How to repair re-cap Hallicrafters S-40A tube shortwave Ham receiver

I am repairing this receiver for my cousin. He is a new Ham operator, KM4YMG. This Vintage radio is in excellent cosmetic condition. It needed all new capacitors. The tuning cap was very dirty. I solved intermittent tuning operation using dental floss and Deoxit. Now the receiver is running well. Could use an alignment. The bands are sensitive. Listened to some crazy CBers. Great project. Nice to give new life to this classic rig.

[@tubeDude48]

At 5:08, YES! Replace those CAPs! Thank You!

[@greggaieck4808]

D lab Electronics I like when you fix electronics like amplifier and shortwave receivers

[@mikeerstad3705]

Love my Hallicrafters S-40B....recapped,aligned and she's rock solid...

[@greggaieck4808]

D lab Electronics your utube videos are awesome

[@stupullenchannel3525]

I had one of these in pristine condition back in the 90s and had to give it up when moving ... Thanks for a stroll down memory lane!

[@vtradio]

Terry - watched it again and enjoyed it very much. I still listen to my Hallicrafers S-40B from time to time. 73 Paul AA1SU

[@dougmcartin3881]

I just finished going through an S-40B in which I replaced every wax cap, filter cap, audio output xformer and in this one almost every carbon resistor was out by 30% or more. They must have gotten a bad batch of resistors when they built this guy. It came out very well and is now my workbench radio and you are absolutely right they are really great sounding receivers when done up right and aligned properly. Thanks for the look see. 73 Doug K2JJ

[@unacceptableechopapamike7189]

This brought back memories, in the 60-70’s my dad (a Ham) used this. I’d tune it to radio and study listening to it.

[@dakotajonathan5710]

i know it's kinda off topic but do anybody know of a good site to stream new series online ?

[@LarryDeSilva64]

That dental floss trick with the deoxit I never saw before. I have a Halllicrafters S-20-R that just Hums like this did in the beginning needs to be recapped. But of course its much much older than this one. Great project. Always nice giving new life to vintage ham equipment and radios.

[@johnnytacokleinschmidt515]

I have one A TV shop owner and friend helped me to restore. It was primarily capacitor replacement. Mine plays really well even after a decade. I don't use it all of the time, but it's a pleasure to use and plenty sensitive. It has a Heathkit Q-Multiplier added. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@umajunkcollector]

yup, very popular tube rig. I had a Continental 5R40 as a kid, it buzzed. My first SWL radio, fascinated with good radio back then.

[@craigbrodie9087]

3 hours of repairing? Cannot imagine that it will take that long. Hope that its all worth it. Love this video. Many thanks for producing this video. Very informative! Please keep producing more of these videos.

[@chuck9403]

Hi Terry. Thanks for the dental floss trick. I have used it a 1/2 dozen times since your introduction. Keep up the great work. Chuck

[@flatfrog69rr71]

Hi Terry Thank you for another excellent video It is nice to see you not drinking in your latest video it is brilliant to show a good example to others not to have food in the workshop Also I have found years ago a good way of cleaning between the vanes is to use a discarded large bird feather Thanks once again !!

[@ronalddaub9740]

Love the dial!!!!!!

[@dennisperusse3837]

great video. Hayseed hamfest makes cap replacement kits for many hallicrafters radios and even some heathkit models as well. That's what I used on my S40-B in case anyone wanted to just get a set of replacement caps from one vendor instead of going through several.

[@brendakeiffer4039]

I had a lot of Heath equipment in the 70s including a GRD 2000 TV kit and Oscilloscope I assembled . I use a Panasonic model # RF -2200 And I'm rebuilding a Hallicrafters. CB 3 A tubes light no sound. I am wondering if It is the AF tube who has them now a days ? Whats the best receiver for SW SSB ? Thanks. Renegade WDX4JPS

[@WayneMemphisMojo]

Hey Hey Mr. Terry! ... great job correcting this receiver! Nice shout-out to my local parts supplier "Tube Depot" (even though they are local I still have my stuff shipped to me & I usually get it the next day). Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@CT7ARQ]

I love this receiver! Hope one day have one. 73's de Pedro CT7ARQ

[@-Todays-Tom-Sawyer-]

My S-40A was the first set that I ever re-capped 3 years ago. I used your filter cap trick. The dental floss trick is fantastic! Great video Terry, as usual! Frank, KF6HF

[@rciancia]

Nice Job Terry. I just restored a s38B. They had that hot chassis and had everything isolated to the case and controls... quite dangerous. Looks like the S40 was designed much better. Nice tip on the dental floss.. thank you much my friend.

