View Full Version : The famous Hallifactors SX-62A...


Fisherdude
11-15-2006, 10:50 AM
You're going to be kicking yourself forever for missing this one. I know I was depressed all day:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hallifactors-SX-62-conversion-general-coverage-receiver_W0QQitemZ330046865139QQihZ014QQcategoryZ5 0595QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Sandy G
11-15-2006, 11:06 AM
Waa-aa-ahhh... But mine's at Terry's, gettin' washed, waxed, 'n' lubed, the whole 9 yards...I played w/it a little before I took it down there, & I could tell it was/is a SUPER radio, excellent sound...Plus, not many Boatanchors have FM on 'em, that is just an extra feather in this set's cap.

Fisherdude
11-15-2006, 12:20 PM
You know the absolute worst part...it's only 30 minutes from my house.

Sandy G
11-15-2006, 12:23 PM
Oh, that IS a Boo-Boo of monumental proportions...Lettin' THAT one get away...that close...

Fisherdude
11-15-2006, 12:32 PM
A guy on the Halli list got it. They're all talking about it just for the price, but he didn't link it to the auction, so nobody knows the unbelievable condition yet.

The maroon seller not only got the name wrong, he didn't even list it in Ham/Shortwave Radios. That's why nobody found it.

Maybe I should set up a permanent search for "Hallifactors".

radioactive
11-15-2006, 01:45 PM
wow not a bad price at all.case looks and facepalte look to be in great condition.that dust on the chassis shold clean up easily.i'm still kicking myself for selling mine years ago.

Jeffhs
11-29-2006, 12:45 AM
I had an SX62 until about seven years ago; worked great while I had it. Got rid of it when I moved. Oh well. It was too big and too heavy for the apartment I moved to; wouldn't have been able to find a desk or anything strong and/or stable enough to support it. That receiver weighed a ton, like all early Hallicrafters sets. It was also the first communications receiver I ever saw with the American FM broadcast band. I only used it with a small speaker from an old car stereo, but if I had had the original Halli extension speaker, I bet the FM would have sounded fantastic. Even with the small speaker, however, the FM didn't sound half bad. AM radio reception on the broadcast band sounded great as well (this was when Cleveland and other cities still had AM music stations), and shortwave reception was also typical Hallicrafters quality, probably much better than the receiver section of my Icom IC-725 ham radio transceiver.

BTW, I wonder if Hallicrafters is still in business, even in this age of most American electronics firms having gone overseas. :dunno: I haven't heard much if anything lately about the company Bill Halligan founded ages ago, so I think Hallicrafters either went broke or is now a subsidiary of some offshore company. If either of those is the case, it was a darn shame, as Hallicrafters had some of the best shortwave and amateur receivers around in their heyday. I had a Halli SX-101A Mark III in my first amateur radio station in the early 1970s; served me well then (I really liked the step-variable selectivity down to 500 Hz; great for Morse code reception) and also 10 years later when I reactivated my ham station under then-new FCC amateur rules. It got lost when I moved, but again, it's probably just as well, as I don't have much room here, and certainly no room for two huge boatanchors such as the SX62 and 101. :no:

Sandy G
11-29-2006, 07:37 AM
Hallicrafters kept sputtering along, under a variety of owners, til the early '80s, IIRC. By then, nothing they sold was actually made by them, it was all imported Japanese or Taiwanese stuff.

llegnon
09-14-2007, 04:43 PM
Newbie post, please forgive format. Lot's of great info here, wanted to ask a question since it's relative to this post.

My SX-62a gets REALLY hot on the right front, like it could burn my hand if left on the top of the radio. A bit worried about leaving it on? I've retubed the radio and it sounds great, I even found a matching speaker. I know they're supposed to get warm, but enough to cook on?

Thanks,

Lee

Fisherdude
09-14-2007, 05:21 PM
I'm guessing Sandy will chime in shortly, but I'll give you my thoughts even though I don't own one!

I'm assuming everything's fine with yours, based on the fact that you retubed it and it's working fine. The heat is either from tubes, or from the frying power transformer, which I believe is in the back of the chassis, not the front. If the transformer was that hot, you'd probably smell something, and it probably wouldn't still be working.

