Yeah, I've been rereading the Communications Receivers
The Vacuum Tube Era by Raymond Moore several times,
but the main thing on that one is the tubes and some basic
info, not too much on other details like sensitivity and extras.
I've the first edition of Fred Osterman's Buying a Used
Shortwave Receiver around, but it's rather limited on the
tube radios.

What I was hoping for was recommendations by folks
who've actually used some of them, because it gives
me a starting point. Since I know that time flies when
you're having fun and there are a lot of models to hunt
down, it's nice to hear from folks who've actually used
some of the old rigs.

--Mike L.


Hi Mike,

You are smart to rule out the SX-88. I did a full restoration on one a year
back and it went for $7500 on EBay- I have seen them as high as $9500.

I am always disappointed when I get a chance to play with the Hallicrafters
receivers- except the SX-115. Hammarlund is a bit better, but both suffer
from poorer calibration marks as you go higher in frequency.
You might be interested in one of the Drake 4 line receivers. These are
exceptional, have the capability of adding additional filters, one of the
best NB's ever made, 1KHz resolution, low drift and their PBT is fabulous.
I have added a full set of crystals to my R-4C and find it to be a wonderful
SW RX. Sherwood has some very nice updates. Even more importantly, they are
plentiful and a fraction of the weight of the BIG boys. You'll see lots of
them at Dayton.

Dale W4OP