#233

After a few months I decided to upload this video. Back on the Hallicrafters S-38 working through a few small problems.
Support The Radio Shop on Patreon;
/ theradioshop
Contact Information;
gokarters.com/smf/index.php?to...
Discuss this on my website;
www.gokarters.com/smf

[@lomgshorts3]

I have a working S-38 on the shelf behind me! I had to recap and restore it three years ago, and it is a very good performer (Maybe not as good as the National HRO-5, but almost as good as a 1949 Navy morale radio). It will always get some TLC when it needs it for as long as I live.

[@PeopleAlreadyDidThis]

I just met an 85 year old ham who used an S-38 with a 6L6 home brew transmitter when he was first licensed in 1949. Great fellow who is planning how he can install an antenna at his new retirement complex! I have a nice S-38 I use for casual listening. It does surprisingly well on the lower bands with a 3-foot wire.

[@ka0kuj599]

The old guy is gonna need help with that antenna!

[@Backtothefutureradios]

Thanks Buddy! Appreciate you taking the time to post the video. I just picked up a S-38B and hope to repair/restore. Take Care-Larry W4PJP

[@TheRadioShop]

Good luck!

[@kenzuercher7497]

I've had one of these since 1966 when I got my Novice Ham license. I used it on 80 and 40 meter CW and worked 22 states. Band 4 was always silent til I built a preselector. It was given to me by my "elmer" and so I'll always keep it! Thanks for the video on this sentimental favorite! Ken W8VIW

[@alanbrown4766]

W1VTP: I got the S-38B new when I got my "ticket" back in '52. It was to my untrained ears a piece of junk. I took it back to Evans radio in Concord, NH and traded it for a Hammarlund SP-100 (which wasn't all that old a receiver back in those days). What a difference. I kept it for decades and foolishly gave it to a total stranger during the move from my previous QTH to my current one. I now have a S-38 (plain like yours) and will keep it as a reminder of the good old days. I'd love to get in touch with you via private email. I'm good in QRZ.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Alan for sharing that. I agree the S-38 will not win no awards, but the concept of it makes it a great unit. If you click the show more tab under the video there are links to my email address.

[@brad5947]

Recently picked one of these up and feel very fortunate to see you had made video on it. Like finding a treasure! Thank you!! 👍👌👍

[@multicyclist]

Always enjoy your video's. I restored a S38C I have (with the new style IF transformers) only to find out it had silver mica disease. I'll tackle taking apart and removing the mica wafers from the cans at a later date. The original S-38 like yours is the best one of those to have. I also have a SX-28, SX-100 Mark I, and some S-40, S40A, S40B of the Hallicrafters models sitting on the shelves waiting to be restored. My heart is really getting the SX28 restored when time permits.

[@LarryDeSilva64]

That cabinet is really in nice shape for its age. Really nice work Buddy. Yes that bunch of wire they had to the Electrolytics was crazy, You always want to keep the leads as short as you can so you have no extra wire to pic up stray rf or any other noises a/c hum etc. Great work thanks for sharing.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks, It is a nice looking old rig. Folks do not think about what long wires can do.

[@gatesmw50]

Glad to hear your input on how this radio is worthless in the higher frequencies. I have one and it is dead above 10-12 Mhz. Everywhere else it is ok.

[@TheRadioShop]

Very common with these.

[@nor4277]

I love the brand they are still very collectable ,people alway want to buy or fix these up,I am a fan.love your work.should last another 60 years.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Ron. Yep I like the old Hallicrafters stuff myself.

[@Joe-KN4IFI]

I know the S-38 was not the greatest receiver in the world when it was made but I have always loved the way they look. Great Vid Buddy. 73 Joe

[@TheRadioShop]

So do I. And this one cleaned up pretty nice.

[@Joe-KN4IFI]

@@TheRadioShop Yes it did. Don't see them in this nice of a condition that often.

[@tinkmarshino]

This was a lot of fun.. my dad had this radio and I still have his old all american 5 it worked last time I used it about 5 years ago.. but it needs to be gone through .. maybe I will do that this summer.. thanks!

