"Christopher Tyle" wrote in message
...
Hi, I'm considering the purchase of one of these. Any opinions on it,
pro/con?

Thanks,
Chris

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Check out my website at http://www.chris-tyle.com!




The tube line up and the panel controls are the same as my SX-99, so
it's almost certain they are pretty much the same radio with cosmetic
updates. The 99 has reasonably good sensitivity, although it's kinda
deaf on the bottom half of bands 1 and 2. It'll get all the big signals
with just a 12 inch clip lead on the antenna terminal. It should really
come alive if you can give it 100 feet or so of wire. The selectivity
is OK for SWLing, but not really good enough for crowded ham radio
bands. The single crystal filter adds a couple of levels of
selectivity, which can be helpful, but it doesn't improve the skirt
selectivity much. The radio is a bit drifty and the driftyness is
especially noticable with the crystal filter set to it's sharpest
position.

It covers 550 kc to 34 Mc with no gaps. The bandspread is a nice tuning
aid, but it has some backlash. Still, tuning in SSB hams on 10 meters
isn't hard with a little practice, and that's as bad as it gets.

It's an easy radio to repair. The under chassis layout isn't cramped.
It would be make a good first project for someone who wanted to replace
all the paper and electrolytic caps. That's good, because the original
caps can't be trusted.


Chuck Dachis gives a price range of $83 to $110 in his book "Radios by
Hallicrafters". Ebay prices seem to run a little higher. The SX-99 has
the same price range. I paid less for my 99, but it was a junker and I
fixed it up.

You'll need an external speaker. The original Hallicrafters speakers
usually sell for around $35 - $50 nowadays. I used a free one from a
trashed old stereo. Sometimes people put a speaker into the lid. This
is generally a bad idea, because these radios are somewhat microphonic
especially on band 4 while using the crystal filter. I'd knock
something off the price if somebody butchered a speaker into the radio.

If it's in good condition, it should be a good but not great SWL radio.
It's a so-so ham radio. If you like twisting knobs and flipping
switches, it can be fun. There's a dozen knobs and switches on the
front panel, and everyone of them does something.

Anyway, my expirence is with the SX-99, but as far as I can tell the
SX-110 is just a cosmetic update. Hope this is helpful!

Frank Dresser