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The
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Electronic Restoration Custom Metal and Wood Refinishing 1947 National NC-57 restored by The Radio Shoppe
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| Then He who
sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to
me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is
done!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of
the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who
overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God
and he shall be My son.
Revelation 21: 5-7
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The Radio Shoppe About Our Receivers Select Restored
Communications Receivers |
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The receivers
represented in our catalogue have been selected because our experience
with these models has shown each to be a particularly good value.
Our criteria for determining a quality shortwave radio receiver is
based on performance, reliability, and long term cost of operation,
which is mostly determined by the on going availability and reasonable
cost of the tubes employed.
There are now, and were during the tube era, any number of receivers that featured options and accessories that drove the initial purchase price to the highest levels the market would bare. Sets of this type from the tube era were produced in relatively limited numbers and are now highly sought after collectibles. The simple law of supply and demand has driven the initial cost of attaining original condition sets of this type to astronomical heights. In addition, the cost and complications of rebuilding these more exotic receivers is proportionately higher. Exotic receivers require additional and often times rare and exotic tubes that can be difficult to obtain and prohibitively expensive. The original purpose of these sets was to receive transmissions from weak and distant transmitters under the most trying conditions. Since our goal is to put a practical receiver into your hands for the purpose of receiving the signals of high power broadcasting stations, these more expensive and exotic receivers represent a significant increase in cost for a very marginal increase in performance. William Halligan, the founder of the Hallicrafters Company, is widely respected as one of early radio's great innovators. Perhaps his most long lasting and far reaching innovation has proven to be the concept of a line of communications receivers that used fixed coils and variable capacitor multi-band tuning -- in other words, a receiver that functioned in the same way as the broadcast receivers of the day, only more so. During the Great Depression days of the 1930's, it is easy to imagine that many a communications receiver was sold on the premise that it could do double duty as a high quality table radio: That when dad wasn't indulging his ham radio hobby, the Hallicrafters would be available to mom and the rest of the family for Amos 'n Andy, Jack Benny and The Shadow. To this end, Hallicrafters produced a series of receivers, beginning with the S-20R and ending with the S-108, that filled this niche in the market very nicely. These sets were of straightforward electronic design, were powered by common and inexpensive octal tubes, and were sold in very impressive quantities through the end of this series in 1961. While all of these models were ostensibly designed as communications receivers, their purpose and function was particularly well suited to the needs of the serious radio listener, and in particularly the needs of the shortwave radio enthusiast. That these sets still represent the best value in a general shortwave and broadcast band receiver some 45 years after the last set in this line was assembled is testimony to Mr. Halligan's vision and the quality that the name "Hallicrafters" stands for to this very day. In the post World War II era, National Radio Products adopted this same design philosophy and also produced a series of high quality communications receivers that were particularly well suited to the shortwave listening hobby. National designed and manufactured all of the major components that comprised their receivers, whereas Hallicrafters used more "generic" parts purchased from commercial radio parts manufacturers. While Hallicrafters receivers and their parts are more common and tend to be less expensive than their National counterparts, National's products were well designed and constructed and sold in sufficient quantities to be readily available today. And so we offer a number of National models for those that appreciate and respect this fine line of radio equipment. While our favorite Hallicrafters and National receivers are of the eight or nine tube variety and feature an RF amplifier for superior selectivity and two stages of IF amplification for exceptional sensitivity, we also offer a number of more modest "introductory" receivers from both companies. These models tend to be five or six tube circuits, and while simpler in design and offering fewer features, all work well as general coverage shortwave and broadcast band receivers -- some far exceeding the usual expectations for such simple and basic super heterodyne receivers. All offer a lower cost alternative to the more sophisticated sets that we offer. Another advantage is their smaller footprint and lighter weight. All of our receivers undergo the same painstaking restoration process. Each set is completely disassembled, thoroughly cleaned, and any missing, weak or defective components are replaced. All