[JMS] My comments on owning a National SW-54, fifty years ago. You may not appreciate my comments but I am trying to help you.

[Sherrill Watkins]

Friends of the James Millen Society:  In the mid 1950's I had a SW-54 when I
was a teenager. It was my first shortwave receiver. It worked well for
listening to medium wave AM broadcast and shortwave broadcast such as
WWV,CHU,BBC,etc. I used a 120' dipole for an antenna and for these purposes
it worked ok. However, I found it unusable as an amateur receiver. It does
have a bfo so it would copy the high power cw coastal telegraph stations but
would drift noticeably. Forget trying to copy ssb. From my experience, it has
three serious drawbacks: 1. It is basically an "all american five" receiver
with bandswitching hf bands added so it lacks an r.f. stage ahead of the
mixer. 2. It lacks adequate bandspread to use on the amateur bands. It only
had mechanical bandspread, no electrical bandspread. 3. The most serious
design problem is that it is an ac-dc design with a metal cabinet; a good way
to get electrocuted! One side of the ac power line is connected to the
chassis. National Company, who should have known better, failed to provide a
polarized line plug for protection! The chassis is insulated from the metal
cabinet with fiber spacers. I really learned the painful way about the danger
of this arrangement when I had the cabinet grounded and with the back cover
removed and using a "cheater cord" to power the radio, put my hand on the
chassis and cabinet at the same time and thereby received a painful shock.
When one is 14 years of age, one thinks he is invincible and does not think
about death! (At 14,I was only interested in three things, ham radio, cars
and girls.)There have been several articles published in the AWA Oldtimers
Bulletin and possibly Electric Radio condemning National for this hazardous
design. I replaced my NC-54 with a Hallicrafters S-85 that worked ok for 80,
40 and 15 meters cw and AM work. To service the radio, you will need a
"cheater cord". I don't know if they are still available??? - 73 - Sherrill
K4OWN  (KN4OWN in 1956)

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Roehrig [mailto:broehrig at aurora.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 9:02 AM
To: The James Millen Society Members Email Reflector
Subject: Re: [JMS] SW-54


On Tue, 5 Dec 2006, Don Buska wrote:

> NATIONAL Receiver Model SW-54. Very nice condition. Works. Paint good 
> except
> scratched on top.
> With Sams photofact description, schematic, parts list, alignment 
> instructions. Dial string details.   I need to look this one over. Price
paid 
> $ 85.00.   Would like to contact a member who has one. Please advise.
> 73 Joe  W4CBJ.

I have a SW-54. What can I help you with?



                               Bob Roehrig
                     Aurora University    Telecom dept.
                            broehrig at aurora.edu
                          K9EUI  W9ZGP  WD2XSH/19
                     630-844-4898      fax 630-844-4222
                     "Nostalgia is a thing of the past"
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