[Hammarlund] Age list of HQ-129-X?

[Richard Knoppow]

    The very first ones had red striping and type number, after a 
short time they were all white. I have never seen one with black 
labeling.
    I don't know what to suggest about the non working 129, if 
its a power supply problem a VOM should tell you pretty quickly. 
These are really very good receivers. They are old enough to need 
a complete recapping of all electrolytic and paper caps. Micas 
will be OK. Hayseed Hamfest has exact replacement can caps. Watch 
out for resistors, some will have changed value considerably. I 
found a 10 ohm resistor used to short out unused parts of the 
band spread cap that had gone way up and caused a serious change 
in calibration. Very mysterious at first.
    A sweep generator is a great help for adjusting the IF since 
there is at least one overcoupled stage. Can be done by hand 
sweeping but is very tedious. Probably the greatest shortcoming 
is the lack of image suppression due to the single RF stage. 
Can't be helped. Its why there were preamps made. The need was 
not for more gain, there is plenty, but better RF selectivity. 
Below about 10 Mhz you are fine. They are really very solidly 
built receivers, quite stable for their age. I don't like having 
no AVC for CW or sideband but you can get used to it. Otherwise 
they are good CW receivers.

On 3/20/2020 3:09 PM, Jon Teske via Hammarlund wrote:
>   I don't know the details but when I was working on my 129x I did some searching. Apparent some of the
> early ones had some red striping on the panel. On others the stripes were white, others black. As mentioned
> there were some color variations. ( I have two but the colors are the same.) BTW mine don't work, I think power
> transformer probs as voltages are awry.  I have other old Hammarlunds which DO work  HQ-145, HQ-170, HQ-150.
> I have done re capping and changed most resistors. One did "sort of" work. Maybe during this health crisis
> I may remove and check the heavy iron.  I'm getting B+ voltages of <100v where I should get much more.
> My favorite at the moment is the HQ-150. I have to check the alignment. I also picked up an NC-300 which Ihave yet to put on the Variac. It looks like someone has done updates already. I had one of the first HQ-100s
> as a kid. I was licensed at K9CAH in Wisconsin at age 13 in Jan 1956.
>
> Jon Teske  W3JT
>   
>   
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>
> To: hammarlund <hammarlund at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Fri, Mar 20, 2020 5:54 pm
> Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Age list of HQ-129-X?
>
>      I am another who is curious. I have an HQ-120-X in very good
> condition although its on the back burner for a little work. Mine
> has a dark gray front panel. It looks like its a factory original
> but I have not seen another, maybe one in a google search. I am
> curious if anyone knows anything definite about this. I have a
> very vague memory that Hammarlund may have changed the color at
> some point. I think mine is late rather than early.
>      It is an interesting design as is its predecessor the
> HQ-120-X. I will always be puzzled by the inside out arrangement
> of the dials on both where the lowest frequency band is on the
> outside and the highest frequency on the inside. One would want
> the longer scales on the outside. Both receivers are the same as
> are all others I've seen. Hammarlund certainly knew better, they
> used the correct arrangement on the Super-Pro.
>      BTW, there was a break in production of the HQ-129-X after
> its announcement c.1946 and a year or so later. My understanding
> is that the economy changed so fast after the war that it was
> impossible to make them for the original price of  $129. Also,
> the first advertising illustrations show an different front
> escutcheon with a larger meter. I wish they had stuck with the
> longer scale meter as used in the HQ-120-X.   BTW, the X means it
> has the patented crystal filter. Evidently Hammarlund intended to
> sell an economy model without the crystal but I've never seen one
> or read mention of one. This filter, later adopted for the Super
> Pro was the best crystal filter made and was also adopted years
> later by Collins and TMC, maybe other companies.
>
> On 3/20/2020 2:17 PM, Ray LaRue wrote:
>> I have acquired a rather nice HQ-129-X in good physical
>> condition.  I have not yet recapped it but will get to it
>> shortly.  I am pairing it up with a nice rebuilt Johnson Ranger
>> for an operating "classic" station, to go along with my rice
>> boxes.
>>
>> Is there a list of serial numbers online where I could estimate
>> it's age?   The serial number on this one is #14574, stamped
>> into the back of the chassis.
>>
>> Your attention is appreciated.
>> Ray, W4BYG
>>

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL