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Reviews For: Hallicrafters SR 2000

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

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Review Summary For : Hallicrafters SR 2000
Reviews: 6MSRP: 999.99
Description:
SR-2000 is an 80M-10M SSB/CW transceiver known as the "Hurricane". It features 2 Kilowatt PEP and 900 Watt CW input, 19-tubes, 22 diodes using a pair of 8122's for final amplifiers.
Product is not in production
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# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
1565
W3AFC Rating: 2024-11-04
Awesome Classic Transceiver Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Ever since I was a teenager, I've wanted a Hallicrafters Hurricane. I even had a picture of a complete station in my "electronics lab". But back in 1966, a new Hurricane setup with the HA-20 VFO, the SR-2000 Transceiver, and the P-2000 Power Supply cost about as much as a decent automobile.
50 years later when I saw a mint-looking Hurricane on the Luther Auction site, I had to take a chance. It appeared to be unmolested, so I bid on it. There was no power supply or HA-20. It was a gamble, but one I was willing to take.

When it arrived, I found that the radio was completely original. No golden screwdriver stuff. I took the bottom cover off and all the OEM parts were there. All the knobs turned freely and nothing was bent. I gave it a light dusting and tested all the tubes, including the 8122's, which I tested using a special adapter that I made. All of the signal tubes were Hallicrafters branded tubes and they were all good.

I couldn't wait to find a P-2000 power supply or build my own, so I modified one of my Swan 117XC power supplies to make sure the receive worked. After using it as a receiver for awhile, I added transmit using the 800-volt tap in the 117XC. Everything worked perfectly and it tuned up to around 200 watts PEP. Eventually, I built my own power supply, and details are on my QRZ page, as well as on w3afc.com.

This is one of the most logically designed radios I've ever had, and I've had many. It's the only one I've encountered that has a separate feed for the plate voltage and G2 (screen) volts. This allows a lot of flexibility, including the ability to tune up and then turn off G2 until you're ready to make a contact, which keeps the radio cool. I designed my supply to provide enough power on LOW to approximate the output from a Swan 500 or 700. On HIGH, I get a bit over 600 watts, more than enough to cover the globe. It's a breeze to tune and should something go wrong, it has ample room to work on it. I still haven't peaked any of the coils or performed a full alignment because I can't stay off the air with it, and I get "great signal and sound" compliments from here to Asia.

Yes, it's big and it has some quirks, but it's worth it. Someday I'll probably be buried with mine.
N3AJB Rating: 2022-11-29
One of the greatest!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My last review was in 20017. Both units are alive and well and in regular use. They are at least 50 years old and operate perfectly, still producing 500watts and 1KW output from the original 8122 finals. I doubt any of the rigs produced in the last 10 years will be operational in 50 years.
It's still a surprise for the hams to learn I’m running 500 watts output, barefoot, and invariably ask what amplifier I’m using. Generally, 500 watts is sufficient for most contacts but it’s nice to know I can run 1 KW is needed.
In this era of SDR rigs and broad band solid state amplifiers, it’s still a real kick to turn on the rig, wait 2 minutes for warmup, hit the HV on switch, load up the rig using analog meters and watch the output soar to 500 watts out in the tune position. “Hands on” still feels great.



My first SR 2000 operated so well I couldn't resist buying another. It's absolutely a fantastic radio and easy to operate. Even band change is relatively fast once you learn the tune up procedure. It has excellent audio and a sensitive, stable receiver to boot. One radio the size of the big transceivers of today is a complete 2 KW station. Yes, the 8122s are expensive, but so are linears. On low power, it easily runs 500w OUT. Throw the switch and it runs 1KW OUT. Jim Liles, K9AXN, is the expert on the SR series and once he goes through over them, they come back better than when the left Hallicrafters. If you want to put the kick back into ham radio, try the SR 2000. You won't regret it.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by N3AJB on 2005-11-08

I recently restored an SR 2000 and have had it on the air for about a month. Based on that, I think this transceiver is a real jem to operate. The receiver is very quiet and sensitive (remember I'm talking 1970's technology). The turning is smooth and because of the gearing system there is no dial backlash. Frequency accuracy and ease of readout to 1 khz is accomplished with crystal calibrator and large dials.

The best part of using this transceiver is the fact that at 800 watts input on low power (400 watts output), you can tell your contacts you're running "barefoot". Of course you can kick it up to 600 watts output and with 800 watts of plate dissipation, this rig is loafing along.

The 2000 PEP may be a bit misleading since tune up procedures in the manual indicate that loading to 1000 watts CW input translates to 2000 PEP input when the mode is switched to SSB. Today we know that you have to load up to 2000 input on CW to achieve 2000 PEP without distortion.

