Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeremy Clark (VE3PKC), who writes:
Thomas:
Got kind of nostalgic [last week] as it was Thanksgiving Day in Canada. I did a video about my Hammarlund HQ100AC which I got for a Christmas present in 1964, 57 years ago. It still works!
Best Regards
Jeremy Clark VE3PKC
Click here to view on YouTube.
This is wonderful, Jeremy. There’s simply nothing like our boat anchors and vintage radios that continue to work perfectly and pump out amazing, warm audio. There was no such thing as “planned obsolescence” back then! Our radios like the HQ100AC will long outlast us!
Thanks again, Jeremy! I hope your HQ100AC enjoys a even more time on the air and keeps you warm this winter.
At this distance, the time between 1964 and 1971is so short. Almost the same time.
It was July 1971 that I got my Hallictrafters S-120A, the solid state one.
During my tenure in Amateur Radio, I’ve used most of what’s out there for receivers…that I could afford. WWII surplus, BC-348. Collins, Hammarlund, Hallicrsafters, National, Heathkit, Yaesu, Kenwood, icom,. There were no favorites as they all worked very well given their design limitations. Restoring my Collins radios and my Hammarlund 170 were very gratifying. Building a Heathkit was another good experience. Sometimes finding parts can be a challenge, much as restoring old cars. I would encourage anyone who will undertake getting these radios on the air. I own modern radios including Kenwoods best and several of the pocket size all banders and they’re all wonderful but nothing is as exciting as getting one of the old timers back to good working condition and using it to make contacts or just listen. KE5TJ
Oldest here is a National NC-125 with matching speaker. Rarely used, but it does have a nice sound.
As a longtime operator of Hammarlunds since the late 1960s it’s great to see this video. The 100, with that dark central metal inlay area, was one of the most beautiful of the Hammarlund sets, exceeded in my view only by the later HQ-180 series, two of which I still have. Hammarlunds have a special place in our hearts..
Had a HQ -170A back in the 60’s.Any Hammarlund was built like a Sherman tank
but the 170-180 series drifted…after a while you just went on copying cw with
one hand while automatically turning the fine tuning with the other.
The guys on the Antique Radio Forum found the problem a few years ago,they
had a run of bad caps.
Once those are replaced,they are rock steady after warm up.
Thorough, educational, entertaining. I liked your presentation, thanks-
I vividly recall reading as a child about the incredible DX reported in the IRCA newsletter using this rig and it’s variants. All I had was a Hallicrafters S-120, a long wire and a homebrew ferrite loop. But a boy can dream!
Thanks for the post…
73,
Frank
K4FMH
Good review of the receiver Jeremy. I enjoyed the tour of your shack with the TR4c and assorted SWL cards. I have also collected SWL cards with a Knight Kit Star Roamer I built way back when. Moved up to a Hallicrafters SX-110 receiver and WRL Globe Chief 90 watt transmitter in my novice days. Dear old Dad helped me fund a used Drake TR3 and I was sitting on top of the ham radio world.
73 and good DX!
W4DL Mike in El96
My brother & I shared an HQ110 that ran forever as well; lots of tubes inside! Glad to see that your HQ100 had the clock installed. Our receiver just had a plastic bubble that covered a paper hole cover that had the Hammarlund Logo.