[Hallicrafters] sx-28 price

Tue Jan 31 22:57:17 EST 2006

Hi DW,

Yours and the other comments in the same vein match what I expected, and 
my own feelings about it.
There is a definite delight in using old gear like the models mentioned. 
I get a similar kick from restoring
and using older Tektronix scopes. Of the Hallicrafters I have, my 
favourite is the SX-71, but the S40A
is good, too ... I'm restoring an SX-62 which should be really nice when 
it's done.

Julian

DW Holtman wrote:

> I totally agree. There is a lot more to collecting vintage radios than 
> specs. I don't currently have or have ever owned an SX-28, but it is 
> one of the radios that I will aquire (when I find one that I want) and 
> spend the time to properly restore. My favorite radio as far as "Cool" 
> is my SX-42. It has many of the qualities that others have used 
> describing the SX-28. When I want to do some casual band cruising. I 
> don't know anything better than an SX-42. The round green dials are 
> the best that I have ever seen, at night with the lights turned down 
> in my shack, there is nothing IMHO that compares to the SX-42. It is 
> very heavy and well built, with push-pull audio that sounds great 
> through an R-42 reproducer.
>
> When I want to do some serious short wave listening, I use my R-390A 
> or my Icom R-75 (solid state yuck). The R-390A is without a doubt a 
> great performer. However, when listening to the ham bands on SSB, the 
> R-75 is fine for SSB reception. I have used the R-390a as a great SSB 
> receiver, by running the 455 KHZ output to the antenna terminal on the 
> R-75.
>
> I'm getting sidetracked. My point is that using an old vintage 
> receiver such as the SX-28 is a lot more than just specs. 1930's 
> technology that still performs well in the new century is truly 
> outstanding. I would not use a 1935 Chevy as an every day driver or 
> use a  1930'S toaster, stove etc as an every day appliance. However, 
> state of the art radios that were well built, still have their place 
> for more that just lookiing at. Listening with a decent antenna to 
> stations such as BBC, radios such as the SX-28 perform very well and 
> sound outstanding.
>
> 73's
> DW Holtman
> WB7SSN
>
> Roy Morgan wrote:
>
>> At 02:38 PM 1/31/2006, you wrote:
>>
>>> This is an interesting thread, and I wonder why the SX-28 is so 
>>> attractive
>>> to people. Is it a good radio?
>>
>>
>>
>> Julian,
>>
>> Not especially by more recent standards. It was designed in the late 
>> 30's or very early 40's (I assume, without having any real facts) and 
>> used the "technology" of the time.  One "improvement" I've heard of 
>> is to substitute a better mixer tube for the original one to get it 
>> to run better on the higher frequencies.
>>
>> BUT:
>>
>>> ...Perhaps it is the classic look that attracts?
>>
>>
>>
>> Absolutely. There are very, very few other radios that have that 
>> classic look (and weight!). By comparison, the R-390's are boring, 
>> the EK-07 is strange looking, the 51S-1 is simplistic, the 51J's and 
>> the 75A-4 are business like, and almost all the more recent 
>> Hammarlunds and Hallicrafters radios are.... well, .. just plain GRAY.
>>
>> Here is the reason I changed from not really being interested in the 
>> SX-28 to wanting one for sure:
>>
>> One day I bought a QST for the month I was born: October '44. There 
>> was an article about the FCC radio communication and direction 
>> finding stations around the US and another article about military 
>> stations in the arctic regions used to guide our airplanes to and 
>> from Europe and over to the Far East during the war.  The first one 
>> showed the Adcock arrays for DF and the operating stations with a 
>> number of SX-28's in use.  That did it.. I got the need to have one.. 
>> Soo, eventually I found two of them, one an A, and one the earlier 
>> version.
>>
>> The two related articles of interest in the October 1944 issue of QST 
>> are:
>>
>> "Hams in the RID
>> The FCC's Radio Intelligence Division in Action"
>> by Oliver Reaad, W9ETI
>> QST, October 1944, Pages 18-23
>>
>> This story is about the Great Lakes Monitoring Station near Allegan 
>> Michigan. It shows Adcock antennas for direction finding, monitoring 
>> stations, and a number of SX-28's in use.
>>
>> and:
>>
>> "Hams In Combat
>> The Great Spiderweb"
>> by PVT H. D. Colson and S/SGT Robert C. Fleischman, W8TOZ
>> QST, October, 1944, Pages 44-46, 90 and 92
>>
>> This story is about the AACS, Army Airways communications Service. It 
>> does not mention the SX-28 by name but it's reasonable to assume that 
>> the AACS stations used lots of them.  It tells a story about one of 
>> the stations in the Arctic hearing an SOS from a downed flight of 
>> four B-17's which outran a pack of enemy fighters but had to ditch on 
>> the ice pack north of the North Atlantic.  A dog team rescue mission 
>> was launched and rescued all the personnel, but the B-17's are still 
>> up there in the ice.
>>
>> My guess is that both Boeing and Hallicrafters were running three 
>> shifts a day to make the needed equipment.
>>
>>
>> I find the rear cover ad by RCA interesting.  It announces "3 New RCA 
>> Miniatures" with summary information and prices:
>>
>> 6AQ5    $1.50
>> 6AL5        .75
>> 6J4         8.35
>>
>> What made the 6J4 so expensive, I can only guess.
>>
>> Roy
>>
>>
>> - Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing!
>> 7130 Panorama Drive, Derwood MD 20855
>> Home: 301-330-8828 Cell 301-928-7794
>> Work: Voice: 301-975-3254,  Fax: 301-948-6213
>> roy.morgan at nist.gov --
>>
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>
>
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