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Re: SX-110 History


 

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The first of the series was the S 20R.? The S 40 was nearly identical electrically but restyled.? Probably the largest change of electronic design was the S 40B.? From the time of the S 20R, about 1938,? there were more expensive models with an S meter, crystal filter, separate speaker, calibrated band spread and other features.? Hallicrafters always? offered good value for money but seldom world class performance.? ?They tried to offer something in each price range. Just about all of the ham manufacturers tried to offer something new when sets became available again after ww-2 but few sets really were new.? For instance the HRO 50 was really much the same as earlier HROs but on a single chassis.? The Collins 75A1 was really the ground breaker but Hallicrafters got on the bandwagon pretty quickly with reasonably priced double-conversion receivers .
?The decade after the war was one of extreme competition especially with the entry of new companies in the market.? A look at the advertising of the period is enlightening.





-------- Original message --------
From: Michael OBrien <k0myw@...>
Date: 10/12/22 8:59 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: Re: [HallicraftersRadios] SX-110 History

The S-40 begat the S-85 which begat the S-108. Add an S-meter and crystal filter, and the S-85 became the SX-99 while the S-108 became the SX-110...

Bill Halligan was a master marketer. He refreshed and revised the outward appearance of his receivers every few years without major upgrades in internal circuitry, much as automobile manufacturers used to do with new models.

Mike K0MYW


On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 10:44:05 PM CDT, Robert Needleman via groups.io <k3ac@...> wrote:


Steve,
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Yes, the late 50's and early-mid 60's was what I would consider the 'golden age' of communications receiver manufacturing. The transistor had been invented in the mid-50's and was quickly being developed for use in consumer electronics, including SW and communications electronics. Just like in the automobile industry where you had the "Big 3" manufacturers (GM/Ford/Chrysler) competing with each other, coming out with new models every year or so, so you had the "Big 3" US receiver manufacturers competing for customers - Hallicrafters/ Hammarlund/ National. They tried to appeal to a wide group of consumers - casual SW listeners, experienced SWL's and hams. So you had the entry level SW radios like the S-120, then the more sophisticated comm receivers like the S-108, SX-110, SX-122, and the ham band only receivers designed exclusively for hams (SX-117, SX-115). It must have been a bee hive of activity at the old Hallicrafters factory in Chicago, with rows of ladies assembling and hard wiring/soldering all the various receiver models they were turning out. Things evidently starting going down hill in the late 60s - early 70's when the Asian manufacturers started competing, selling all solid-state receivers that were smaller, lighter, drift-free and often cheaper. Eventually all the US receiver manufacturers couldn't compete and went out of business in the 70's. A sad end to a long line of wonderful US-made communications receivers that were so well designed and? made and easily restored after 50 plus years that we still have many of them being used and enjoyed today.?
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Bob K3AC

In a message dated 10/12/2022 10:45:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, reedsteve@... writes:
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Bob,

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Thanks!? Looked that one up.? So -- it¡¯s interesting that in between the SX-99 and SX-110, Hallicrafters produced the S-108, which appears to be the S-110 without the crystal filter and S-meter.? Both appear to have been somewhat midrange in performance.? I¡¯m trying to discern what Hallicrafters was doing and why, but it may be impossible to figure out ¨C kind of like why Sony would have produced a stereo system in 1972 that included an auxiliary input, and another one that didn¡¯t a couple of years later.

?

73 ¨C Steve, KW4H

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From: <[email protected]> on behalf of "Robert Needleman via groups.io" <k3ac@...>
Reply-To: <[email protected]>
Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 5:21 PM
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [HallicraftersRadios] SX-110 History

?

Nope- they started making the S-108 in 1959 (big year for me- I started 1st grade)!

Bob K3AC



On Oct 12, 2022, at 8:13 PM, KW4H via groups.io <reedsteve@...> wrote:

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Fascinating how the SX-110 and the SX-99 are basically the same radio in a different cabinet.? According to Osterman, the SX-99 was manufactured from 1955 ¨C 1958.? The SX-110 was 1960 ¨C 1963.? So there was a break of about two years, and then Hallicrafters revived the SX-99 in a different cabinet and look.? It appears that Hallicrafters didn¡¯t manufacture a single conversion superhet for those two years.

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73 ¨C Steve, KW4H

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From: <[email protected]> on behalf of "D. Platt" <jeepp@...>
Reply-To: <[email protected]>
Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 3:40 PM
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [HallicraftersRadios] SX-110 History

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I still have my SX-99 from my early general-class days in 1959-60. The SX-110 is the same radio in a cheap cabinet (arguably easier to re-finish).? Circular or slide-rule is the Ford vs. Chevy argument... ? Both, however, are entirely usable on the bands and maintenance and/or re-cap, when required, is easy and straight-forward.? I also like the dual-conversion SX-111.?

Jeep K3HVG

On 10/12/2022 6:01 PM RJ Mattson <wn2ami@...> wrote:

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I have a SX-110?which I acquired?used from Harrison Radio, NYC in the early 1960's. The top of the chassis is stamped:?Mark 1A

That is all I could afford back then with a paper route salary.

I just refurbished/aligned my old novice buddy.

Amazingly, it is hot with 20uv range sensitivity.

All the bumblebee caps were either shorted or high leakage.

All the carbon resistors were found to be within 11% tolerance

All the?tubes are Hallicrafters brand and test new,

The original dial cords worked a month, frayed and now need to be replaced.??

The free SX-110 manuals found at many online sites differ from my Mark 1A.?

The RF alignment was difficult because the alignment locations did not match the available manual pictorials.

The Mark 1A has the same tube lineup but some circuit values and locations have?changed.

Anyone have a SX-100 Mark 1A manual to share?

Regards,

bob...w2ami x wn2ami 1962

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