An amazing R-390A find

[Fisherdude]

Sandy, don't know if you saw this, but a guy on the R-390 list just bought this radio on eBay for $760. The listing said "Stewart Warner" and there was just a fuzzy pic.

When he got the radio and started unwrapping the bubble wrap, it became quickly apparent that what he had was a brand-new, never used, 1968 EAC.

Take a look at these pics:

http://www.wa3key.com/r390a/

[Sandy G]

Homina Homina Homina...Man, you could EAT offa dat ting... I'm in love. That's about the Steal of the Century...

[toxcrusadr]

Holy moley.

[jamesrpm]

For those of us who have no clue , what is it and what does it do?

[Sandy G]

An R-390A was, is, probably one of the finest tube shortwave receiver ever produced. Even now, 50+ years after they were 1st produced, they are STILL one of the sets that all the others are judged by. A good one can be tweaked to provide sensitivity close to the theoretical limit of what's possible to produce, they have incredibly strong "front ends" that are almost impervious to signal overloading, & being a tube design, they have none of the built in self-generated elecronic "hash" noise microprocessors typically have. Designed for 24/7 military use, they should last indefinitely in civilian use. The only real drawbacks are complicated design, a few of the tubes are hard to find, as are the antenna connectors. The speaker output is 600ohms, so you have to fit an adaptor to make 'em work w/8 ohm speakers. And at 85 LBS, one of them is prolly NOT gonna be too portable. But for pulling an AM signal out of the air from 500 KC to 30 MC, they have few equals.

[Fisherdude]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

An R-390A was, is, probably one of the finest tube shortwave receiver ever produced. Even now, 50+ years after they were 1st produced, they are STILL one of the sets that all the others are judged by....for pulling an AM signal out of the air from 500 KC to 30 MC, they have few equals.

They are still considered one of, if not THE finest general coverage shortwave receivers ever made. Ever.

I have the same one shown in the pictures, but mine, while nice, isn't brand new like that one.

The US Government paid thousand of dollars for each one of these, back in the '50's and '60's. There was a short run of approximately 5 done in the early '80's, (rumor has it "by mistake"!) that cost over $30,000 each.

Here's a pic of mine...

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=140110

[Bob E.]

Is the auction listing still up? Anyone have the auction number? I'd like to see what the bidding looked like.

--Bob

[Sandy G]

Part of the incredible "marvel" of the R-390A is that they are 1/2 mechanical, 1/2 electronic. They have a geartrain/transmission that has made grown men cry...And prolly would make ME cry, too, if it ever got out of whack on mine. Fortunately, you rarely have to mess w/that...Despite their complexities, the electronics are arrainged on "modules" that make it relatively easy to diagnose & troubleshoot a sick one. It is rumored that the Gov't has bunches of them stashed in the event of WW3, because it was felt that EMP damage could render solid state receivers inoperable. The R-390A came on board in 1954, & was considered "classified" for several years after that. They were in production more or less constantly til the late '60s-early '70s, the last "build" being the 1984-85 "mistake". Nevertheless, if you want something electronic that is really, truly considered "World-class", get yrself an R-390A. A good repairable specimen will set you back about $600-750, figure another $500 or so to have it brought back to tip-top shape. But then you will have something that more than likely, yr grandchildren's grandchildren will still be using.

[Findm-Keepm]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

It is rumored that the Gov't has bunches of them stashed in the event of WW3, because it was felt that EMP damage could render solid state receivers inoperable.

Sandy,

The Cheatham Naval Supply Annex near Wlliamsburg Virginia is where they are at - my brother gave me a "micro tour" of the place in early 1999 - there are racks of older radio and shipboard electronics gear. Seeing the photos, I'm convinced it was R-390s I saw up there in the hundreds.

My brother was in charge of outfitting one of the new (it was then...) aircraft carriers with the support equipment to maintain naval aircraft. When sumpin' went lost, he played sleuth/explorer until he found it in one of the many warehouses there.

Prolly some of the best recreational facilities up there too - kind of a best kept secret for folks that know about the place.

Cheers,

[Fisherdude]

Originally Posted by Bob E.

Is the auction listing still up? Anyone have the auction number? I'd like to see what the bidding looked like.

--Bob

The listing is gone, so the gentleman that now owns it must have purchased it more than 60 days ago.

[Mmike]

Wosza! I still prefer my God Dust Twins but man what a find!!!!!!


_Mike

[Sandy G]

Yeah. They are supposedly still "OEM" on certain ships that have equipment that generates big RF fields/interference, that plays havoc w/SS radios, but doesn't bother the old warhorses a bit.