[Hallicrafters] SX-88 Value Controversy
WA1KBQ at aol.com
WA1KBQ at aol.com
Sun Feb 8 08:56:01 EST 2009
Which production National receivers were equipped with Litz wound IF
transformers?
-Greg Gore
In a message dated 2/7/2009 10:04:10 P.M. US Eastern Standard Time,
km1h at jeremy.mv.com writes:
You seem to be regularly harping about the IF Q, here and AMfone. I'll
have to agree with W3JN.
I guess youve never been into many National receivers. They built their
own IF transformers and LC selectivity networks using Litz wire and even
cup cores which blow away your UNLOADED 180 Q.
When they closed most of their components operation I bought bins of
Litz wire and still have loads of it in numerous sizes.
Drake managed very impressive LC filtering in the 2A/2B and even better
up thru the R4-B.
Recent experiments with toroids as IF transformers has yielded unloaded
Q's in the 240-250 range at the frequencies of interest. The next
purchase will hopefully be a coil winder to facilitate experiments and
restorations.
Carl
KM1H
----- Original Message -----
From: <WA1KBQ at aol.com>
To: <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>; <km1h at jeremy.mv.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 9:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] SX-88 Value Controversy- Pictures
> Government contracts are approved or not approved for any one of a
> myriad of
> reasons, not because there is something wrong with the receiver. The
> responsibility for correcting a fault in the design rests solely with
> the
> engineering department. Clearing inventory due to a missed government
> contract or
> producing an engineering benchmark for "halo receiver" bragging
> rights by selling
> at a loss Hallicrafters still managed to put a few more SX-88s out
> there in
> one year than National did NC-400s regardless of the high price. The
> Hallicrafters SX-88 is the only production receiver ever sold with
> Litz wound 50KC IF
> transformers having a "Q" of over 180. Did you ever question the
> brass
> threaded adjusters in most receiver's IF transformers? The presence
> of brass spoils
> "Q" but installing threaded brass rod adjusters is less expensive
> than
> threading hard brittle ferrite.
>
> -Greg Gore
>
> In a message dated 2/7/2009 8:22:16 P.M. US Eastern Standard Time,
> km1h at jeremy.mv.com writes:
> With at least 2 production runs that Im aware of and rather extensive
> advertising Id say they were trying to establish a high end foothold
> and
> not simply clearing inventory.
>
> With the HRO-60 in the same price range and minus several SX-88
> features
> it had about a 14 year successful run and substantial sales.
>
> With Collins, National, Hammarlund and TMC having extensive
> government
> business it makes me wonder what the buyers found wrong with the
> SX-88??
>
> Carl
> KM1H
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <WA1KBQ at aol.com>
> To: <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>; <km1h at jeremy.mv.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 7:58 PM
> Subject: Fwd: [Hallicrafters] SX-88 Value Controversy- Pictures
>
>
>> The fact that it sold in low numbers (miserably you said) was
>> because
>> the
>> receiver was originally targeting a government contract that did
>> not
>> go
>> through. Hallicrafters decided to go through with a small
>> production
>> run anyway at a
>> loss as a "halo" receiver which ended up selling around 500 units
>> over the
>> course of one year but the high price ($5000 in today's dollars)
>> was
>> more than
>> most hams were willing to shell out for a Hallicrafters. Around 100
>> have
>> been accounted for so far today.
>>
>> -Greg Gore
>>
>>
>> From: km1h at jeremy.mv.com
>> To: WA1KBQ at aol.com, hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
>> Sent: 2/7/2009 5:35:40 P.M. US Eastern Standard Time
>> Subj: Re: [Hallicrafters] SX-88 Value Controversy- Pictures
>>
>>
>> Why not let Jay, W1VD, run it thru its paces as he has done with
>> many
>> other vintage radios on AMfone?
>>
>> That would settle its performance pretty well dont you think?
>>
>> The one I owned was only about 10 years old when I got it and as I
>> said
>> earlier I wasnt impressed. (As a teenager in the 50's I wanted one
>> simply for the looks but reality resulted in a HQ-129X). Neither
>> were
>> a
>> few engineers at National that put it thru its paces. Even then it
>> had
>> an aura that it was something more than just a well built radio.
>> They
>> were primarily comparing it to the NC-400 which has its own set of
>> problems IMO.
>>
>> The fact that it sold miserably speaks volumes of what prospective
>> buyers thought of it then.
>>
>> When I sold it, it was all original so naturally performance was
>> way
>> down in 1998 or so. My parents used it to listen to SW classical
>> music
>> and gave it back when they moved to a condo in NC.
>>
>> Carl
>> KM1H
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <WA1KBQ at aol.com>
>> To: <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 3:20 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] SX-88 Value Controversy- Pictures
>>
>>
>>> Pictures with short descriptions of a typical SX-88 restoration
>>> at:
>>> http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=17990.20
>>>
>>>
>>> Go to the bottom of page two. This was a recent discussion at
>>> amfone.net on
>>> vintage receiver performance.
>>>
>>> Regards, Greg
>>>
>>> **************Who's never won? Biggest Grammy Award surprises of
>>> all
>>> time on
>>> AOL Music.
>>>
>>
>
(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000003)
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>>
>> **************Who's never won? Biggest Grammy Award surprises of
>> all
>> time on
>> AOL Music.
>>
>
(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000003)
>>
>
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