[Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio
David Langley
dave at daveandsue.com
Sun Dec 11 11:33:03 EST 2011
Ray, you make a very good point in these discussions. When I was a
youngster, I bought a NC-183D (in 1957) and thought I was in Ham Heaven,
using a 6V6 osc 6L6 final homebrew CW rig. After entering the service in
1959, the old National got badly damaged being sent across the country by
rail in a card board box.
I traded what was left to another ham for a DX-60 kit, and bought a
Hammarlund HQ-110. I couldn't afford what I really wanted, the HQ-170.
Looking back on those receivers, I'd have to say the 183D was much better
with the selectivity and sensitivity below 14 Mhz., and the audio was way
above the 110 or 170.
Even comparing radios of the same period is in some ways like comparing
apples and oranges, because like the 183 was GC and the 110 & 170 were HB
only.
I still have the HQ-110, recently restored, and have also got another
NC-183D, and just recently restored an HQ-170. While doing the restoration
of the 170 I realized that it was the same a the 110 with a HC-10 built into
it. They were all great radios for the time, and one has to remember them in
that time period to understand how we have progressed since.
I can't help but smile when I hear all the stories and complaints about
Hammarlund receivers drifting. Never had that problem and have owned many
Hammarlunds since the HQ-110. Mine have had many problems but the 6C4 drift
wasn't one of them. Could it be that everyone jumps on the band wagon about
the drift? Maybe I am the only one who was just lucky? I kind of doubt it
:-)
Your right.... real radios glow in the dark, but they also receiver AM great
too.
Dave de W5QWX
-----Original Message-----
From: RAY FRIESS
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 8:39 AM
To: km1h at jeremy.mv.com ; gzook at yahoo.com ; kgordon2006 at frontier.com ;
hammarlund at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio
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
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