SX-101A Saved.

[KC4ALF]

Was at the Double Tollgate flea market just outside of Front Royal this past summer and while walking the tables spotted a very neglected hallicrafters SX-101A. It was missing the notch knob, pitch control knob and of course the tuning knob was broken. Top of cabinet bent but all tubes were there and power cord appeared in good shape. Ihad it under the bench since then and just started to look it over 2 weeks ago.
Gave it a good cleaning, checked tubes all OK and replaced the missing knobs with ones salvaged from an SX-71 junker. Repaired the tuning knob with Acraglass and painted it black, not great but looks and works much better. Also straightened out the cover. Let it sit i the shack with dehumidifier running and then started a slow cook with variac. No smoke or pops.
Surprisingly considering how it looked it plays wonderfully! I am listenening to 40CW now and had it on 3885 last nite and the signal quality is very good. Using surplus Army head phones and audio quality is great.
She is definetly not a looker but I think i will mate this with my Ranger I and see what happens.

[W1EUJ]

Replace the caps.

[KC4ALF]

Roger that. That and the dial cord are tops on replacement list. A good painting will be done while disassembled.

[N3DRB The Derb]

I go to that flea market all the time in the summer. about 25 miles from me here. never  seen any BA's like that there.

sx 101 i a big heavy mutha.

[KC4ALF]

It certainly is heavy!
The flea market here has always been a good scource of parts, a lot of old BC radios show up and some Mil gear. The SX-101 is by no means the best. I was talking to one of the local hams on the Bluemont repeater last spring and he had just left there with a HQ-129 that he had bought. It was beautiful.
I've picked up numerous WW2 Mil headsets and even one dated 1918 there. In 2007 one of the former police chiefs here passed away and his stash of tubes ended up at the flea market. There were over 60 bannana boxes full, I got me a good haul.I also got one of his SX-71's (he had three) never used still in the box, but stored in a very hot attic. I ended up with a nice Viking II and VFO as well as two Dynamotors for BC-312's in there origional signal corps boxes DMO'd to the winchester police dept. Most of his collection wen't to the Manassas hamfest that year. It seems he bought two or three of everything. His name was Warren Rudolf, don't remeber his call now though. Was not active in a number of years.
Sometimes you go for a cple of months and nothing and then the next time gold.
Two years ago the estate of Phillip Whitney Broadcast engineer of WINC in winchester ended up there, It was a giagantic pile of BC equipment from the 40's into the late 70's when he retired. No ham gear, but Xformers, tubes, caps, parts Galore and Bud Cabinets, big ones.
I always stop at flea markets. You never know.

[N3DRB The Derb]

would of died for that stuff years ago but now just cant handle the weight. All I can do to lift a FT-101 around more han 10 ft or so.    Oh well, I got my kicks in while the kickin was good in the 80's.