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Reviews For: Hallicrafters S-38B and C models

Category: Receivers: Amateur Radio

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Review Summary For : Hallicrafters S-38B and C models
Reviews: 7MSRP: 50-79
Description:
Minor differences in color of case.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0073.7
K1EAR Rating: 2021-02-16
Charming... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought at a hamfest (high bidder at $3). Replaced the worn line cord with new polarized one (even then, you want to use an isolation transformer, if you don't want Unpleasant Surprises). Ordered a restoration kit from Hayseed Hamfest (highly recommended). With the new caps in place, set plays like new, without a trace of hum.

There has been some nonsense written about these devices, which are basically a five tube AC-DC table radio with extra tank circuits for SW. As such, you can't expect a lot of performance, but there are some tricks; a 365 pf variable across the antenna and ground terminals makes a surprisingly effective tuner/preselector. And if you were fortunate enough to have built an RF preamp from (the late lamented) Ramsey Electronics, it will bring the radio to the Next Level (that of the S 53).

I think the radio is charming and, to my ears, better than my IC 7200 for listening to ball games, classic country and rock, ect. They are easy and fun to work on, and when you do, you see how extraordinarily well made they were...
K4HPP Rating: 2017-10-07
My 1st SW Receiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought a lightly used S38B in 1956 from a guy down the street. I saved for months working at a corner grocery store on Saturdays stocking shelves, cleaning up, etc. and I think I gave him $15 or $18 for it. It worked fine and opened up the whole world of radio to me! As a 12 year old kid, I thought this was the best thing in the world. The best memory of this receiver was actually hearing Sputnik beeping in October 1957. I never actually saw Sputnik in orbit, but heard it several times during it's short life.

It was a pretty good receiver and I still remember being fascinated by hearing Radio Australia, HCJB, and countless other shortwave stations during the fantastic solar maximum during those years.

I sold that receiver in 1959 to help fund my novice DX-20 transmitter. In retrospect, the S38B was only a fair radio, but it sure made a major difference in my life by getting me interested in ham radio. I learned to copy CW at 5 wpm using it and became a ham in May of 1959.
KD5PNT Rating: 2015-05-30
S38B Time Owned: more than 12 months.
received this receiver in 1963 at age 10. receiver foreign SW broadcasts from all over the world. have replaced tubes in it once and recapped it about 7 years ago and aligned it. It works as well as the HQ140X that replaced it, selectivity is better with the Hammarlund . am still using the S38B as a receiver with the Viking II. not bad for a 70 year old receiver. time owned 52 years
OLDSWAB Rating: 2008-01-19
A good old radio for those that want to learn tube receivers. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Still have my 38 B. Its been half way around the world with me in the Navy. I was on an Aircraft Carrier and we had a compartment just below the flight deck. No problem just drop a wire with a weight on it over the catwalk and start receiving.Because of superregen. had to shut down when we were at sea because of rf radiation. The old timer is still working altho the rotary band switch is getting harder to clean I can still tune all but 12 and 10 meters. I have replaced most of the tubes and still have replacement just incase but with a antenna tuner you can still have fun copying cw or trying to tune SSB.LOL
WA2CCN Rating: 2007-09-26
Good starter. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The S-38B was my first ham radio receiver back when I got my Novice license (WV2CCN) in the late 50's. It worked OK on 80 & 40 cw... for Novice work. Wide open selectivity, which was OK for hearing off-frequency replys to my rock-bound Harvey Wells TBS-50D transmitter! Sensitivity was poor on 20-15-10... barely usable. Back at that time, I was a stupid kid and didn't appreciate the benefits of transformer isolation! So, yeah, I got "bitten" by AC many times! I had a Gonset 2 meter converter patched into the S-38B for Novice 2 meter work - an after-school-net with other kids in the area, helping each other with homework! I've got a lot of fond memories about the S-38B, but - really - it wasn't a very good receiver. There's lots of old receivers on e-Bay for the same price that are far superior to the S-38B... but I'd still to get one... for old time sake...
WB2ERJ Rating: 2006-04-04
A classic intro to boat anchors Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Restoring an old S38 series receiver is a great intro to working on boatanchors. They are cheap, plentiful, easy to work on, and there is lots of readily available info on them. My S38-C did nothing but hum when I received it, so I replaced all of the electrolytic and paper/oil caps and aligned it. It's been completely reliable since then. I use it as a bedside radio to tune in MW news, music, and the 75M AM gang using a 35' wire hidden under a rug. It is really an AM receiver as you have to constantly retune to receive an ssb or cw signal when it is in it's regenerative "CW" mode. There isn't a lot of selectivity but that's what makes the fidelity so pleasing. It is surprisingly sensitive, but prone to BC band overload, especially above 10 Mhz. As a shop, kitchen table, or bedside receiver, it is great, plus it's design is classic art deco.
SCTVGUY1 Rating: 2006-04-03
The S-38C is the last of the classically designed radios. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I found this radio that worked but needed some TLC. My wife and I repainted the case the original hammertone gray, found a set of knobs from a spare B model and had it recapped. I took care of the famous "hot chassis" poblem by using a polarized line cord and plug. I got a new reproduction back, fixed the bottom, shined the chassis with steel wool, and now it looks like new! It is very sensitive even with a short wire and after aligning, it is spot on with the old style pointers. I have not tried the selectivity yet, but if it runs true to form, it won't be anything to write home about. However, there is a satisfaction from restoring the old tube sets, and when you turn off the lights and see the dials glow and start to pick up DX on either the BCB or shortwave, it brings back a lot of memories! This radio was designed by the famous industrial/auto designer Raymond Lowey, who worked for Chrysler and Studebaker in the 30's and 40's. His auto/train/radio designes are Art Deco classics. I am glad that I was able to save this classic little radio from the ravages of time.