R-388/URR Contract Info Page

• Please send me e-mail with additions, corrections, more info, etc.
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•  
• I am attempting to compile info that will help identify what R-388/URR receivers were used by the US Navy.
• Many thanks to all who have contributed info, photos, etc.
•        Nick K4NYW   nick@navy-radio.com 

R-388/URR Serial Numbers

Why do Collins serial numbers and contract numbers and models seem to be mixed up sometimes?

From Collins historian Bill Carns - Collins built all equipment under a line (MCN) number and then put it in inventory. All equipment including the A-4 was not serialized until it had been purchased or scheduled for shipment to a distributor and then it went through an outgoing QC step and was serialized upon passing the QC check. After the war, and for many years, the fellow doing that function was named Gurney. The process of outing a radio became known as "Going to Gurney". Long after Gurney retired, and to this day, the process of pulling, checking and serializing a radio is known as "Going to Gurney"......even though he is long gone.

The other thing that happened (from Dennis Day and Gene Senti) is that, if there was a need for a receiver in the engineering lab (working on service bulletin issues or the like), the engineers would pull a receiver from inventory (un-serialized) and take it to the lab and use it for however long they kept it, which could be a long time. It then was returned to inventory, got pulled for an order, and then was serialized in the current numbering system and shipped. This resulted in early units being shipped much later in the serialization string.

There is another factor that aggravated, or confused the issue. Collins did not use a FIFO (First In First Out) inventory control system like many companies did. If things moved around or got in a corner they could be there a long time.

So, ... all of this makes our life a little more interesting when we try, for instance, to date a radio by component date code - They did not use FIFO on their components either.

AN/URR-23A 

Contract NObsr-52527 (22 June 1951) for 280 systems (R-388/URR + LS-199/U + CY-1235/U)
Manual NAVSHIPS 91678

Distinguishing Characteristics? Speaker Jack  - no "Break-In" switch 1 tag or 2 tags

Photo from NAVSHIPS Manual

System ID tag on cabinet

R-388/URR Tag from NObsr-52527 note - receiver also has holes for a second tag

R-388/URR Contracts - Info originally compiled by Tom Marcotte

With ** notes added by Nick England

• Collins NObsr-49134 (AN/URR-23): 91 units
  • ** note: R-381/URR-23(51J-1) or R-381A/URR-23 (51J-2), not R-388/URR
• Collins NObsr-52527 (22 June 1951) (AN/URR-23A): 280 units
• Collins TCG-38466 (for USCG): 28 units** s/n 45 exists
• Collins 19624-PHILA-50: 1,000 units ** s/n 1005 exists
• Collins 1908-PHILA-51: 845 units
• Collins 3096-PHILA-51: 8 units ** s/n 148 exists
• Collins 3131-PHILA-51: 919 units
• Hallicrafters/Collins 3131-PHILA-51-01 **
  • ** note: see Hallicrafters R-388 manual photo below
• Collins 3135-PH-51: 1,175 units ** s/n 1363 exists
• Collins 3155-PH-51: 1,379 units
• Collins 3164-PH-51: 153 units ** s/n 184 exists
• Collins 3167-PHILA-51: 498 units ** s/n 710 exists
• Hallicrafters/Collins 3167-P-51-01-C: 812 units **
  • ** note: see Hallicrafters R-388 manual and cabinet photos below
• Collins 3357-PHILA-52: 1,672 units
• Collins 3362-PHILA-52: 109 units ** s/n 225 exists
• Collins 3469-PHILA-52: 20 units ** s/n 140 exists
• Collins 3470-PHILA-52: 1,449 units
• Collins 25635-PHILA-53-36: 2,319 units - contract included "Break-in On-Off" switch
• Collins 25067-PH-54-55: 436 units
• Collins 21318-PH-56: 88 units ** s/n 101 exists
• Collins 30951-PH-57: 121 units - contract included R187 ** s/n 211 exists, includes Break-in switch
• Collins 37003-PC-62: 171 units - contract included AGC/DIODE jacks, R187 ,and "Break-in On-Off" switch ** s/n 300 exists
• Raytheon AF 30 (635)-778: 7 units? - USAF R-645/GPQ-3, part of ionospheric backscatter measurement system (COZI) 
•  
• Total known production: 12,735 units ** note: this is probably low in light of new evidence

Navy contract summary -

• NObsr-49132 (date ?) - AN/URR-23A? - this seems too early for R-388 -  probably AN/URR-23 (R-381 or R-381A)
• NObsr-49134  (15 May 1950) - AN/URR-23 - includes R-381/URR or R-381A/URR receivers (Collins 51-J and 51J-2)
• NObsr-52527 (22 June 1951) - AN/URR-23A - includes R-388/URR receiver
   - Manual NAVSHIPS 91678
• NObsr-69046 (16 Nov. 1956) - R-388A/URR (Collins 51J-4)
   - Manual NAVSHIPS 92324 (Collins 51J-4 manual reprinted by Govt. Printing Office with NAVSHIPS number added)
• NObsr-71045 - R-388A/URR (Collins 51J-4)
• MIPR-881-47159 (date?) - possibly an inter-service transfer of R-388/URR receivers from Army to Navy

