[Boatanchors] Hammarlund Recievers?

[Jim Wiley]

Back in my Novice days (1959), I started with succession of "free" 
receivers, first was an ARC-5, then a BC-312, then a SP-200 (the 20 MHz 
version). One fine day one of the instructors at the local college 
offered to trade my SP-200 for his Hammarlund HQ-150!  Took me about 1 
microsecond to say yes!  For the first time, I could get on the 15-meter 
Novice band. I had a DX-20 transmitter from the start, purchased with 
"paper-route" money.


The HQ-150 is an interesting set, sort of an HQ-140X with a built-in "Q" 
multiplier - a very interesting receiver, one that you don't see all 
that often. The combination of a crystal filter plus the "Q" multiplier 
was a powerful combination.    If I remember correctly, the HQ-150 was 
"reissued" as the HQ-160, basically an updated design  with looks  
similar to the HQ-180. (The HQ-150 was single conversion, the HQ-160 was 
dual conversion)  I think that teacher was taking pity on a poor novice 
without making it look as if he was giving me a gift - bless him!  Some 
time later I got a (new) HQ-170A, and passed on the HQ-150 to another 
beginner.  Hopefully it is still making the rounds, somewhere.


- Jim, KL7CC

Michael OBrien wrote:
> I'll echo others' recommendation of the Hammarlund HQ-129. Seems like if you were a ham in the 1950s or '60s, you were required to have an HQ-129 for at least a while. They are plentiful, easy to work on and pleasant to use.
>
>