paper capacitors are replaced with high quality polypropylene or metalized polyester units that either meet or exceed the manufacturer's original specs. Electrolytic filter and bypass capacitors are also replaced. Tubes are tested and replaced as needed to assure that all test within new equipment standards. Tube pin voltages are charted and compared to the manufacturer's charts, and any carbon resistors that do not fall within the correct range of value are replaced. Cosmetically, cabinets, dials, knobs, plastics and trim are replaced as needed and maintained as original whenever possible. Cabinets are professionally prepped and refinished with high quality rust inhibitive primers, lacquers and enamels as needed. Face plates are cleaned and maintained as original unless damaged, in which case they are prepped and painted and relettered to as close to original as possible. The receiver is then carefully and lovingly reassembled, aligned, and thoroughly tested. Each set is priced fairly and according to its individual merits as both a practical every day radio receiver and according to its value as a collectible piece of radio history. When a set is considered for purchase, we take and send highly detailed fresh digital photographs via email and do our very best to record and describe each set as honestly and realistically as possible. You have our personal guarantee that you will not be disappointed. It is our goal to place in your possession a classic tube era radio receiver that will become a beloved and cherished member of the family and a treasured heirloom that will be appreciated and enjoyed for many years to come. The communications receivers that we sell and service are those that we have owned and used ourselves for many years and are models that we are intimately acquainted with and love and appreciate. We maintain an inventory of replacement tubes and parts for all receivers that we list and we provide complete repair and maintenance services for all receivers that we sell. In most instances, the only maintenance required on a tube era communication receiver is periodic replacement of tubes and dial lamps. All other electrical parts and components are guaranteed without reservation for as long as you own the set. We recommend that tubes be tested and replaced as needed, at least annually. A back up tube set is not a bad investment to assure uninterrupted service. Free testing and evaluation of tubes is available as needed on any set we sell. Now is the time to own and enjoy a vintage communications receiver from Hallicrafters or National. Classic, solid American quality; old fashioned American satisfaction guaranteed. |
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Welcome
to the
underground radio laboratory of the Radio Shoppe at Radio New
Jerusalem. At our restoration facilities, we bring in the tired,
the poor and the homeless of tube era communications receivers and
radios and restore them to life and beauty. Each receiver that we
sell goes through the same painstaking, electronic rebuilding process
and is cleaned and cosmetically restored using the finest materials
available. If you find yourself wishing that Grandpa's old
Hallicrafters could undergo this kind of transformation, well, it
can! Send it to us and you'll get it back working better than new
and looking young and pretty. And while our specialty is
communications receivers, we've done plenty of table radios and
consoles from most American manufacturers from the 1930's to the
1960's, and we're as comfortable working with wood, plastic and
bakelite cabinets as we are steel.
While restoring that old radio or receiver may seem like a good idea, sometimes it is just not practical. We recommend that you take digital photos and e-mail them to us for evaluation. We'll pull the tech data on your set, check its antique value and put together an estimate that will insure that you spend your money wisely and end up with a set that will make you proud at a reasonable and practical cost. If the news is bad, and your set is too far gone to be restored, or if the cost of doing so is prohibitive, we won't pull any punches. Should your set be a model that we have in stock or if another can be obtained in superior condition, we can take yours in trade at a fair price and you get the benefit of an upgrade. Speaking of upgrades, if you own an S-40 but you've always wanted an SX-99, we can take your set in trade and put your dream receiver in your hands. As always, all of our electronic work is guaranteed for as long as you own the set and our cosmetics will please you or we'll do whatever it takes to make it right. Just like tube era radio receivers, we offer classic, solid American quality and old fashioned American satisfaction guaranteed. |
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Radio Shoppe
at Radio New Jerusalem carries an inventory of over 3000 NOS and used
vacuum tubes that include the early prong types, octals, loctals and
minis for radios from the 1920's to the 1960's. In addition, we have
some Compactron and a few other TV types, and a limited number of
exotic and specialty tubes. Since our tubes were acquired as lot
purchases and at auction, we can often sell for lower prices than the
major tube houses. We also have a substantial inventory of new and used
parts and components for various antique radios and communications
receivers, especially those that pertain to the Hallicrafters and
National sets that we regularly sell and service. E-mail us with your
needs and we'll respond quickly with what we have in stock, the
condition and the prices.
