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überarbeitet am 23.7.2010
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Arthur Collins founded it's own "Collins Radio Company" in Cedar Rapids
in 1932, they started business constructing transmitters and amateur radio
equipment and got much experience producing aeronautical transceivers and
transmitters during wartime. Based on these experiences, Collins went into
production of amateur radio receivers (the famous 75-A series) again after
1946.
After 1949, Collins brought out communication receivers covering not only
the ham bands but the complete shortwave spectrum. These sets startiung with the 51J /
51-J with linear analog dials covering the shortwave spectrum in 30 1-MHz-segments
were very successful. The 51J-3 (and it's military variant R-388) was equipped
with coil filters, the 51 J - 4 (military
variant R-388A) was the first Collins set using
their very famous mechanical filters, it appeared on the market in 1957.
It's military successor was the 1951 model R-390
with it's mechanical digital frequency display (frequency readout on a kind of odometer),
and the later R-390A, which gives nearly unsurpassed
AM reception on the tropical bands with. You find the Collins mechanical filters
16/8/4/2/1/0,1 kHz only in this popular variant - it has been produced by
a series of other companies under contract.
For civilian use, Collins had a range of smaller lightweight amateur band
receivers, the legendary 51S-1 covering the
complete shortwave spectrum from 200 kHz - 30 MHz in 1 MHz segments offered
a linear analog dial with a dial resolution of better than 500 Hz and was
fully equipped with tubes.
In 1974, Collins has been taken over by Rockwell Intl. and is since then
still very active in the military and aeronautical communications segment.
51 J - 3:
1952, triple conversion,
540 kHz - 30,5 MHz,
AM, CW, SSB |
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51 J - 4 / R - 388A:
1957, triple conversion,
540 kHz - 30,5 MHz,
AM, CW, SSB, mechanical IF filters 1,5 / 3 / 6 MHz |
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R - 390:
1951, triple conversion,
500 kHz - 32 MHz,
AM, CW, SSB |
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R - 390 A:
1954, triple conversion,
500 kHz - 32 MHz,
AM, CW, SSB, mechanical IF filters 100 Hz / 1 / 2 / 4 / 8 / 16 kHz |
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R - 392: 1954, triple conversion,
500 kHz - 32 MHz,
AM, CW, SSB, coil IF filters 2 / 4 / 8 kHz |
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51 S - 1:
1959, double-/ triple conversion,
200 kHz - 30 MHz, AM,
LSB, USB, CW,
older series with "winged logo",
newer series with "round logo" |
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651 S - 1:
1971/3, triple conversion,
400 kHz - 30 MHz,
AM, LSB, USB, CW, NBFM (optional)
older series with coupled modes/bandwith switch,
newer series with separate mode / bandwidth controls |
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851 S - 1:
1982, triple conversion,
250 kHz (optional 12 kHz) - 30 MHz,
AM, LSB, USB, CW |
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further reading:
d: Schiffhauer Nils: Oldie-KW-Empfänger, vth-Verlag, D -
7570 Baden - Baden
e: Osterman, Fred: Receivers Past & Present, Universal
Radio Research, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068, USA, ISBN
1-882123-07-7
e: Moore, Raymond,S.: Communications Receivers, RSM
Communications, LaBelle, FL 33975, USA
e: http://www.collinsradio.org:
Collins Collectors Association
e: http://www.wa3key.com/collins.html:
WA3KEY Virtual Collins Museum
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