[Hallicrafters] Re: Hallicrafters SX-32

[GARDGORE at aol.com]

The SX-32 is indeed rare. I have only seen one for sale in the last 8 years 
and I take in a lot of different radio meets each year. Apparently it was a 
cost reduced version of the SX-28 with two less tubes. It looks like the 6AB7 
ANL amplifier was deleted and one 6SA7 was connected as a converter rather 
than two as separate oscillator and mixer. I wonder what market goals they 
had in mind? At a price of $149.50 it was only $10 less than the SX-28! It is 
interesting to compare an SX-28 and SX-88 side by side to compare features 
and observe the design and chassis layout similarities. It appears the 
engineers were trying to build an updated better version of the SX-28. The 
SX-88 in 1954 was the first communications receiver to have an SSB function 
marked on its front panel but I think the main engineering achievement was 
the implementation of special 50 KC IF transformers with a "Q" of over 180. 
Band width was selectable from 250 cycles to 10 KC in six steps without 
resorting to a "ringing" crystal filter. To my knowledge no communications 
receiver has ever done that. 50 KC IFs were used in other Halli models 
afterwards of course but the "Q" was closer to 140 I think. The lower Q 
transformers had the slotted studs for adjusting the slug position where 
those in the SX-88 had threaded ferrite slugs with no studs. This is why you 
can't replace a broken SX-88 transformer with one from another 50 KC Halli 
model and retain the original shape factor.

Greg Gore