[Hallicrafters] SX-88 Overhype Continues

[WA1KBQ at aol.com]

You avoided answering the question I  asked on which National receivers were 
Litz wound. I will assume you probably  don't know. You seem to enjoy riding 
in on National's reputation attempting  to impress us all here with your 
embellished and outlandish accounts of your  days spent in customer service for a by 
then failing company that occurred too  long ago for anyone to care anymore. 
I suspect more than a few here would tell  you the opinions and advice you 
usually post is a little over the top.

I  don't participate at amfone; the SX-88 incident came about from an 
Internet  search turning up someone like yourself running SX-88s in the ground over 
there  so I felt compelled to enter the fray and give them something to write 
about.  The thread died because no one had anything to refute the arguments  
and the evidence I posted. Believe me, if they had anything over there they  
would have posted it much like you finding you are unable to resist  firing one 
more shot. Same thing happened here in this thread and you're now  down to name 
calling. I think you must realize you came up a little short  here.

-Greg Gore

In a message dated 2/8/2009 8:42:14 P.M. US  Eastern Standard Time, 
km1h at jeremy.mv.com writes:

----- Original Message  ----- 
From: <WA1KBQ at aol.com>
To:  <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 4:51  PM
Subject: [Hallicrafters] SX-88 Value Controversy Continues

> The  SX-88 was actually a top  of the line benchmark receiver for
>  Hallicrafters in it's day much as the Pro-310  was for Hammarlund and  
> though a little late
> to dinner, so too the NC-400 for   National. Not one of these three was 
> a
> sales success for the  companies, however.  Does this mean they all had 
> problems  as
> another poster suspected was the case  for SX-88 or were  deficient in 
> some
> way? I tend to think these expensive  "halo"  receivers failed in the 
> marketplace
> because hams  earned a reputation over the  years of being tightfisted. 
>  Since
> 1934 Hallicrafters steadily built a reputation  for offering  the most 
> features
> at the lowest price and then suddenly in  1954  there appears this 
> $5000
> (equiv. 2008 dollars)  Hallicrafters version! In  subsequent years the 
> amateur
>  marketplace backed this up by pointing out most  hams will buy a 
>  Heathkit or an
> import before shelling out the equivalent of  $5000  for a 
> Hallicrafters receiver.


That above paragraph is so  full of self styled misinformation and BS I 
can see why you were eventually  ignored over on AMfone; a thread which I 
didnt take part in.

Using  the Pro-310 as a benchmark is a laugh. It died because it was a 
dog; it was  too early for SS to surprass tubes unless you were the 
government. The  NC-400 was obsolete before it went into production plus 
every one built lost  money.

You try and portray yourself as being a high end collector but the  more 
you post the less you really seem to know about the history of the  
companies you mention.

National had no problem selling the HRO to  hams during the Depression or 
after the war; any model including the  HRO-500. The NC-183, 183D, NC-300 
or 303 werent cheap yet sold well and the  latter pair were limited to 
just ham bands.

Collins came out with the  75A in 1946 and just kept on making them 
better and more expensive as hams  bought up every one made.

Hammarlund had no problem selling the HQ-170 or  180.

Hams are no more tightfisted than the general public. Some bought  
Fords/Chevy/Plymouth prewar and others had anything they wanted to  
choose from all the way to the Duesenberg SJ and Caddy V-16's. After the  
war it was the same Big 3 low end and the Henry J/Allstate. At the high  
end there was the Lincoln V-12 Continental, Packards, Caddys, Imperials  
and everything in between. Consider the Corvette as a hamband only  car.

Bottom feeder hams had the S-38's, SW-54, and others,  and  could go up 
from there as their happy little hearts desired.

I think  its time to end this thread as it is going nowhere that will 
change anyones  opinion.

When the economy gets to the point that a SX-88 sells for what I  
consider a reasonable price I will add one to the collection of over 300  
radios here. For Hallis they go back to the SX-9 early and late  
production.

Carl
KM1H  

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