This is more-or-less my
"secondary" operating position. All I have to do is
swivel my chair to the right and then I'm facing this gear - all of
which is vacuum tube stuff, aka boatanchors. I can use any
receiver with any transmitter with any power amp with any antenna.
I like this so much better than just dedicating them in pairs; for
example, if the
HT-32 were always to be used with the SX-115. I find it more interesting
to vary the combos.
Equipment in the left-most stack, just to the right of the S-line
equipment, from bottom to top:
*
Notice the D104 mic in black and gold. Not the world's best
mic, but not totally terrible either. It is a nostalgia item, but
I do use it.
*
On the bottom shelf, right behind the black D104 mic, is a
Hammarlund
HQ-170C VHF. This is a fairly rare variant of the HQ-170 that
covers the normal HF ham bands plus 6 meters. It's the 6 meter
coverage that is unusual. I've gone
through this one and cleaned it up and aligned it. But it
was never in very bad shape. It looks almost new, I would
think it qualifies as CCA Good, but probably not Excellent - the meter
cover is discolored and the tube shields are a bit faded etc. But
it works great. I really like using these Hammarlund receivers -
it's something about the dial and the tuning rate and the "feel" of
tuning it. They have a reputation for being relatively unstable, but this
one is nearly as stable as the Collins S-line gear - not quite as good, but
close. I've never measured it carefully; I suppose I ought to do that one of
these days. I have three HQ-170s and had a fourth until I gave it
to my friend Gale, who is now KG6MMS. The one I gave Gale was
the "hottest" one I had. This is the second hottest one.
*
Right above the HQ-170 is a Hammarlund HQ-180XE. This is
basically a general coverage version of the HQ-170, of course, but this
variant is rather rare. Instead of a clock it has a module that
allows one to switch-in additional crystals for additional tuning ranges. It won't win
any awards for BDR or such things when compared to modern receivers. But
it sounds good, is sensitive, is selective enough for general use, and I
like using it. There's just something that is very appealing about the look and feel of it. Looks quite good, its only real defect
being a cloudy meter cover.
*
Above the HQ-180 is a very interesting power amp. It is a
Harris RF-353 built for the military. Its military designation
is AM7224/URC, I believe. Its
matching power supply (PP-7913) is about the same size, and much heavier,
and resides under the desk on a roller pallet. This amp uses an 8877 and can run
1500 watts output continuously - not in intermittent service (as most ham
gear is rated) but full time key down forever. Cool. Here's
a link to a nice review
of the RF-353. Some other comments on its operation can
be found on
OK1RR's
web site. W2APE converted the 8877 to a GU-35B and reports
on it here. My only
objection is that its blower makes a lot of noise.
*
Sitting on the top shelf is a Henry 2002 2 meter power amp.
It puts out about a kw on 2 meters. I used this for terrestrial
weak signal work. I routinely worked from the San Francisco
Bay area down to San Diego with this amp and two 18 element yagis on both CW
and SSB. I love doing that - the band is very quiet (little or no
manmade noise at that frequency) and the signals are weak and watery,
almost ethereal. As grating as the static on 75 meters is, this is
the complete opposite - you can do it all night long and not be fatigued
by noise. I'm not set up here in South Carolina for such
operation - no high yagis. I may do some rover vhf work and use
this amp, I'll have to drive to some hilltops or "mountains" though.
It's a good amp. It uses two 8874s.
Equipment in the left-most stack on the right-most table, from bottom to top:
*
First item, on the lowest shelf, is a Hallicrafters SX-115 receiver.
This was the best receiver Hallicrafters ever made, and this one is quite a
jewel. It is infinitely better than the SX-101, which it
superseded. This was sold to me as "mint", which it
really wasn't. It
has an injured gain control, which may or may not have happened in
shipping to me. It still works but has to be wiggled now and
again. Fixing that is on my "to do" list.
Other than that, it is very very good and remarkably good cosmetically - probably qualifies as CCA
Excellent. I really can't find anything wrong with it or any signs
of age. I paid through the nose for it, so I'm glad it is as good
as it is. It's one of my real favorites. There is no doubt
that this was the best receiver Hallicrafters ever made, and this is an
outstanding specimen. It stacks up very well against any of the
other receivers I have.
*
Right in front of the SX-115 is an Electro Voice 664 mic.
This is a classic and I had several in the old days. This is not
one of those - I had to scrounge around to find this and buy it.
We used these mics in my band long long ago in a distant land - 1965. I
also had one that went with my General class station back in 1961.
I used it with my HT-32B. It sounds good and brings back lots of
nice memories. This specimen is in quite good shape, but not mint.
I've given up hope of finding a truly mint condition one but I've
acquired a number of them that claimed to be but were not.
*
Above the SX-115 is a Hallicrafters HT-32B transmitter.
This is, of course, a classic - the top end Hallicrafters transmitter. It does CW,
SSB, and AM. I had an HT-32B way back when I first got my General
class license. This one was damaged in shipping when it was shipped to me.
It works fine, but the enclosure was badly dented and bent. I
picked up a new enclosure, rehabbed it internally, and had the front
panel stripped, repainted, and re-lettered. Looks great now.
I'll post new pics of it soon.
*
Above the HT-32B is a Hallicrafters HT-33. This is a KW
amp that uses a PL752 tube. This amp was damaged in the same
shipment that damaged the HT-32B, but the case was not messed up.
It was just damaged inside. There is a plexiglas plate used to support a
large and heavy toroidal coil which was
broken during shipping. Easy enough to fix. This is quite a good amp.
I like it. Its biggest drawback is that it weighs a ton and the
tube is not common. But
we boatanchor lovers are not deterred by such trivial matters. But I
need to hire young guys to lift it for me.
*
On top, above the HT-33 is a Hallicrafters SX-101A. This is
a Ham Bands only receiver that was, except for the SX-115, the best
receiver Hallicrafters made. I had one just like it, to match my
HT-32B, when I first got my general license back in 1960 or so.
This specimen is in good condition, but not outstanding condition like
the SX-115 I have. After using the SX-115, my affection for this receiver
has taken a bit. It is not at all up to the SX-115's level. I've been spoiled.
But I would only sell it to get one that is in even better condition.
:-)
Equipment in the center stack on the right-most table, from bottom to top:
*
First item, on the bottom shelf is a
Collins 75A-4 receiver.
This was the best ham receiver made for many years. It
ushered in the SSB era. When I was 12 or 13 years old I (like many
others) fell in
love with this receiver immediately upon getting to use one in
1959. It belonged to W0RX, who owned the radio and TV
stations in my hometown. He was quite wealthy, at least for a town
our size, and lived on a hill surrounded by wonderful oak trees.
His "shack" was a very stylish separate little house behind the main
house. He had a 75A4, HT-32B, and HT-33A. All this gear was
build into a panel or console like a broadcast station. To get to the back of
the radios, you had to go through a door into a small room behind all
the gear. Very impressive! And the memory has always stuck with me.
It was superseded by the 75S- line.
I still like this radio a lot and I use it a lot. This unit is SN
55. I had it completely restored by Howard Mills and it looks like
it just walked off the assembly line yesterday - except that the chassis
and shields inside have been polished to a high shine. I can't say
enough positive about Howard's work. It is just outstanding!
*
Right above 75A-4 Sn 55 is
75A-4 Sn 1637. Same comments
apply here as apply to the other unit, including that it was refurbished
by Howard Mills.
*
Above the 75A-4 is an HQ-170C. Normally this spot is occupied by
a Hallicrafters SX-111,. But that receiver was somewhere else
when the photo was taken. The SX-111 is a ham bands
only receiver that was, more or less, the little brother to the SX-101.
At least that's one way to look at it. The other way to look at it
is that it is essentially a repackaged SX-101 in a much lighter, and
therefore modern, enclosure. It matches the HT-37 transmitter
sitting just to its right. It performs well and is attractive
because it is lot lighter than the SX-101, something that is more and
more meaningful to me every year. But it is not as good as the
SX-101A.
*
On the top shelf, just above the HQ-170, is a four channel TAS 465
Tektronix oscilloscope. I was using it to monitor signal
quality but have now pretty much replaced it with the SM-220 monitors.
*
To the right of the scope is a Henry 2K-D power amp. I like
this amp because it uses a 3-500Z and comes on immediately. No
warmup delay. It's not the biggest amp in the world, but it works
well and is nice to use.
Equipment in the right-most stack on the right-most table, from bottom to top:
*
On the bottom shelf is a Viking Invader This unit is new to me
and I haven't even fired it up yet.
*
Above the Invader is a Central Electronics 100-V. This is a
no tune transmitter that was way ahead of its time.
*
Above the 100-V is a Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitter. It
matches the SX-111 and is a lot lighter than the HT-32B. It is
not, however, just a repackaged HT-32. It uses a different method
of SSB generation (phase generation, while the HT-32 uses filters).
The HT37 and the SX-111 make a nice pair.
*
On the top shelf, just above the HT-37 is an Ameritron AL80B
power amp. I used this on my sailboat for 7 years. Now, back
on, land I haven't used it much. All the screws that hold the
enclosure together are rusted and need to be cleaned up or replaced.
I'll get to it someday. :-)