[@bundylovess]

Nice job buddy big thumbs up 👍

[@Mr71chevyvan]

i restored two model S 120 over the years.my only beef with hallicrafters was the lack of an RF amp stage. the receiver was basically a 5 tube superhet table radio that tuned to close to 30 mhz . .

[@jeromegrzelak8236]

YEP

[@n2awa]

Big fan of this era Hallicrafters receivers. They really nailed the styling. The SX-42 and the SX-43 are my favorite looking rigs from this era. I run a 1946 S-40, which I refurbished and use on the air with a Viking Valiant transmitter. The Valiant has needed some TLC over the years, but still gets good signal reports.

[@lomgshorts3]

I used the Viking Valiant and an HRO-5TA1 for my Novice Station. An old furnace switch served as an antenna relay. I still have my Novice station log - it lists 450+ contacts CW from the late 70's to early 80's when I passed my General and Tech class tests on the same day. It took special permission from the Buffalo Field Office of the FCC to do that then. I passed on the first try for each! Burt Johns WA2IYA was my Elmer! Bless you Burt, you were a good teacher!

[@thunderkunt5416]

Lovely humor 😂😂

[@dougmcartin3881]

I think every ham who has been around for a while has had one of the S-38 series receivers on the bench at one time or another. It really was an entry level radio but I imagine many a novice back in the 1940's and 50's struggled with one of these trying to make contacts. Back then you used what you could afford or borrow. 73 Doug.

[@TheRadioShop]

I agree Doug. I have probably had a half dozen of these rigs over the years. This one I will keep for the memories.

[@PapasDino]

Great job Buddy...looking forward to your restoration tips video! 73 - Dino KL0S

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Dino. Hope you are doing good.

[@PapasDino]

Doing well...although I still can't get that darn Tek TAS465 chassis out of the case...even with severe "percussive" effort...yeah, a mallet and a piece of wood but it still won't budge (and yes, I did take the side screw out of the case LOL!). CUL.

[@scottlee1211]

Another very informative video! Thanks Buddy!!!

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks

[@bblod4896]

Nice job Buddy. Thanks for the video.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks B. Good to see you my friend

[@Homer19521]

That 0.1uF 1600W brown cap at the bottom of the screen ~18 minutes might be a durapaper cap like used in the Hammarlunds. You might want to check it for leakage. Nice video.

[@TheRadioShop]

I have seen those you mentioned. Will check them out.

[@chuckm3262]

I enjoy your videos

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks

[@watsok]

I just realized how bad my youtube audio AGC circuit is when watching these videos. Enjoy watching what you do.

[@TheRadioShop]

You need to get a tube amplifier between the pc and the head phones lol. Thanks Kenneth.

[@chuckk5358]

I really appreciate the way you take your time and explain things along the way. I had to chuckle when I heard the ad for a 21st century meeting software on a mid-20th century radio. Pretty cool. I picked up a Heathkit Mohican GC-1A last year as a project. I'd love to get my hands on an assembly and set up manual for it. Any suggestions where to look? My initial internet search didn't help. Thanks

[@old64goat]

Are you going to replace the power cord on the S-38 to a 3 prong ? I was thinking of doing that on my Hallicrafters S-86 because it has a hot chassis, I do not feel safe without grounding the chassis. I have my S-86 on an isolation transformer now.

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Bill, Well, since the rig is mine and it already has a two wire polarized plug I will not change it. A lot of my own equipment does not get changed. Although I do recommend folks to do so for safety purposes. Good question my friend.

[@wansolve2036]

Great video ! Please let us know where you end up sourcing that Trimmer Cap, I didn't know they were even still avail anymore.

[@throttlebottle5906]

need some long ceramic drivers for adjustment.

[@cuban9splat]

It may not be a top performing radio, but for casual listening it will perform well with a quality speaker. Very nice job Buddy. Thanks for sharing it with us. 73 DE K7RMJ Frank

[@TheRadioShop]

You are right frank. Lots of folks started out with these units. And why I picked this one up. Thanks for stopping in.

