Radio Boulevard
Western Historic Radio Museum
 

Collins Radio Company

51J Series of Receivers - Part 2
 

51J "Oddities," 70E-15 "M" PTO vs "CR" PTO, BFO Inversions, Break-in Set ups,
How Collins Radio and the 51J were Responsible for the RACAL RA-17,
Details on Common Problems, Freeing Stuck Trimmers, Restoration Tools,
Repairing the 70E-15 "M" PTO, Rebuilding the 51J-2,
Rebuilding the 1951 R-388 "Basketcase,"
 

by: Henry Rogers WA7YBS

51J-2 B&W Artwork from the Manual - 1950

PART 2

51J Series - Oddities

No receiver is perfect and the 51J Series receivers do have a few "oddities" that can cause user frustration during set-up and operation. The sloping top on all 51J receivers almost necessitates using some type of cabinet if you like to utilize the area on top of the receiver for various accessories. The oldham coupler can cause some minor backlash issues in the tuning. The five "oddities" that cause the most problems are covered below. The PTO end-point error is probably the most serious issue but, luckily, it almost always only affects the R-388. The PTO serial numbers involve both the R-388 and the 51J-4. The Break-in is a headache but only affects the R-388, 51J-3 and 51J-4. The BFO "inversion" will complicate selecting the proper upper or lower sideband and is a function of the front-end design so it affects all versions of the 51J receivers. The audio issues are integral to the 51J design and affect all versions on the 51J Series. The R-388, 51J-3 and J-4 might cross-modulate in the presence of a strong RF field when used with a large, non-resonant antenna.

Break-in Operation for the R-388, 51J-3 and 51J-4 - What a Headache! - Perhaps the most inconvenient requirement for the R-388, 51J-3 or the 51J-4 is how to provide the Break-in function. Break-in requires an external +12vdc 200mA source that is switched "on" when in the "transmit" mode to isolate the receiver input and to mute the audio output. Inside the receiver, relay K101 is operated by the Break-in voltage and the relay contacts disconnect the antenna input line, ground the receiver input circuitry and also remove the voltage from the IF amplifier plates to mute the receiver. There is also a neon bulb as a protection device on the antenna line but this is mainly a static voltage drain and not intended to handle large amounts of RF energy. Break-in should be used when the receiver is paired with a transmitter and both are using the same antenna switched by an external T-R relay. Usually, the T-R relay does provide positive isolation and many Dow-Key T-R relays had an additional spring-loaded contact switch inside the receiver-side coaxial fitting barrel that further increased receiver isolation. These types of T-R relays afford protection when used with the Standby position for muting in the short term and it's fine for testing and preliminary set-ups but, ultimately, the permanent set-up should be using the Break-in with the T-R relay to provide a positive "double" disconnect of the antenna line and providing the grounding that protects the receiver input,...just in case there's a T-R relay failure and arcing happens inside the relay. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The front panel STAND BY position does not actuate the Break-in relay. The Break-in relay can ONLY be operated by applying +12vdc Break-in voltage to pins 2 and 3 of the REMOTE terminal strip (pin 1 provides a ground for a cable shield.)

NOTE 1 - If you can't use an external +12vdc for Break-in: There are a couple of methods that provide the +12vdc "Break-in" within the receiver. Either a small power supply mounted under the chassis of the receiver or a voltage doubler circuit that runs off of the 6vac tube heater supply. Since < 200mA is required to operate the relay K101, very small components can be used for either power supply circuit.  See "R-388 Expected Performance and Operation" further down in the "Rebuilding the R-388/URR Receiver" section.

NOTE 2 - Sensitvity down on 80M and 40M?: If your R-388 or 51J-4 receiver seems to have somewhat less sensitivity on Bands 4 through 7, which happens to be the bands that include the 80M and 40M ham bands, check L-104 for burn marks and for its DC resistance. Refusal by some hams to use the "Break-in" function and instead relying on a T-R relay for isolation (along with using the STAND BY for muting) can lead to accidental high levels of RF making it to L-104, the Antenna coil for Bands 4-7, causing damage. Typically, the receiver still works but sensitivity will be down on Bands 4-7. A check will involve testing reception levels on Bands 8 and higher and noticing an increase in sensitivity on those bands. Also, check the response using the Calibration function. If received signals seem down on 4mc but switching in the Calibration oscillator shows a good response on the CL meter, then suspect damage to L-104 from excessive RF levels (and not using Break-in.) The Calibration oscillator is injected at the grid of the RF amplifier tube which is after L-104 in the signal flow. Be sure in your testing that the lack of sensitivity isn't due to an antenna mismatch. The final test and confirmation requires using a RF signal generator to input known signal levels and to actually confirm that the sensitivity is down on Bands 4-7. When inspecting L-104, often excessive RF damage can be seen as melting, discoloration or burn marks on the coil. Sometimes the excessive heat will only change the DC resistance of the wire of the coil and the damage shows up as an increase in the DCR of the coil. Another observation is that even though the damage may have happened during 80M operation, the damage also affects 40M sensitivity and vice-versa.

NOTE 3 - The 51J-1 and 51J-2 have conventional stand-by provisions providing external relay connections that parallel the front panel STAND BY switch. The auxiliary contracts on the T-R relay can provide the remote Stand By function. There isn't any antenna input protection circuitry provided in these early version receivers.

BFO/IF "Inversion" - Selecting Upper or Lower Sideband with the 51J - The double conversion process in the 51J circuit involves mixing the incoming RF with a Crystal Oscillator (using fundamental and harmonic frequencies) to create Odd and Even Bands for the dual Variable IF that are in turn mixed with the PTO output. The PTO tunes from 3.0mc to 2.0mc but the Even Bands use the Variable IF that tunes from 1.5mc to 2.5mc. This requires using the formula PTO f - Vari IF = +500kc fixed IF (mid-range example 2500kc-2000kc=+500kc.) However, an Odd Band uses the Variable IF tuning 2.5mc to 3.5mc and this requires using the formula PTO f - Vari IF = -500kc fixed IF (mid-range example 2500kc-3000kc= -500kc.) The 500kc fixed IF signal is actually changing phase (180º) between Odd Bands and Even Bands. Since the BFO is a 500kc oscillator heterodyning with that 500kc IF, when the 500kc fixed IF phase changes, the BFO phase relationship inverts. This shows up, for example, as tuning in an USB 14.200mc SSB signal will require the BFO to be to the right of the center index line for proper demodulation. But, if an USB 15.035mc SSB signal is tuned in then the BFO must be to the left of the center index line for proper demodulation. Since there aren't any calibration index lines to comprise a scale for the BFO position, the 51J design never intended using the BFO for selecting a specific sideband or in providing a "calibrated position" for the BFO (as with the later R-390 and R-390A.) It's really not that much of a problem but it's something that's noticed quickly when first operating a 51J receiver nowadays and tuning in SSB signals.

It's easy (if you use the receiver a lot) to remember that on Odd Bands USB reception will require the BFO index to be to the left of the center mark. If you're on an Even Band, USB will require the BFO index to be to the right of the center mark. Or,...since 80M and 40M are both Odd Bands and LSB is normally used there, have the BFO index to the right of the center mark for those two ham bands. But, 15M is also an Odd Band but USB is normally used there so the BFO index is set to the left of the center mark for 15M. Even Bands are 20M, 17M and 10M and all typically are USB so the BFO index is set to the right of the center mark for those ham bands. The upper portion of 10M is an Odd Band so BFO to the left for USB. It sounds confusing but once you've operated the receiver a few times on SSB with taking into account the BFO inversion between Odd and Even Bands, selecting the proper sideband is easy (see drawing to the right.) IMPORTANT NOTE: You have to be sure that the BFO knob index is mounted correctly on the BFO shaft. Setting up the correct BFO knob position is covered in detail in any of the 51J receiver's alignment procedure. The basic set up is to first rotate the BFO knob one full turn clock-wise, then continuing C-W, set the BFO to the highest frequency (fully unmeshed C) then mount the BFO knob so the index is at 90º or 1/4 turn rotation clock-wise from vertical. Set the BFO index to vertical and align the BFO coil assembly adjustment to 500kc. With this setting, if the BFO is rotated from index-vertical to the right (or C-W) the BFO frequency will increase from 500kc. If the BFO is rotated from index-vertical to the left (or C-C-W) then the BFO frequency will decrease from 500kc.

