SX-73 (not NC73)

[ve6pg]

HI AGAIN FROM TIM..'MADE A MISTAKE WITH MY POSTING..IT WAS LATE..
..OK,HAS ANYONE EVEN SEEN/USED AN SX-73?..EARLY FIFTIES RIG,BIG,SOMEWHAT SP-600ish..tnx...sk..

[w3jn]

Have two    Whattaya wanna know?

Brought one to G'burg this year as a spare in case the SX-88 crapped out.  We used it as a monitor receiver. 

I used it as a main station receiver for some time until the AVC took a dump; prior to Gaithersburg I put it on the bench and found... get this... a 6AL5 with NO emission.  Of course it was the last thing I ever woulda suspected in the AVC 

[ve6pg]

..OK..WELL, A FRIEND OF MINE (AND AMer),JIM VE3BRL GOT HIS TICKET IN THE EARLY 50'S. HE WAS 15,AND IN HIGH SCHOOL.HE RECOUNTS LOOKING AT AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE RECEIVER,EVERY MORNING WHILE HE WAS HAVING HIS BREAKFAST. EVER SINCE HE WAS A KID,HE WANTED ONE.AFTER ALL THESE YEARS,HE STILL THINKS ABOUT THAT AD,AND WANTING THIS RECEIVER. THERE IS A LARGE GROUP OF US HERE ON AM IN ONTARIO,AND NONE OF US HAS NEVER SEEN ONE. I KNOW THAT MYSELF,AFTER 30 YRS OF GOING TO HAMFESTS,I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE EITHER. I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THEIR EXISTANCE,AND HOW MANY GUYS HAVE ONE. JIM'S REQUEST IS,IF WE FIND ONE AT A HAMFEST,GRAB IT FOR HIM! TNX...SK..

[w3jn]

There were two flavors, an R-274 (which is the functional equivalent of a SP-600JX) and the SX-73.  Identical as far as I can tell except for MFP in the R-274 and the name plates.   I have one of each. Maybe a thousand +/- made, total.

I missed out on a mint one about 8 yrs ago at the Richmond VA hamfest for $30, but I've only seen 1 or 2 others at hamfests.  They do show up on eBay from time to time.

73 John

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

A very nice receiver indeed. If you are used to thinking of Hallicrafters in terms of SX-71, S-40B or S-38, you would be pleasantly surprised. One of their best radios, bar none.

I've only seen two in person, one in the rack at a friend's place and another at a hamfest several years ago. It was $500, no idea if it sold or not. Despite my Scottish blood, in today's world it probably isn't all that bad. Of course, if you grew up hauling off old boatanchors for free, it's always difficult to adjust.

I wouldn't consider them as 'rare', but they certainly are scarce enough that finding one would be interesting. Online is always an option, but also the most expensive.

Have either of you seen the Halli R-649? Uses the same dial bezel and knobs, looks similar to the SX-73 but Navy light gray. LF-18mcs or so. Coast Guard and Treasury dept contracts. AC/DC transformerless design too? Weird bird.

[w3jn]

Todd, yup, I had a R-649.  AC/DC (ships back then generally used 110VDC) and a push-pull pair of 25L6s made for pretty decent audio, even tho the internal speaker was kind of crummy.