[@throttlebottle5906]

miles of welding cable, hahaha

[@markgoodsmith7229]

Great video! I am starting my own S-38 restoration and following your advice. Have one question that I cant find an answer too. Can you point me to what an RMA dummy antenna is and how to make one?

[@docholliday3150]

Buddy, nice work..I restored one of these about a year ago. It had some mods I removed every cap and resistor was bad. The case was rusty and I repainted and replaced the decals. You didn't mention how the CW works. I was able to get mine working on all bands but just wondered what your opinion of that circuit is. I gave it to my 84 year old father for Christmas. He really likes it.

[@TheRadioShop]

Good show! I bet he loved it. Yes CW works fairly well on this one. On 40 and 80 that is. The circuit. Well these use a simple supper het. The LC ratio are a bit low on higher frequencies. They use the same capacitance range on all bands. That is mostly the problem with these single tube convertor stages. Dont get me wrong. They are good old receivers but were built to a price.

[@Radionut]

Do you happen to know where I could get a reproduction rear cover for my S38? And also where do I get the receive standby switch? Mine has a rotary dial that as far as I can tell doesn’t do anything in place of the receive standby. It’s going to require it has the hot chassis fixed already and has been re-capped

[@geoffquickfall]

Welding cable, too funny! I have a 38d to restore, may I assume similar in design, no mica silver?

[@TheRadioShop]

LOL thanks. If I remember correctly the 38D does have mica in the IF cans,

[@dennisperusse3837]

Great video. I have an S40B but band 4 is dead. Any ideas on how to deal with it or do you think that it is just antenna related? My antenna is just a long single length of wire.

[@TheRadioShop]

High band on these stink. Just the design is not the best. A preselector would help.

[@micjam1986]

@ 8:16 middle screen to the left.. that square ceramic item down low to the chassis... is that a heat compensating capacitor? i have one like that in my Hallicrafters S-20R.. is there an adjustment for that?

[@TheRadioShop]

Nope, just a dual ceramic capacitor

[@MikesRadioRepairRestoration]

Repairing the mica trimmer didnt fix the problem with band two did it? I know. Ive been here. Tell us what solution you used to get the Osc 455 Khz above the desired receive frequency.

[@fredguitarman3536]

Have you noticed there is no fuse to protect the radio from catching fire

[@TheRadioShop]

Yep, none of the rigs from this era will have a fuse. That will be addressed in the next video.

[@pauldavis22]

I wonder if you could do a video on how to use a signal generator? I recently acquired one and would like to know how to use it.

[@TheRadioShop]

I have planned on doing that. What type of generator do you have?

[@pauldavis22]

@@TheRadioShop Well it's an old Eico 324

[@pauldavis22]

@@TheRadioShop I have a question. I have a Yaesu FR 101 that is deaf on the am band both wide and narrow. I removed and cleaned all the boards and put them back. I took the mode switch out to check it and the green wire came off. I don't know where it goes. I would appreciate any help.

[@robertmitchum2972]

I have the S-38B. All works fine but band #4 seems to be dead. Very low audio and nothing heard there at all. Any ideas on what to look for?

[@TheRadioShop]

This is a problem with this rig.

[@Mr_Meowingtons]

yeah Buffalo!!! @23:55

[@TheRadioShop]

Shows how long it has been since I shot the video

[@vicmabus1532]

Looks like they just spliced the filters into the wires from the original multi cap can

[@jeromegrzelak8236]

PURLEY INSPERATIONAL KG6MN

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks

[@2packs4sure]

Wow,, those tones were blowing my eardrums out like never before,,, ouch ....

[@ianbutler1983]

You should try turning your volume down.

[@2packs4sure]

@@ianbutler1983 Don't be one of those guys....

[@brianpurchis5718]

I would very much like to talk to you, I wonder if you would repair a couple of radios that need repair, I do not expect it to be free. Contact me if you would, Brian