[Boatanchors] Hallicrafters Serial Numbers

[Robert Nickels]

On 5/8/2025 4:52 PM, Scott Freeberg WA9WFA via Boatanchors wrote:
> And finally, I've heard where some people had converted their SR-160 to
> SR-500's by changing out the PA tubes and circuity.  I've looked over the PA
> section and the wiring appears to be factory, so that's where it gets more
> confusing.  It has the Tornado label and what appears to be factory wiring.
> Why would a factory wired SR-500 have an SR-160 label?

Hi Scott,

That was probably me, resulting from a comment on the vintage SSB net 
last Saturday.  I bought this SR-500 knowing that a prior owner had 
retrofitted it back to being essentially an SR-160,  no doubt due to the 
cost and scarcity of the 8236 PA tubes Hallicrafters used to compete in 
the "power wars" with Galaxy,  Swan, and National.     All they (and 
National) did was remove the filter choke in the PS-500 power supply, 
making it capacitor-input and boosting the voltage from 575 to 750V. The 
previous owner of the one I have went a step further and rewired the 
sockets for 6146s!

> I'm trying to find someone who owns an SR-500 to see what their serial 
> number label says.

451000 525007  (for once the crummy Hallicrafters paper serial number 
tag stayed in place!)

Here are some pics of my (modded) SR-500:

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04846JJlA83wlHvKIZ2RsY5IA

It needs some work.   The receiver sounds very good, but the transmit 
power on tune is less than 50 watts on 80 meters and not much at all on 
40 or 20.  SSB power is zero - evidently there's a problem in the TX 
chain that I'll have to root out.   But I like these radios,   they look 
great and sound good and included some features like RIT and a 
calibrator that my own first SSB rig,  the NCX-3,  lacked.   The SR-160 
was also compact and lightweight and it was easy to just peak the final, 
making it a nice mobile rig once you got your antenna tuned up.

To be honest I haven't noticed that the "Tornado" nameplate was a metal 
add-on before!

73, Bob W9RAN