Illustrative photos

Navy contract NObsr-52527 note - this unit also has holes for a second tag	Navy contract NObsr-52527 note - this unit does not have holes for a second tag	Order 19624-PHILA-50 showing both tags Order 1908-PHILA-51 with 2 tags	Order 3096-PHILA-51
Order 3131-PHILA-51 showing 2 tags Hallicrafters R-388 manual Order 3131-PHILA-51-01	Order 3167-PHILA-51	Hallicrafters/Collins unit 3167-PHILA-51	Hallicrafters R-388 cabinet
Hallicrafters/Collins unit 3167-PHILA-51	Hallicrafters R-388 manual Order 3167-PHILA-51-01-C	Order 3357-PHILA-52 showing 2 tags - this Signal Corps unit also has USN inspection stamps. Order 3362-PHILA-52	Order 25635-PHILA-53-36 Order 25635-PHILA-53-36
Order 25067-PH-54-55 tag and Signal Corps stamps Order 21318-PH-56	Order 30951-PH-57 Order 37003-PC-62 USCG Order TCG-38466	51J-3 ID tag - is this original or a repro? 51J-3 inspection tags 51J-3 part number is 505-2193-035	Early 51J-4 ID tag Later 51J-4 ID tag
R-388 with Navy anchor inspection stamp (behind missing ID tag) - but with Signal Corps second tag Navy anchor inspection stamp overlaid by Signal Corps stamp	Collins serial number stamped on rear USN inspection stamp on crossbar (s/n 6109)	Collins serial number ink stamp under ID tag and Signal Corps stamp (also has USN stamps - see below) 1956 inspection stamp Order 21318-PH-56	Navy anchor inspection stamp (s/n 6109)
speaker jack  (3096-PHILA-51) break-in switch ( 25067-PH-54-55)	Field Change break-in switch (s/n 6109) Note different "O" lettering	R-388 showing Collins s/n 6626 stamped behind missing ID tag	R-388 rear showing MFP stamp and Collins s/n stamped into metal
R-388 reworked per 1953 MWO with flat finish, new lettering, and break-in switch	R-388 with Navy ID tag and break-in switch - this seems wrong as the break-in switch didn't appear until later	R-388 with two missing tags and speaker jack	R-388 contract 37003-PC-62 showing FCC Part 15 certification stamp in center, yellow AGC jack, and green DIODE LOAD jack - MFP treated
Order 37003-PC-62 serial 294 almost the last R-388 built?	R-388 contract 37003-PC-62 showing FCC Part 15 certification stamp in center, yellow AGC jack, and green DIODE LOAD jack - not MFP treated	R-388 contract 37003-PC-62	R-388 contract 37003-PC-62
R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3) s/n 9151	R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)	R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)	R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)
R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)	R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)	R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)	R-645/GPQ-3 (51J-3)
51J-3 rear panel with MFP, s/n 6027	Early 51J-4 - no FCC stamp, no AGC or DIODE LOAD jacks, "313" ink stamped serial number - not MFP treated	Later 51J-4 rear showing FCC Part 15 certification stamp in center, "457" ink stamped serial number, yellow AGC jack, and green DIODE LOAD jack - not MFP treated	Later 51J-4 rear closeup
JK1VXE's interesting site with photos of  several R-388 models (in Japanese)   Reproduction R-388 ID tags

R-388 Data Base - please send me more info

- contract s/n is on ID tag and started over with each contract
- Collins production s/n is stamped into metal on rear and/or inked behind tag - continuous numbering
- info gathered from web photos, email submissions, & personal observation
- note "FC" means obvious Field Change switch installation

R-388 Listed by Order Number (Contract Number)

R-388 Listed by Collins production serial number (with contract when known)

51J-4  Data Base - please send me more info
  - note no R-388A/URR tags seen yet
  - all units appear to be commercial, not military - no MFP treatment
  - what's with the FCC Part 15 compliance stamp?
  - Click here for black 51J-4 mystery photos

Here's a story from W4OKW about R-388's used in Navy service.

   "I was enjoying a couple of days off in Athens and after seeing the Parthenon, etc, managed to find myself in an incredible flea market area quite close to downtown. Much to my surprise there were a number of electronic stores including some that were devoted to surplus, mostly US stuff.  Way in the back of one store was a pile of R-388s that made me think I had stumbled into "Fair Radio East"!
   Most of these were in pretty sad shape, having been "de-milled", but probably salvageable.  Some had missing meters, no tubes, but no outright ball peen hammer damage, i.e., the dials and knobs still turned reasonably easily.  The owner of the store was a ham and said that he had resurrected a couple by combining parts and they were nice receivers (I think the kids would say "Duh!" at this point).
    He claimed that the receivers came from the NAVCOMMSTA at Nea Makri and the USAF station at Helinikon AB near Athens, as well as the San Vito/Brindisi Italy stations.  They were all "spook" stations, so I am sure were involved in surveillance somehow.  
   I did see a couple at the Weather Det. at Rota, Spain being used for HF Weather Fax links.  They had the nicest field of Rhombics and Log Periodics at Rota in a field across the runway from the hangars and base proper.  They had HF links from Rota to Sig to Nea Makri, etc.
    I still regret not buying a bunch of them and sticking in the C-130 for the ride home to Rota!  Boatanchors were just so much junk to me in those days!"

Major mystery questions

• Does anyone have a photo of an R-388()/URR actually being used by the Navy?
• Did the USN procure any R-388/URR receivers other than as part of AN/URR-23A systems?
• Has anyone ever seen a definite R-388A/URR? With a tag that says so?
• Has anyone ever seen a 51J-4 with MFP?
• Has anyone ever seen an R-388() with non-magnetic sides?
• Does an anchor inspection stamp mean it was a Navy procured unit?
• Why do some units have white anchor stamps on the front panel (behind the ID tag) and other units have black anchor stamps on the sides?

• Please send me e-mail with additions, corrections, more info, etc.
• Back to Main Navy HF Receiver Page