[@TheRadioShop]

Another great repair Terry. Keep up the good work

[@MichaelLloyd]

I like the dental floss trick. Very handy.

[@brendakeiffer4039]

Excellent floss idea ne Er heard that one in 65 years

[@catman351]

Thanks for the video Terry. The S 40A was my first shortwave radio. Also my first ham rig. I would love to have another later on just to rekindle my experience with this old radio. Great video! 73.

[@dtfleming01]

Outstanding information - thanks for taking the time to explain your methods. Love the dental floss idea.

[@gaffeltroll]

I Love Your Videos. Your way you explain things. A true inspiration for me when I'm going to have life in my S38. Fantastic. Thank you very much Mr.

[@moustaphamuhammad7013]

Wonderful receiver set. Nice handling from you. Hope to find one nowadays.

[@countryside8122]

I always use an variable ac transformer 0-120 VAC. Start low and bring up slow. It prevents the filter caps from blowing. Works great and make sure you switch to a polarized power cord.

[@w2vmc953]

Cool - Thanks for the information! I've got an S-40B awaiting a transformer replacement, and I'll definitely use the dental-floss trick when I rebuild it.

[@nor4277]

I never seen the close trick I like it.thanks for shareing

[@rwl0323]

Thanks for the tips! I have one in dire need of restoration.

[@vk5jajay147]

Top job Terry 👍👌

[@n8nkqrp595]

This is the most pleasant, well made, informative S-40A video I've ever seen. Thanks. 72

[@d-labelectronics]

Thank you my friend, The S-40A has always been my favorite general coverage RX. Love the green dial!

[@Norcalcrimewatch]

@@d-labelectronics I noticed some of the Domino looking caps are still in it. Did you need to replace nay of those? Just curious as I'm about to replace the caps in a model S-77 I just picked up.

[@bassman7115]

....this hobby is actually becoming a serious addiction.

[@williamperrin990]

The other thing, these are very common. They must have built a ton of them. Nice video.

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes they are. Most I find are rust buckets. I was very impressed with the condition of this one

[@richardbrobeck2384]

nice trick

[@DeadKoby]

Capacitors... just change em... it's always the caps. I still have the "win" for 350 caps in one project on KZbin. LOL.

[@God-CDXX]

'' It's always the caps '' THIS IS A TREW STASMENT

[@cfcreative1]

The bright tone blows me away.

[@superhet7281]

Excellent job! The 40 and 40A were better lookin' than the cost-reduced 40B.

[@superhet7281]

Hi Terry, what is your source for the multi-section clamp-mount electrolytics? Are they expensive?

[@BlakesGarage1]

Great video! I just bought one of these and it has the hum. Can't wait to go through it. 73 -KE0QEU

[@vtradio]

Terry - nice video and nice recap job. I have a Hallicrafters S40B that I was listening to a baseball game on when I found your video. I completely recapped it last year. Some resistors are still out of spec. I posted Part I of a video, but still have to upload Part II. It was my first (& only) recap job. I have a S38A that I may also recap in the near future. 73 Paul AA1SU

[@jerdobi]

Great DIY on this S-40A! I have a SX-100 that's pristine, but it's daunting to me to do an alignment. I'd love you to do a restoration / alignment for this brute.

[@me-cq7wv]

Audio is beautiful.

[@Antony_Jenner]

Very nice!!!

[@microreniassance2929]

Nice!

[@greggaieck4808]

D lab Electronics the owner Hallicrafters s-40A shortwave receiver is cool

[@hunt555fish]

Where did you purchase the new can filter cap?Nice job on the rebuild.

[@kevmichael2064]

Good HF Radio.... With SSB....

