National NC-190
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| Frequency | RX: 0.54–30 MHz |
| Power | Receiver only |
| Modes | AM, CW, SSB |
| Weight | 12.7 kg (28 lb) |
| Connector | antenna terminals (50 ohm) |
| Year | 1961 |
| antenna | antenna terminals (50 ohm) |
Estimated (unverified): Weight ~12.7 kg (about 28 lb) and the antenna-connector type are not confirmed on a primary spec sheet (impedance is 50 ohm; a terminal strip is typical for this National series, and SO-239 appears on some units). Cabinet is 400 x 222 x 229 mm.
National's SSB-capable general-coverage receiver. A separate product detector with calibrated USB/LSB BFO gives clean SSB and CW, paired with a crystal filter and a 10-tube double-conversion design (first IF 2215 kHz, second 230 kHz, double conversion above 4 MHz). Separate calibrated bandspread scales serve the ham bands and the shortwave-broadcast bands.
It arrived in 1961, late in National's history and as the market was shifting to transceivers; National stopped making amateur receivers a few years later, and factory parts support ended with the company. AM, CW and SSB only - no FM.
The NC-190 was a capable SSB-capable general-coverage receiver, but it appeared in 1961 just as the market moved toward transceivers and National was in decline. A clean example is a pleasant, flexible receiver, valued for its dual bandspread and good image rejection.
The National NC-190 is an early-1960s general-coverage communications receiver - a 10-tube, double-conversion set covering 540 kHz to 30 MHz (first IF 2215 kHz, second 230 kHz, with double conversion above 4 MHz). It has separate calibrated bandspread scales for the amateur bands and the shortwave-broadcast bands, so the listener can tune precisely whichever they prefer. It receives AM and CW, and a separate product detector with calibrated upper- and lower-sideband control handles single sideband.
Double conversion gave it good image rejection across its range, and its dual bandspread arrangement made it equally at home chasing DX on the ham bands or tuning international broadcasters. Sold in National's distinctive styling, including a memorable 'Cosmic Blue' finish, it was a capable mid-range receiver that bridged the general-coverage and amateur worlds.
Arriving in 1961, the NC-190 came late in National's history, but a clean example remains an attractive and usable vintage receiver, valued for its coverage flexibility and pleasant operation. It is a discontinued classic - see the post-war NC-183 and the NC-109.