[Hallicrafters] Re: HT-32 audio

[lardiere at ix.netcom.com]

Dave (and net),

I agree with you on the 10D - I have never found one that sounded good.  Too peaky for my tastes.

As for the HT-44 vs the HT-32, I feel that my HT-32B sounds every bit as good as both HT-44's that I have owned and refurbished.  The HT-32A I owned a few years ago was equally good.  

I use a D-104 on the HT-32B and receive excellent reports.  The signal is not quite as wide as a phasing rig, but the simple filters in these transmitters have a mellow, pleasing sound.

That said, some guys on the air seem to prefer much more bass than others - it's related to hearing loss in some instances.  Some of the "high fi" SSB crowd really take the bass too far - especially if your receiver is wide enough to hear everything they are putting out.  I use a TS-870 to listen to my own signal during an alignment - it has very flat, wide response from "zero" to 6 kHz - you hear everything with minimal coloration.

Conclusion - there are a lot of variables in determining the frequency response of a rig.  One way to help sort out the real truth is to feed an audio signal into the mike input, run the frequency through the audio range, and see how flat the power output is.  Audio amp components, including the crystals, can drift - this is one way to detect them without ripping into the transmitter.    A highly peaked response in any transmitter could indicate that the response has drifted from the original.  A mike with an impedance mismatch can also color the response.

Anyway - I like my HT-32B and so do the folks who listen to it on the air!  They are excellent transmitters and lots of fun to operate.

73,

Rocco N6KN  

-----Original Message-----
From: David  Thompson <thompson at mindspring.com>
Sent: May 5, 2005 7:53 PM
. . .

The HT-37 and HT-44 are phasing rigs and have better audio than most filter
(HT-32) rigs.   The filter is the limiting factor.  I remember the big push
was use say a 10D for flat response audio.  Phooey then and NOW.

My first SSB rig was the Heath SB-10 which my dad and I added the audio
filter Heath recommended with 88 mH coils.  You got far more audio with the
D-104 than that 10D flat mic.

Again I think its what you are used to and what type of operation you plan.
The HT-32 was designed for competing on 20 SSB in the late 50's and early
60's  where QRM was and is the norm.

Dave K4JRB


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