[@ciptoudiyono553]

Good2 indonesia nyimak mantaap mantaap

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

You can also remove the variable condenser which needs its rubber feet renewed anyway and put the whole capacitor in either deoxit, or acetone and if you have an ultrasonic cleaner let's it do all its work of cleaning and then go back after drying with machine oil into the bearings. That makes tuning much more pleasant than just cleaning the contacts

[@medhawk4885]

WHAT?......No Wine?..... hahahaha........Another great video sir. I've been looking for one of these, but E-Bay is not always the best solution. Great sounding radio.

[@d-labelectronics]

I had the wine following the repair. Yes, these are great radios. This one is in exceptional cosmetic shape.

[@waynethompson8416]

Enjoyed your video! I have a Hallicrafters 8R40 that I need to repair and align...not too worried about the repair aspect, but I can't locate the instructions for the alignment for a Hallicrafters 8R40. Can you guide me in the right direction to obtain the instructions of how to align it?

[@mikafoxx2717]

What may be worse than wax caps, is when every tube inside has been replaced by a 9 pin alternative, all the caps replaced, and it not work. Where to start? No idea..

[@jordanch68]

I like the dental floss method too. I've got two S-40's and two S-40A's to restore the only problem is I probably only have two full sets of knobs between them! Where to they all go? lol

[@HENRY-om7bw]

й какой Красивенький ! Шкала очень хорошая , видно куда двигаться .... мне нравится очень !

[@zzy09azy]

I need some advice. I bought an S40 last year, and finally got around to working with it a few months ago. I finished recapping it and replaced the resistors that measured out of spec. It seemed to improve its performance, such as it is, but still can't get it to work. When I twist the tuning knob I get blips of noise across the bands. Seems to be pulling in stations, but can't demodulate them. I'm thinking a bad tube or two, or maybe a defective tube socket. The most likely culprit, I think, is the 6SA7 mixer/oscillator, but it could be one of the two 6SK7s. Please advise.

[@nazarlive2137]

Radio good

[@jayham1970]

I have one of these and [at bare minimum] I need to replace the filter cap. It was playing nicely, and then it developed that awful hum that you demonstrated. Also, do you happen to know where I might find a replacement knob for the band selector? The knob was missing on mine when I picked it up for a pretty good bargain.

[@ordinaryaverageguy76]

Cool flossing trick! With such a clean chassis topside, I guess I'd have been tempted to restuff the twistlok electrolytic or leave it in place with a terminal strip below chassis to carry new caps. Obsessive? :-) Looks like you tack the new poly caps onto the old leads if necessary, instead of trying to dig old leads out of all the tube sockets & terminals, is that right?

[@ronalddaub9740]

Sounds just like mine s 200 legionnaire

[@drtidrow]

Nice. I've got an S-40A in my to-do pile as well, along with several other Hallicrafters radios, so your dental floss trick will come in handy. What kind of antenna do you use? Did you ever do a video on it?

[@frankmooney7282]

I have a Hallicrafters Continental AA5. The schematic shows a .05 capacitor between oscillator and the band switch. But the radio doesn't have one in place origionally. Should I put one in or leave the way it's built. Thanks for your input.

[@jeromegrzelak8236]

That panel is CHERRY kg6mn

[@countryside8122]

I have 2 of them.

[@cwradio4571]

Terry can you explain to me how to calibrate the cw or pitch control? It seems way off

[@duanetrivett750]

I wood like to have a Heathkit Mohecan . I had one in the 80s and loved it . mabey you have one sale ?

[@jayham1970]

If the glass is broken on the large dial, can one still find a replacement?

[@ConfederceyCSA]

I have one of these, you get great signals, but I can't get any signals weak in my area, what type of Antenna are you using?

[@richardreiter9821]

YES SIR,I did enjoy the S-40A video. Is the S-40 very different from the S-40A ? Reason, I picked up and S-40 recently, but have not done anything with it yet. Did all the caps come from "Tube Depot" ? Thanks Very Much, Rich

[@Fireguy-]

Very nice vid. I inherited an S-40a, Brought it up slowly , all was looking good but after about 30 minutes of full ac power the volume faded to nothing. Any thoughts? all original caps.

