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| Reviews Summary for Collins R 392 |
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Reviews: 6
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Average rating: 4.7/5
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MSRP: $unknown
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Description: Military HF rcvr, essentially a small version of the R 390
with 28 VDC as the plate voltage.
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Product is not in production.
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More info: http://
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W8KX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2012 06:48
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Lean green and mean
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The very embodiment of a rugged military radio. The impression that the R-392 makes transcends whatever limitations it might have as a communications receiver. In the context of 1950's technology these limitations were few. Frequency meter type accuracy and stability far in excess of many more modern designs.
Despite the obvious mechanical complexity these radios are a very conservative design which long outlive their designers, builders and owners and would be impossible to duplicate today.
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AAV4PC
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 20, 2012 09:33
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They just keep on truckin
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have a number of Collins R-392 receivers on line as monitors,all operating off a verticle and
RF multi-coupler box.
I Set these up years ago, with full alignment bringing them all up to origional or better spec's.
The only physical modification was vent holes cut in cases to reduce internal heat.
These receivers have run for years without a burp, survived a move, and now are again set up and operating.
I have one I use on my test bench, as a standard, as this receiver is as stable as a rock.
I have all manuals and test gear to keep these old work horses up to specs,
along with lots of Experience with the R-390's, 391's,and 392's.
Some may think these are boat anchors, but the old rig will withstand EMP's and other spikes and jolts,
the new gear will not.
Also found with minor rework, the old T-195 tranmitter makes one heck of a great auto tune 100W RMS amplifier.
Put it in tune, apply a couple watts excitation, and watch it tune up.
Biggest drawback on this gear, do not drop it on your toe, and it requires a 28vdc supply,
as does most military equipment,( big quiet 24vdc-80A supply under bench ).
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KP4FAR
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 28, 2011 20:49
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Still an excellent rcvr in 2011
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned two of these. They work just as good as any r390urr. Excellent sensitivity and good selectivity plus stable as a rock. My present r392 is pristine both in and out. Someone did an excellent solid state mod for the audio only and not only eliminated heat but also improved the audio a lot. This mod has a name that I don't recall but it was a common one. I never had any problems with my r392s. They are like Sherman tanks. Get one if you can. The prices are still reasonable.
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W5DTW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 20, 2011 11:29
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Tough receiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased one at a flea market in Waco in the 70s for 20 bucks, it took me a while to figure out that it ran a 28v plate ( remember time before the internet?)
Anyway I loved it for BC DX and it was very stable, I’m not sure why I sold it but I just picked up another off of fleabay and can’t wait till it gets here.
I give it a 5 for the fact it does what it was designed for very well and so many have survived, I rarely see a parts rig for sale only complete units!
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KZ9I
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 26, 2009 13:12
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Great Boatanchor!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've owned just about EVERY radio out there,When a buddy had several military radios cluttering up his basement I offered to take them off his hands The R-392 is an awsome boatanchor,I like to listen to the BBC on 15.400 and it's all great listening! I keep it on my Gap Challenger.I tested the tubes,replaced four of them,they are cheap btw,I used car polish on the old girl, she is beutiful in her own way.Marv
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SWL377
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 5, 2005 10:52
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Very solid reliable HF rcvr
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had hard core experience with R 392s as backup HF SSB rcvrs on commercial fishing boats. They are sensitive and stable, but the low B plus voltage means stage gains are low and for loud audio to a speaker you will need an outboard audio amp. The great thing about R 392s is how rugged they are. Ours would get really filthy (imagine tuning with fish blood and slime on your hands). The R 392 is pertty close to a hermetically sealed rcvr. Even the knob shafts have seals on them. When they would get really gross we would just hose them down with detergent and fresh water. Try doing that with most rcvrs and you'd end up with a mess inside. The R 392 interiors remained pristine, just like new. The R 392 has LC tuned ckts instead of mech filters for IF selectivity, so dont expect razor sharp edges on the filter curves. Still, it is a fine receiver. The tuning accuracy was outstanding and it stayed calibrated despite all sorts of assaults and insults. These were available for about $200 from Fair radio at a time (early 70s) when a good marine HF SSB radio with any kind of numeric tuning cost easily 10x that amount. Accordingly they found there way onto a few fishing boats. We tuned around for clandestine freq fishing comms and it paid off handsomely a few times. At night it was a fine BCB DX rcvr. As I recall it had 2 RF stages on certain freq ranges. We had two, one Collins and one Motorola as I recall. No discernable performance differences. We tried the military solid state replacement for the audio output tube. Oddly, it worked fine in one set and not at all in the other. The squelch is a carrier squelch and pretty useless on SSB. SSB is demodulated using the BFO. Works fine. The R 392 has no voltage higher than 24-28 VDC inside. I noticed better performance on 28 VDC than 24. nI have heard that hams have experimented with higher plate voltages with good results keeping the filaments at theor rated voltages. The PTO tuning is just like the R 390 and your wrist can get tired. I'd recommend the R 392 to anyone who wnats a good tube HF rcvr that can take a beating.
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