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« on: January 01, 2020, 1553 UTC »
I started when I was in 5th grade with a Hallicrafters S-72 receiver that belonged to my Dad. I enjoyed tuning around, but didn’t really know what I was doing. The S-72 eventually died and I got a Hallicrafters S-120 for Christmas. The S-120 was a bit better than the S-72, but not by much. I had really wanted a receiver with an S-meter so I was a little disappointed. Over the years I learned more about the hobby and got a few QSL cards. Then one Christmas when I was in High School, I got a used Hallicrafters S-85. The S-85 had an actual RF amplifier stage (the previous radios ran the antenna straight into the mixer). OMG, what a difference. I could hear so much more. I added a Hallicrafters S-meter right between the dials (it looked just like a SX-99 then) and a Heathkit Q-multiplier. Using an amplified loop antenna I built, I heard all sorts of AM BCB DX, including trans-atlantics.
In one of Bill Orr’s (W6SAI) books he recommended not getting a top of the line receiver at first, but starting with an entry level set and learning to properly operate it. Once you have squeezed out all the performance it is capable of, then upgrade. I can see the wisdom of that, but doubt that anyone has the patience to do that these days. Plus, today you get so much better performance with even the cheapest radios. A $100 RSP1A is a zillion times better a receiver than that S-120 was.
I miss that S-85, but can’t stand to even look at a S-120.
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