[Hallicrafters] Receiver talk.

[kiyoinc at attglobal.net]

A fellow asked me about BA Hallicrafters.  I'm replying to the
list because I'm not really a receiver expert.  I have my
opinions but that's all that is, my opinion. 

============== Question ==

Number one would be a BA.  

I need a lot of sensitivity (I live in a valley), SSB,
stability, and a very good rcvr overall.  I monitor SW and Ham
bands.  If I wanted one Halli, which would it be?  I hear the
100 is a great unit.
 

I'm looking at a Hammarlund 140X now.  Very nice, sensitive,
heavy, tubey, and fun.  It is next to a YB400 which performs
relatively comparably, sounds horrible next to the 140, and is
missing GREAT BIG WEIGHTED KNOBS.


The other rcvr will be a newer digital unit, just because I
like to know what frequency I'm tuned to.  I hear the R-75 and
Grundig 800 are good.

============== End question ====

My opinion is that all the receivers are about the same for
sensitivity.  While I'm sure that something like an R/390 will
beat the pack for low signal work, at my city QTH, the problem
is the noise level.  More front end sensitivity only means that
I can hear the noise better.

What I like is a stable VFO with 1 kHz readout and a clean
waveform.  I've looked at VFO's with a good scope and some look
noisy.  A noisy VFO doesn't sound like noise on receive, it
sounds like my hearing is going. The audio is "blurry" is the
best way I can describe it. 

I have two good scopes, a Tektronix boatanchor 2235 and a
modern LCD digital sampling scope, a TDS-210. Both can capture
artifacts on the VFO's that you can't detect with a frequency
counter.  

It's also nice to have a good filter. Some folk don't like
Hallicrafters filters.  The SX-100 and SX-101 use LC
filters which have wide skirts.  I like them because I can hear
whats going on above and below me.  

The Hallicrafters notion of a tuneable BFO is nice too. You can
use it as a fine tuning knob to touch up the tone of the SSB
stations.  

Finally, Halli's front end tracks the signal.  When it's
aligned, it nice to not have to peak the front end. 

The SX-100 is a nice band cruiser for AM broadcast  and
good enough for casual use on SSB and CW.  The SX-101A is
certainly smooth tuning on SSB but even with the flywheel, it's
a lot of cranking to get across 80 or 40 meters.  

Both the SX-100 and SX-101 have big audio back ends.  I use
near hi-fi speakers with the tweeters disconnected.  

My digital radio is an ICOM IC-720A. Full general coverage,
passband tuning, AM, SSB, and CW filters, A/B VFO, 100 Hz
readout, and a pipsqueek of a speaker in the PS-20 powersupply.

My SX-100 came with an aftermarket 1 kHz digital counter.  

Everyone should have three radios. A Boatanchor bandscanner
like the SX-100, National, or Hammarlund.  A dedicated Ham
band only radio like an SX-101 and a modern digital, does it
all radio.

All three should be well under $1,000 total.  Not much compared
to paying $449 for an SX-101A in 1963. 

de ah6gi/4