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Reviews For: Knight Span Master

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Knight Span Master
Reviews: 6MSRP: Used: $65 to $100
Description:
Regenerative type two tube general coverage receiver. Receives AM Broadcast, 1.7 MHz to 4.5 MHz, 4.8 MHz to 14 MHz and 13.5 MHz to 30 MHz.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0064.3
W2CBK Rating: 2016-12-30
Used as Novice Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I was ecstatic the year I received a Span Master kit for Christmas. A bigger surprise was that it worked the first time it was fired up. I could even kind of sometimes receive SSB with it. The fine regen control was the magic. It was my first station receiver as a Novice. Believe it or not, I made some 40 M QSOs with it. Best DX was from Milwaukee to Texas. Alas, it disappeared in a move many years ago. I spent many happy hours with that radio.
K7LZR Rating: 2015-06-22
Wonderful piece of radio history Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Many young men & women - and some not so young - found their way into the world of radio via the Knight Span Master. In 1964, one could buy a brand new Span Master kit for $24.95. After building the kit, you came away with a reasonably performing little receiver with which you could listen to local AM music & news and/or ride the shortwave bands and tune in to a whole world of exciting signals from ham radio operators to fishing boats to broadcasters and everything in between!

And with the handsome, modern look of the time, it was just as attractive in the living room as in the radio room.

The little Span Master would get your interest up to where you would generally want to go further in radio - perhaps you'd buy a more advanced receiver and take your SWL activities to new heights, or go further yet and obtain your Amateur Radio license. Maybe even launch a professional career!

I saw my first Knight Span Master in 1974 at a garage sale. I was so young and it looked SO impressive! Round dials with lots of numbers! Controls with technical sounding functions like "Regeneration"! Wowee!

I shyly asked how much money for this radio. The lady said "Well, its been sitting in the closet for years and we don't remember how it works or if it works. So how about a dollar?" I about fell over! Just a dollar? Even little twelve-year-old me could afford that!

I quickly paid and brought my treasure home. With typical youthful impatience I plugged it in. Never mind about possible problems :). And.....It worked! I didn't even really know how to use it and I was able to tune a few local AM broadcast stations. As time went on, I bonded with that little receiver and learned more about its use. Many hours spent with it. Wouldn't trade that time for anything.

Time marched on and I forgot all about the Span Master. I moved into a "Real" receiver - a KnightKit R-100A, and I don't remember what happened to the Span Master.

Decades later I found a beautiful one online and quickly bought it. If anything, I think that I enjoy it now even more than I did those many years ago. Why? well first, because I'm much older now and more experienced with regenerative receivers so I'm able to use it more effectively and in its proper context because I don't expect as much from it as I did then. Its just plain fun!

Second, its a nice return to an earlier time from a world full of ever increasing technology with higher and higher expectations, impatience, unrest, differences, disputes, and violence.

So if you want a little piece of history in your radio activities and a whole lot of fun and maybe nostalgia, find yourself a Knightkit Span Master, fix it up if need be, and take a journey to yesteryear. You might just be surprised at all of the things you can hear! :)

K4JPN Rating: 2015-06-22
Great Beginner Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I built one of these way back in 1960 when I was in the 8th grade, it replaced a 1 tube regenerative I built for Boy Scout Radio Merit Badge. This radio was hot, I heard broadcast stations and hams all over the globe. It was during a sunspot peak, however this radio led to getting my ham license. I wish I had not given it away over 40 years ago. K4JPN ex K1VKW and WPE1AZL.
K1FPV Rating: 2015-06-21
Over 55 Years & Still Going! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In the late 1950's, I saved enough money from my paper route to buy this Shortwave Radio Kit. I built it, and began a career of shortwave listening. It worked surprisingly well to hear Radio Moscow, Radio Australia, the BBC and Amateur Radio operators.

I was big into shortwave listening and got the Popular Electronics magazine SWL call of WPE1EJL. One afternoon I heard a local ham talking to another more distant ham. Back then, Allied Radio sold the Radio Amateur Callbook. I sent him an SWL card. A few days later, the telephone rang and it was the local ham telling me he had a QSL card for me but that I'd have to go to his home to get it.

Well, I did and the poor guy probably had to clean his station after I left as I think I drooled all over it. That led me into getting my Novice Amateur Radio License in 1963. The rest was history!

To this day, I still use my Span Master. I've had to replace a few components over the years but it still works great and I use it to often listen to some local AM stations and occasionally use it to SWL. I'm sure many a ham who has been in the hobby over 50 years like myself could share similar stories.

The Knight Span Master was an inexpensive way to get exposure to the short-waves and Ham Radio.
K5UX Rating: 2015-06-21
My first kit Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have to agree with the previous reviewer, KE8BKC. A great way to learn a little bit about electronics and SWL'ing. I am trying to recall when my parents bought the kit for me. Got to be late 50's because I got my novice ticket in 1964. Back then we used cycles per second (kc and Mc) until everything switched to hertz in the early 60's. I can recall many hours of staying up late listening to the strong broadcast stations in the 6 and 9.5 MHz segments. Although it did take a little time to figure out how to squeeze the most out of a regenative receiver.
N8FVJ Rating: 2015-06-21
Classic 1950s Receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Allied Knight Span Master is a two tube regeneration type general coverage receiver that brings back memories of my early days of SWLing. The receiver uses a 6BZ6 and a 6AW8. A power transformer is included removing the hot chassis issue of some minimal designed tube receivers.

Tuning is a little tricky vs a superhet type receiver. However, using a hand on the fine regeneration control and tuning knob performed well enough.

I replaced the filter capacitor with a multi-section 'firecracker' type capacitor available from Antique Electric Supply located in Tempe, Az. I also replaced the selenium rectifier with a low noise UF4007. The radio should perform for many years into the future.

I rated the Knight Span Master a 4 based upon similar receivers from the same period. It works and the audio is clear. Frequency stability is reasonable.