[Boatanchors] SWL/Novice Radio,any suggestions?

[Carl]

The Hammarlund HQ-100 and 110 are not especially pricey as there are an 
endless supply. They are in between the 2B and S-20R/S-40xx (same radio 
different box) performance wise.

The NC-190 and 270 Nationals are likewise in the same category.

Hallicrafters has some decent performers in the 60's that come cheap. 
They are mostly repackaged older designs and the SX-110 comes to mind.

For that old time look the Hallicrafters SX-24 and SX-25 are hard to 
beat and prices are also low. Try and find one that has been recapped 
and works well. The RF section recap can be a bit daunting if you havent 
done it before.

With the sunspot cycle at dead full stop the higher bands will be 
usually dead and 20M and below the most active.

Carl
KM1H



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Todd, KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com>
To: "Olaf Madsen" <olaf at carolina.rr.com>
Cc: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] SWL/Novice Radio,any suggestions?


> 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
> _______________________________________________
>