HT40/SX140 combo..

[wb1ead]

This is my 1st post here..I recently bought this pair for a very decent price..the tx from a SK for next to nothing..and the RCVR at
Nearfest..they WILL require lots of work..the SX140 more so than the HT40..but for less than $100 it may be worth it..got the MOD
for audio from N4JK for the tx..now my question is having never owned anything other than an S-20 rcvr..how does this pair play??
is it truely worth my while to put time into?? I'd like to hear from those who have actually had and used these..I respect all opinions
and look forward to any input good or bad..also the only thing that will require some touchup is the cases..all knobs switches and
lettering look good on both..any thoughts on proper paint to match or should i go for "old buzzard black crinckle"..Harley shop has
plenty of that..is it worth it to go for the proper match??
                                TNX all..and yes i do run AM whenever i'm able..yup favorite band is 10mtrs..73 de DAVE

[Carl WA1KPD]

Not an impressive pair, but hey have fun doing it and learn on the way.
My 2 cents YMMV
Carl/KPD

[VA3AEX]

Being new to AM and the hobby, I'm currently using an HT40, Hammarlund HQ180, an old Ampro crystal mic, and a trapped dipole in the attic.  It doesn't compete with the big guns but I can regularly join in on some of AM nets, get good audio reports, while having a ton of fun.  "Run what ya brung!"

[N8LGU]

Ahhh....Brings back memories! When I was KN3ZFW back in '62 KN3ZAW was another Novice I had met on 40M CW. He and I were the same age and he lived about 10 miles from me. I visited his station one day which consisted of the SX-140/HT-40 twins. He had attached a Heathkit Q-Multiplier to the '140 and was working Novice 15M CW. It sounded fantastic. The Novice bands were very crowded back in those days and it was common to hear 4 or 5 CW signals at once. I was a little envious as my NC 2-40D didn't have bandspread on 15M. The Q-Multiplier allowed him great fine tuning of those CW signals. By the way, I drove over to his house in my Dad's '57 Studebaker Golden Hawk. Those were the days!

[wb1ead]

Hey Tnx to all who did reply..still not sure whether i should stick with original paint on the cases or go "Buzzard Crickle Black"..well
i guess it will hinge on what restores or not..tx is next as i've put the recvr away for now..man did the caps in that thing go south
or what?..put your finger or adjust tool any where within a foot it seems of the underside and it hums like a deranged bumblebee..
          Tnx agn to Alex/AEX ..gotta be some kind of fun running that combo..Carl/KPD short and to the point..all noted..LGU probably wish you still had that Stude..i'll check back in a bit later in the week..
           Headind to the shack to check on 29.000 AM..truelly a daily ritual..99% of the time NADA..did hear PA netherlands on last
week USB on 28.460..theres hope yet..have dozens upon dozens of contacts on 10AM last cycle and one before..some day....
                          IF my spelling sucks sorry..didn't use spellcheck..too lazy..agn tnx!!    73 de DAVE

[AF9J]

Keep on trying on 10m.  I had a great QSO last Friday night with Jim, W5JO on 29.0 MHz, running only about 25W of carrier.  10 is improving now that we're getting into the summer season.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[wb1ead]

Well dats it..i'm a tiny bit surprised that there wasn't more comments..they did sell a lot of these as kits and factory wired..maybe they were not well received..anyways tnx agn to all who did comment..if things work out maybe a Q someday with one of ya..and
then maybe you'll catch me on the "Mini Boatanchor" the HW19..only xtal i got is 29.100..
                 73 de DAVE

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Well dats it..i'm a tiny bit surprised that there wasn't more comments..

Really not a lot more to say, Dave. Carl pretty much nailed it: not a 'great' station, but plenty of fun to be had and knowledge to be gained. A lot of budding hams used S-38s or even old wooden BC radios to get on the air, then moved up as they improved their situation. Ya run whatcha brung, make the best of it, onward and upward.

[WQ9E]

Dave,

I also have the HT-40/SX-140 pair and the performance is certainly OK.  I got the transmitter as part of a group of equipment and I restored it and started looking for the receiver which I found about a year later.  The receiver has all of the sensitivity you can use on the lower bands and is OK on 15 and 10; as others have identified selectivity is the biggest issue under poor conditions.  The transmitter works fine but it is not a powerhouse however it is fine for a lot of fun contacts when conditions are good and it is of a good power level to drive an external amplifier in the future if you so desire.

If you have access to older Electric Radio magazines the HT-40 was reviewed in February '95 and the SX-140 was reviewed in April of '95.  QST reviewed both in December of 1961.  I would say they are definitely worth restoring, they are a pretty simple first project and you will have fun using them. 

Rodger WQ9E