![]() Thousands of beginners got their start in amateur radio with this Hallicrafters S-38 six tube single conversion receiver. (The SX-115, although not considered a heavyweight for its time, tipped the scales at 44 lbs.) Although some find the dial difficult to read, it is a very fine SSB/CW receiver. Although the company saw the receiver as a competitor for the Collins 75A4, its demise was primarily caused by the development of a new breed of lightweight receivers, principally the Drake 1A. It was intended as a mate for the upscale HT-32B SSB transmitter. ![]() Sold in the early 1960s, the SX-115 was the pinnacle of Hallicrafters vacuum tube engineering. The beautiful SX-115 is the most sought after Hallicrafters receiver, next to the legendary SX-88. National supplied wooden display cases for the modules, and collectors of this radio often have ten or more modules. Note that frequency bands were selected by plugging tuned circuit modules into the front panel. ![]() The HRO-50 was also known for its powerful audio, a result of push-pull 6V6 amplifier tubes. How it worked is often a mystery, even to those of us (I ain't naming names) who took apart a PW knob and studied its innards. Windows on the knob skirt contionuously updated the number of divisions as the knob was turned. The HRO-50 featured the clever "PW" tuning knob. This National Radio Company HRO-50 predated the HRO-600, shown above, by about twenty years. CLICK HERE or on the photo to learn more about this fascinating and rare all-band receiver. Using state-of-the-art circuit concepts, the radio represemted the best of 1970 RF engineering. The National Radio Company's HRO-600 was the final entry in the venerable "HRO" line of VLF/HF communications receivers. Below is a sampling of receivers from my collection that have historical significance or were technological pace-setters. Although modern receiver technology bears little resemblence to the primitive designs of a half-century ago, some early receivers were masterpieces of workmanship and engineering. I am partial to the receivers in my collection of vintage shortwave radios.
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