Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes:
This is only the second Squires-Sanders rig that has appeared on the used market in decades, though it’s the amateur receiver.
The SS-IBS, the receiver pictured in a 1970s Communications Handbook in the shack of Richard Wood, the well-known SWL and linguist, is even rarer:
A guest post by Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
I had the pleasure of attending the annual Voice of Aladdin Amateur Radio Club’s Columbus Hamfest this past weekend, on Saturday, August 4, 2018. The Columbus Hamfest is a smaller, local or regional hamfest but every year when I attend I’m pleasantly surprised by the presence of a really nice variety of fine used gear available at the event. This year was no exception.
I made snaps of some of the fine old “boat anchors” and some of the not-so-old stuff available at the hamfest. (And I must apologize for the flaring evident in some of the photos. It seems the lens in my MotoE4 smartphone is prone to flaring in direct sunlight—somehow, up this point I had not managed to discover this.)
Realistic DX-160
Central Electronics “Multiphase Exciter Model 20-A” transmitter
Yaesu FT-101EX transceiver and accessories
Collins R-388/URR receiver
Drake R8 receiver
Johnson Viking Ranger transmitter
A selection of MFJ single-band QRP (low power) CW-only transceivers and a vintage Heathkit SWR bridge
At the event, I hadn’t noticed how many of the vintage receivers were made by Hallicrafters.
Hallicrafters “Sky Buddy”
Hallicrafters HT-32A transmitter
Hallicrafters SX-101 receiver
Hallicrafters SX-111 receiver
Hallicrafters SX-99 receiver
Heathkit DX-100 (bottom) and Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitters
And while not a radio, this is certainly vintage and is very pretty—and it was for sale.
1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)
1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)
1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Peters, who shares the above photo for Boat Anchor Tuesday and writes:
I was lucky enough to recently pick up both these familiar faces for $150.
Hallicrafters S-40B and SX-100
Both are in decent shape but are due for a recap and alignment.
Wow–both of these are classic sets, Chris! After a recap and alignment, I think you’ll especially be impressed with the performance that SX-100 delivers! Thank you for sharing!
Post readers: If you’d like to share a photo of your boat anchor on Boat Anchor Tuesday, simply send me an email with the photo and a short description. I’ll put it in the pipeline to publish!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Price Kagey, who shares the following photo for Boat Anchor Tuesday and writes:
“My wonderful HRO-50T. I have replaced all tubes and now need to start on capacitors and resistors.”
What a beautiful radio, Price! Once you’ve re-capped and replaced the resistors in this girl, you’ll have a phenomenal receiver. I’m a sucker for those HRO dials! Thank you for sharing!
Post readers: If you’d like to share a photo of your boat anchor on Boat Anchor Tuesday, simply send me an email with the photo and a short description. I’ll put it in the pipeline to publish!
Yesterday, as I took a little time to curate a massive collection of photos I took at the Museum of Radio and Technology, I posted a few “boat anchor” (heavy metal vintage radio) photos and labelled them “Boat Anchor Tuesday” on Twitter and Facebook.
Much to my surprise, I received a number of comments and emails with readers asking for more Boat Anchor Tuesday pics!
So I’ve decided to make it a feature here on the SWLing Post. After all, anyone who knows me knows that I’m a massive fan of boat anchors!
Please send me a photo (or a few) of your favorite boat anchor. Every Tuesday, I’ll feature a reader’s boat anchor here on the SWLing Post.
If you can, include a few sentences about the radio: how you obtained it, what you like about it or any memories. We radio nostalgic people love this stuff!
Please send photo(s) and radio blurb to my email address found on our Contact page. I only plan to post one radio per week, so these will be scheduled far ahead to post automatically.
This project was a winner in the Maker Share Mission May contest. While not strictly shortwave, of course, many of SWLing Blog readers enjoy, as I do, all things radio, and especially creative and new expressions of radio. Here is a brief excerpt from the MakerShare posting:
Vintage radios are fascinating. At one point the radio was the main method for mass communication of news and entertainment and was manufactured in a variety of styles to be prominently displayed in a home. Unfortunately, many vintage radios that have been physically preserved no longer function and it is impractical for them to be repaired. Described is the design and implementation of the Raspberry Pi Radio (RPiRadio), a device that bypasses the analog electronics of a vintage radio and digitally recreates the behavior of a vintage radio that is able to be tuned to vintage radio programming.
The whole posting may be found here, with extensive details on the building of the radio and how it was programmed for sound replicating the vintage radio era.
While I love tinkering with old radios and trying to bring them back to life, some radios are just beyond reasonable repair. This can bring old radios back to life in a way which seeks to honor their past – a very cool idea indeed!
Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who discovered a very rareHammarlund SP-600 JX21A on eBay. Dan writes:
Collectors of classic boatanchor gear know what has been probably the rarest of tube sets year after year, decade after decade. That set is the Hammarlund SP-600 JX21A.
While there have been numerous JX21s on eBay, there has not been, to my memory, a single JX21A appearing. This particular model was a version of the SP-600 that was produced in small quantities in the 1960’s, and according to one writeup was the only one with a product detector and switchable sidebands. According to Radiomuseum it was the last model in the SP-600 series, and was recognizable for its knobs which were different because the silkscreen information was printed directly on the front panel rather than on the edge of the knob skirts.
According to Les Locklear’s excellent history of SP-600 models, the JX21A was produced between 1969 and 1972.
Now, an ultra-rare SP-600 JX21A has appeared on eBay. Like other models in the series, this would likely require replacement of numerous capacitors and a thorough refurbishment. The seller in this case has started bidding at a very low level, but if history is any guide, a rare model like this one may indeed go for thousands of dollars when all is said and done at the end of the auction.
Click here to view the Hammarlund SP-600 JX21A on eBay.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Dan! What a gorgeous set. Though the seller states it’s in need of restoration, I’m pretty sure this one will get snagged up at end of auction. I’m very curious where the final price will land.
Are there any SWLing Post readers who own an SP-600 model–or the JX21A? Please comment!
