Has anyone ever tried this? I do know there are a couple of projects
out there involving an all-solid-state replacement for the rare-as-
hens-teeth
ballast tubes, but with the increasing rarity of all hollow-state
devices,
I'm thinking about taking this on as a project.
Thoughts?
73,
Rog
I'm sure anything is possible.
Converting an R390a to use all solid state components instead of tubes
would seem to defeat one of the key values of the radio.
Personal opinion, but I vote a resounding "NO".
What would be the point of doing it? Why bother?
Why try and make it into something it isn't?
Do you have all the necessary lab test equipment to measure IMD and
other parameters to make sure you're not worse off than when you started?
Yes, the ballast tubes are rare -- but there are work-arounds for just
that specific issue rather than modifying the entire radio.
It's been done for the R-392, so I don't see why you couldn't do it
for the R390A.
This R-392 page
http://www.roveroresearch.com/r392/r392.html
will eventually lead you to this page
http://users.erols.com/mdinolfo/r392ss1.htm
It's all very primitive, but that was the state of the net back then.
As the others have mentioned, the goal is to a box of fire bottles, so
the value would be to restore to a tubed version, not solid state.
I'd stick with the tubes. I wouldn't pay more than $500 for one.