Hallicrafters S-85

I recently purchased a Hallicrafters S-85 radio receiver. I was lucky enough to find one in excellent condition that hadn't been modified by its previous owner. In fact, it even had its full compliment of paper labels and was only missing the owners manual which I was able to download from the net and make available here : Hallicrafters_S-85_Manual

Hallicrafters S-85 Receiver - Sold 1954 through 1959

While I'm slowly assembling the pieces of a vintage amateur radio station I have been researching what it would have been like for a ham around the period of the equipment I have accumulated. One thing I just started thinking about now was the cost of this equipment when new ...

The Hallicrafters S-85 was sold between 1954 & 1959 for USD $119.95. This relates to about USD $1014 in 2011 dollars! That is a lot of money for a young ham to come up with and perhaps explains why more modest receivers were used in novice stations. A more advanced ham would probably purchase something with crystal filters, which the S-85 lacked, like the Hallicrafters SX-99

From the little time I have had with this receiver I have been impressed by its performance. For a receiver that is over 50 years old it has withstood the march of time and performs very well. Although it is possible to listen to single side band transmissions it is really suited to AM and CW reception.

Listening to AM broadcasts is where it really shines, the generous bandwidth and tube audio make the most of shortwave broadcasts and listening becomes a pleasure rather than something you have to work at.

Hopefully one day it will be paired with a yet-to-be-acquired transmitter and I'll participate in a few AM QSOs

73

KF5CZO