BFO Position for Sideband Selection

Even Collins had a hard time with the Odd-Even Band changes and the relationship with the BFO operation. When the 51J was designed at the end of WWII, a BFO was only used for CW reception and, since a CW signal has no sidebands, the position of the BFO didn't matter as long as it provided a heterodyne. By the time the 51J-4 was introduced, SSB had been developed and was being promoted by Collins. The 51J-4 manual has a specific set of instructions for determining what Collins thought was the proper setting of the BFO for SSB signals when using the J-4. The procedure requires determining center frequency of a marker signal and then tuning below the f center for a carrier level drop of 18db and then adjusting the BFO CCW for zero beat and noting the knob's index position. The same procedure is again performed with by tuning above f center for an 18db drop and tuning the BFO CW for zero beat and noting the knob's index position. NOTE: It's strange that the Collins instructions actually states the signal levels and the signal drop as "3 S-units" and, of course, all of the 51J-4 receivers had Carrier Level meters that read in "db over" but Collins did provide the 18db level in parentheses. The instructions finish up by stating that if the SSB signal can't be demodulated with the BFO in the proper CCW position then rotate the BFO control to the proper CW position. In other words, there's no specification of either "upper" or "lower" sideband mentioned since obviously that changes depending on whether the band being used is Odd or Even, which isn't mentioned either. It must have become too convoluted to explain at a time when SSB transmissions were just becoming popular and just beginning to be heard on the air, so Collins avoided it altogether. It also seems strange that Collins (at the time) didn't mention the BFO inversions since this changing BFO relationship would have affected reception of RTTY FSK signals. The BFO position determines whether the RTTY FSK signal is going to be received "Mark high f" or "Mark low f." Of course, it depended on the type of RTTY TU. Those TUs that ran off of the IF and supplied their own BFO might not have been affected. However, some of the TUs were audio input types and relied on the receiver BFO. These would have definitely been affected by the Odd-Even BFO inversion but most RTTY audio TUs had the ability to invert the relationship, if necessary, for this very reason. Since the BFO inversions are a product of the Vari-IF and PTO relationship, they will be experienced with all versions of the 51J series. I guess it's just one of the 51J "oddities."

Communications-grade Audio, Loudspeakers and External Audio Amplifiers for the 51J Series - If you're expecting high fidelity audio from any of the 51J receivers, you're in for a disappointment. The initial intent of the receiver was communications and especially for receiving data-type transmissions. Communications-grade audio response was generally considered 300hz to 3000hz for voice transmissions. For CW or data, the audio bandwidth could be much narrower. Most military transmitters (and most amateur transmitters at the time) that were used for voice communications kept the audio response approximately from 300hz to 3000hz. This was to assure that the best intelligibility was available at the receiving-end and took into consideration that many transmitters were fairly low power and that poor receiving conditions would also affect intelligibility. All 51J-1 and 51J-2 receivers have audio specification of 200hz to 2500hz at -6db down. Additionally, the 51J-1 and 51J-2 have a very narrow IF bandwidth of about 4kc at -6db. The R-388, 51J-3 and 51J-4 have audio specifications of 200hz at -3db down on the low end and 2500hz at -7db down on the high end and 1.5 watts available audio power at less than 15% distortion. The IF bandwidth on the R-388 and 51J-3 was widened to about 6kc at -6db. The 51J-4 added mechanical filters to the 500kc fixed-IF that created a steep-sided, flat topped bandwidth that, while great for selectivity, created serious audio issues. Certainly not impressive specs from any of the 51J Series,...especially if you're an audiophile. But, the 51J receivers are "communications receivers" and their audio specifications are appropriate for that type of end-use.

All of the advertising or the manuals never specified a particular matching speaker for any of the early 51J series of receivers. The 51J-1 and J-2 manuals provide dimensions of the intended loudspeaker and these dimensions describe the Collins 270G-1 (used an 8" loudspeaker.) The 51J-4 manual actually specifies the 270G-3 loudspeaker. The 270G-3 used a 10" loudspeaker. During early production there was a 270G-2 10" loudspeaker available. There is conflicting information out there (even from Collins) but it seems that the 270G-2 was identical to the 270G-3 with the exception of the three small vertically-spaced holes towards the front on each side of the cabinet for installing rack-mount brackets. Some sources say it's the other way around, that is, the 270G-3 had the rack bracket holes but the 1959 Collins production catalog shows the 270G-3 loudspeaker without the mounting holes for the rack brackets. Also, in the 1959 Collins catalog the 270G-3 is listed as 6-8Z ohms however actual impedance measurements of original loudspeakers will normally show they are 4Z voice coils. Note that this is a nominal impedance shown and that would vary depending upon how the measurement is made, specifically the frequency employed. Figure that the impedance specified is "NOMINAL" and whether the testing shows 4Z, 6Z or 8Z, all 270G-3 loudspeakers sound great when connected to the 4Z output terminals of any 51J receiver. R-388 receivers were generally used for specific military set-ups such as RTTY or other data transmissions where a loudspeaker would be part of a larger, rack-mounted collection of equipment. In addition to the rack-mounting option of the 270G-2, there also was a rack mounted dual speaker system available for diversity RTTY set-ups. There was a USN version of the R-388 referred to as the AN/URR-23-A that came in a standard Collins cabinet, CY-1235/U and included the 270G-3 speaker (mil ID: LS-199/U.) The 51J-2 was also supplied in a similar fashion and designated as the AN/URR-23 (no -A.)

For a vintage mil-rad station, perhaps the easiest speakers to find (that are period and manufacturer correct) would be either the Collins 270G-1, an 8" speaker, or the Collins 270G-3, a 10" speaker. The 270G-1 was typically supplied with the 75A-1 receivers and the speaker cabinet had the Collins "winged" emblem on the front with chrome trim strips with a felt-flocked perf-metal grille (usually a sort of brownish-maroon color.) The 270G-1 also has a serial number tag mounted inside the cabinet showing the model designation and the serial number. The 270G-3 was typically supplied with the 75A-2, 75A-3 and 75A-4 receivers and these cabinets don't have the Collins WE and have black trim strips with an white-cream color felt-flocked grille. The 270G-3 doesn't have a serial number tag and wasn't assigned a serial number. Either of these Collins speakers are fine sounding, communications-grade reproducers and, though usually outrageously expensive, they are easy to find. However, any 4.0Z speaker will function fine with the 51J receivers. There's not too much of an advantage in using a high-quality, large diameter speaker installed in a bass reflex cabinet because the audio output circuitry of any of the 51J Series receivers was always "communications grade" in quality. The audio range available with all later 51J receivers lacks any significant bass since the audio output frequency response was rolled-off starting at 200hz on the low end and the upper limit roll-off was at 2500hz while the audio power can only produce about 1.5 watts maximum. Even the latest version, the 51J-4, still has audio that was specified as 200hz at -3db down to 2500hz at -7 db down in the manuals with the 1.5 watts output power maximum (at <15% distortion.) These less-than-impressive specifications will become more and more apparent with better quality, high fidelity speaker systems. Using the 600Z output to drive a loudspeaker through an appropriate matching transformer is also an option. Using a good quality transformer and a typical 8Z or 4Z loudspeaker will result in typical communications audio reproduction. I do use the 600Z output from the front panel SPEAKER jack to operate a rack mounted loudspeaker with dual R-388 rack-mounted receivers. The resulting audio is a little thin due to the open rack nature of the loudspeaker but the communications quality is excellent.

With the very late R-388 receivers and most of the 51J-4 receivers, the Diode Load was brought out to the rear chassis apron as a test point jack. It would be possible to use a shielded cable connected to the Diode Load and run that to the input of a High Fidelity audio amplifier (using the aux. input or some other fairly Hi-Z input) to drive a quality loudspeaker. You would lose the Noise Limiter function but it was designed for repetitive pulse noise that isn't heard very much nowadays. Also, the 51J-4's 6kc mechanical filter will still be limiting any high quality AM reproduction so very few enthusiasts have bothered with the external Hi-Fi amp set-up.