Other features include amplified automatic level control (AALC) which prevents splatter and provides 15 db of compression. Audio reports (along with signal strength) have been excellent. It also has a RIT (+/- 2 khz) which can be helpful and a noise blanker.

The one drawback of the rig is that the final tubes are 8122's (comparable to 4CX400's) which are getting pricy. The other tubes in the rig are fairly common and still inexpensive. The same type of tube (7059 for example) is used in a variety of applications, keeping the number of different tube types to a minimum.

All in all, I think it's a great rig and will continue to operate it regularly.
W5JLH Rating: 2022-11-29
False Advertising? LOL Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I had one given to me. Excellant radio, it only had one 8122 tube in it so I cut a piece of metal to cover the vent hole so the 1 tube would stay cool, it would do a very easy 250 watts with the one tired old tube... which was huge for 20 meters. Everyone shows the radio but no one shows the required power supply that was hard to pickup by myself as a kid...lol
N2ZD Rating: 2013-05-21
Hurricane Alice!! Hurr-E-Cane!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.

Hi Rich here,

I bought mine 3 years ago and restored it. It was in pretty good shape to begin with, it had some minor mods to it, but the face was clean on the supply and radio. I bought it on EPay, the price was right and it looked very clean. Upon arrival, I visually inspected it, then brought it up slowly on a variac. It worked great but needed the usual pot cleaning and minor repairs. Luckily, The 8122's were near 100 percent and I began by replacing all of the caps in the supply. Since it had hard to find twist locks, I made two PC boards for the 8 caps that looked like the originals, I etched and drilled the boards and mounted snap locks and then removed the original cardboard covers and secured them over the new caps. I also replaced the caps under the PS as well. I was going to paint the cases but opted to match a powder coat to the original color, I went with a rough finish to mimic the spatter paint. The powder coat is bulletproof and will not chip like paint. I changed the filter from a 2.1 to a 2.7khz and it bellows out delicious audio from its PS speaker and its better than the original sound. The TX audio is right around that mark as well. It sounds much better on the air with a wider filter. Tuning needs some getting used to because you can easily damage an 8122 if you're not careful. Once you get the hang of it though, you can tune up rather quickly, always watch the screen current!! On the bands the radio works great, after a half hour warmup, she is pretty stable. The RX is superb and can hear anything. Even the NB works good. There isn't much in the way of the crime fighting tools we see on rigs now, but the radio has a fantastic rx for a 49 year old tube rig!! Its very stable and a fun radio to use. I also have the companion HA-20 external VFO which allows you to listen to two different parts of the band your on. It also has an SWR meter and allows you to offset tx and rx to work split. If you decide you want to get one, make sure the meters work and the tubes are good. Parts are tough to find.. Hope to catch u on the bands.. Richy N2ZD
W5UW Rating: 2006-03-17
Hallicrafters SR-2000 "Hurricane" A Big blast from the past... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got my "Hurricane" in May of 2004 from the son of an SK who said that his father had purchased the rig used at a hamfest in 1974 without the power supply and had never ended up getting one for it. The transciever had been in the box in his dads closet unused for 30 years. Who ever had it before that took imacculate care of the rig. A few months after purchasing the "Hurricane" I came across a P-2000 power supply in rough shape, I completely rebuilt the power supply with all new Peter Dahl transfmormers and chokes as well as rebuilding the HV filter section. I also aquired the HA-20 DX adapter and the TO-1 Keyer so I now have the whole enchelada!

When the power supply was ready, I brought the rig up slowly on a variac and other than changing a couple of tubes and cleaning the bandswitch the rig has been on the air in daily service ever since. The 8122 finals are date coded 1972 and will still put out 850 watts PEP in the high power setting.

The rig is an absolute blast to use, the VFO is extremely stable for a tube type radio, the double conversion receiver's good sensitivity and 2.1kHz bandwith make it a joy to operate, and with all that power you just cant have any more fun operating a radio. I have to pinch myself when I'm using it to make sure I'm not dreaming. In my opinion the Hallicrafters SR-2000 "Hurricane" is the coooolest rig a ham could ever get his hands on, a real BIG blast from the past!

Yeah you gotta get one!
W8IDL Rating: 2006-03-04
Excellent performer! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased one of these beauties new in 1971, but sold it in the early eighties. What a mistake! Bought my original SR-2000 back from the guy i sold it to in 1990 and have used it ever since. Operation is easy and it is a very frequency stable. The frequency readout is good to 250 Hz, and the receiver is superb, especially with respect to nearby strong signals. The transmitter runs an easy 800 watts output (700 on 10 meters) and has an extra boost with 15 dB or so of rf compression on ssb. The optional HA-20 remote VFO (very rare) is a great find as it actually adds dual receive capability! In short: the SR-2000 transceiver is a solid, dependable performer that is fun to operate - IF you can find one! I give it my highest rating.