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Reviews For: HAMMARLUND SP-600 SUPER-PRO RCVR

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : HAMMARLUND SP-600 SUPER-PRO RCVR
Reviews: 12MSRP: 895 - 1140
Description:
Commercial/military grade tube general coverage receiver
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00124.8
W6SSP Rating: 2021-12-29
A true classic Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The very first high performance receiver I ever saw as
a kid in the mid 1960's was an SP-600 an older ham had. Its performance blew my socks off and still does.
Took many years to find my first one (now have 6) but
its still one of my faves for s/w listening. Yes, there are
radios of the same vintage that are better (Collins), but
the SP-600 was one of the last older generation superhet.

Mine range from an JX (no suffix) to a few JX-21's.
They all needed to be restored electrically. If you are
looking for one, the best and easiest to restore are those with ceramic bypass caps. But most will have
failing (split cased) black beauty caps and these will all
need to be replaced. And there are a LOT of them!
The most difficult to get to are in the RF deck. While
in there I'd suggest replacing the smaller value mic caps
as well. I've had a few fail and removing the RF deck is
not something you want to do twice! Another area
that usually needs attention is the dial system.
Adding oil won't help if the dials slip. A complete tear
down is necessary and not that bad. Once done you'll
have one of the smoothest tuning receivers made and
a real joy. There is a lot of good restoration
documentation on the net. Read it before starting.

The only negative I've noticed is the ham bands are
very compressed at the end of the dial. Doesn't mean its not usable there, but the freq readings will be poor.
SWLDXGUY Rating: 2016-09-30
One of the Great Classic Tube Receivers Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased a lightly used Hammarlund SP-600 JX-21 in the early 1980's from a local military/government surplus electronics store in California. I paid $60 for it. Back then tube gear was getting unloaded for a song. I used it for a few years but had AGC issues with it. I mothballed the radio and put it in storage. Then I had a long career and raised a family. This summer I hefted the SP-600 out of storage and took a good look at it.

It turns out that this JX-21 was built in 1956 (date on original filter cap can) or 1957 (a factory installed Hammarlund XC-100 100 kHz crystal calibrator is present). The XTAL calibrator also brought the tube count up from the typical 20 to 21. In addition, the fairly late date of production (serial no. 191XX) means that the dreaded black beauty molded capacitors were never installed and that ceramic disc capacitors were used instead. This is a very nice SP-600 in excellent cosmetic condition. The radio features the metal (not paper) faced Marion Electric meter and the black dial escutcheons are the later type with no fasteners visible from the front.

I fired the SP-600 up for the first time in decades by using a variac. I hooked it up to a vintage Jensen 10" speaker with matching transformer to the 600 ohm audio out. Yes, the AGC problem was still there and AC hum was present in the audio. I turned the radio off, left it off, and ordered capacitors. Two weeks later both problems were eliminated with five capacitor replacements. I gave the radio a careful cleaning including all switches and contacts and lightly lubed all shaft bearings. This took a couple of days. All of the tubes tested and substituted good.

This SP-600 is a joy to use. I am a longtime SWL and use it with a simple outdoor 106' random wire/longwire antenna. The SP-600 can tune across the bands relatively quickly for a 1950's radio. The flywheel assisted tuning mechanism must be tried to be fully appreciated. Sensitivity is very good on all bands. Selectivity is superb. I open up the 8 kHz selectivity position on strong stations and the sound from the old Jensen 10" is to die for. The radio is pretty much free of frequency drift after about 45 minutes of warm-up time. I often keep a Sangean ATS-909X nearby for quick frequency spotting. Once in a great while the 909X will do a better job on a noisy signal (DSP is a great thing) but the SP-600 usually runs circles around any portable. As much as I like the way the SP-600 performs right now I know from observing the dial calibration that it could use an alignment. There are no marks on the tuning turret alignment access covers so this radio may have the factory alignment intact. I have the instruments and manuals ready for this delicate job and look forward doing it later in the winter. Who knows? Maybe I can even squeeze out a little more sensitivity, too.

I have other Hammarlund Super Pro and HQ series receivers and a Capehart contract R-390A. All have their strengths, weaknesses and quirks but I consider the SP-600 and the R-390A the best US tube-type communications receivers of the 1950-60's. I'm certainly not alone in this evaluation.

