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Author Topic: R390A  (Read 661 times)

G3RZP

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R390A
« on: October 13, 2021, 01:00:18 PM »

Anybody give me a ball park price on how much an R390A is worth? Electrical condition unknown, units made by several manufacturers, probably 50 to 60years old. Chances of mechanical filter and PTO problems?( Both almost unobtainium in the UK...I'd figure high...)  SK Family figures $450 each for three of them... seems way over the top to me....

vy 73

Peter G3RZP
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KM1H

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Re: R390A
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2021, 01:19:54 PM »

A friend recently sold a Collins 390A with mixed modules for $750 that had been fully overhauled by a competent ham with only a ~40 mile drive involved.
Very clean with a restored panel.

Mine had a mix of modules but the mainframe was Collins and I found all Collins modules over about two years and decades ago. Very clean, perfect meters and a redone panel...I have no idea what it is worth now?? It doesnt get used much these days.
I absolutely refused to use Orange Drop caps which peed off a few heads in the sand CCA members.

Carl
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N7IOH

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Re: R390A
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2021, 02:31:23 PM »

Go on eBay and do a search for what you are looking for,(R390A).  When it comes up look down the left side you will see (Show Only), in there click on Sold Items.  Go down the list, see one, click on it, now above the item click on, (See Original Listing) you will be able to see all the information from the post including pictures and actual selling price if it sold.  I do this all the time.


Al, n7ioh
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KM1H

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Re: R390A
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2021, 03:34:33 PM »

There is a lot more than Fleabay to sell on, too bad a program to combine all venues isnt available to get a more accurate result....or is there??
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K4LIX

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Re: R390A
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2021, 03:47:37 PM »

About 55K manufactured 1954 thru 1984, the two-year digit in the last part of the number on the I.D. tag is the year made., i.e. a number like 8719-P-55 would indicate 1955 is the year it was made.  The last ones made, Fowler Industries, are worth several thousand dollars - I doubt you have one of those.
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G3RZP

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Re: R390A
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2021, 01:19:51 AM »

Thanks guys.

vy 73

RZP
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W4KYR

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Re: R390A
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2021, 04:06:34 AM »

Anybody give me a ball park price on how much an R390A is worth? Electrical condition unknown, units made by several manufacturers, probably 50 to 60years old. Chances of mechanical filter and PTO problems?( Both almost unobtainium in the UK...I'd figure high...)  SK Family figures $450 each for three of them... seems way over the top to me....

vy 73

Peter G3RZP

$450 each is a fair price. RandL has one for sale $699

https://store2.rlham.com/shop/catalog/usedq.php?id=15748&model=R390A






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KM1H

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Re: R390A
« Reply #7 on: October 14, 2021, 10:35:12 AM »

Quote
$450 each is a fair price. RandL has one for sale $699

https://store2.rlham.com/shop/catalog/usedq.php?id=15748&model=R390A

$450 is ridiculously low unless it is a total unknown; there is a large number of problems that could be very expensive to rectify in a bargain with no recourse. That R&L is high considering that "works" means nothing; I would suspect unmentioned but known problems with that description.

I value mine at $1K minimum and suspect it would go for more these days
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AD4U

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Re: R390A
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2021, 04:57:47 AM »

When K4IVK went to a nursing home, he gave me his R390A. I thought it worked OK, but since my daughter lived in Norfolk VA, I decided to put it in her car to take it to one of the R390A gurus who lives in the area. Over the next two months I got updates on the progress.

My R390A had an EAC front panel but as the restore process unfolded, I got a call telling me that my R390A was 100% Collins on the inside. That does not make it work better than the other makes, but it is 100% Collins.

The restore process cost me around $1500. My R390A looks and works at least as good as a brand new one. IMO NO receiver works better for what it was designed to do. I have RACAL receivers and ICOM 9000 etc. Again IMO none of them works as well as the R390A for what it was designed to do.

If I ever decide to sell my R390A it won't be sold for less than what I have in it. If no one wants to pay that then it will sit on the shelf until it rots.  :)
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W3SLK

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Re: R390A
« Reply #9 on: October 15, 2021, 06:22:52 AM »

KM1H said:
Quote
A friend recently sold a Collins 390A with mixed modules for $750 that had been fully overhauled by a competent ham with only a ~40 mile drive involved.
I never known Collins to make a R-390A, which has the mechanical filters. Collins I thought made the original R-390 with the crystal filters and a squelch. Motorola I though started out making the -A version. I also know a majority, (including mine) were made by EAC(Hammarlund), and a variety of contractors, Stuart Warner, even Helena Curtis! There was a fine article in Electric Radio about them. Bill Kleronomos, KD0HG(SK) did an article on converting the audio module to a triode output, which sounds good. But my personal preference is to use a DC blocking cap coming off the diode output and running it in to a monoblock (Heathkit AA-14) amplifier for really nice sounding audio.
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W9IQ

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Re: R390A
« Reply #10 on: October 15, 2021, 07:19:32 AM »




- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

W3SLK

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Re: R390A
« Reply #11 on: October 15, 2021, 11:46:00 AM »

Please forgive my skepticism but like I said, "I never known Collins to make a R-390A." They must be few and far between with many being destroyed(?). Judging from some of the searching, they made over 5,000 units. With the bulk being made by Motorola and EAC. We used them up in Main Com on the USS America (CV-66) because their front-ends didn't get overloaded from the SPS-48 and SPS-49 radars.
However I do recall one fellow talking to me on 160 that he was listen on a Collins R-390A and his transmitter was a Collins T-368. That maybe where my skepticism came from.
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KM1H

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Re: R390A
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2021, 01:19:48 PM »

My Collins is from the third run of 4982 while the earlier runs totaled only 1282.

While a few claim the EAC runs had better performance Ive yet to see any details and the several Ive overhauled here and compared side by side with mine show no differences that werent due to the individual tube differences. Swap tubes and the performance followed them.
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AH7I

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Re: R390A
« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2021, 10:56:57 AM »

Please forgive my skepticism but like I said, "I never known Collins to make a R-390A." They must be few and far between with many being destroyed(?). Judging from some of the searching, they made over 5,000 units. With the bulk being made by Motorola and EAC. We used them up in Main Com on the USS America (CV-66) because their front-ends didn't get overloaded from the SPS-48 and SPS-49 radars.
However I do recall one fellow talking to me on 160 that he was listen on a Collins R-390A and his transmitter was a Collins T-368. That maybe where my skepticism came from.

My Collins 390A is the same contract as Glenn's. It's at home and I'm at work on lunch break so no serial number for y'all. The only radio serial numbers I have memorized are the Iran contract Watkins Johnson receivers. They have a "X" in the serial number location ;-)

For the OP and value? It's what the market will bear. I suspect it has past it's peak. At least for the next few decades. If I did not have one, I'd pay a few hundred dollars. But, the one I have is not going anywhere unless I find a trade for a nice example of a Sperry, mechanical, inertial navigation computer. 

73, -bob
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W6SSP

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Re: R390A
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2021, 12:15:58 PM »

Collins most certainly made R-390A's. Have two of them.
Prices for these are all over the place from dirt cheap, needing work
(most do) to restored examples. What you get for yours, in as-is
condition as stated, depends on your local market and how patient you
are. I'd say $450 is a good starting price based on the market in
my area. Higher than that and it should be working.

The good news for buyers is they are plentiful and parts are available.
Steve
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