[Hallicrafters] got the HT-20

[Robert Nickels]

On 6/19/2010 12:53 PM, Brian Harris wrote:
>   I wonder if the much touted SX-88 has the same cheesy bezel.

Some did, but not all.  I don't think any of us ever conclusively traced 
the problem to a specific group of serial numbers, although if anyone 
would know, it would be Hank Arney who (while the rest of us were 
whining!) took the initiative to work with a CNC machine shop to have 
new ones manufactured, and they turned out great.   The bezel warpage 
was a result of insufficient stress relief in the original castings - 
over time those stresses simply twisted the bezel up like a pretzel.   
You can't get much "earlier" than my SX-88 as it was one of several 
hand-built prototypes and it had the warped bezel problem, but I've know 
other early s/n owners say theirs are fine.    Evidently the supplier 
fixed the process or Hallicrafters found a new one, as the majority of 
these bezels (including the one on my HT-20) seem to be OK.

A ham buddy from southern Illinois told me how one guy he knew made a 
wooden pattern and sand-cast his own SX-88 replacement bezel out of 
melted-down aluminum scraps.   I recommend the CNC approach ;-)

73, Bob W9RAN