Since the 51J receivers have always been considered "communications receivers," it's not unexpected that the standard Collins communications-grade loudspeakers, the 270G-1 or the 270G-3, will give the best results when used with any of the 51J receivers.

Cross-Modulation with R-388, 51J-3 and 51J-4 - The first receivers, the 51J-1 and 51J-2, used RF transformers in the Ant/RF input section of the receiver but this resulted in a fixed antenna input impedance of 300 ohms. The Army found this terribly inconvenient since most of their antennae were whip verticals or dipoles with impedances a lot less than 100 ohms, let alone 300 ohms! Collins modified the RF/Ant input section when implementing the changes needed for the R-388 receiver. The change removed the primary winding on the coils and just used a parallel LC for tuning the Ant/RF along with adding an Antenna Trim to allow matching the antenna low impedances better. It all works fine except if there's a really strong RF field present. This could be a nearby AM-BC station or a neighboring ham running a high power transmitter. To have a strong enough RF level that could cause cross-modulation generally requires using a very large random length wire antenna that's directly connected to the receiver antenna input. The receiver's parallel LC Ant/RF input section doesn't have much selectivity and that's why it's possible for cross-modulation to happen if the RF field is sufficiently strong. The Army used mostly whip antennae and so it wasn't much of a problem for them. I've heard about this cross-modulation problem with the R-388 but I've never experienced it. Certainly, in large urban areas where powerful AM-BC stations might be nearby and numerous, along with the possibility of neighboring hams operating powerful transmitters, the cross-modulation issue might be more likely to occur. Using an end-fed wire antenna without any type of matching network (tuner) will contribute to the susceptibility to cross-modulation. Here in Western Nevada, I've always used large wire antennae but I've always used dipoles fed with open wire feedline in combination with a selective type of antenna tuner. I believe that the "tuned" antenna, which is essentially a selective LC combination, adds another "tuned stage" ahead of the receiver to compensate for the reduced selectivity in the Ant/RF input section. Using large broad-band or untuned (non-resonant) antennae might tend to result in the R-388 being more susceptible to cross-modulation. A selective "tuned" large wire antenna seems to work for me. Also, even if I'm just listening to station outside of the ham bands, I'll always "tune" the antenna for that frequency of reception. Again, the tuning and resulting high-Q of the antenna might be why I haven't experienced any cross-modulation issues.

How Collins Radio Company and the 51J were Responsible for the RACAL RA-17

Things changed for RACAL in 1953 when the British Royal Navy became interested in having RACAL build a couple hundred Collins 51J receivers for Royal Navy use. The 51J was being successfully used for RTTY communications in the USA military. It provided frequency-solid stability along with a dial readout that was "to the kilocycle" accurate. The 51J was the first receiver used by the US military that provided reliable RTTY reception without modifications. The US military R-388/URR was the most successful 51J version and was produced in the greatest quantity. Certainly the Royal Navy was aware of the success the 51J/R-388 afforded US military RTTY users and they needed the same type of reliability for their RATT comms (British for RTTY.)

If RACAL was going to become involved in British-built Collins 51J receivers, they would have to be licensed by Collins to do so. Naturally, RACAL wanted to use mostly British parts (probably so did the Royal Navy) but Collins Radio Company insisted that only parts from the USA could be used and only assembly of Collins 51J receivers could be performed by RACAL. Ultimately, the proposal ended up with a group from Collins Radio doing an inspection of the (then) small RACAL manufacturing facility. Apparently, Collins wasn't impressed and simply refused to license the manufacture of the 51J by RACAL. The only option left was for RACAL to design their own receiver that would meet the requirements for the Royal Navy contract.

RACAL contacted Dr. Trevor Wadley, a well-known South African electronics engineer, to help with the project and the result was the famous RA-17 receiver. Though entirely different in electronic design concept, using the famous "Wadley Loop" to eliminate drift, the RA-17 met or exceeded the 51J specifications and went on to be produced in many variations over the next 20 years. In looking at the RA-17 receiver to the right, it's immediately apparent that the physical appearance of the RA-17, especially the dual-dial arrangement and the slanted top (can't be seen in the photo,) paid homage to the Collins 51J receivers. 

RACAL RA-17C-12 from 1961. The "C" versions of the RA-17 were built in England but were intended for North American users and for NATO. Mostly USA-types of tubes, hardware and nomenclature were used for the "C" versions. The RA-17C-12 versions were also designated as the R-501/URR by the USA mil-users.

General Information on Reworking 51J Receivers

The front panel has to be dismounted and the KC dial has to be taken off to remove the PTO. Working on the R-388 PTO requires careful attention to the delicate parts inside, being careful not to disturb the "corrector stack" and working with the four turns of 29 gauge wire that is L002. The PTO usually must be calibrated for minimum end-point error outside of the receiver on the 51J-3, 51J-4 and R-388. This requires that a jig be made to accurately indicate each full shaft turn (a "zero" index line) for a 3mc to 2mc frequency output in exactly ten full turns of the PTO shaft. The 70E-15 "M" PTO is shown to the left.

If work is required in the receiver's front end, it is extremely difficult to access any of the parts in the crystal oscillator and most of the other front-end stages aren't much easier to get into. Additionally, the wires from the various coils are very fine and easy to accidentally break when doing rework in the front-end of the receiver. Most of the time it's easier to dismount the particular coil assembly for the repair and then reinstall. All R-388 receivers will be MFP'd which adds to the difficulty of rework. The 51J gearbox is complex and rework is difficult.

To take on a poor condition 51J receiver, you should be experienced in complete disassembly and reassembly of advanced vintage communications equipment. You should have professional soldering equipment, be experienced and possess a good soldering technique and only use real SnPb solder. If you're going to work on the R-388s you should be experienced in reworking military equipment that has been MFP coated. Necessary for working on almost any Collins equipment, you'll absolutely need the Xcelite 99PS-60 Bristol Multiple Spline Screwdriver 11 piece set (this set includes the extension piece.) This set is expensive at around $85 but absolutely necessary to access many of the Bristol set screws deep inside the receiver can't be reached unless you have the extension piece to use with the already "long" spline drivers. Your test equipment should be laboratory-type although your skill at RF/IF alignment will determine the ultimate quality of the receiver's performance. The 51J Series is within the capabilities of restorers who have good mechanical ability and a solid electronics background with considerable experience working on vintage sophisticated communications receivers. Don't be in a hurry and always be thorough.

However, most of the 51J receivers encountered these days haven't been well-cared-for and most suffer from poor storage and many are compromised by owner-induced abuse (unwarranted modification.) Since most of the receivers were used extensively when new and then were probably stored poorly, you will usually find some mechanical problems that will need to be repaired. Once all of the circuits have been gone-through and rebuilt if necessary and the mechanical issues addressed, a full IF/RF alignment is always going to be necessary. Though not essential, the original alignment tools will make many of the adjustments easier (repro tools were available and they worked great. Can't find anyone selling them now, in 2023.)

Early 51J receivers that use the 70E-7A type PTO usually align easily. There are exceptions and one example I found had a 12kc EPE. The ease of adjusting the 70E-7A makes finding excessive an EPE unusual but it can happen. However, all R-388 receivers will have the 70E-15 PTO with the "M" prefix serial number and these PTOs will almost always require a slight modification to the PTO L trimmer coil L002 to function at the design level of performance. The 51J-4 70E-15 PTOs have the "CR" suffix serial number and these types seem to have faired much better and rarely, if ever, require going inside the PTO (the problem is more with how the receivers were operated than with the PTO itself.)

When completed, the 51J Series receivers are fully competitive with any other mid-fifties communications receiver. Highly sensitive, very accurate dial resolution and great selectivity. Note, that high fidelity audio was not included. The 51J receivers have highly restricted audio since they were primarily designed for communications.

Typical "As Found" Condition Issues

51J-1 and 51J-2 - A thought for consideration is that some of the 51J-1 and 51J-2 receivers, have had thousands of hours put on them by former commercial/military users. Many receivers were sometimes roughly treated, carelessly modified and are usually well-worn, needing much more than the usual re-cap and alignment to function at their design level of performance. The 51J-1 and 51J-2 gear boxes had the small drive gears made out of brass where the later R-388/51J-3 and J-4 versions have these small gears made out of steel. The relatively soft brass used on the small gears (under a lot of pressure and working against similar metals) wore quickly and the result is that sometimes the wear on early gearboxes is so severe that binding and jamming are experienced when changing the Megacycle position.

