RCA AR-88 and variants impressions

[David, K3TUE]

A while back whne I asked about receivers I was told by someone that they had just acquired an RCA AR-88D.  Since then I have tried to look for information on it.  Well, despite it's apparent use by The Allies during WWII, it has not been easy to find a whole lot of info or impressions on it.

I would like to know if anyone out there owns one and would like to give their impressions.

In addition to your impressions I would have some questions I have include:
o  Should I assume that the radios are as rare as information on them?
o  Should I assume that since we (the US military) were not using them and the AR-88's went overseas that it was inferior to whatever we were using?
o  Are they as tough to setup as I have read (ie. sweep generator required)?
o  If the comparison is reasonable, where does it rank compared to the R-390A, 51J-4, and SP-400 in sensativity?

[w3jn]

Most of the AR-88s went to Great Britain, and many were built in Canada.  That said, they're not all that rare.  Most, however, don't have S-meters.  It's an extremely stout receiver that does everything except receive SSB pretty well.  I would say that a SP-400 is better in several respects, though, including the audio and the SP-400's continuously variable selectivity.  It's not in the same class as the R-390 or 51J-4.

Many receivers really need a sweep generator to properly set up the crystal filter, and the AR-88 is no exception.  You *can* do it without the sweep gen, but doing so makes alignment a LOT easier.

Hope this helps.  73 John

[The Slab Bacon]

Dave,
        I had an AR-88LF, like John said no S-meter, performance is ok, but nothing to write home about. they are single conversion with a wierd IF frequency (735kc I think). Like John said, sp-210x or sp-400 is a much better choice for a rx of that era. Not even in the same leage with a 390-a or any of the collins  receivers.
                                                            The Slab Bacon

[W3SLK]

There were a few with an S-meter built. How you can tell the difference is that 1) the scale on the meter was hand drawn, and 2) the meter works from right to left. I forget who relayed this to me but they got their information from the guy that designed them for RCA. The meter was nothing more than 5 black lines on a meter face. I have only seen one and that was a long time ago.

[w3jn]

That may be but I have a CR-91 with a printed S-meter face.

I ran across several NIB CR-88 s-meters at the Frederick hogfest a few years ago and put 'em on eBay.  I got $200(!) a piece for them.  They were silk screened on a translucent Bakelite face.

[W3SLK]

Damn wish I knew. I have two -88's that would use be right at home with a guess meter. I don't know why but I suspect it comes from this inherent desire to see one's relative signal strength.

[Gary - WA4IAM]

There was an article written in the Old Timer's Bulletin (now the AWA Journal) in the early or mid nineties on the developement of the AR-88 line by one of the engineers involved in the project at RCA. It's the best writeup on the receiver I've seen to date. The ones with the S meter are rather hard to find, but there's one variation that's even rarer. In the article the engineer mentions that he heard tell of a version that had a glossy black bakelite front panel as opposed to the usual black (or sometimes grey) wrinkle finished metal front panel. He said he heard of this variant showing up in the Pacific theatre during WWII, but he never personally saw one. As it turns out a ham friend of mine had one of these bakelite front panel versions in his six foot receiver rack back in the mid seventies and I remember it vividly. On top of having the rare front panel, it also had the elusive S meter! I sure would love to know where that receiver is now!

As to performance I can second the comments W3JN made about the radio. A neat radio, but nothing to write home about. The wartime HRO certainly beat it hands down! I had one in my collection about ten years ago but ended up selling it. 

[Carl WA1KPD]

I plan to bring mine up to Hosstraders.
I love it, particuarly the feel of the tuning,  but i need more room

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I plan to bring mine up to Hosstraders.
I love it, particuarly the feel of the tuning,  but i need more room

Which model is it, Carl? Cabinet or rackmount? I wouldn't mind finding a nice 'D' variant.

They really are nice receivers, quite simple but also quite HEAVY. On par with a 32V for weight. I've never seen or heard of any with bakelite panels (I hope they used good support in rack mounting these), but the AR-88LF had a smooth, semi-gloss front panel with stamped/engraved lettering. The AR-88D used black wrinkle, as did the R-320/FRC (SC-88). I think they had silkscreened lettering, too. The CR-88 and -91 have smooth, glossy gray panels that offer a nice contrast with those heavy black knobs and red emblem. The tuning window is also gray, instead of black like the AR models.

I agree with what 'JN and others have said: they do sound and work pretty well but the older Super Pros work at least as well, with better audio. The tuning and proportions of the RCA receivers are really nice, but I'm not sure from a user's standpoint that they are worthy of the high price they often bring. And reading the tuning dial is a MAJOR p.i.t.a! They addressed this later by employing a band-in-use mask (just like the SP-200s) on the SC-88 and (I think) the CR-88B.

BTW, the plastic dial windows tend to warp, crack and cloud up over time. Fortunately you can still get NOS replacements from a place in the UK called Colomor Electronics. They only come in original AR88 black, and do not include the RCA emblem.

[W8EJO]

I bought a CR-91 @ Dayton in 2003. The CR-91 was definitely the heaviest receiver I've ever owned. I think it came in at over 100lbs. Nearly killed me getting it to the car.

As to performance however, it was not a heavyweight IMO. I considered both my HRO-50 & SP210 superior so I sold the CR-91 @ Dayton in '05. 


Terry
W8EJO

[David, K3TUE]

Sounds like a resounding "Don't Bother" to me.  Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

[The Slab Bacon]

Sounds like a resounding "Don't Bother" to me.  Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

Basically a nice piece to have if you're in the "collecting" mode. If you want it for a
"daily driver" there are a lot of better choices out there.

                                                                     the Slab Bacon