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I see on ebay where they are sort of high but what is a good price for one. I just stumbled into a Craigslist ad for one and a couple Hallicrafter units at a local junk /antique shop. Price seems reasonable to me but I don't really have a clue. The other thing is I am not sure I need another receiver but I love the old tube stuff and I am going to take a look in about an hour. Just hoping to have a clue on value prior to going.
Well I picked them up.
Hammerlund HQ-129-X. Powers up and lights up. Did not have enough time to test further.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n...psh8t3saq1.jpg
Hallicrafters S-40B. Powers up and receives but low volume output. Used a scrap piece of wire for an antenna.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n...psntl5e7oy.jpg
Hallicrafters S-53A, Did not power up. cut bad plug off of cord and it did power up. No time to check further. Band switch was stuck but freed up.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n...psqgqwswi3.jpg
I am hoping I did not pay too much for them and the fact they all power up is a good start. I had an S-20 many years ago and at 30 bucks I figured it was worth it. The S-53 was a little less at 25 and the Hammerlund was the most expensive at 50. I am hoping to get them cleaned up and working so now it is time to start searching for manuals for the three.
Congrats on your find! Something about the smell of those things always takes me back.
Just found the manuals and a sams photofact for the s53.
Be careful with that S-53. IIRC, those things used a transformerless power supply and if the power plug is not wired correctly, you could end up with mains voltage on the chassis.
Thanks for the warning.Quote:
Originally Posted by K6BSO
FIRST for SAFETY it's not a matter of wiring, it's a matter of that old non-polarized plug that gives you a 50/50 chance of electrocuting yourself considering it's pretty much guaranteed the rubber bushings that isolate the chassis from the cabinet have dried out and crumbled. FIRST THING, replace the mains cord with a polarized one wiring the wide (earthed neutral) blade to the chassis, white = neutral, black = hot. When I was knee high to a grasshopper and twice as green I had an S-95 VHF receiver and when barefoot on a concrete floor put my hand on the cabinet and found that out the hard way.
That having been said, the prices were right for that junque, anything besides my favorite things, boat anchors, in that condition is junk. You have your work cut out for you, but what great fun restoration is. You know what you're doing and I can tell by the background in those photos, a cluttered desk is a sign of genius.
That s-53 looks like a s-38-what is the tube line up? A little feedback in the IF helps the small 5 tube sets. Do you have a scope/signal generator to do an alignment with?
If it's anything like the Super Pro 400, that HQ-129 is loaded with leaky waxed paper caps that should be replaced , along with the P/S filter caps.