The early IF transformers often seem to sustain internal damage with rough handling of the receiver requiring disassembly and re-gluing of the coils and ferrite shields back into their proper position for correct operation.

The kilocycle dial on the 51J-1 and 51J-2 was photosensitive and would darken (tan to brown) over time if left in the same position and exposed to a lot of sunlight. The J-1 and J-2 kilocycle dial was a three-part laminate with the outer clear plastic pieces not being photosensitive. The white inner piece is what was photosensitive and it might have been a cellulose-acetate material which would explain the tan to brown discoloration that happens. Starting with the 51J-3 and R-388 the kilocycle dial inner material was changed and it isn't photosensitive. Luckily, darkened 51J-1 or 51J-2 kilocycle dials can be replaced with the kilocycle dial from a R-388 receiver. There is a very slight difference in the thickness of the material and the number font is very slightly different but mechanically the two types of dials are interchangeable.

Add to those 51J-1 and 51J-2 problems, the fact that for the past half-century, most of these receivers have been severely modified both by hams and earlier by commercial technicians attempting to "modernize" the "company receiver." Also, some of the J-1s or J-2s were military R-381 receivers that the Army depots "modernized" without too much concern for appearance, ergonomics, workmanship or functionability. It's extremely rare to find either the 51J-1 or the 51J-2 that's in completely original condition. The J-1 receivers seem to have taken the brunt of this modification mayhem with most examples being totally "hacked" beyond restoration. J-2 receivers sometimes surface that are mostly original and are in pretty good, restorable condition, though I haven't seen one in that condition in a long time. The J-2 that I rebuilt fifteen years ago needed a second J-2 to provide a "parts set" to allow selecting the best parts and components between the two receivers to use for the rebuild. Also, the "parts set" was able to supply any missing or destroyed parts. Figure that taking on a J-1 or J-2 restoration will probably require two receivers to make one operational and relatively original receiver. NOTE: In April 2023, I found a 51J-1 receiver that was a "survivor." In years of looking at many 51J-1 receivers, I'd never seen one that wasn't totally hacked beyond restoration. This 51J-1 is 95% original and only has a couple of minor modifications. The front panel is all original and so is the top of the chassis. So, I can't say that it's impossible to find a nearly all-original 51J-1, but it will take a lot of looking.

For those R-388 and 51J-4 receivers that have faired better, there are still a few things that should be checked, but, most of the problems will be minor, such as defective tubes, filter capacitor needing reforming, poor alignment or other minor issues. Generally, the better the physical condition of the receiver is, the less likely that any serious problems will be encountered.

The filter capacitor assembly plugs into an octal socket. These are dual electrolytic capacitors with 25uf per section used in the 51J-1 and 51J-2 receivers. The R-388 and 51J-4 use either 35uf per section or 40uf per section depending on if the capacitor was ever replaced. Working voltage is usually 450vdc on all types. These are very reliable, well-sealed capacitors that seldom fail. Check for leakage current before powering up the receiver. Capacitors that haven't had voltage applied for decades should be reformed. Leakage current on a reformed electrolytic should be less than 100 uA at full working voltage.

Resistors are generally Allen Bradley JAN-types that are extremely stable and never seem to drift in value.

Dealing with Stuck Trimmers - A stuck trimmer capacitor can be a fairly common problem with almost any of the 51J receivers and is mostly due to decades of poor storage conditions and dirt. The variable trimmer capacitors are integral to their fiber mounting boards in the front-end. "Gunk" gets into the rotor to stator space and sets up over years resulting in the "stuck" trimmer. Do not force any stuck trimmer. Try a little bit of heat using a hand-held heat gun. Only apply the heat for about 5 seconds because not much is needed. Gently try to move the trimmer and it will normally easily break loose. If the trimmer still refuses to budge, apply another 5 seconds of heat and try again to move the trimmer. Usually no more than three times will be required as the heat will melt or loosen whatever is sticking the rotor. Don't apply the heat all at once, gentle persuasion is best. This approach works most of the time and is the safest method for loosening stuck trimmers. You don't want to break the trimmer since they can't be directly replaced without considerable difficulty.

Parts Availability - At one time it seemed to be impossible to find anyone that was "parting-out" a 51J receiver. No matter how bad the receiver's condition, the seller always believed that it could be restored,...by someone. Things have changed and nowadays (2023) it's fairly common to see many 51J parts being offered for sale, primarily on eBay. Of course, eBay prices tend to be high but, not always, especially when just dealing in parts. Power transformers, chokes, 70E-15 PTOs, dial drums, KC dials, front panels, grab handles, dial escutcheons, meters, crystals, knobs are all often seen for sale. Even 51J-4 mechanical filters show up more often than one would think. Also, repro drum dial overlays are easily found. More difficult items like any of the front-end parts or IF transformers, a complete Crystal Filter assembly or gearbox parts probably would require obtaining a parts set.

The second is the standard diode detector used in the stock receiver which many users want to replace with a Product Detector. The one 51J-4 that I used with the in-circuit Product Detector mod (and AVC mod) still distorted SSB signals if the RF Gain was advanced too far. The object of the mod was to allow the RF Gain to be fully advanced and not distort SSB signals. I thought the receiver functioned much better after I removed these two mods.    >>>

The primary reason for the AVC/Product Detector mods is to allow reception of SSB net operations without having to "ride the RF Gain" for every participant in the net roundtable. How much of the receiver operation is dedicated to this type of activity will determine the level of interest in these mods.

I had a 51J-4 receiver that had the older style receiver circuitry modification (it was something like Orr's mods but not as extensive) and its performance wasn't very good. The receiver still distorted the SSB signal with the RF Gain at maximum (the object of the mod is to be able to run the RF Gain at maximum level with AVC on and have no SSB distortion.) I ended up removing the mod and returning the receiver to stock configuration with much better performance operating the receiver as a typical "late-forties" communications receiver. Additionally, the 51J-4 had the AVC mod that adds capacitance to increase the release time. This was also returned to stock configuration. The person who installed the mods did an excellent job with no damage to the circuit components that remained. I'm fairly sure the mod was working as intended because it did change how SSB and CW could be demodulated but "improvement" would be a subjective judgment.

Nowadays there are "plug-in" circuit boards that allow an easy, non-destructive method to incorporate a Product Detector to many types of older receivers including the 51J Series. Although these PCBs do plug-in, there are a few wires that need to be connected under the chassis but that's much better than total circuit modification. Treetop makes the best of the plug-in Product Detector, AVC units. It plugs into the detector tube socket and has a few wires that need to be wiring into the circuitry. This unit also has a voltage doubler that is used for its requirements and has enough current capability to operate K101, the Break-In relay. The Treetop units are made in Canada and there is more detailed information on the Internet.

Certainly how you intend to use your 51J Series receiver will determine your interest in any of the published mods or plug-in circuit boards. Certainly the plug-in circuit board approach is best and allows easy installation or removal. Remember that most ham modifications are "amateur-level engineering" and will enhance one area of performance at the expense of another. The circuit altering product detector mods may work fine for SSB or CW and the AVC mods might allow for better SSB response but learning how to operate the stock receiver in the manner in which it was designed will also give you great performance in all modes of reception.

But, if you want the best in SSB reproduction, without modifications, take a look at TMC's MSR-8 500kc IF SSB Adapter  shown to the right.   >>>

Garolite Alignment Tools - Repros

Also, in advance of any alignments, build the series RC shunt for the IF transformers. Use 5" flexible wire leads with small alligator clips on the ends. Since one side is always connected to chassis, only one lead has to be moved. It really eases the IF load set-up. Also, have a series RC load for the antenna built consisting of a 47 ohm carbon resistor and a 100pf capacitor. It connects in series with the RF signal generator output to the receiver antenna input.

The rubber bumper type of feet are found mostly on the 32V transmitter cabinets mainly because of the weight of the transmitter. Some of the receiver cabinets might hole-mounted rubber feet with aluminum spacers. These cabinets don't have the welded riser mount for the rubber bumpers that the 32V cabinets had, so the separate aluminum spacer had to be used. Since the receiver weight was normally about 35 pounds, the hole-mounted feet worked fine.

