[JMS] National - The First Ham Band Only Superhet?

[Don Buska]

Hey guys,

A month or so back I was chatting with my BA buddy Scott WA9WFA and 
somehow got into talking about receivers.  Actually all of our talks are 
about radios of old!  I was telling him that one of the reasons I liked 
the early 1930's era Nationals is they had the only ham band only 
receivers that I knew of.  My personal preference has always pulled me 
away from those SW receivers that may have had calibrated ham 
bandspreads, but always required using the crystal calibrator to zero 
the bandspread with the general coverage tuning capacitor so that the 
bandspread capacitor  would then track somewhat correctly on its logging 
scale.  You all know what I'm talking about.  Heck even the later 
general coverage variants from National like the NC-200 and NC-2-40 
didn't even require the goofy ham band-edge setting.

So lets figure this one out.  Limiting it to Superhet receivers. Was 
National the first company to make Ham Band only receivers?  I guess the 
FB-7 would have been the first followed by the HRO.  Both of which would 
have required the ham band plug-in coils naturally.  The FB-7 would be 
1933.  If we are talking receivers that are bandswitched, i.e. no 
plug-in coils, then I would nominate the NC-101 series which started in 
1936.  Even if you narrow it down to direct frequency readout you have 
the NC-101XA which brings you too around 1938.

Can any other manufacturer beat those dates for ham band only superhet 
receivers?

Maybe it's something we could promote.  National - The Maker of the 
First Ham Band Only Superhet Receivers!

73

Don N9OO