Whatever we do not have can almost certainly be acquired at a link
below. While antique radio people are universally honest, dedicated and
of high integrity, we cannot vouch for all that are linked here. We
guarantee all that we sell to be as promised and fairly priced.
As for everyone else, the law of Caveat
Emptor applies.
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About
the
Hallicrafters
William "Bill" Halligan was born in Boston in 1899 and grew up fascinated with the miracle of radio. As a boy, he eagerly devoured every scientific journal and book on the subject that he could lay his hands on, and by the age of 16 was working as a wireless operator on an excursion boat. During World War I, he served as radioman on a mine layer working off of the coast of Scotland. After the war, Halligan attended the electrical engineering school at Tufts University and studied electronics at West Point before leaving to marry in 1922. To support his young family, he took a job as a newspaper reporter back in Boston and became acquainted with amateur radio through a series of articles he wrote for the fledgling American Radio Relay League. |
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In
1924, Bill Halligan went to
work for his long time friend, Toby Deutschmann selling radio
parts
to American radio manufacturers along the east coast. By 1928 the
radio business was booming and Chicago had become the world capital of
radio manufacturing. Halligan moved his family to Chicago and did
well in component sales until the Depression caught up to the radio
industry in 1931. According to legend, Deutschmann went bankrupt at
this time and left Halligan with no cash but a huge inventory of radio
parts and components. Halligan decided to turn his hobby of
building ham receivers for his friends into a business in an effort to
make use of the assets he had been left by Deutschmann, and while many
radio historians claim this story is apocryphal, we can attest to the
fact that we have removed paper capacitors labeled "Toby Deutschmann"
from Hallicrafters receivers built as late as 1938 -- some 7 years
later.
Halligan began business under the name "Hallicrafters" in 1932, choosing the motto "Handcraft Makes Perfect" and setting up shop in an old manufacturing facility at 417 North State Street. The fledgling company managed to produce the S-1 through S-3 models before RCA threatened to put them out of business for copyright infringement. At this time, all radio manufacturing was done under license from RCA, and RCA had no intentions of granting Halligan the licensing he needed to produce his own sets. The Hallicrafters struggled along by contracting out their manufacturing to other, duly licensed manufacturers, most notably Howard Radio Company, another Chicago manufacturer of communications receivers. In 1933 radio maverick McMurdo Silver's company, Silver-Marshall Inc., went bankrupt and Hallicrafters took over in an effort to acquire the much needed manufacturing license. The acquisition of the RCA license was not sufficient to compensate for the financial and creative difficulties this arrangement brought with it, and, by late 1934, Halligan was able to seek and gain release from his obligations to Silver-Marshall. At this point, Halligan turned his attention to another troubled radio company with a valid license, not to mention a 50,000 square foot manufacturing plant at 2611 Indiana Avenue. In 1935 he was able to engineer a merger with Echophone Radio Company, with Hallicrafters assuming the position as dominant partner. After building much needed cash reserves with contract manufacturing, the Hallicrafters line was relaunched with the SX-9 in late 1935. From this point, there was no looking back. There was never any doubt of Hallicrafters quality and engineering, and with solid policy, good management and creative marketing, the company quickly rose to dominate the industry. By 1938, Hallicrafters was the most popular manufacturer of communications receivers in the United States, as well as exporting products to 89 other countries. One of the significant factors setting Hallicrafters apart from and above its competition was Halligan's own professional touch and personal integrity, and it is this as much as anything else that made Hallicrafters a great American success story during a time in which much of corporate America was struggling -- and largely unsuccessfully -- merely to keep its doors open. In 1935, Hallicrafters introduced the 5-T "Sky Buddy," an introductory level receiver aimed at boys between the ages of 14 and 16, and which was sold for its production cost of $29.50. Thirty dollars was a princely sum to a boy in the mid 30's, so to market these sets, Hallicrafters came up with the "Sky Buddy Club." The packet of materials that came with membership included twelve envelopes in which to send $2.50 per month to the company. There was a booklet that suggested