Easy Access to the Crystal Filter - How many times have you wanted to get into the Crystal Filter assembly on the 51J receiver but were intimidated by its lack of obvious and easily removable covers? Well, Jan Wrangel SM5MRQ, decided to get into his 51J-4 crystal filter and took photos to document just how easy it is to gain access to the Crystal Filter components. If the receiver is in a cabinet it has to be extracted out of the cabinet. Then remove the top cover and the bottom cover. From the top of the Crystal Filter assembly a single screw has to be removed. From the bottom, the choke nearest the front of the chassis has to be dismounted (just unbolt the choke - no need to unsolder the wires) to allow access to a 6-32 nut that is underneath the choke (between silk-screened IDs T101 and T102.) This nut mounts the bottom of the Crystal Filter top plate. Once the nut is removed now the top cover of the Crystal Filter can be removed from the top. This allows access to most of the circuitry inside. Reassemble in reverse order when checking, repairs or cleaning have been completed. If further access is required such as removal of the IF transformers inside, then more disassembly will be required. Complete extraction of the Crystal Filter assembly will require some unsoldering work. This procedure is only for simple checking, cleaning and minor repair work to the Crystal Filter. 

The photo below-left shows the Crystal Filter after the cover has been dismounted revealing most of the components. The middle photo shows the choke that has to be dismounted. The right photo shows the location of the nut under the choke. This nut has to be removed to allow the top cover to be dismounted.           Photos by: Jan Wrangel SM5MRQ

70E-15 "M" PTO - Fixing the End-Point Error Problems

Use a Digital Frequency Counter - When the R-388 was being produced, used and maintained there wasn't an easy way to directly measure the output frequency of the PTO. Much of the calibration and alignment procedures for any 51J receiver are burdened with cumbersome details on how to use the 100kc crystal calibrator and its harmonics or how to use heterodynes to assure proper frequency output, sometimes even another calibrated receiver was used. As far as that being "the good old days," just read through any 51J procedure and see how much of the procedure is dedicated to just setting up these implied reference signals for calibration. Nowadays we have Digital Frequency Counters that can measure the PTO output directly, and that measurement is accurate and instantaneous. I started using a DFC when doing R-390A PTOs and found the process is so direct and so easy that I've started using the same method to do the 70E-15 and the 70E-7A PTOs for the 51J Series. It makes setting up the KC dial synchronization quick, calibration of the PTO EPE is quick and easy (unless the PTO came out of a R-388) and the accuracy is the best. You'll have to read through the procedure to determine what needs to be accomplished and almost anything requiring frequency determination is about ten times easier if a DFC is used to measure the frequency directly. I use a 10X oscilloscope probe to isolate the measurement load from the circuit.  

L002 Details - It's common to find the 51J-4 receivers with virtually no EPE in their "CR" PTO. It's also fairly common that 51J-4s will be found with an EPE of about 4kc but that can usually be adjusted with the trimmer L002. If your R-388 "M" PTO has excessive EPE, that is >6kc EPE, correction will require removing one coil turn from the internal PTO trimmer coil L002. This requires disassembly of the PTO. When modifying the trimmer coil, be sure to remove only one turn. This coil only has four turns so one turn is quite a bit (also the coil wire is quite small at 29 gauge.) If more than one turn removal seems necessary in order to get the EPE in spec, you can perhaps remove another quarter to perhaps a half of a turn - but no more. Excessive turns removal will significantly reduce the inductance which in turn reduces the range of adjustability. Taking off 1.5 turns reduces L002 to just 2.5 turns which will narrow the range to the point where the adjustment of the slug doesn't affect the EPE at all. Bill Orr wrote extensively about the R-388 and correcting the 70E-15 "M" PTO EPE problems in the form of an article in Ham Radio magazine in the December 1969 issue. This detailed article should be read before attempting to rework your first 70E-15 "M" PTO. Orr's article can be found online in PDF form on the Collins Collector Association website - www.collinsradio.org 

Linearity of the PTO Range - The linearity for the 1000kc range, or the 3.00mc to 2.00mc range, is determined by the adjustment of the "Corrector Mechanism" which is essentially a compressed "stack" of washers upon which an extension arm from the ferrite core rides. The slight "ups and downs" of the individual washers in the "stack" will slightly change the position of the ferrite core and thus create a "correction" for slight changes in the linearity as the ferrite core travels its 1000kc range. Normally, the original factory setting will be maintained if the EPE is corrected. Changing the "stack" can be tedious work that might end in disaster. Be sure to mark the stack for the beginning and the end of travel for the 1000kc range. Test the linearity and mark down where the correction needs to happen. Then set the PTO at that point and remove the cover to see where on the corrector arm is on the stack and where the adjustment is needed. If other washers in other sections move while doing the correction,...that's a problem. As mentioned, the stack is under a slight compression to hold adjustment and making changes requires loosening the compression enough to adjust where needed but not moving any of the other washers in other sections. Unless the linearity is totally "out" (which is not likely) it's best to leave the stack alone. Always adjust the EPE first because most of the time that will correct (or reduce) any apparent linearity problems. NOTE: Dallas Lankford wrote extensively in the Hollow State Newletter about the need to do the corrector stack linearity adjustment if the EPE was more than 4kc. Certainly, the farther out the EPE is the more the linearity will be affected. But, correct the EPE first. Then see where the linearity has gotten to. Lankford was trying to achieve the original specification of <750hz linearity error which is pretty tight.

There are some restorers that have built special right-angle tools for accessing the locking nut and the trimmer inductor with the PTO still mounted in the receiver but these do require a lot patience to use. Unfortunately, over the past several decades, who knows if someone has tried to adjust the EPE without "unlocking" it and has gnarled the trimmer slot. If you have the PTO out of the receiver you can visually examine the trimmer slot and make sure it's not damaged. Generally, if the PTO is the "M" version, it has to be removed from the receiver anyway for modification of the trimmer inductor for end-point correction. I find it easier to just remove the PTO, do the rework and do the entire EPE adjustment on the bench with a simple test jig.

70E-15 Adjustment Tools for L002 Trimmer EPE

An Easy PTO Test Jig - The test jig should be simple and easy to make. Orr's Ham Radio article shows his fixture using the KC dial but you don't really need to be that elaborate. Also, using the KC dial covers the access to L002, so the KC dial has to be dismounted from the PTO for each adjustment and then remounted for testing (it's not that difficult to dismount the KC dial for each L002 adjustment, really.)  But, you can get by with a fixed reference index line on a clear plastic scale and a very narrow pointer. It's really all that's necessary. A very narrow pointer is attached to the PTO shaft. It can be made out of 22 gauge solid TC wire. The small transparent plastic index scale has a scribed "zero" line and is mounted to the PTO case using stand-offs and screws. Be sure mounting your small plastic index doesn't cover access to L002 EPE adjustment. Scribe several other lines on each side of "zero" that are about the width of the KC lines on the actual dial. This will allow you to accurately see if the end-point error adjustment is proceeding in the right direction. You'll have to count the ten turns the first time to be sure that the range is close to 2.000mc to 3.000mc but, after the first time, then just watching the output frequency is all that's necessary. How accurately you observe your pointer and the index lines on the plastic scale during the adjustments will determine your overall accuracy when the PTO is installed back in the receiver. You just need to determine a 1000kc change in frequency for exactly ten revolutions of the PTO shaft and a simple pointer and index does that. The PTO should tune exactly 3.000mc to 2.000mc in exactly ten turns of the PTO shaft and that should correlate to 0.00 to +00.0 (one complete turn) x 10 on the KC dial (when installed back in the receiver.) 

I use a bench power supply connected to the PTO wires with clip leads. A digital frequency counter monitors the PTO output. In this way, the PTO can be completely removed from the receiver. It makes any rework (like modifying the trimmer inductor) much easier since you don't have to have the harness connected to the receiver. When measuring the PTO output frequency for EPE adjustment be sure to have the cover in place as its proximity to the PTO circuitry greatly affects the output frequency.   >>>

If all you need to do is to adjust the EPE (like on the 70E-15 "CR" types) it's fairly easy to dismount the PTO, although you do have to lower the front panel and the KC dial has to be removed to access the three PTO mounting screws, but leave the PTO wiring connected to the receiver to supply the voltages. Attach (using a clip-lead) a shielded test cable to the PTO output coax and connect that to a digital frequency counter. The simple test jig fixed index should be mounted to the PTO and the pointer to the PTO shaft. Not too difficult and relatively fast if all you need to do is an EPE adjustment.

Rebuilding the Collins 51J Series Receivers

Rebuilding a 51J-2 Receiver
 

Origin of the Primary 51J-2 - I was initially given a cosmetically very nice 51J-2 by my old ham friend, W7ZCA, Paul Eisenbarth (now SK,) in exchange for re-capping his Collins 75A-4 receiver (this was around 2007.) Paul had been given the 51J-2 at sometime in the past and had done some rework on it. At one point, Paul had the receiver setting on the floor of his workshop with the bottom RF shield off, exposing the ten crystals of the Crystal Oscillator circuit. Paul's young grandson, who was probably about 4 years old then, found the temptation of the small shiny and removable crystals irresistible and pulled all of them out of the holder and hid them around Paul's workshop. This removal and hiding was all accomplished while Paul was off in another room. In fact, it was several days before Paul even noticed that the crystals were missing. Of course that was enough time for his grandson to forget where he had hidden all ten crystals. Paul was able to find a few of the crystals but seven were still missing. A telephone call to International Crystal Manufacturing Company had surprising results. After Paul told the sales person the story of how the crystals came to be missing, they found the story so charming that they sent an entire set of ten crystals for the 51J-2 to Paul - free of charge. Note: Unfortunately, International Crystal Mfg is no longer in business, 2022.

The crystals got the 51J-2 working again but there were other problems that seemed unfixable. The gearbox had severe wear that allowed the Megacycle control to be advanced maybe three or four bands before the gearbox would bind and jam up. You then had to rotate the Megacycle control back a band or two to undo the binding and then proceed forward three or four more bands. It was a cumbersome method but it did allow eventually getting to the desired band. Additionally, the Antenna Coil primary on Band 2 was open due to an excessive amount of RF accidentally injected into the receiver while operating on 160 meters. Paul had obtained another Antenna Coil but it was from a R-388 receiver (which doesn't have the primary winding on the coil.) 

So, that was the condition of the 51J-2 receiver when it was given to me. I tried to use the receiver with the worn gearbox but it seemed like sooner or later (probably sooner) it was going to break something in the gear train. I decided to look for a parts set to rob the gearbox from to correct the problem.

photo above: The 1950 Collins 51J-2 showing the metal dial bezel, the square illuminated Carrier Level meter, the green "ham band" highlighting on the megacycle dial scale and the Collins' winged emblem - all characteristics of the early 51J receivers.  (a 2007 photo)

A 51J-2 IF Transformer showing the coil structure beneath the ferrite shields. The typical problem will have the coil securing glue breaking and then the weight of the ferrite shield pushes the IF coils to the bottom of the coil form. This reduces the coupling between the IF coils and the overall IF gain.

The plan was to use two 51J-2 receivers to build up one nice condition, fully functional receiver. In checking over the two receivers, it seemed easier to use the chassis of the second receiver as the starting point and rebuild the entire receiver using the best parts from both units. This allowed me to skip the tedious removal of the gearbox which certainly would have resulted in several extra steps to synchronize the switching.

The second receiver had been incompetently reworked and several of the front end coils had broken wires that were their connections to the trimmer capacitors. Also, all of the high quality tubular ceramic capacitors had been replaced with cheap disk caps. I decided to strip out the receiver from the front of the IF section back to the audio output and start over. I reinstalled the high-quality tubular ceramic capacitors harvested from the first 51J-2. I rebuilt the entire front-end of the receiver to repair the many broken coil leads. I had to replace the third conversion input coil because it looked like it had been burned. All parts used were either new parts or good ones harvested from the first receiver.

Once the electronic rework was complete, the front panel, the knobs, the megacycle drum dial, the meter and many other parts were transferred from the first 51J-2 to the new rebuilt receiver. I ended up with a great looking, complete 51J-2 - but how did it work?

In fact, "temporary" ended up being about three years before I got back to the receiver. I had recently been told that Paul W7ZCA had become an SK and that had me reflecting about all of the "deals" we had exchanged over the years. I remembered the 51J-2 and thought that I should probably finish that receiver since it was such a nice looking example of a fairly rare Collins. This was in September 2010.

The strangest problem was the erratic variable gain of the receiver. When on the bench in the normal position the gain was down but when the receiver was placed up on its side to troubleshoot the gain would then be somewhat normal. I could even tilt the receiver about 20 degrees and get the gain to go up and down with just a slight change of the angle - weird.

To narrow the problem down I used a clip lead type scope probe and measured at various points in the receiver while tilting the receiver back and forth on the bench. I had to inject a fixed-level signal into the receiver's antenna input so I knew the variations in the gain were occurring because of a fault and not the signal level changing. I could see the gain change problem was occurring just past the first IF amplifier tube. All components and the tubes had already either been checked or replaced except the IF transformer itself. I removed the IF transformer cover and discovered that the coil and the ferrite shields were at the bottom of the mount and loose. Apparently, moving the receiver around changed the position of the IF coil which changed the coupling and resultant gain. Upon removing all of the IF transformer covers, it was discovered that every IF transformer had loose coils, loose ferrite shields or both. Complete removal and rebuilding of all of the IF transformers was necessary. I used epoxy to secure the ferrite shields in position. I actually used the IF transformers from the first 51J-2 because they were in better overall condition but still required securing of the ferrite shields to prevent future problems. Upon power-up, I had more gain through the 51J-2 than ever before and an IF alignment only improved the response.

photo above: The 51J-2 after rebuilding - Sept 2010

 
1950 51J-2 Installed in a Collins cabinet (2013 photo)

An additional problem was only on the AM BC band or Band 1. Low gain was the result of a defective mixer coil that appeared to have gotten very hot. Fortunately, the first 51J-2 receiver provided a good condition coil. These coils are easy to replace as they are only held in place by two tangs that have to be pushed inward to dismount a coil and "snap" into place when installing the coil into the mounting hole. The wire leads are the same diameter as the coil wire itself and the connections to the trimmer capacitors are fairly delicate so care must be taken in the removal and installation.

A full IF/RF alignment had already been performed early on the receiver and a quick touch-up was all that was necessary for top performance that is at or better than the original specs. Audio is fairly nice as I did replace the .01uf across the audio output transformer with a .0047uf to increase the high frequency audio response. I usually run the Collins 270G-1 loudspeaker with this 51J-2 and that gives just a little bass discernable on strong SW BC stations or AM BC stations. Reception of ham AM stations benefit with the increased audio highs with better intelligibility. But, the 51J-2's audio is still communications-grade, not high fidelity.

Photographic Details on the 51J-2 - Five Photos

1.

1. The top of the chassis of a 51J-2 receiver showing the earlier 70E-7A PTO. Under the metal shield on the PTO is a metal octal 6SJ7 tube. In front of the PTO tube is the glass holder for the desiccant that protects the PTO from moisture ingression. Otherwise the receiver is very similar to the later 51J-3 and R-388 receivers.     2. Close-up of the 70E-7A PTO

3.

3. The back of the 51J-2 showing the unique slanted top cover that is used on all of the 51J Series receivers. The top cover must be installed even if the receiver is installed into a cabinet. The top cover shielding eliminates the spurious oscillations that will be tuned at various frequencies throughout the tuning range ("birdies.") Note the ID plate - this is NOT standard. The ID information is typically silk-screened to the rear of the chassis. This particular 51J-2 had holes drilled thru the information so a suitable "data plate" was made from the derelict "parts set" 51J-2 chassis. The original AC line cord was a two conductor black rubber "zip cord" but nearly all receivers will be found with a later heavy-duty power cable installed (as shown.) 

(All five photos shown were taken in Sept 2010)

4.

4. The underside of the a 51J-2 receiver showing the smaller bottom shield that only covers the front-end of the receiver. Note that the bypass capacitors have been replaced on this 51J-2 while the .01uf tubular ceramic capacitors are still in place.

