Randy or Sherry Guttery wrote:
Uncle Peter wrote:

I just picked one up a few months ago. Are they worth restoring,
and how does their performance stack up?

In my opinion - they are a quite worth-while receiver - not quite in the
R-39Xx class - but not all that far from it. Definitely in the upper end
of the scale for that era and technology - being built more like a
military radio (using ceramic wafer switches, and sealed transformers,
etc.) Like some of the National and other "upper end" commercial units -
the AR-88 was used by the military quite a bit - some receiving formal
ID plates, etc. some of the later ones receiving Signal Corps
designation R-320 (though these were actually labeled by RCA as SC-88
receivers).

It's wide as hell. Consequently the audio quality on shortwave broadcasts
is excellent. It's not a DX machine, though.

I remember seeing an RCA Globecomm facility when I was a kid which was
equipped with three AR-88 sets and two Collins R-388 sets, and all of the
operators preferred working on the R-388 positions.

Still, saying "not as good as an R-388" is decent praise.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."