If you have room for a Hammarlund SP-600 and can find one that hasn't been hacked half to death these radios are well worth restoration and maintenance. They are excellent performers to this day and depending on antenna will pretty much tune any AM signal out there for shortwave listeners/DXers.
KB2NAT Rating: 2013-06-04
Wonderful Machine Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned an SP-600 for over ten years and also used one in the military to monitor clandestine Soviet military transmissions. Its operators considered it the most sensitive receiver available, even over the Collins R-390 (another fabulous receiver). Its selectivity was variable from .2-13 khz and I still miss that particular control. The selectivity was so good that I was actually able to pick out a station on the AM band on 1265khz broadcasting from the Caribbean in NYS. Twenty-two tubes made for a warm companion, but they weren't driven hard and lasted for years.
I haven't listened to the absolute newest (and expensive) so I can't compare the Hammarlund to those, but at today's prices it would be clost to $10,000.
I wouldn't want to carry one around, but the feel and performance of its mechanics, sound, silver-tipped contacts and overall feel are truly unique.
F6BGV Rating: 2009-11-13
BETTER AUDIO Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own a SP-600 since a very long time.
I replaced all caps, except electrolytic and mica.
I thought it was better to install an audio section more in accordance with the quality of this famous former receiver, which will permit to get a very good sound !
I removed audio output transformer (T 7) and I replaced by another 6V6, with a new push-pull transformer (8000 CT / 8) under the frame.
Then, I connected again V16A in préamplifier (Rk = 1k and Rp = 47k), straight connected to V16B as "phase-splitter" (Rk = Rp = 47k), and the two 6V6 in push-pull (Rk = 220/2W + 47 µF/63V), and a negative feed-back (Rcr = 3,3k from 8 ohms).
- HT on plate 6V6's = from C161B
- HT on screen 6V6's = from C161C
- HT on V16B = from C161C
- HT on V16A = from V18

Like this, I got a very good listening quality of the broadcasts...

Best 73's
KB1OKL Rating: 2007-11-25
still an excellent receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought a restored one about 2 years ago. Turning the big tuning knob is like driving a vintage Cadillac, very smooth. Mine has excellent sensitivity and selectivity, is a great BCB DX machine. Picks the TA's out of the mud easily. The dial readout is very good and is right on, I don't understand people who say they don't know where they are when using these. This is one of the all-time greats. There is nothing new that can compare with this receiver and not many oldies either. I own many of the finest boatanchors and this is one of the best.
W5XE Rating: 2006-06-20
Excellent search receiver Time Owned: N.A.
You're correct in that the SP600 is a great
receiver. I went to 6 months radio school learning
the SP600 in the late 50's and used
them in several overseas locations. Very little
drift, and stable like a rock once on frequency.
One could get it pretty close to the desired
frequency by using the logging scale. When using
on RTTY, they were crystal controlled but for the
most part in the Air Force Security Service, no
crystals as they were a general search receiver
and the ability to roll onto a frequency rapidly
was required. Nothing like seeing a couple
hundred SP600's in the consoles stretching from
one end of the room to the other. After military,
I used them as the main receiver at
FBI communications stations, and there the
crystal positions were in use. Incidentally the
monitor receivers were NC400 - not near the
quality of the SP600jx main receiver. They could
hear anything the R-388 or R-390 series could;
just didn't have the direct frequency readout.
Used for about 25 years, all totaled.
W5XE
W8ZNX Rating: 2006-06-20
fb swl receiver, dog as a ham receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
its a lovely radio
for over 40 years
lusted after a SP 600

no other receiver
has such a wonderfull dial drive

makes other receivers
main tuning feel crude

was one of the best BCB dx
and SWL receiver ive ever used

ham use its a dog

maybe i expected too much from it

owned mine for about 5 years
few years ago
traded it for a NC-183D

if offered to trade back
would keep the NC-183D

do i miss the Super Pro
no not realy

mac


W8VCK Rating: 2004-09-21
Rock Solid Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I love my SP-600-JX/17, listen to commercial AM on it almost every day. Nothing compares to it in sound quality. What's really amazing about this radio is how little heat it generates compared to my KWM-2A or TL-922.
K3UOD Rating: 2003-10-07
Seller's Remorse Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Add me to the list of those who had one of these fantastic receivers and sold it, much to our regret.

Incredible stability. Zero-beat WWV, come back next week, it's still zero-beat.

But...it took up too much room... and I knew a novice who needed a rig...so...

Oh well.
N4QA Rating: 2002-04-13
USE that XTAL OSC ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I was lucky enough to acquire an SP-600-JX-26 many years ago. It serves as the primary receiver in my secondary (barnloft) shack.

The xtal-control feature is great for fixed-freq apps...QRP...nets...you name it. I had to replace V3(a 6AC7) and C63, C64 bypass caps in the xtal unit to restore its functionality and then I was in XTAL CONTROL :)

The receiver is single-conversion from 540 kcs to 7.4 mcs and is dual-conversion from 7.4 mcs to 54 mcs.

The antenna connector is a dual-pin affair and the receiver's input impedance is 100 ohms balanced. A 2:1 balun should be employed when feeding the receiver with standard 50 ohm coax.

In addition to being a pretty good receiver, my SP-600-JX-26 helps to keep studio BL warm on cold winter nights :)

73.
Bill, N4QA