[Hallicrafters] PM-23 speaker information wanted

[ANTHONY CASORSO]

I just got some feedback on another forum (thank you Geoff Fors) reminding me that civilian radio production ceased in 1943 so that it is likely that the "h" and the magnet cover were removed to supply speakers to the military. Also, that the military is likely to have purchased many more of these speakers which accounts for the relative rarity of the "h".  

 

This is consistent with the idea that the "large magnet" version is just the version without the magnet cover and that the magnet may not actually be any bigger. It also seems to imply that "large magnet" speakers are supposed to have the "h" on them.

 

What do you think?

 

Tony

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> I bought a PM-23 at a Hamfest this past Sunday and I have been trying to google up some more knowledge about these speakers. In particular, I am trying to determine how you tell the difference between the "large magnet" version and the other versions. I have found a photo that claims to be the larger magnet version but it looks similar (as far as magnet size) to others that do not make the claim. I found an article on www.radioblvd.com by W7HTR (Henry Rogers) about the SX-28 that includes some words on the PM-23 that just confuse me even more. So, here are some questions:
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> 1. How can I tell by looking (not disassembling) whether I have the large magnet or small magnet version?
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> 2. Why do some have the chrome "h" and others do not?
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> The radioblvd article states that the speaker was made from 1939 through 1946. It also says that the chrome "h" was removed starting in 1943 due to the war and that at the same time the magnet cover was removed. If this is true, why is the "h" version so rare? Also, the 45 and 46 catalogs on w9wze.net all seem to show the "h", so either they started putting the h back on towards the end of the war, or the catalogs didn't reflect reality.
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