[Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio

Sun Dec 11 14:42:30 EST 2011

Your comments about drift are well taken ....
My 170 that was gone through takes about 10 minutes and then there is virtually no drift.  

> From: dave at daveandsue.com
> To: rayfrijr at msn.com; Hammarlund at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio
> Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:33:03 -0600
> 
> 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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