[Hallicrafters] How to Destroy a Nice Hallicrafters Receiver

[Julian Bunn]

I don't know about anybody else, but I would *love* to
see a photo of Roger's modded '59 airplane (from the
year I was born!).

Sometimes a mod is necessary. The SX42 I was working on
blew its mains transformer, and there was no replacement
I could find. So I was obliged to replace it with a
different transformer, remove the 5U4 tube, and use
silicon rectifier diodes instead. I didn't like doing
it, but it was either that or not have the radio
working ... an easy choice. And of course the regulation
is *much* better with the silicon :-)


Julian

Roger K8RI wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>> On 7/11/06, Peter May <peter_may at optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>>> It's hard to believe, but there was a time when an old tube radio was 
>>> worth
>>> nothing, anything not solid state was valueless.
> 
> I still tend to think of many of them as worth little.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm also going to admit to what on this group amounts to almost 
> blasphemy; I converted an HT-33B that looked like new to use a different 
> tube.
> 
> 
> 
> At one time I had a *pile* of ARC-5s that were nothing but parts for 
> projects.
> 
> 
> 
>>> So people modded and experimented these sets with no concern to the
>>> cosmetic/aesthetic appearance value, or the interest of future 
>>> generations.
> 
> 
> Most of the old rigs I tried to keep "looking" stock, but back in "the 
> days" I modified many a commercial rig including a KWM-2, 75S3, 32S3, 
> SR160, HT44, SX117
> 
> 
> 
>>> If they messed up, they stripped it for parts or binned it with no 
>>> regrets.
>>> If it was missing knobs they pinched them from another radio.
>>
>>
> 
> 
> 
> I always had enough duplicates that I could get knobs from some where.
> 
> 
>> Herein lies the real issue. Unless someone knows it was converted last
>> week by some collector who 'knew better', it's not really fair to
>> judge the past by today's standards (or at all, for that matter).
>>
> 
> 
> 
> However so far we are talking peanuts.  I have an airplane that is the 
> oldest of it's kind in existence. It was built in 1959 which makes it 
> older than many of the radios we talk about. List price when new was 
> $19,300. It's worth many times that now.  There is a museum that would 
> like it, but of course that would only get me a tax deduction.  Being 
> retired, on a pension, and SS, tax deductions are not real high on my 
> "needed list"<:-)) There is little left in that airplane that is stock. 
> The thin 2-piece windshield has been replaced with a one piece that is 
> 1/2" thick.  It extends quite a ways forward of where the original ended 
> and that meant a fair amount of metal work. The side windows have been 
> replaced with some that are 1/4" thick and the rear window on each side 
> is a long 1/4" thick unit and it  didn't even have a window there.
> 
> 
>> There was a time when ARC-5 receivers really were $5 or less NIB, and
> 
> 
> In the early 60's you could often find them for free and by the dozens.
> 
> 
> 
> Ø      people had no issue with improving the performance (by cutting or
> 
> Ø
> 
> Most of us just used the ARC-5s as a convenient source of parts and 1625s.
> 
> 
> 
>> drilling) of their surplus or current technology rig the same as some
>> do today with their recent Yaecomwood riceboxes, for whatever reason.
>> Once upon a time this old gear was actually seen for its utility and
>> not as a financial investment, R at RE collectible, or means of upstaging
>> your collector friends. There probably were a few who were even
>> envious that the former owner had a monitor 'scope in his receiver,
>> like the Central Electronics 100V/200V transmitters.
>>
>> If your radio broke down, you fixed it. The object was to be on the
>> air or at least listening, not admiring it on a shelf. Fixing it might
> 
> 
> I tended to want the radio, even if modified, to look good.
> 
> <snip>
> 
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-- 
Julian Bunn
Caltech

Tel: +1 626 395 6681
Mob: +1 626 375 4628
WWW: pcbunn.cacr.caltech.edu/jjb.html