not film!
>> Anyway, I brushed the document off and started looking through it
>> again after many years collecting dust.
>>
>> I have been working on an active tuning preselector and there is an
>> excellent treatment of broadband varactor tuned networks which is
>> worth posting. That said, I think I will look at the cost of scanning
>> the document or just scan it myself and send a pdf to the 390a
>> reflector. Not sure how large a file it would be, but certainly much
>> less than a Y2K manual! Alan
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 12, 2018 at 12:19 PM, Tim Holzheimer
>> <timholz59 at hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Alan
>>>
>>> I would like a copy of the RADC-TR-67-216 document.
>>>
>>> Let me know.
>>>
>>> Thank you.
>>>
>>> Tim Holzheimer
>>>
>>> 73 de N6DIY
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From:* r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net <r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net>
>>> on behalf of Alan Victor <amvictor at ncsu.edu>
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, January 11, 2018 2:47 PM
>>> *To:* Tisha Hayes
>>> *Cc:* R390A
>>> *Subject:* Re: [R-390] R-390A and the SP-600
>>>
>>> If any interest prior to the land fill or other Earth friendly paths.
>>> .
>>> I have an excellent copy from microfiche from the Rome Air Force
>>> Development Center
>>>
>>> *Preferred-circuit Techniques for Receiver Applications* Over 1000
>>> pages Tech report no. RADC-TR-67-216.
>>> Date June 1967.
>>>
>>> Covers every conceivable circuit technique at the time for wideband
>>> receiver techniques; 1 MHz-10 GHz.
>>>
>>> Any interest, email me direct. 73' Alan
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 7:16 PM, Tisha Hayes <tisha.hayes at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>>> 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.*
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