Tag Archives: boat anchors

Grayhat discovers the RME-6900

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Grayhat, who shares the following:

The RME-6900: A Nice Boat Anchor from the sixties

Let me start by thanking my dear friend Kostas (SV3ORA) since he was the one who sent me a link to the rig asking me if I liked it, and you bet, as soon as I saw the image I loved that rig; the receiver I’m talking about is the RME-6900 and the link Kostas sent me is the following one: https://wa3dsp.org/RME/RME6900/

Now, just look at that front panel, the design is a classic and somewhat resembles the Hammarlund and Collins ones from the same period, reading the information via the above link, and some others found on the internet:

The receiver doesn’t seem to be “top notch” yet, it’s a good one, and I really love the look and the “drum dial” at the top, also, the RME has an interesting history; it was founded by two hams and later on, after a merge with Electrovoice, it gave birth to the TEN-TEC company. RME apparently was only active for a relatively short timeframe and built rigs in pretty low quantity

https://rigreference.com/manufacturers/rme

Bottom line, do you have any further information about this receiver (or even own one)–?

I’m also curious to know if I’m alone or if someone else here likes its look as much as I do.

Spread the radio love

Bob Colegrove on “The Joys and Challenges of Tuning Analog Radios”

6 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who recently shared this excellent article and has kindly allowed me to share it here in the the Post. Bob prefaced it by saying, “Being a retired technical writer, I started the attached article some time ago for my own amusement, but it quickly got out of hand.”

“Got out of hand” in a very good way, Bob!

An excerpt from Bob’s article.

I love how this piece takes us through receiver history and explains, in detail, the mechanics and innovations. It’s also a very accessible piece that both the beginner and seasoned radio enthusiast can appreciate.

But don’t take my word for it, download it and enjoy!

Click here to download The Joys and Challenges of Tuning Analog Radios as a PDF.

Thank you again, Bob. This is a most enjoyable and informative read! This was obviously a labor of love. Thanks for sharing it with our radio community!

Spread the radio love

1940: When Sears Roebuck sold a wide array of radio gear

8 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Charlie (W4MEC), who shares a PDF of the 1940 Sears Roebuck Co. catalog section featuring a wide array of radio gear and test equipment.

This file is hosted on the Pro Audio Design forum and can be downloaded as a PDF (15.8 MB) by clicking here.

It’s a real nostalgia trip reading through the fine Hallicrafters, Hammarlund and National HRO descriptions. Thanks so much for sharing this, Charlie!

Spread the radio love

2019 Orlando Hamcation Flea Market Photos

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rich Nowak, who kindly shares photos from the Orlando Hamcation Flea Market.

Click on each image to enlarge:

What an impressive amount of vintage radios! I’m planning to attend Hamcation next year (2020)–now I know I’ll need to bring my truck to haul back all of the boat anchors! 🙂

Thank you for sharing these, Rich!

Spread the radio love

Boat Anchors at Voice of Aladdin ARC Columbus Hamfest

4 Replies

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)

Spread the radio love

Boat Anchor Tuesday: Hallicrafters S-40B and SX-100

3 Replies

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!

Spread the radio love

Share your photos on Boat Anchor Tuesday!

3 Replies

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!

Your photos on Boat Anchor Tuesday!

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.

Spread the radio love