[Hallicrafters] SX-28 splitting meter case & front panel & questions HELP?

[WA1KBQ at aol.com]

The case of the split Hallicrafters s-meter case is fairly common  though 
not all have it. The meter cases are stamped brass with so much  distributed 
stress that they often found now cracked, split and spread out like  the 
petals of a tulip. You will probably want to carefully remove the meter  
movement from the case to clean away any dust if present. As a last  resort I have 
seen some of these fixed with a couple of turns of #10 wire  wrapped around 
the housing and pulled tight, twisted and soldered. A much  better approach 
would be to obtain another similar meter and swap cases.  One possible 
source is old surplus replacement signal strength meters  for the Hallicrafters 
S-27, S-36 or S-36A AM-FM receivers and believe it or  not they are still 
out there and appear on the Internet for sale from time to  time. These meters 
have different movements and scales but the same housing.  Since there is 
very little demand for replacement Hallicrafters  FM receiver signal strength 
meters prices are reasonable when you do  run across one. 
 
-Greg

In a message dated 10/17/2009 11:55:32 A.M. Atlantic Standard  Time, 
ianwebb5 at comcast.net writes:
Yes, I've searched the archives but sure  don't find the thread about this
problem that I recall reading before I knew  that I might acquire and SX-28.

I have a very early SX-28 that I hope I  can bring back to life.  It's 
serial
number is 20 or so higher than the  earliest S/N recorded in the SX-28 info
on the Western Computer Museum web  site.

The meter case is split very badly and before I remove the front  panel to
start working in that area and have it fall apart while I do that, I  hope 
to
get the advantage of somebody else's experience of how to handle  the
splitting case on the meter without doing further damage.

I'd  appreciate a link to any specific information since I assume somewhere
it's  posted and I need YOUR ADVICE and HANDS ON EXPERIENCE about the best
way to  keep from damaging the meter and providing a way to preserve the
meter for  continued use.

I also am interested in anybody who has a metal/silver  colored front panel
on their SX-28.  It appears to me that this receiver  has a silver panel and
that it has NOT been stripped of paint in the past to  make it silver.
However I may be wrong.  The 2 indented bands in the  dial area still have
red paint in them and the lettering in that area is NOT  filled in.  

I have found a short item in a QST in the ARRL archives  by a ham who no
longer appears in the QRZ database asking about others with a  silver front
panel.  He said he knew of one other like that.

What  do you know about the "silver" panel(s).  I will look carefully at  
the
back of the panel when I remove it and see if it appears to be the  "proper"
blue/gray or something close, maybe indicative of it not having  been
stripped.  

The cover to the tuning capacitor and tube box  on top of the chassis was
loose in the cabinet and appears original.  It  is a SOLID piece of metal
with no vent holes and was obviously on at one time  and is not a recent
fabricated piece.  All that I've seen in the early  manual shows a cover 
with
vent holes in it.  Any information about  this???  Should I drill some holes
to provide venting?  Wish I  still had access to a metal shop with the
selection of punches in the free  standing punch!

I'd appreciate your advice!    Thanks!

Ian, K6SDE
San Jose, CA  area




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