Bill, that kind of performance is not normal for the HQ-180. How is
the dial calibration on the 15-30 MHz band? Is the calibration good,
but the sensitivity bad? If the local oscillator is off frequency,
sensitivity will be poor and the calibration will be off. If it is
just a sensitivity problem, then look at the RF stage. My HQ-180 dial
calibration is very good on all bands. You should expect sensitivity
and calibration accuracy on the "top band" to be as good as on the
others.

Best Regards,

Ed