[Boatanchors] SWL/Novice Radio,any suggestions?

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 4:29 PM, Olaf Madsen <olaf at carolina.rr.com> wrote:

>> Not wanting to invest ''an arm and a leg''---Is there anything on the
>> market that would be suitable for a 9 year old to get his feet wet.---I'll
>> make sure he gets up an antenna and be his ''ELMER'' via E-mail---

If you can get by without the 'easy SSB reception' part, there are a
myriad of options. Not sure how astute at tuning SSB a 9 yr old would
be in general, but chances are good he could figure out how to tune
SSB on a typical AM/CW set up without much difficulty (and with a
little coaching) just like many of us did.

I'd suggest something along the lines of a Hallicrafters S-40B or
similar, avoiding the S-38 and AC/DC sets in general. Grant's idea for
the Drake 2* is a reasonable one as well, price tending to be a bit
higher for them (several hundred) vs a Halli S-40B for $50-$100 in
decent shape. The large, green dials have a high 'coolness factor' for
kids too.

Lean towards the 'radio magic' approach, meaning the theatrical
presentation: dial lights, tubes, old radio smells....the hands-on
approach that attracted so many of us to radio. There's nothing quite
like pulling a voice or music out of thin air on a dark night....

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