The Hallicrafters SX-28 "Super Skyrider" is an American

shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...

communications receiver A communications receiver is a type of radio receiver used as a component of a radio communication link. This is in contrast to a ''broadcast receiver'' which is used to receive radio broadcasts. A communication receiver receives parts of the r ...

that was produced between 1940 and 1946 that saw wide use by

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...

, government and military services.

History

In July 1940, the Hallicrafters Company announced the SX-28 "Super Skyrider", the result of a development effort by 12 staff

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

s and analysis of more than 600 reports that included input from

U.S. government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

engineers, commercial users, and

amateur radio operator An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators hav ...

s. The SX-28's distinctive

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styling was considered sleek and strikingly modern in 1940. The

radio frequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upp ...

coverage was 550 kHz (0.55 MHz) to 43

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

in six bands. The SX-28 included an Amplified AVC, a Lamb Noise Silencer, Calibrated

bandspread In a radio receiver, a bandspread control is a secondary tuning control that allows accurate tuning of closely spaced frequencies of a radio band. With a main tuning control that covered a wide range of frequencies, for example 10-14 megahertz in a ...

, and Push-Pull audio output. The SX-28 was known for its high fidelity audio together with high sensitivity, stability and selectivity, and good purchase value.http://www.radioblvd.com/SX28Notes.html Western Historic Radio Museum, ''The Hallicrafters SX-28, A pre-war masterpiece'' The SX-28 saw use by various branches of U.S. and allied military and intelligence agencies during World War II. SX-28 and Hallicrafters S-27 and S-36 receivers were often rack mounted in British government listening posts and secret listening stations for monitoring German

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

and communications during the war such as

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in the English Midlands where German and Italian encrypted radio messages were sent to

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...

for decoding. A number of the receivers were sent to the Soviet Union as a part of the

Lend Lease Act Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

, subsequently modified to accommodate Russian tubes. Hallicrafters published that 50,000 SX-28 and SX-28A's had been built by the end of its production run in 1946, however the serial numbers appear to indicate a production figure of half, approximately 27,500 receivers. Many of the SX-28/28A's that exist today are in the hands of

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collectors and amateur radio operators.

The "Skyrider" name

The name "Skyrider" was intended to bestow an aura of exotic adventure to Hallicrafters products and had a long history with the company. The first Hallicrafters set to be dubbed with the name was the 1932 S-1.

Variations

Variations and special versions of the SX-28 were produced over the years. During World War II, Hallicrafters continued to redesign portions of the SX-28.

Specialty versions

*AN/GRR-2 - introduced in February 1944 became the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

SX-28A, a ruggedized unit built for

U.S. Army Signal Corps ) , colors = Orange and white , colors_label = Corps colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = ...

and U.S. Navy use.http://jproc.ca/army/index.html Canadian Army Communications - 1944

References

{{reflist

General references

*de Hensler, Max. The Hallicrafters Story. Charleston, West Virginia: ARCA Press, 1988 *Moore, Raymond. Communications Receivers, Fourth Edition. La Belle, Florida: RSM Communications, 1997 *Osterman, Fred. Shortwave Receivers Past and Present. Reynoldsburg, Ohio: Universal Radio Research, 1998 *Dachis, Chuck. Radios by Hallicrafters. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Books for Collectors, 1999 *SX-28 and SX-28A Manuals, VOLs. XII and XVI, Riders Perpetual Troubleshooting Manual *AN/GRR-2 Manual, Army # TM-11-874, military SX-28A *

QST ''QST'' is a magazine for amateur radio enthusiasts, published by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). It is a membership journal that is included with membership in the ARRL. The publisher claims that circulation of ''QST'' in the United St ...

, July,1940 to 1946 *

ARRL The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the United States. ARRL is a non-profit organization, and was co-founded on April 6, 1914, by Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska of ...

Handbook 1946

External links

Western Historic Radio Museum, ''The Hallicrafters SX-28, A pre-war masterpiece''
Amateur radio receivers Military radio systems of the United States World War II American electronics Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944