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Author Topic: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station  (Read 1024 times)

KM1H

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #15 on: October 27, 2021, 03:35:08 PM »

IMO the R100/100A was a companion to the T150/150A and shouldnt even be considered as anything to own. I went thru a lot of work to get a 150A working good enough to be used on AM on the air.
The RX was a highly modified SX-140 with double conversion, a PD, two crystal filter, and more,

The pair were small enough to squeeze into a coastal Maine vacation house for many years and used 75-6M.
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K4UDA

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #16 on: October 27, 2021, 04:26:18 PM »

My setup in 1958 and several years was Viking Valiant and HQ-150. Pick what appeals to you and GL!
K4UDA
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KE0ZU

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #17 on: October 28, 2021, 04:59:50 AM »

Another excellent receiver, and I think probably my favorite, would be the Hallicrafters SX-101.   I think if you were to select any one of the following, the SX-101, HQ-170, 75A-4, or NC-303, all of which are ham band only radios, you would have a very good BA station.

That said, I agree with those who say, pick your favorite and run with it.



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W3SLK

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #18 on: October 28, 2021, 06:00:09 AM »

What about an HQ-140X? They always seemed to be right down the middle of the road.
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KM1H

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #19 on: October 28, 2021, 08:26:22 AM »

All the 50's HQ's were good radios but suffered from being single conversion resulting with increasingly poor image rejection from 20-10M.
A couple of simple tube swaps improves sensitivity on the same bands.

All offer superb BCB DXing performance, I used a 129X for decades from 1956. Currently own a HQ-120, 129, 140, 140A, 150 and the WW2 RBG-2. Plus a 180 with a factory noise blanker and some audio and PS mods.

Carl
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K5WLR

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #20 on: October 28, 2021, 03:24:28 PM »

+1 vote for the Drake 2B. If you include the 2BQ speaker/Q-Multiplier, it is really great for CW!

73
Will Rogers
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KM1H

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #21 on: October 28, 2021, 05:27:54 PM »

The 2B isnt even close to the OP requirement of:


Quote
I'd like to build a 50s-style station around a Viking Valiant

Which is strictly a CW/AM rig.   Plus the 2B AM quality is poor. I suffered with one for a few years in the 60's before doing a rather full overhauled and modded 75A4 done at National Radio with lab test equipment which I still use.

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KM1H

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #22 on: October 29, 2021, 09:08:15 AM »

Quote
Another excellent receiver, and I think probably my favorite, would be the Hallicrafters SX-101.

Based upon experience with several Ive found them to have less sensitivity on 10 and 15. I dont remember any of the variations details that were sold over its production life.

One in particular was a local friend in 1965 who had an original 101 model that had been serviced but still couldnt hear as well as my modified 75A4 with similar antennas, TA-33 vs my TH-3 at similar heights. He wanted to downsize the bench real estate so I bought over a new NCX-5MK2 and VX-501 to see if he liked it.  I had sold him a NCL-2000 a year earlier to replace a Johnson Thunderbolt.

Once on the bench with an A/B comparison the NCX-5 RX blew it away. A deal was made on the spot and I left just with his Central Electronics 100V which Im looking at as I type this. He kept the NCX-5 and NCL-2000 until he died decades later. Working at National Radio allowed me to sell gear to friends at the lowest distributor price.

In later years looking at the tube lineup I could see why the 101 was deaf on those bands, the same 6DC6 as used in the 75A4.

Carl
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AH7I

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #23 on: October 30, 2021, 02:24:26 PM »

I'd like to build a 50s-style station around a Viking Valiant that I hope to get restored and running between honeydews. I have several boat anchor receivers sitting in storage waiting to be restored and used, and would like to select one age-appropriate receiver to pair with the Valiant in a retro CW/AM station. Among the candidate receivers are: Hammarlund SP600, HQ-180A, HQ-170, Hallicrafters R-274/FRR, SX-42, SX-43, SX-96, Knight R-100A, National NC-125, Heathkit RX-1, etc. etc. I'm leaning toward the SP-600 or the Halli R-274/FRR - they need work...but the Knight, National and Heathkit are working now and might need just an alignment tweak to peak their performance. I'm curious to hear what the community would suggest as the best receiver from the one's that I've listed above. When active some decades ago on a few CW nets, I used a 40s-vintage surplus Navy RBC receiver and a AN/GRC-9 transmitter...twas a lot of fun, but it's time to move on up and get back on the air with a little more power and a lot more signal quality donchano.

Thanks!

RX-1. Working = less time spent fixing stuff. It's a decent RX. Winter is the time for hot tubes. Unless you have a close to ready 75A1/2/3 in that etc etc etc list. 73, -bob ah7i
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ALFOMBRAS4

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food job
« Reply #24 on: November 12, 2021, 07:41:08 AM »

good job
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W1JTO

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #25 on: November 13, 2021, 01:39:41 PM »

Well my recommendation

Hammarlund HQ-180A why consumer like the valiant good perfoormance

Second choice HRO-60  great performance and in every efj advert of the era
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W6SSP

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #26 on: November 16, 2021, 12:17:00 PM »

I've got an HRO 50T1 paired with mine with an NC-125
general coverage receiver on top of it. This was a common setup back in
the day. Look at pics in vintage QST's of the era. Thats how
I decided.

There sure were a LOT of great receivers available when the
Valiant was being made so it'd be hard to go wrong.
Steve W6SSP
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W2EAF

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #27 on: December 31, 2021, 10:48:31 AM »

I have my Valiant paired with both a Hammarlund HQ 145X and a Hallicrafters SX-99. The SX matches the styling a bit better but both are fine. I actually prefer the 145 to the 170 and 180 for all around use.

Rob
W2EAF
« Last Edit: December 31, 2021, 10:57:06 AM by W2EAF »
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KE0ZU

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #28 on: January 01, 2022, 05:13:50 AM »

I think Carl's list is pretty good, but I'd drop the General coverage receivers, and replace those with either the Hallicrafters SX-101, or A version, and the HRO-50.   Like the NC-183, I think the HRO-60's I.F. is also a bit narrow for AM use.   
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Regards, Mike
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KM1H

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Re: Best Receiver To Accompany Viking Valiant In A Vintage Station
« Reply #29 on: January 04, 2022, 06:08:45 PM »

A few thoughts:

The HRO-50 and NC-183 is just a two 455 kc IF stage single conversion with superb AM. The 50-1 added another IF stage and could be stagger tuned as wanted for sweet AM.

Hallidrifters says it all if you dont mind keeeping one hand on the tuning knob for 20M and up. I like using all my oldies right up to 10 and even CB when it was still entertaining.

The NC-190 had a band spread range calibrated for the ham and SWL.
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