[Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio

Sun Dec 11 19:41:04 EST 2011

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Langley" <dave at daveandsue.com>
To: "RAY FRIESS" <rayfrijr at msn.com>; <Hammarlund at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 11:33 AM
Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Favorite Hammarlund Radio

> 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.
>

See my earlier comments on what is neded in a NC-183D.

> 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

Well I certainly think you are lucky or live on 75M AM:-)
You might consider that the 170A/180A were released specifically to address 
the
drifting problem. It was being discussed on the air and many letters were 
sent to
QST which were naturally ignored, the ARRL is excellent at protecting 
themselves first.
Before anyone gets wound up Ive been an ARRL member since 1955 and feel 
qualified
to voice my opinion.

Carl
KM1H

> :-)
>
> 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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>
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