[Hallicrafters] HA-6 and HA-2 transverters

[N4ch at aol.com]

Good luck in your search for a tube-type  transverter.   Heath made just 
ONE (the SB-500) transverter.......it  would "convert" your 10 meter or 6 
meter IF (U chose which IF U wanted, and used  the appropriate parts to build it 
for that application) to 2 meters.    They never made any other 
transverters besides this one (they made the SB-110/A  transceivers for 6 meters, but 
they never had any tube-type transverters for 6,  or SSB transceivers for 2 
meters).   Heath did make two different  types of receive converters for both 
bands.......the XC-6 and XC-2 were  from the "Mohawk" era.   Later, they 
made some smaller, less elaborate  converters for the SB-300/301 receivers in 
the 1960s.   The SB-500 is  quite rare, and it's not all that great a 
performer.   Another  transverter series from this era U might want to consider 
(and these are a  lot more common than the SB-500 and the Hallicrafters 
HA-6/2) are the  various versions of the Swan 2 meter TV-2.   These could be  
configured for either a 6 meter IF (to use with the Swan 250/C), or a 20 meter  
IF (to use with the 350/C, 500/C/CX, etc).   I bet I see about 8-10 of  
these for every SB-500 or HA-2/HA-6, and they work pretty well.   Swan  made 
quite a few improvements from the original TV-2 thru the TV-2C, but all  worked 
pretty well, and are simple to use.   The main disadvantage the  original 
TV-2 had was that U had to "re-cable" things to disable it, and use the  IF 
rig as a stand-alone radio on its original (6 or 20 meters)  bands.   Later 
models added a front panel switch, so one could do this  a lot easier.   I 
think all of the TV-2s had a 5894 final (good for  about 100 watts out), and 
(like the SB-500) had a Nuvistor front  end.   Drake also had gear that would 
get U on VHF, but their  offerings are hard to find.   They went a 
different route.........they  made solid-state receive converters (that one could 
mount in a "console" box,  along with power supply and crystal calibrator), 
and the tube-type transmitter  converters (these were also available for 6 or 
2 meters) were  separate.   I think their 6 and 2 meter offerings all used a 
20 meter  IF.
 
I still have the SB-500 I built about 40 years ago, and the  TV-2 that I 
got shortly after that.......made a ton of Oscar 6 contacts with  both.
 
Good luck and 73, Herman, N4CH.