[Boatanchors] Making a SX-110 Better?

[Robert Nickels]

I was going to stay out of this because I suspect that  a good antenna 
would make more difference than anything, but since the SX-110 was my 
own novice receiver, I feel I must rise in it's defense.

The real question is:  "Make it better in what way"?   Sensitivity?  Add 
a preamp like the RME DB-23 or Ameco.   Audio?  Pipe the diode load 
output into an external hi-fi amp and speaker.   Higher bands?  Use it 
as a tunable IF for an outboard converter.   Selectivity?  Do what I did 
as a wise 15 year old novice and add a Heathkit Q Multiplier.   It 
worked and may have made a difference in making a QSO or two, but 
generally if I had to use the Q multiplier the guy on the other end 
probably wasn't copying my 75 watts that well either.    (But I thought 
it certainly looked very nice sitting on top of the SX-110, just like in 
so many pics of novice shacks I saw in the ham magazines).

I learned to tune SSB so easily even the old guys were impressed - but I 
had no choice if I wanted to listen to sideband stations.   I got my 
parents interested in listening to the Nebraska Storm Net that came on 
every night about suppertime, as most stations would give a brief 
weather report, so my dad wired up an extension speaker in the kitchen.  
I got to where I could anticipate the drift based on how long the 
receiver had been on, and minimize the number of trips I'd have to make 
down to the basement radio shack to keep the audio from sounding like 
"donald duck".

Would I recommend the SX-110 for anything but casual BC, SWL or AM 
operation nowadays?   No  - most of us have better options for 
communications receivers.  But  if you consider how many receivers of 
the same basic design Hallicrafters sold over a number of decades, it 
must have had something going for it.   Today, engineering managers 
would call it a "design for six sigma platform" and take credit for 
design re-use, but back then it just filled a sweet spot on the 
price-performance curve for a very long time.

73, Bob W9RAN