Phil:
I did a quick look through Dachis' book, and see no early Hallicrafters receivers with left resting meters. I suspect
someone replaced a failed movement in your original meter with a standard movement. S-meters of that era were likely
standard meters except for the position of the zero. If you study the design of S Meter circuits, and recall that tubes
were the cost driver, a reversed meter movement was the least expensive way out. Screen current on an AVC controlled
tube provided a cheap way to get a meter to move with signal strength, except it was backwards. If you can engage a
meter repair person, that movement can be made right resting, and the leads reversed inside, and you will be back to
where you want to be. Check carefully and see if the leads to the meter are reversed on the back. If they are, then
the second step above is not necessary, just return the wires to their correct locations. But the mechanical internal
adjustment is still required.
--
Crazy George
Remove N O and S P A M imbedded in return address
"Phil Nelson" wrote in message nk.net...
Am I nuts, or did somebody stick the wrong Hallicrafters S-meter in my
SX-28?
My other (restored) SX-28 has the "backwards" meter, meaning that it rests
to the right when the power's off. When you power up, it moves to far left
at no signal, then deflects to the right under signal.
In the SX-28 I'm currently working on, the meter behaves like an ordinary
("non-backwards") meter you'd get at Radio Shack. It rests to the left when
the power's off. When you power up, it moves to the right, then deflects to
the left under signal. Here are a couple of photos.
The first photo shows the set tuned to no signal (RF Gain turned all the way
down), resting around the midpoint.
http://antiqueradio.org/art/temp/SX-28MeterNoSignal.jpg
The second shot shows the set tuned to a strong local signal (RF Gain turned
up), deflecting full left.
http://antiqueradio.org/art/temp/SX-...FullSignal.jpg
I checked the voltages and connections to the meter, which appear OK. The
resistors leading to the meter are also OK. AVC is working well, and the
S-meter adjustment pot is within spec. The radio's about half-recapped at
this stage. I have done the electrolytics, audio, AVC, and IF caps. Still to
come are the RF & various others.
The markings on this meter look different than the ones on my restored
SX-28, but I had been told by other SX-28 owners that both markings were
used.
The radio's usable in this condition, but . . . funky.
If this is the wrong meter, anybody have a working SX-28 meter you'd like to
trade for it? I assume this one comes from some other (possibly earlier)
Hallicrafters set.
Regards,
Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html