 |
I've owned many Hallicrafters S-38s over the last few decades. I really didn't give any of them a fair chance and kept each for only a little while, mainly for nostalgia because my first "real" receiver - to me anyway - was an S-38D in 1975 as a teen and it was old then! Recently, I dug out an old, sad looking S-38 (original, no suffix letters) from my garage which has been sitting there for at least 10 years, probably longer. I don't even remember for sure where I got it but I do remember that I bought it for parts to fix another unit which is now long gone from here. I was going to toss this one in the landfill because I'm having to get rid of many things now but at my wife's suggestion I decided to try to repair it and I'm glad that I did. After much effort, its become a great little receiver for casual MWBC and shortwave listening. And after changing the BFO injection point to the input of the IF amplifier rather than at the detector, it performs surprisingly very well on CW & SSB also :). I've used it to monitor several nets on 75 & 40m and it sounds very nice and has good stability. I'm confident that I could even use it on the air as a ham receiver along with a transmitter in a pinch or just for fun. The more desirable of these is the original S-38 because it has a real BFO, not just regenerative feedback from the IF amplifier as is seen in the S-38A, B, C, & D models. It also has a noise limiter circuit. I performed the simple safety update regarding the hot chassis also, and I always use this one with an Isolation Transformer for added protection. For a 74-year-old low end receiver, it actually isn't too shabby. This one changed my opinion of them, and it really is fun to operate - a nice break from the plethora of digital everything.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
its a Halicrafter
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I'm surprised that people are paying big money for these radios. Yes, they look neat, but they are actually rather poor radios. They are not sensitive because they have very little amplification in them. They are virtually deaf on band 4. They are very poor at copying CW or sideband, and have poor selectivity. Then there is the "hot chassis" shock hazard with them. As a ham radio operator, I've owned a couple and repaired many of the S-38 series. Save you money, do a little home work and buy a better quality radio.
Verified purchase: No
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Ham Radio Receivers
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Ham Radio Receivers
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
