[HBR] My New Old HBR

[Freeberg, Scott (STP)]

Hi,

While pinging the boatanchor lists about homebrew receivers a few weeks
back, someone offered to sell me a complete HBR-16.  I figured the parts
alone were worth more than the asking price so went ahead and bought it.  If
it were a piece of junk then I'd just strip the parts and use them to build
a new one.  The HBR arrived yesturday.  It came with three sets of coils
(maybe four since I don't remember if I counted the ones already plugged
in), so I guessing I might be looking at 80m, 40, 20 or 15 meters.   These
are not junky coils either, very well built!    It has a National
rectangular 180 degree dial setup, the Collins style knobs with wide skirts,
one pointer knob just to the right of the National vernier, or actually
through the National vernier plate.

Its a nice looking radio!  I haven't pulled the chassis out of the cabinet
for a closer look but were these chassis professionally made??    The
chassis construction is incredible.  The chassis looks commercial in that I
don't see all the marks and scratches that my homebrew projects show.  The
chassis is covered in grime and dust so I'll get it cleaned out tomorrow and
take a closer look.    I saw a reference in the K8ENL notes about someone
selling all the parts for the HBR so thats why I was wondering about a kit.
Then again, maybe only the mechanically talented took on the HBR project and
thats why they look so great.  I'll take some photo's once its clean up and
ask Kees to put them up on the HBR website.   I pulled one coil out of the
socket, ceramic socket no less.  

I don't know who the builder was and I've not seen a callsign anywhere yet.
I've asked the seller if he might know the builder.  Maybe there's a call
under the chassis.

BY the way,  I'm printing out the 36 pages of K8ENL notes.  It has taken me
two days so far :^)   It takes a while for each page to load so I've been
doing it as a background task.  Every so often I check the page to see if
its loaded, then print it and move on to the next page.  :^))  I'm on page
33 so far.
I am also printing out the HBR schematics and other notes so I can check the
receiver out this weekend.  

There is no power cord on the HBR, just what appears to be a 4 pin Johnson
style connector with some smaller gauge wires hanging off it, the type that
is on the back of the 250-33 10 Watt Speech Amplifier.  At first I wondered
if the HV and filament were outboard but the power transformer is sitting
there in the rear right cornet and a fuse holder is on the back.  I'll power
it up this weekend and see whats going on.

I see photo's of the Eddystone 898 (?) dial assembly on some of the HBR's.
What a great looking dial.  I would like to buy one if a listmember has a
spare for sale.    Thanks.

Hmm, now I have a dilemma, I want to build my own HBR and this ones too nice
to gut.  So I guess I'll have to start collecting my own parts :^)

73,  Scott WA9WFA in Saint Paul Minn