odd jobs and chores that could be done, usually for 25 cents, that would help raise the necessary $2.50. A boy joining the club in January, and completing his obligations by December, would have his new receiver arrive just in time for Christmas. Halligan reasoned that a program such as this would build unparalleled customer loyalty: that a boy introduced to the radio hobby in this way would continue to buy Hallicrafters products as an adult. This proved to be true and devotees of Hallicrafters products remain today, many years after the company ceased operations. With the advent of World War II, Hallicrafters production was largely dedicated to the ensuing demand for all things electronic by the US government. Production of consumer electronics all but ceased between 1942 and 1945, with one notable exception being a line of inexpensive AC/DC receivers marketed under the resurrected Echophone name plate. These were marketed largely as broadcast receivers for servicemen and their families, as the reception of shortwave stations from Europe took on a new and more immediate importance. While Hallicrafters built a myriad of products for the military, the most notable was the SCR-299, a self contained portable radio station mounted in a truck and featured prominently in Hallicrafters' advertising of the day. After the war, a new plant was built at 4401 West Fifth Avenue (pictured above) and post war production aimed at the pent up demand for consumer products proceeded apace. Noted automotive and industrial designer Raymond Lowey (Studebaker and others) was brought in to give the entire Hallicrafters line a fresh, modern look. The wartime Echophone EC-1 receiver was repackaged into the S-38, which replaced the venerable Sky Buddy. The S-40, with its distinctive green "half-moon" dial replaced the S-20R. Besides its "bread and butter" shortwave and amateur radio equipment, the company designed and marketed a plethora of consumer electronics, including phonographs, AM/FM table radios, clock radios and television sets. Many of these products bore the "Echophone" name. Hallicrafters basked in the post war prosperity, and by 1952 employed 2500 people. The cold war brought demand for numerous civil defense products, and a boom in the popularity of Ham radio lead to the design of some of the company's most classic transmitters, like the HT-32, and exotic receivers, like the SX-101. By 1958, Bill Halligan was ready to retire and sold the company. Little is known about the details of this transaction, but it was obviously unsuccessful and the Halligans resumed control and continued to run the company until it was sold to Northrop Corporation in 1966. Northrop concentrated on building mostly paramilitary equipment for its defense division, though some Ham products were designed and sold and the Hallicraftters name remained before the public until the mid 1970's -- mostly on repackaged, cheap Japanese consumer electronics items like boom boxes. Northrop handed Hallicrafters over to it's partner, Wilcox, and in 1975, Wlicox sold it to Braker Corporation of Dallas, Texas. Braker released a few CB and portable radios of Japanese and Taiwanese origin under the Hallicrafters brand until folding in the late 70's. Since this time, there have been periodic attempts at resurrecting the Hallicrafters name in some fashion or other, but these have all ended in failure. For all intents and purposes, what we think of as "Hallicrafters" ceased to exist when William Halligan sold out in 1966. |
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About
National
Radio National Company began in 1914 as a manufacturer of mechanical parts, including toys. In 1924 they entered radio manufacturing by producing the Browning-Drake broadcast receiver kit and various radio components, including variable capacitors and their soon to be classic "velvet vernier" dials. James Millen joined the company as Chief Engineer and General Manager in 1928 and guided National to the cutting edge of shortwave receiver design, where they remained until he left in 1939. During this time, he was responsible for the "Thrill Box" series of regenerative shortwave receivers, including the legendary SW-3 and SW-5, which remain sought after classics to this day. |