[@XPFTP]

i have the B.. i know how you feel about it.... i love the B. got it at GS for 40 or 50.. orig 6.5ish out of 10.. recaped sounds sooo good.. i just have to find out what the 2 parts on VCs on left looking from back. they look like resistors but might be caps. it shows caps on schematic but iam not 100 % sure.. grrr

[@waynethompson8416]

Terry, Have you ever worked on a Hallicrafters 8R40 before? Do you have any opinion on that model?

[@futilesteps]

Hey, I just recently subscribed to your channel, and I was wondering if you could help me with my problem. I have small old gorilla guitar amp, I was replacing potentiometers but when I put it amp back in case it didn't work bcs of input 6.3mm jack touching metal housing of amp and it won't turn on. When I pull out that input jack away from contact with bare metal amp turns on and it works. Tnx in advance for detailed answer.

[@tommyn.j3628]

I woud do that same out with old cap and resistor shango o66 exampel do a half job . I like you way to do IT 👍👍 caps are cheap and resistor so why not change Them

[@ConfederceyCSA]

I have a Mint Condition Hallicrafters S-40A like this, and I also have the Rare Hallicrafters External S Meter, what would be the best Antenna for shortwave listening on this Radio? only the pitch control and the S-Meter don't work.

[@d-labelectronics]

A nice long wire + ground is all you need for that receiver

[@kenhancock8931]

TERRY,TERRY,TERRY that crap at the beginning is seeping into the pores of the world all to much. and now its seeped into your video ;-(. other than that always look forward to your video's! you're the man and not a COBLER!!

[@JackOfAllTrades2022]

Ive got a couple questions for you, I know its been 5 years since you did this, but I'm hoping you'll remember some of it. I have the S-40A Run 1-2, with the vacumm tube 80. My question is the Ecaps, I also have the 30,10 and 10 ecaps in the can, but theres that one underneath the chassis thats a 30 MDF 25 volts ( eCap) Can I replace it with a 450 volt Ecap 30 MDF? Right now the radio runs fine and I've replaced all of the wax caps, but getting no reading on the old ecap thats 30 MDF 25 volts underneath... no reading at all, is is it just dead, even when the radio seems fine? thanks for the video...

[@ronmcnuss4773]

Hey Jack - not sure if you got the answer, but YES, you can replace a 30MFD 25VDC Electrolytic with a 30MFD 450VDC Electrolytic... as always, make sure the polarity if correct (it does make a difference!)... have fun! 🙂

[@danielthomas791]

......if you could sell some of your expertise, you'd be VERY wealthy!!!..great video......

[@crabtrap]

i get a mild low vol hum from speaker in S-40a. no audio but the hum changes tone with the tone knob selection. 2 of the glass tubes do not heat either. any ideas Elmers?

[@lomgshorts3]

Hi, The two tubes that do not heat up probably have broken filaments. Take them to a ham with a tube checker to be sure, along with the rest to be checked for operation. Make sure you mark the sockets with the tube numbers/letters so You can put them back in the right socket.

[@lomgshorts3]

Also, sounds like you need to recap the radio, especially around the power supply.

[@crabtrap]

@@lomgshorts3 thx for info. I have tube checker and 100's of tubes so that should be easy to check. I assumed a recap but was hoping to get rx audio before getting in to deep. Thx

[@jeromegrzelak8236]

Thkg6mne Pannel is Cherry

[@russphilly]

Can I buy this onE ? !!!!

[@God-CDXX]

What is the difference between a S-40A and a S-40B??

[@superhet7281]

The 40 and 40A are identical, as far as I can tell. But the 40B shows lots of cost-cutting. It has a one-piece face, as opposed to separate inserts on the 40 and 40A. They removed the band spread flywheel, the accessory socket (that outboard S-meter accessory must have been a poor seller!) and went to cheaper miniature IF transformers. Also got rid of that fancy metal band switch knob. That's off the top of my head. Performance-wise, I guess they're about the same.

[@superhet7281]

Oh, and another thing: at some point Hallicrafters changed from 80 rectifier to 5Y3. That might be the difference between 40 and 40A.

[@johnkolb1247]

S-40A much better looking than the S-40 or S-40B.

[@supermancarlean]

amigo yo tengo esa radio nesecito me la repares vivo en costa rica

[@Samodelkin_777]

Кто из русских смотрит, включайте скорость на 0,5 и английские слова будете понимать

[@RobertKohut]

Nice!