The Radio History Page

of WA5OTR

A while back, I got to thinking of all the different radios and accessories that I have owned over the years and started looking for pictures of those radios.  The following is a list with pictures and approximate chronological order of when I owned them.  There are a number of radios on HF and VHF/UHF that I could not find photos of or I have just flat forgotten that I owned over the years.  This list does cover a period of 45 years as a licensed amateur operator!

Present Station: 2008

I started collecting the present station in the Fall of 2007.  My antennas and house took a direct lightening hit in July of 2007.  The total bill came to over $13000 in damage to my computer network, amateur radio equipment, and house.  When I started collecting my present station, I had a really strong desire to go back to older equipment that had old fashioned tubes, meters, and analog tuning.  The old desire to own the radio station I had wanted since I first laid my hands on the receiver at a local ham outlet came out and I ended up purchasing that equipment over EBAY.

I also purchased a AC-3, AC-4, and MS-4 speaker.  The microphone I still owned from 40 years ago is a Turner S-33D.  It still works great. I now have somewhere around $1100 tied up in 30 year old equipment.  It's been more expensive that I had planned --BUT-- in a rough comparison between my FT-857d, my TS-690S, and the Drake R-4C, I think the Drake out performs the Yaesu and Kenwood receivers, and I really love the analog VFO verses the digital VFO's!  The R4C also has a much better sounding audio on its MS-4 speaker verse the FT-857d and TS-690S on a GE MasterProg mobile speakers that is very efficient mobile speakers.

My present mobile equipment is a Yaesu FT-857d, remote mounted with an ATAS-120A antenna for HF thru 6 meters andtennex Genesis antennas for 2m and 440 hooked through a Comet duplexer.

My wife's vehicle has a Yaesu FT7900R installed in it.  I also have several ALinco DR-130t installed in other vehicles and on my shelf waiting their job assignments.

In Dec, 2009, I added a Kenwood TS-520s to my station.  It had sat on a fellow employee's closet shelf for more than 10 years after his father passed away and he sold it to me at a very reasonable price.  It looked brand new on the outside, and when I opened it up, after blowing a little dust out, looked brand new on the inside!  When I hooked it up to an antenna, it performed brand new!  I have since added the AT-200 tuner, SP-520 speaker, and VFO-520s.  I am looking for four other accessories for my Kenwood TS-520s.  I need the 6 and 2 meter transverters, the CW filter, and the DC module.  If you have any of these accessories and are interested in selling them, send me an email at WA5OTR@clarksons.org.  I am using my Kenwood mainly on 160 meters.  My Drake C line takes care of the other bands.  My goal is to use my Kenwood for 160, 6, and 2m SSB.

Other radios in my present radio station are as follows:

The Yaesu FT-690R11 is presently my 6 m SSS radio,  The Alnico DR-600 is for 146/440 FM, and the Kenwood TS-690s is in the shortwave receiver mode as its transmitter did not survive a direct lightening hit.

Now for my radio history in the order I owned them

1963: 1st Novice station:

Hallicrafters S-108 rcvr        Johnson Adventurer xmtr

1964: 2nd Novice station

Hammarlund HQ-110C rcvr      Hallicrafters HT-40 xmtr]

1966/1967: 1st Technician/General station

Hallicrafters SR-146 6m AM transceiver with HA26 VFO 

1967:  My first HF SSB station. 

National NC-303 Receiver                   Gonset GSB-100 transmitter

I added a an Ameco 6M converter to the receiver and a Heathkit HX-10 6m Phasing SSB xmtr in 1968.

1969:  I traded HF transmitters for a Hammarlund HX-50.  I also purchased a WRL DuoBander 84 for 75m and 40m mobile with a home brew Texas Bug catcher that was apx 12ft long.

HX-50                        DuoBander 84

1969 also saw the first use of 2m FM when I purchased an old Motorola 80D single channel VHF mobile.  Over the years, I converted a number of Motorola Low and High Band Land Mobile remote mount transceivers to 6m and 2m repeaters.

1971?  Purchased a Regency HR-2A for mobile and a Swan 12 channel mobile for the the fixed station.

I also traded off my trusty NC-303 (one of the really big mistakes I ever made!) and Hammarlund HX-50 for an SBE-34 xcvr.  This transceiver was a good performing transceiver but it lacked CW, both in its mode selection and its VFO.  That eventually played a part in trading it off on a Hallicrafters transmitter and receiver. 

1973:  I purchased a Hallicrafters SX-146 and HT-46 HF SSB/CW station.  This was a very good operating radio pair, probably much better than most people thought! 

1973/4: I added to my station with a Swan MB-40A.  This was another big mistake I made.  This particular radio came in with no serial number attached or etched on it.  I had to send it back to the factory several times and on one trip back it came back with a serial number tag on it of 00001.  This radio, when it worked right, was a great little radio, but a bit fickle at time!  I traded this radio and my Hallicrafters on a Yaesu FT-101E!

1978:  I started collecting my Yaesu FT-101E line and eventually had the full line of equipment except for the scope and the phone patch/speaker!

I owned my Yaesu equipment for about 14 years or so until it was fried by lightening along with my computer network!

1992/3/4:  (not sure of the exact dates anymore!) I ended up selling the entire Yaesu station after it was fried for a down payment on my TS-690S Kenwood transceiver.  This was my HF and 6m SSB station until the lightening hit again in July of 2007 and the transmitter suffered damage that was not repairable at a reasonable price!  The receiver was not damaged and the radio now is a general coverage receiver for 1Mhz - 54Mhz.  I would like to purchase a TS-690s that has a non-working receiver with a working transmitter so that I can make a receiver/transmitter station of the two radios.  if you have one of the radios with a non-working receiver and working transmitter and want to sell it a a reasonable price, please send me and email.

VHF and UHF FM

There were a number of other radios in between for mostly mobile use on 10m SSB, 2m FM, and 440 FM.  A few are pictured below: