[Boatanchors] Making a SX-110 Better?

[WQ9E at btsnetworks.net]

My starting novice receiver was a Hallicrafters SX-62A.  It had a crystal filter but no band spread tuning and the 40 meter novice band occupies maybe an 1/8 inch of the big dial.  Backlash was plentiful!  Fine tuning was done via leaving the lid open and carefully moving a finger towards the tuning cap to slightly change the frequency.  It had great audio and was a fine SWL band cruiser but basically sucked as a communications receiver.  But I did make a number of fun contacts on 80 and 40 including Puerto Rico and Canada.

After 2 weeks a local ham took pity on the 14 year old novice and loaned me his spare SX-101.  The first week with the new receiver I called CQ on 15 and VQ9MI came back, the high point of my novice experience.

Recreating my Johnson Valiant/SX-101 1975 novice station was what got me started with vintage gear in 1994.  I now have a couple SX-62 receivers but they are not (and probably will never) be paired with a transmitter.   My nostalgia does have a limit :)

Rodger WQ9E