The 62 has a pretty hefty audio amplifier circuit, and the output tubes would put out some heat. What you're feeling is probably normal.

radioactive
09-14-2007, 07:36 PM
Newbie post, please forgive format. Lot's of great info here, wanted to ask a question since it's relative to this post.

My SX-62a gets REALLY hot on the right front, like it could burn my hand if left on the top of the radio. A bit worried about leaving it on? I've retubed the radio and it sounds great, I even found a matching speaker. I know they're supposed to get warm, but enough to cook on?

Thanks,

Lee

i use to own a hallicrafters sx62a myself and it ran on the warm side too so yours is probally normal.fwiw most the old hallicrafters ran on th hot side.sx100's id swear you could fryt a egg on.if your concerned about the heat get a muffin fan and place it on the top.

btw welcome to ak.

chris

Sandy G
09-14-2007, 08:09 PM
I don't recall mine getting THAT hot, but it is well-ventilated. Biggest problem w/all these old Boatanchors is that they're drifty as hell. You REALLY notice it on FM-no AFC circuitry. The R-390As don't drift, however.

targeteye
09-14-2007, 08:13 PM
FYI, Kinda Related. There is supposed to be a sx-62a up for auction at the HVRA "mega auction" on September 22. I plan on going.

http://www.hvra.org/2007FALLMEGA.HTML

Steve

radioactive
09-14-2007, 09:06 PM
FYI, Kinda Related. There is supposed to be a sx-62a up for auction at the HVRA "mega auction" on September 22. I plan on going.

http://www.hvra.org/2007FALLMEGA.HTML

Steve


goodluck steve.they are a nice radio and although they arnt up to collins or national type specs they do have some of the finest audio i've heard out of a communications receiver.

targeteye
09-14-2007, 09:15 PM
goodluck steve.they are a nice radio and although they arnt up to collins or national type specs they do have some of the finest audio i've heard out of a communications receiver.

I plan on going .. but my boat anchor days I think are over. After I decided to sell my sx-42 don't think another would foot the bill :) I posted the info in case someone else here would be interested.

Plus I think the wife would shoot me. I'm gonna go see if any audio stuff shows up.

Steve

Sandy G
09-14-2007, 09:16 PM
Uhh, yeah, you WON'T be disappointed...The SX-62 was designed by Raymond Loewy, the famous industrial designer, they are about as nice to look at as they are to listen to... They LOOK like a real "serious" radio...Most of the Boatanchors ain't exactly gonna win many prizes in the looks dept.... But the 62 is sorta the exception.

radioactive
09-14-2007, 10:53 PM
I plan on going .. but my boat anchor days I think are over. After I decided to sell my sx-42 don't think another would foot the bill :) I posted the info in case someone else here would be interested.

Plus I think the wife would shoot me. I'm gonna go see if any audio stuff shows up.

Steve

i hear you .i'd love to get another sx 62a so if your not interested in it i'll shoot you a pm so this thred dont get moved,

radioactive
09-14-2007, 11:08 PM
Uhh, yeah, you WON'T be disappointed...The SX-62 was designed by Raymond Loewy, the famous industrial designer, they are about as nice to look at as they are to listen to... They LOOK like a real "serious" radio...Most of the Boatanchors ain't exactly gonna win many prizes in the looks dept.... But the 62 is sorta the exception.

raymond was a unique designer.i have some tube gear designed by him also.he sure had some nice designs thats for sure.

dashan
10-15-2008, 06:10 PM
Does anyone know anything about SX-62b?

Thanks

Fisherdude
10-15-2008, 09:00 PM
Apparently the SX-62 and 62A have 16 tubes, and the 62B has 14.

A few pics of my 62A:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138175

Sandy G
10-15-2008, 09:44 PM
I don't think you could go too terribly wrong w/ANY version of the SX-62-Another thing, I THINK, is that the "A" & "B" models are set up for 8 ohm speakers, where the earlier version is set up for 600 ohms. Not a big deal, there are adapters available, but just a thing to consider. They are 3 "greats"-Great looking, great performing, & great sounding. I've thought about getting a second one for Why Nots?, but I don't really need it, & I don't really wanna be selfish....

batterymaker
10-16-2008, 08:36 AM
They're wonderful sets. I especially like the individually-lit bands.

When I was in college, I was crazy enough to heft one of those things up three flights of stairs. Now my hernias creak looking at it....:D