Mystery VFO

[KC4VWU]

Starting an unplanned 2 week vacation and I ran across this, amongst other things, while doing a little radio room cleaning. It's been at least 5 years, but when I first got it, it received the usual variac test, and IIRC, did show output; then into storage with the usual "project for later" excuse.
My first reaction at the time was Millen, but recently considered possibly an obscure National or very well done homebrew VFO. The reason for suspecting National was, of course, the use of parts and the light grey painted chassis and ink stamped tube numbers which reminded me of an HRO. Finally came across a picture of a late 40's Millen 90711  model, but the tube line up is wrong. This one has rectifier, 2 VR's and two 6AG7's. Going to re-visit it here in the next few hours and do a little cleaning. Anyone got any idea of who made it?

Phil

[AJ1G]

Hmmmm...definitely not a Millen 90711, I had one of those, which has a somewhat unique “Vari-arm” vertical lever control for fine control of oscillator frequency when zero beating to the right of the slide rule dial.  Millen also had a simpler version of the 90711 which was had just a chassis without a cabinet, and a round vernier dial along with the Vari-arm lever.  Someone gave me a 90711 that he had bid on at one of those Saturday night public auctions that used to be popular here in New England, thinking it was a receiver.  It was actual more of a low power exciter than a VFO, putting out a couple of watts.  I actually made a few QSOs with it barefoot as a QRP transmitter.  I eventually donated it to the AWA Museum, thinking that they might use it in their Millen Memorial Station.  Not sure if it did in fact end up there though.

Yours, based on the tubes being labeled on the chassis and it’s general appearance, seems to be a commercially made unit, and not homebrew.  The dial also looks to be commercially manufactured, but is certainly odd with its “backwards” high to low frequency scales and very small bandspread over the ham bands, and “general coverage” dial scale markings. A mystery indeed!

[WD8BIL]

but is certainly odd with its “backwards” high to low frequency scales and very small bandspread over the ham bands, and “general coverage” dial scale markings.

It's a left handed VFO!