5.


5. One common problem encountered on the 51J-2 receiver is inside the IF transformers. The entire lower coil and ferrite shield have loosened and have slid down to the bottom of the transformer. This reduces coupling and output level of the transformer. To correct, the IF transformer must be removed, the coils put back into their proper position and then secured with epoxy to prevent future movement. Rough handling of the receiver such as "slamming" in down on a work bench or dropping it from a foot or so down onto the pavement at a swap meet is the probable cause. Out of six J-2 IF transformers inspected, from two different receivers, five transformers had this problem.

Rebuilding the R-388/URR Receiver - A Basket Case

The R-388 is the most commonly encountered version of the 51J series of receivers. About 12,000 were built for the military over a period from 1950 up to 1962. As a result, parts should be fairly easy to find which makes a rebuild easier to accomplish. However, just because there should be lots of spare parts and parts sets around doesn't mean that the needed parts will be easy to find or will be cheap - they aren't. Mainly because of the "Collins" name but also because any parts taken from any R-388 then almost relegates that receiver to "not restorable" status which can be a difficult decision for the owner to make. But, in the past few years, it's become fairly common to find some R-388 parts being offered for sale on eBay. So, while you might not be able to find a complete Crystal Filter assembly for sale, finding 70E-15 "M" PTOs is easy and many of the power supply parts are also easy finds. The good news is that more and more R-388 parts are showing up for sale these days.

The following "basket case" is not typical of that status since most of the parts were present. It was just that the receiver was mostly disassembled and the former owner had no intention of future reassembly.

I delivered the two serviced and aligned R-388s and picked up the "parts set" R-388 while at a ham swap meet in Reno. What I got was the R-388 chassis, the front panel and a box of parts. The gearbox and the main band switch had become de-synchronized during some of the disassembly. Also, about half of the tubes were missing as were nearly all of the screws. My friend sent the missing screws to me through the mail. I had plenty of tubes so that wasn't a problem. Really, all that was necessary was to put the R-388 back together and go from there.

The front panel was in exceptional condition and had been cleaned by the former owner (a machine oil rub was applied to the wrinkle finish after cleaning.) The kilocycle glass was missing but I had a glass piece from a "parts set" 51J-2 that fit correctly. When I purchased a "parts set" 51J-2 to complete the rebuild of another 51J-2 receiver I was lucky enough that the "parts set" 51J-2 that had an almost perfect R-388 megacycle drum installed. Fortunately, the original 51J-2 megacycle drum was excellent so I really didn't need the R-388 one that came with the "part set." It was so nice though I saved it and wrapped it up in plastic to protect it. So, here it was a few years later and I was rebuilding an R-388 that had a very well-worn megacycle drum. Obviously, that "saved" megacycle drum had "saved the day."

photo above: The R-388 chassis after restoration. Note the megacycle drum - this is an original drum scale, not an overlay. Note the plastic bag piece on the Crystal Filter housing. These bags usually contained some spare parts, connectors, etc. The alignment tools are reproductions.

Dial Drum Drive Cable and MC Dial Pointer Cable - These are special metal cables that have a plastic covering over them. Luckily, both cables were present but were loose in the box of parts. I think the cable material is available from various Collins suppliers and the dimensions and installation instructions are in the manual if your R-388 is missing these cables.

A Different Carrier Level Meter - Most R-388 receivers will have a Burlington sealed carrier level meter. These high quality meters have a metal housing and metal scale. The meter installed in this R-388 was built by Marion Electric Instrument Company. Probably a field replacement. It has a convex face with gloss finish mounting flange with a sealed metal housing. The Marion Electric meter has a triangular Signal Corps acceptance stamp in orange paint applied to the rear part of the meter housing.

Maybe this isn't unusual because navy-radio.com has a photo of R-388 with an white Navy Anchor stamp that has an orange triangle Signal Corp stamp directly over it and also has several listings of receivers that have both Navy and Army stamps!

New Power Cord - The original power cord had been cut on this R-388/URR. The plastic strain relief was broken when trying to remove it. Fortunately, most larger hardware stores carry the correct type of power cable and also the same style of plastic strain relief.
 

photo left: The R-388 "basket case" immediately after restoration (Oct 2013.) Those aren't the correct grab handles. The meter is a Marion Electric field replacement. See below for updated photo of this receiver

* I believe the RC load is to isolate the 500kc IF and prevent it from mixing or interacting with the crystal oscillator or the PTO during adjustment since the bottom cover, thus the normal shielding, has to be removed to adjust the bottom slug in the each of the IF transformers. Many IF alignment procedures of single conversion superheterodynes instructed the technician to remove the Local Oscillator tube when performing the IF alignment for the same reason.

RF tracking is straight forward but you will only have to adjust six ranges as the remainder of the bands are tracked by oscillator heterodyne action.

Mechanical set-up of the kilocycle dial and the PTO should have been performed before the tracking alignments. All 70E-15 PTOs will have some end-point error unless they are removed and calibrated. If you are satisfied with the EPE and it happens to be a few kilocycles then be sure to "rock" the signal generator frequency at each calibration dial frequency rather than changing the actual dial readout. For example, if you have to align to 7.40kc but the actual peak output is on 7.402kc, then use 7.402kc on the signal generator and 7.40kc input on the receiver and then adjust the proper trimmers or slugs for peak output. Always set the receiver frequency and then "rock" the signal generator for peak diode load, then adjust the slug or trimmer. The more end-point error there is in the PTO the further out this procedure becomes but for just a couple of kilocycles of error it works fine. The correct procedure would be to rework the PTO for zero error and then all of the tracking will be accurate. Remember that the tracking accuracy is in the PTO and the crystals in the crystal oscillator. The slugs merely align the tracking of the Ant, RF, Mixers and the Variable IF and affect the overall gain of the receiver.

R-388/URR - Expected Performance and Operation

I've worked on many R-388s and this of course includes many full alignments. Probably the most important improvement that can be performed on the R-388 receiver is to do a full alignment. It's surprising how far out the alignment can be and the receiver still seems to be performing fine. So, this evaluation of R-388 performance is for receivers that are in good condition and have had a recent full IF and RF alignment.

Dial accuracy is legendary and is plus or minus one kilocycle if the receiver is calibrated to the nearest 100kc point on the particular band in use. Ultimate accuracy is limited by the 70E-15 "M" PTO which is also legendary for its end-point error problems. Most R-388s will have around 6kc of EPE which is about the limit that can be adjusted out. Greater EPE requires PTO rework to correct. When the EPE is adjusted out, the receiver is dead-on accurate. Unfortunately, the 70E-15 "M" PTO must be out of the receiver to perform the EPE adjustments. There are some right-angle special tools that have been built by enthusiasts that allow the adjustments to be accomplished without PTO removal but they are difficult to use. Even with the PTO out of the receiver a special tool is required for adjusting the L002 trimmer. Most of the time, if there's the typical >6kc EPE, the PTO has to come out of the receiver anyway.

Stability is solid and drift-free. Sensitivity is competitive. Are there more sensitive receivers? Certainly, but with today's high-level of RFI and EMI that plague most urban areas (and seems to ever be on the increase, even in rural areas) what good is .25uv sensitivity when the background noise runs S-9? Far more important today is the ability of a receiver to operate well in a noisy environment and to have QRM-fighting tools that work. The R-388's selectivity is designed into the conversion schemes and the fixed-IF section but is further enhanced by the use of the Crystal Filter. Why many hams refuse to use Crystal Filters is a mystery. CFs really do a good job at reducing QRM. On AM, select position 1 or 2 and adjust the Phasing for minimum bandwidth. Then tune the AM signal "on the noise." You'll find most of the interference is gone or greatly reduced. The AM audio will sound "muffled" but it will still be intelligible enough for communications. If adjacent frequency SSB activity is a problem then adjust the Phasing slowly and you'll find a point where the dominant audio frequency of the SSB QRM is attenuated substantially. Use the same procedure for SSB reception. For CW, with the CF on you can tune the CW signal off of zero slightly to find the "peak" response. The peak response can also be adjusted with the Phasing control and slight tuning of the signal. The Phasing control can be used to reduce specific audio tone frequencies, that is, to eliminate AM heterodynes. Heterodynes were quite common when there were a lot of AM signals on the ham bands but, nowadays, most AM activity is on nets and one doesn't usually encounter heterodynes too often. On CW, the CF can reduce interference from a nearby CW signal by this heterodyne elimination method. When trying to eliminate CW QRM or an AM heterodyne adjust the Phasing control slowly. The "notch" is very narrow and it can be easy to miss its effect on the interference if the Phasing is adjusted carelessly.

Break-in Set-up and Operation - Set-up for station receiver operation is somewhat involved since the Break-in function does require a separate +12vdc 200mA power supply that is switched with the transmitter's antenna relay auxiliary contacts. I built a solid state +12vdc power supply housed in a very small metal box. It could be switched on by connecting the AC input to the same transmitter terminals that drive the dow-key relay. Upon transmit, the +12vdc is actuated along with the dow-key T-R relay and the receiver is muted. However, I've set my Break-in PS to have the T-R relay auxiliary contacts switch the 120vac line voltage input to the Break-in PS which then has its +12vdc output going to the REMOTE terminals on the receiver. Although the Break-in PS is "plugged in" you don't have to worry about leaving it "plugged in" because the power transformer primary really doesn't have any voltage applied unless the T-R relay is switched to the transmit position and that would require the transmitter to be powered up. (I also have an old Radio Shack Micronta 12vdc power supply that I use for a 51J-4 Break-in supply. I wasn't using this little 2.5A power supply so it was perfect for the 51J-4 Break-in voltage.) Remember to always provide the Break-in function for the R-388 as this disconnects the antenna within the receiver, grounds the receiver input to protect the circuitry from excessive RF levels. Also, the Break-in connection at the rear of the receiver that is marked REMOTE is the ONLY place that you can connect the +12vdc and operate the Break-in relay (it's not actuated if the front panel STAND BY is selected.) There are three terminals provided for the REMOTE connection. Pin 1 is ground. Pins 2 and 3 are the connections to the K101 coil for actuating the Break-in relay. Since pins 2 and 3 are direct connections only to the K101 solenoid coil, observing polarity of the +12vdc when connecting to pins 2 or 3 isn't an issue. 

There are a couple of methods that can be used to provide the +12vdc Break-in voltage internal to the receiver. One method is to incorporate the small DC power supply inside the receiver chassis. The very small current requirements will allow very small components that easy can be placed under the chassis. However, an easier method is to incorporate a "voltage doubler circuit" that operates from the 6vac tube heater supply to supply the +12vdc. This only requires two silicon diodes and two electrolytic capacitors, so it's even easier to place under the chassis. Wiring in either case can be installed to allow a "closed" condition from the T-R relay auxiliary contacts during "transmit" to be applied to the REMOTE pins 2 and 3 which would then apply +12vdc to K101 to actuate "Break-in."

Speakers & Antennae - When comparing the two audio output impedances available, the resulting audio quality will be dependent on the loudspeaker used. With a good quality matching transformer, decent audio is available from the 600Z output. For the Collins speakers, if you have the Collins 270G-1 (8" speaker) or 270G-3 (10" speaker,) either of these are fine 4Z loudspeakers to use with the R-388 or any of the 51J receivers. Incidentally, an easy way to connect the loudspeaker is to use the front panel phone jacks. Be sure to note that the PHONES is a standard .250" jack and the SPEAKER is a three-circuit .187" jack (ring and shell are tied together and connected to chassis with tip being the 600Z output.) For 600Z, use SPEAKER and for 4Z use PHONES. The phone jacks are direct connections to the rear 600Z and 4Z terminals. Also, when using a 600Z headset, plug into the SPEAKER jack. There are very low impedance (4Z) headsets available and they can be used by plugging into the PHONES jack. When the receiver was set-up with an external 4Z speaker load a radio operator could temporarily plug-in a HI-Z set of phones into PHONES for monitoring and not affect the speaker output.

Using a Shielded Magnetic Loop Antenna - Though the R-388 will "pick-up" some signals with a minimal antenna the absolute best performance is with a full-size, impedance-matched (or tuned) antenna. This, of course, is true with just about any receiver. With a first-class antenna, the R-388 will hear everything that is on the air with propagation conditions or local EMI/RFI being the only limitation. I've also successfully used a Pixel Loop (a shielded magnetic loop antenna) for general listening and its "broadband" nature (no tuning is required for 100kc to 30mc coverage) makes using it as a receive antenna very convenient. Although the Pixel Loop will do a fine job, the signal level difference between the loop and a full-size "tuned" antenna is usually noticeable. However, in EMI/RFI noisy environments, sometimes a shielded magnetic loop antenna, like the Pixel Loop, can provide some "noise" relief. EMI/RFI can be a problem on 80M and it can be devastating on 160M. Higher frequencies tend to be less impacted by EMI/RFI noise. In using a Pixel Loop for testing of various 51J receivers, I can say that I've never had a signal received on the large wire antenna that I couldn't also hear using the Pixel Loop. The signal might not be as strong on the loop but it will be heard.

If your local QRN and your QTH allows it, using a full-size "tuned" dipole antenna will result in the best reception performance from the 51J receivers when you have general listening in mind. That would be listening to all ham bands but also listening to SW-BC or utilities stations or any interesting signals that the receiver can tune to. The "tuned" dipole antenna allows optimum performance at almost any frequency that the tuner can match to the antenna's impedance at that frequency. At shorter wavelengths (higher frequencies,) like the 20M, 17M, 15M and 10M ham bands, directional antennas with gain, a yagi or a quad, are a real benefit to DX reception on those bands since these antennas themselves add gain to the signal being received. But, don't sell the shielded magnetic loop short, they work quite well and their broadband nature makes them convenient to use.

Some Rebuilds are Never Finished

As restorers, we're never, ever really quite through with a project. We're always keeping an "eye out" for parts that would either enhance our restorations, or, to maybe add a "missing part." That's the case with the "Basket Case" R-388 profiled above. Seven years later and we're still looking for a "CAUTION" tag,...but the receiver still works great.

UPDATE: Finishing the Rebuild? - July 17, 2016 -  Our first find was to add the original data plate,...not an original,... THE original. Not too long after I had reassembled the R-388 I was able to talk the fellow who had removed it into trading the original data plate for the reproduction tag I had on the receiver. Now the data plate reflects that this R-388 is from a 1951 contract. The unfortunate part of this trade was that just in the short time this guy had the original tag he had scratched out the original data plate serial number and tried stamping another number. Why? I think he had stamped the Collins SN that was on the rear chassis so the two SNs would match on his R-388 (they shouldn't match!) I removed the number he had stamped and cleaned up the serial number area but since I don't have the correct way to stamp a number, I've just left it blank - even though it IS the original tag. Close examination of the back of the data plate does reveal the number "701" had been stamped originally. I'm going to assume it's correct for this receiver but, in reality, considering where the receiver came from, along with the USN anchor acceptance stamp that was under the Army tag, I can't be sure that this tag even is the "original" data plate.  

The second find was probably a year later when a nice condition Burlington carrier level meter showed up on eBay at a reasonable BIN price. It was acquired and restored. Then the Marion Electric meter was removed and the Burlington meter installed.

About six months later at a mid-July (2016) local ham swap meet there was a "FREE" R-388 front panel. It was in very rough condition and missing almost everything but it had nice original grab handles and a perfect escutcheon. These pieces were removed, cleaned up and then installed on my R-388 (note in the 2013 photo above that the grab handles are "close." The jam nuts and the mounting screws were incorrect.)

UPDATE: Feb 28, 2023 - The new 2023 photo to the right shows the R-388 "Basket Case" today, seven years after completion,...well, as complete as it's probably going to get. This R-388 is still fully functional.

UPDATE: May 1, 2023 - SN:701 is now installed in a two-position table rack with SN:33, a R-388 that was converted to a 51J-4 with the installation of the Collins 354A-1 Mechanical Filter Kit. Photo is at the end of Part 3 in the Conclusion section.

1951 R-388/URR - ORDER: 3131-PHILA-51 - Mil SN:701 - Collins sn:1743  -  2023 photo
 

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