[Hallicrafters] S-72 handle again

[David L. Thompson]

Gang,

I finally got around to installing the handle I got from Antique Electronic
Supply.  Its a close replacement
and I carefully removed the rivits and the old handle hardware.  The screws
that came with the AES handle were too long so I went to the junk box and
found four short screws (about 1/2 as long) and installed the handle in the
same holes the rivits were in.   I was careful enough to not gouge the holes
out and the handle installed Ok and looks great.

The next step is to use brown shoe polish to touch up the case.

I had it on 40 and the BC stations came through nicely with just the whip
and my hand as an antenna.
I used my Yaesu (in AM mode) as a BFO and SSB and CW tuned in very well.
CW works well but the BFO/sensitivity does oscillate some so you have to be
careful to not get a big squeal.   The 1U5 in the circuit has one side (the
BFO side...a diode) that reads the middle of bad on my Heathkit TC2 but the
NOS 1U5 I got from AES makes the audio much too loud with the audio gain (on
the on/off control)
just turned on and at a minimum.  Now that I have the handle on I will try
to locate another 1U5 or two
and substitute them.  I have done the alignment, re-capped (4 caps total),
check the tubes, align the dials and check resistances so except for the BFO
problem its working great.   I also plan on hooking on my 80 meter half
square (only a single wire can be attached) to see how it plays.  The bands
have not been good above 21 mcs so I need to check 22 to 30 Mcs but I do
hear CBers at 27 and HFers (illegals HI) on 28. I did hear one local CW
operator on 10 CW and the Rx was quite stable.

I wrote to W2BBK who took the little RX on trips to VP2VA et al in the mid
50's.  Hope he can remember.how he hooked an antenna to it and how he
separated it from the transmitter (Elmac and the Viking I).  There is a
picture in the Dx column in a 1955 QST if you have 1955 QST's handy.

73 Dave K4JRB

PS great sound on the BC band....WSB blows the speaker away and at night WWL
New Orleans (870)
comes in +++++.  I left it on a local station that goes off at dark and a
station in Portland Oregon came through loud for a while (on the BC
Loop!!!!)