"COLIN LAMB" wrote in message
m...
Hello Richard:

I think I know what the problem is - but this is only a
guess. Both you and I have S-40A receivers where the
bandspread capacitor has the lockout pin on the wrong side
of the retaining plate. They both appear to be factory
jobs, and the problem is that the receiver cannot be
calibrated correctly.

In all cases, the restringing technique is the same for
the S-40, the S-40A and the S-40B.

I think the only logical conclusion is that Hallicrafters
received a number of capacitors that were manufactured
defectively. They may have made them themselves, which
means that they would waste the money in remaking them.
Or, if a sub-contractor did it, they may have received a
substantial price break. In either case, Hallicrafters
made the conscious decision to use these defective
capacitors and save money.

By stringing these capcaitors like you suggest, everything
will operate normally. And, there will not be a problem
for years - or ever. I suspect that in both of our
receivers, the bandspread string broke and required
restringing. In both cases, the restringer strung it just
as the service instructions specified - which is why they
do not work correctly. Since the original change could
not be observed (because the original string was broken),
the restringer would not know of the problem.

I think your solution is the only reasonable one. I
suppose we should put a note inside the receiver, so that
in 30 years, when the string breaks again, the same issue
will not arise once more.

Perhaps we could put our S-40A receivers on eBay and
advertise them as unique or rare.

Glad you posted this, as I was beginning to think I had
simply been working on old radios far too long.

73, Colin K7FM
I was able to find the right bearings (1/8th inch BTW)
locally and replaced the missing ones. I crossed the string
to the main pully and it works fine. However, I rather
wonder if someone in the dear dead past may have written an
artical suggesting a mod to make the band-spread dial run
from 100 down as it does on many other receivers.
Hallicrafters seems to have chosen to make their dials
indicate relative capacitance, or, perhaps wavelength. Mine
didn't need a new dial string, the original was there but
the spring on the pully was gone and the string was just
lying there. I was able to make a spring but cutting down a
standard spring from the hardware store. When threaded as
shown in the handbooks the string is just right, when
crossed over its just a bit short but I could still use it.
I rather wonder if someone perhaps published a mod for
these receivers to make the band spread dial run the way it
does in most other brands of receivers, i.e., 100 being the
set point. The dial would then make sense in terms of
frequency change, i.e., higher numbers indicating higher
frequencies. I have no idea why Hallicrafters chose to
number their band-spread dials oppositely, but they did. I
may still try to remove the peg by drilling it out but I
have other work to do on this guy so that will have to wait.
Lots of caps to replace plus the power switch gave up the
ghost tonight. I opened it and one of the little tabs was
broken off. Perhaps I can find a replacement but, for the
moment, I will probably mount a snap switch in the line cord
(which I have to replace anyway. I think this RX has had a
long and hard life and deserves some TLC at this point.


--

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL