Ultimate gift for Dad: A professionally restored Hallicrafters S-20R

The Hallicrafters S-20R Sky Champion

On the subject of being reunited with a special radio, I found this story in the Illinois newspaper, the Quincy-Herald Whig:

For David Nagel of Quincy, it was Father’s Day in August.

The 81-year-old Nagel received an unexpected gift Wednesday night from his son, John, who lives in Texas.

David Nagel had just finished hearing — and taking part in — a discussion about a Hallicrafters S-20R receiver at a meeting of the Western Illinois Amateur Radio Club, a model that had first piqued his interest more than 60 years ago. At the end of the meeting, Nagel was presented with the genuine article — a Hallicrafters S-20R that his son had restored and shipped to Quincy to surprise his dad.

[…]David Nagel said he never thought he would ever own one of the Hallicrafters S-20R receivers again after letting his original model go in the mid-1960s.

[…]Over the past five years or so, John Nagel said, he had heard his father talk about his old radio, the Hallicrafters S-20R receiver and how he wished that he had not traded it in those many years ago.

“I had a great time with that receiver when I was young,” David Nagel said. “It kept me off the streets at night.”

Last year was when John Nagel got serious about trying and find his dad a replacement.

“After beginning to buy and build my own radio setup, last May I found an S20-R receiver listed on eBay,” he said. “I decided to buy the radio and make it a gift to my father. I purchased the radio, had it shipped to a guy in Michigan who restores them. The restoration included the cabinet as well as the inside electronics.”

Read the full article at the Quincy Herald Whig.

Spread the radio love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.