[Hallicrafters] SX-117 or Not!

[lardiere at ix.netcom.com]

Chris,

I own or have recently owned and operated most of the Hallicrafters receivers you mention, including two SX 115's and two SX 117's (and an HT-44 and SX 100).  I also have a nice SX 28 that wandered into the shack last month.

For ham band, on the air use, the SX 117 is a great little receiver and works well with the HT-44.  It's like an S line but with a different character.  Just don't expect Collins' dial accuracy and build quality.

In my humble opinion, the SX 100 is fine for AM band cruising, including short wave listening, but it is not stable enough for SSB or even CW, especially on the higher frequency bands.  Its dial readout is very coarse (NOT 1 kHz), because of the conversion design and non-linear dial scales, on most bands.  The SX 117 IS a triple conversion receiver, like the Drakes and Collins, and its dial readout is constant from band to band.  Again, it is not 1 kHz, but it is much more stable and usuable, especially on 10 and 15, than the SX 100.  The SX 115 is also triple conversion, and its dial is easily accurate to 1 kHz; ditto for the HT 32B (which is one reason they cost more than the less expensive SX 117 and HT 44).

Hallicrafters advertised thiple conversion as an advanced feature when they marketing the SX 117 and SX 115.  There is a reason for this.  You might want to ponder conversion designs and how they drove mechanical dial design for all of these receivers.  Collins sold a lot of receivers, and their PTO-based 1-kHz readout and stability were central to their appeal and usefulness.  Hallicrafters gear in the 60's began to match the S line in these areas, such as the SR-400 and similar transceivers.  The FPM-200 was one of their first attempts, using two VFOs, but that is another story. 

I would realign and clean up the SX 117 and enjoy it on the air; you will receive nice comments on this combination.  If you do the work yourself, you will enjoy the receiver more.  You might try to find a local who know how to align these receivers and try it yourself with his help - you will learn a lot.  It's like tuning up a 60's Porsche; if you really tweak it right, it works better and is more fun to run.

If you find a nice SX 100, they are fun to have for general short wave listening and occasional SSB monitoring on 40 and 75.  Again - they really tend to work a lot better after a proper alignment.  Mine works well but gets a lot less use than the SX 117.

Oh, by the way, the SX 117 is a great recevier on CW.

73,

Rocco N6KN

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Kepus <ckepus at comcast.net>
Sent: Sep 27, 2005 10:46 PM
To: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Hallicrafters] SX-117 or Not!

Hi folks,

 

I am in a quandary.  I have a very clean and very nice (cosmetically) SX-117
and HT-44 combo that I acquired from a ham that was shutting down.  I
finally had a chance to play with the SX-117 a bit.  Unfortunately, it is
going to need some work.  It is a bit deaf and the sideband selection
control only works for one sideband.

 

I have not attempted to fire up the HT-44 but it's specs are impressive
compared to early S-line transmitters.  True CW with break-in (yep, I do
CW), SSB and AM.

 

Anyway, the quandary.  I am not a Hallicrafters collector.  But I want
something Hallicrafters in the shack.  My inclination is to find a nice
SX-100 / R-46B combo.  I like the cool looks of the rx, it always gets
decent marks from users, it looks like it would be fun to listen to and
operate semi-seriously from time to time.

 

But..am I being short sighted? Is the SX-117 a diamond in the rough?  Is it
really a performer?  Is it an econo SX-115 like some claim?  And is the
combo, SX-117/HT-44 worth fixing and keeping to put on the air? Are they
stable and enjoyable to use?  . . .