[R-390] Another R-390A back among the living, and de-nuclearized....

[Bob Weiss]

Thanks, Charles. They turned out pretty nice.  I have the S-meter artwork, in case anyone finds a similar meter.  Would like to find a couple more pairs myself, seeing as they work so well for replacements.



> The real original meters were radium and were replaced with non radioactive meters while in service. If you come across original meters, the face has green markings and glows in the dark. 

Those were the ones I removed. Black face with greenish-brown crusty looking markings and needle pointer. Only a slight glow in the dark, and only slightly responsive to UV light. The radium content is just about as hot as ever, though, having a 1600-odd year half-life.

My understanding is that the constant bombardment from the radium and decay products destroys the crystal structure of the phosphor component (Zinc Sulfide), ruining the glow after several decades.

73,
Bob Weiss N2IXK




  Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 10, 2018, at 9:40 PM, Charles Steinmetz<csteinmetz at yandex.com>  wrote:
>
> Bob wrote:
>
>> The replacement meters with white faces and black/red lettering look
>> much nicer and are easier to read that the black-faced originals, IMO.
> *Really*  nice job on the meters, Bob!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Charles