[Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio

Sun Dec 11 09:39:27 EST 2011

We have to remember to avoid the temptation to compare yesterday's radios with today's technology.
In the 50s and 60s, Hammarlund radios were considered to among top of the line radios, with Collins being
the king of the hill.  When I was a Novice I would have given almost anything to have a Hammarlund receiver.
I have a 145 and a 170 in the shack and use them both frequently.  I had my 170 rebuilt by an expert in Hammarlunds
and when he sent it back, he reported that the receiver was back to factory specs.  In fact, he said in some areas is was
better than factory specs with some very very minor changes or fixes he made.   Even up on six and ten meters it hears
anything that my newer solid state rig manufactured within the last ten years hears.

For years I have wanted to get my hands on a 180, which is the received used by my mentor back then, and is still used
in his shack, but they still go for a pretty penny.  There must be a reason a 180 still goes for several hundred dollars and more.
It cant be just for intrinsic or sentimental reasons.  

I think we tend to forget, as well, that these receivers were designed and manufactured primarily when AM mode still pretty much
reigned as king.  With that modes broad signals, things werent as "critical" as they are now.

Personally, I think comparing them with current receivers or even those made during the decades after they were manufactured is
like comparing a car of the 50s and 60s with a car of today.   Things like gas mileage and even audio quality of the sound systems in
todays cars leave the cars of our youth in the dust of the roads.

I love the radios of yesteryear.  I have a shack full of them and manage to make almost as many qsos today as I did back then.
And ... as many of us like to tell newbies ...  "REAL radios glow in the dark."

Ray  wa7itz

> From: km1h at jeremy.mv.com
> To: gzook at yahoo.com; kgordon2006 at frontier.com; hammarlund at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:21:39 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio
> 
> I had one also in the 80's and was unimpressed with its performance even 
> after a full overhaul. Drift was present but the front end noise was the 
> killer. Considering the tube lineup a NC-183D was better.
> After rebuilding a few others I started using the 6GM6 first RF and 6BY6 
> mixers and the improvement was very noticable. Some customers still want 
> them left completely original.
> 
> Carl
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Glen Zook" <gzook at yahoo.com>
> To: <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>; "Hammarlund Radios" 
> <hammarlund at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2011 9:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio
> 
> 
> I had a pair of SP-600-JX17 receivers for a short time a number of years 
> ago. I got them in a trade for a Swan-240 that I had acquired in another 
> trade a couple of weeks before. Talk about going from the frying pan into 
> the fire where drift was concerned! On the higher bands the SP-600s drifted 
> even worse than the Swan!
> 
> Then, a couple of other operators thought that they couldn't live without 
> the SP-600s so I unloaded them in a hurry!
> 
> Glen, K9STH
> 
> 
> Website: http://k9sth.com
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Kenneth G. Gordon <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>
> To: Hammarlund Radios <hammarlund at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2011 8:16 PM
> Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio
> 
> On 10 Dec 2011 at 20:14, Carl wrote:
> 
> > > BC-779 for me. ;-)
> > >
> > > Ken W7EKB
> >
> > I have its brother, a BC-1004 I picked up at Nearfest for $40. Already
> > have a SP-400 but still need meter glass or a complete meter. Dont
> > want to strip the 1004.
> 
> Those older Hammarlunds look so "military truck-ish". I really like
> that look. R-390(*) has the same kind of look.
> 
> At the time they first came out, the Hammarlund SP-200s were the most
> expensive receivers available, as I remember it.
> 
> Ken W7EKB
> ______________________________________________________________
> Hammarlund mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hammarlund
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Hammarlund at mailman.qth.net
> 
> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF
> ** For Assistance: dfischer at usol.com **
> 
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> Hammarlund mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hammarlund
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Hammarlund at mailman.qth.net
> 
> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF
> ** For Assistance: dfischer at usol.com **
> 
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> 
> 
> -----
> No virus found in this message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 10.0.1415 / Virus Database: 2102/4073 - Release Date: 12/10/11
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> Hammarlund mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hammarlund
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Hammarlund at mailman.qth.net
> 
> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF
> ** For Assistance: dfischer at usol.com ** 
> 
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html