Collins R-388 shortwave radio receiver

[Bob Hudson]

This is what old time radio operators like to refer to as a "boat anchor" - a big old tube radio that - if good for no other purpose - is heavy enough to anchor a boat

 

This one is the Collins R-388, a military version of the Collins 51J-3 shortwave radio receiver made from about 1952-55. These would have been used on board ships and in land bases, often for receiving radio teletype signals, but it was also useful for voice and Morse Code communications. These were top-of-the-line radios and in the early 1950's one these cost the government the equivalent of about $7,000-8,000 in today's money. These are still highly desirable and one in good working condition sells for $300-500 (last year they might have cost a couple hundred more).

 

These have 18 tubes and weigh about 35 pounds. I have no idea how long the military kept them in service, but I read one account of their being in use in Vietnam: certainly they would been perfectly good for 1960's shortwave/HF communications chores. These receivers were often paired up with a BC-610 transmitter (which weighs about 400 pounds).

 

 

This is what the inside looks like:

 

 

 

 

It still has original alignment tools and spare dial lights: amazing they stayed put for over half a century.

 

[coastie]

I've used one of these (back in the old days). We had them at radioman school as an example of what we could find still in the field (we are talking 70's here). Mostly I used the r-390 and r-391 not much different from each other.

Collins built good radios, a good r390 will cost over a grand nowadays. Had a r390, it weigh a ton (maybe 100) because of all the tuning gears, sold it too cheaply. :pinch:

[J_Andrews]

In early 1970, atb least in I Corps MACV, there was a big push to get and issue and put into service an off-the-shelf Collins radio system. This was to "civilianize", in preparation for turning everything, in place, over to the ARVNs. They also provided redundancy, or an alternate means of commo, separate from the GI milspec network. IIRC the Collinses were not as susceptible to jamming and/or interception.

 

I am not now, never have I ever been, a commo guy, so cannot say more on the subject.

[coastie]

yOu are right about the collins not being subseptible to jamming. The R390's could fine tune through the worst interference and using morse code you could always get through. About the only thing that could stop it from working was a SID (sudden ionospheric disturbance). Once in Japan all our comms went out for about an hour. The r390 was the first to come back on line. Later we had found out it was caused by the Chinese blowing off a nuclear device.