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Reviews For: Hallicrafters SR-400A HF Transceiver

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

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Review Summary For : Hallicrafters SR-400A HF Transceiver
Reviews: 7MSRP: 895.00
Description:
An early 70's transceiver that was ahead of the times.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0074.9
IZ4YGS Rating: 2016-12-18
Lucky is not enough! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The neighbor of my fiance's place, an old lady, asked me to help her to throw to the garbage some old heavy things she had in the cellar. She told me her husband was a hamradio operator SK for long time and those old things in the cellar were his belonging. So when I raised a dusty cloth and found the HALLICRAFTERS SR400 CYCLONE II line complete with external VFO, I... I could not believe my eyes, I did not think it would be easy to make it work, but I helped the lady to vacate the cellar and she was happy to know that I was intrested in that old radio that she gave it to me.
Since the radio was not operatd for 23 years, I brought it immediately to my friend Marco IK4SXH, a tecnician with the passion of the tubes transceivers. It took a week to give her life, to revitalize the old capacitors we powered it with low tension, increasing the tension every day.
In the end I found the complete spare tubes set on the bay, Fank K5SVC very gently provide me those old tubes.

To say I was lucky is not enough! Now I'm proudly the owner of an SR400 line, what a pleasure to operate it, how I love those tubes!

73
Matteo
KB3H Rating: 2013-11-11
Exquisite analog audio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Truly this radio is one of the most satisfying vintage transceivers to operate . . . In my opinion, it's robust and clean audio is exceptional. It's the kind of radio that you choose to sit back and listen to a 40 meter SSB with. NO audio fatigue.

N3AJB Rating: 2012-11-26
One of the Best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Another great feature of the SR 400A is that it has a balancing circuit for the finals so there is no need for matched 6KD6's. Mine runs 250 watts out easily and I have to make sure not to over-drive it or else I can get 300 watts out. If I want high power output from a transceiver I use my SR 2000 which runs 1KW out easily.

Fifty years later, Icom and Yaesu have 200 and 400 watts transceiver. Hallicrafters was way ahead of its time. Find one and restore it. You'll love using it.
IT9AHH Rating: 2012-11-26
hallicrafters sr-400 cyclone II Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Three months that i have this great radio.Receiver so quiet that seems to have no antenna.Always perfect even with a 9+ signal up just 2 khz from my qso!Noise blanker as good as ts 950 sd; always good and ready cw filter and notch filter.No feel at all the lack of a dsp.A modern and complete radio since 1970 with 180/200 watts always ready to go on dx,and great sensitivity also on 21 and 28 mhz.Never sell it!
W4OP Rating: 2008-03-27
Spectacular BA Transceiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been in search of the ultimate vintage SSB/CW transceiver. To date, I've had the TR-4C-CW, SB-34, FPM-300 MK II, GT-550 and 550A, KWM-2 and finally the Cyclone. I like the Cyclone much better than the KWM-2- particularly the styling and layout. They are identical in size. I find the VFO to be as stable as the Drake or Collins. When it comes to CW, the 400's RIT, CW filter and notch filter are a real plus. The NB is also quite effective.
I also own the HA-20 external VFO/VSWR Bridge. The coolest thing about it is the ability to do dual receive (what Icom calls Dual Watch)- quite an innovation for a 1960's rig. If you can find one- buy it, you will be delighted.

Dale W4OP
W8RCA Rating: 2005-03-02
A Great old rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Of the MANY rigs I have had the privilege of owning through the years The SR-400A is one I still regret sending down the road. A great rcvr as well as xmtr, it was a pleasure to operate and use. The 6HF5 finals were a bit touchy and didn't take much abuse but if you didn't twist an tune to get the last 5 watts out they held up pretty good. A very nice looking rig as well, but I have never seen another in any kind of shape since, to make it worth buying another one again today. By far the best piece of Hallicrafters gear I've ever owned.
W9WIS Rating: 2003-05-08
A GREAT transciver !! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've owned an as new SR-400A for about 6 months now and the old girl never ceases to amaze me. It has that wonderful full receive and transmit audio that only these tube rigs seem to have. It also has an extremly quiet and sensitive receiver. Hallicrafters released the SR-400A "Cyclone III" in late 1969. It was manufactured as a direct competitor to the Collins KWM-2. Hallicrafters was sold to Northrup and one of the last radios they made was the updated SR-400A "Cyclone III". My radio was made about 1972/73. Photo's of my rig can be seen on my web page: http://webpages.charter.net/w9wis It is an amazingly accurate receiver that exhibits no drift after about a 30 minute warm-up. The SR-400A was an expensive radio in it's day, designed to be a competitor at the pinacle level of state of the art radio of it's day. It's not an easy radio to find if you wish one, but they are still out there. Many of the collectors in the Hallicrafters Collectors Association are also Collins collectors... and I have yet to speak to one that doesn't admit that the SR-400A is a superior receiver/transceiver to the KWM-2. The SR-400A was marketed with more features and for less dollars than Collins. However, Northrup wasn't really interested in amateur radio and eventually Hallicrafters ceased to exist. If you are interested in collecting a vintage receiver try out the SR-400A... there are other vintage high performance radios that were made besides Collins.