[78-L] BBC World Service Going Out Of Business Auction

[Robert M. Bratcher Jr.]

Another teenage shortwave DX'er. Cool!! 
 
The R390a is a very well built reciever. True they are quite heavy but then how often are you going to be moving it around? I haven't moved mine from the radio table (it's my primary shortwave reciever) for about 15 years now. And it won't be moved tomorrow or any time soon either. Don't worry about the gear train or any other part of this reciever. If you get one in good shape or better it won't break down on you. Mine didn't since I got it 30 years ago however I still sent it to Rick Mish of Miltronix to have it remanufactured to museum quality 5 years ago. Sure it cost some bucks to have that done but to me it was well worth it even though my R390a was running great before I sent it off to Rick. Many veteran DX'ers still think that the R390a is one of the best recievers ever made. I agree with them 100%.
 
The other vacuum tube recievers I'd fix myself (yes I do know how) if one ever needed it but so far none of them have since I got them although I've done some repairs to a few of them right after I bought them.
 
The old Zenith Trans Oceanic G500 & H600 series of recievers are very good portables to this day. I built battery packs for both of mine that fit inside each radio & ran them both outside my home on the batteries I bought. Lots of fun too. Of course they also run off AC as well. And those are both vacuum tube models.


>________________________________
>From: "Stewart, Joseph R" <RandyStewart at MissouriState.edu>
>To: "78-l at klickitat.78online.com" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com> 
>Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:03 PM
>Subject: Re: [78-L] BBC World Service Going Out Of Business Auction
>
>Robert M. Bratcher Jr. <rbratcherjr at yahoo.com> wrote: 
>"I still listen to what's left of shortwave radio today on an R390a vacuum tube shortwave receiver."
>At one time I seriously considered tracking one down, but they're such BEASTS (85+ pounds), and if that complex gear-driven frequency readout system ever crapped out there's no way I'd be able to repair it!  Modern solid-state communications receivers admittedly don't sound nearly as good on good old double-sideband AM, though.... 
>
>"Thankfully the BBC still transmits on a few other frequencies that are not in a ham band." 
>I frequently listen to their transmission to Africa late in the (North American) evenings on 9410 kHz.
>
>"Oh & I'm 53 now & have been listening to shortwave since I was 13 years old..."
>I'm 55 and started listening to SW when I was 10 or 11--on a cheap Japanese (solid-state) multi-band portable (the then-current Zenith Trans-Oceanic 3000 was way too expensive for my parents' budget!).
>
>Randy Stewart
>Arts Producer
>KSMU
>901 S. National
>Springfield MO 65897
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>78-L mailing list
>78-L at klickitat.78online.com
>http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
>
>
>