[Hallicrafters] Receiver recommendations

[Clayton L. Nicolsen]

I'll add a few thoughts to Todd's excellent reply...

On the boatanchor side I have a Halli SX-100 and a Hammrlund HQ-180 sitting 
on either side of my desk right now.  The 180/180A's are generally 
considered to be among the finest triple conversion receivers ever built.  
(For the consumer market, I'm not comparing them directly with the R-390's, 
etc.)  They're light-years ahead of the 140.  The SX-100 is close, but not 
quite there as far as the specs.  However, as is usually the case, the 
antenna makes a huge difference, and when I tune both radios to the same 
station I rarely hear any significant difference at all.  Audio on both is 
great.  I enjoy them both very much.

Very clean 180's usually fetch ballpark $350-$500 on eBay, the SX-100's a 
little less.  Depending on the day, of course!

If you're also looking for a nice SS rig, and you want a new one, you better 
jump quick.  The only top quality table top general coverage receiver still 
in production is the NRD-545 at around $1,800, if memory serves.  The Icom 
R-75 and Drake R-8B are both being discontinued, but many dealers will still 
have them in stock for a while.  If you're going used, no problem.  They're 
both readily available on eBay.  I personally have a Kenwood R-5000 and it's 
a terrific receiver.  The Icom, Drake, and Kenwood are all outstanding 
receivers, top quality rigs in every respect.  You couldn't go wrong with 
any of them.

Clay