| In July, 1932, National introduced the most advanced communications receiver to date, the Millen designed AGS. This unit was developed for the Airways Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce for use as an aircraft ground station receiver, and is significant not only for this, but because it was also offered for sale to the general public. While the sophisticated AGS was too expensive to be seriously considered by Depression strapped amateurs, it became the National flagship receiver of this era and the basis for the FB-7, a stripped down version that established National as a leader in the amateur radio industry. The AGS also provided the inspiration for the HRO, which would become the most famous receiver in history and remain in production for 30 years. Among James Millen's eccentricities were his dedication to in-house production of all key components and a tuning system that employed the use of cumbersome plug-in coils or the slightly less cumbersome system of coil catacombs. National developed a following of loyal devotees that appreciated the National system and the feeling their receivers gave of hands on "real" radio operation. Any amateur running a National rig had an experience akin to a professional operator, and National built a significant niche market by catering to amateurs that considered themselves a cut above the typical "Ham." Though Millen left the company when National went public in 1939, few design changes were made to their receivers until their post war line was introduced in 1947. Because National ceased to be a leading innovator in the commercial communications receiver industry, many purists mark the post Millen years as an era of decline. Closer to the truth, this time represents a notable change in philosophy and direction in which National turned its attention towards a more diversified line: a line aimed successfully at the mainstream of the burgeoning amateur market. While the HRO continued to be a fine, high-end receiver, and the image of National quality, the company also introduced a new line of lower cost receivers that would be marketed head-to-head with Hallicrafters. It is the receivers from this era, beginning with the classic 1947 NC-57, that we list here. Throughout the 1950's, both National and Hallicrafters built what would turn out to be classic examples of the best of the tube era communications receiver; units that today sell for astronomical amounts. In the late 1950's and into the early 1960's, both would fall victim to the trend for smaller and lighter receivers as exemplified by the new "hybrid" (tube and semi-conductor) lines introduced by Collins and Drake. National's last claim to fame was as a pioneer in the development of the first completely solid-state receiver, the HRO-500. Though critically acclaimed and widely admired, the HRO-500 did not sell in sufficient quantities to save the company. National struggled to survive the 1970's and filed for Chapter 11 protection in the early 1980's. In 1992 the struggle finally ended on the auction block, when the IRS forced liquidation. |
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| CATALOGUE OF CLASSIC COMMUNICATION RECEIVERS |
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| Select Hallicrafters Models Available | Select National Models Available |
| CATALOGUE OF HALLICRAFTERS MODELS |
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| Catalogue of Classic Receivers | Receiver Showroom | Catalogue of National Models |
| Model |
Production
Run |
Tube
Count |
Frequency
Range |
Price
Range |
| S-19 R "Sky Buddy" |
1939
to 1942 |
6 |
.55-46
Mhz, 4 Bands |
$200-$400 |
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Hallicrafters classic introductory communications receiver offers surprising performance for a set in this class, as well as a "Hardy Boys" charm and 1930's style that is irresistible. The S-19R was the third receiver in the Sky Buddy series and the most complete, featuring band spread tuning and continuous frequency range from standard broadcast through the short wave spectrum. |
| Features |
||||||||
| BFO |
Noise
Limiter |
Tone
Control |
Pitch
Control |
RF
Gain |
RF
Amp |
IF
Stages |
Phones |
Power |
| Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
1 |
Yes |
AC |
| Inquire About the S-19R "Sky Buddy" Communications Receiver | ||||||||
| Catalogue of Hallicrafters Models | Catalogue of National Models |
| Catalogue of Classic Receivers | Receiver Showroom |
| Model |
Production Run | Tube
Count |
Frequency
Range |
Price
Range |
| S-20 R "Sky Champion" |
1939
to 1945 |
9 |
.54-44
Mhz, 4 Bands |
$325-$500 |
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A quality receiver and the first in a highly successful series of sets that would, with various tube and circuit modifications, be repackaged into numerous different models that would define Hallicrafters performance for the next two decades. Features an RF amplifier for superior selectivity and two stages of IF amplification for exceptional sensitivity. Classic prewar design with backlit dials and numerous features. |
| Features |
||||||||
| BFO |
Noise
Limiter |
Tone Control | Pitch Control | RF
Gain |
RF
Amp |
IF
Stages |
Phones |
Power |
| Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
2 |
Yes |
AC |
| Inquire About the S-20R "Sky Champion" Communications Receiver | ||||||||
| Catalogue of Hallicrafters Models | Catalogue of National Models |
| Catalogue of Classic Receivers | Receiver Showroom |
| Model |
Production Run | Tube
Count |
Frequency
Range |
Price
Range |
| S-38 |
1946 |
6 |
.54-32
Mhz, 4 Bands |
$150-$350 |