[Hallicrafters] OLD OR VINTAGE OR ANTIQUE

[jeremy-ca]

What I rember most about the 38's is my friends whose parents bought them 
thinking that a brand new radio had to be better than used "junk". I went 
the other way with a SX-25 as my first factory receiver which was very 
quickly replaced by a HQ-129X. The Hammarlund was and still is an excellent 
radio. None of my friends with the 38's ever got past their Novice tickets 
because working anything was such a chore; I suspect my results would have 
been the same. QRM, ITV, QRN out on NYC/LI in the 50's was a lot worse than 
someplace in the boonies. There was a KW station a block from me and the 
same from my buddy Nick who had a S-38D. When Al was on 20M the 38D folded 
up 40 thru 10M; I didnt even know he was on. The old gang that have stayed 
with radio into these days all had "old junk" such as a SX-17, S-20R, S-40, 
HQ-120X, RME-69, BC-348, 75A1 as well as new HQ-140X, S-85, S-99, NC-98.

I do agree that the original cabinet design is very nice, I have an as new 
mint S-38 here but have never turned it on as it is 100% original.

The only AC/DC receivers I own that give halfway decent reception up thru 
20M or so is a NC-44 and NC-46 which are suprisingly bringing fairly high 
prices lately. I just like the looks.

No offense intended to any individual so Duane can go back to something 
useful besides complaining.

Carl
KM1H


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Todd, KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com>
To: "Dick Blaney" <wb8mhe at bright.net>
Cc: "jeremy-ca" <km1h at jeremy.mv.com>; <Hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>; 
"Peter Markavage" <manualman at juno.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:07 PM
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] OLD OR VINTAGE OR ANTIQUE


> On 9/18/07, Dick Blaney <wb8mhe at bright.net> wrote:
>> DEM'S FIGHTIN' WORDS, Sonny!!!! I'm a' callin' you out to the middle of 
>> Main
>> Street at high noon.  We'll settle this matter with six  shooters.  Since
>> 1946 I've owned at least one S-38, and now have six, including that 
>> original
>> that I bought from Concord Radio in Chicago in 1946.  The only ones I've
>> seen that were "junk" had been abused and misused by some jerk that 
>> didn't
>> know what a Hallicrafter Radio was or represented, no matter what model
>> number it carried.  Of course, you are entitled to your opinion, but I'm
>> reminded that "Opinions are like hemorrhoids, only A.. Ho... have them
>> Dick, WB8MHE
>
> I think Carl was just using the more readily-accepted shortcut for the
> term 'of low quality'. I agree completely with his assessments and
> comparisons. Never was lucky *cough* enough to own the venerable S-38,
> but my first SW receiver was a step or two higher: the S-40B. It
> wasn't junk, just really cheap and marginal. I got hours of enjoyment
> from it and never would've known what I was missing, had it not been
> for that $5 National RAO I tripped over beneath a table at a garage
> sale.
>
> Don't get me wrong - I understand and fully appreciate the gap that
> Halli, Heath, and WRL filled with some lower quality items. Obviously
> there was a need and a market, or the stuff wouldn't still be so
> prolific, endlessly surfacing on ebay, at hamfests, yard sales and so
> on.
>
> If you were to set a brand new S-38 next to an equally new SX-28 or
> SX-88, you might think.....that dinky little radio looks like a piece
> of junk! If you had nothing to compare it against, it might not look
> so bad. Most of us were never lucky enough to have that exposure early
> on, which is a blessing it disguise. It allowed us to develop an
> appreciation, through experience.
>
> Which is why I, too, cannot understand why anyone would pay so much
> for an S-38 - ebay or otherwise. 'Nostalgia' does crazy things to
> people.
>
>
> ~ Todd,  KA1KAQ
>