The Hallicrafters Company manufactured, marketed, and sold radio equipment, and to a lesser extent televisions and phonographs, beginning in 1932. The company was founded by William J. Halligan and based in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States. In 1966 Halligan sold the company to the

Northrop Corporation Northrop Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its 1994 merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, most successfully the B-2 Spiri ...

History

William J. Halligan (1898–1992), founded Hallicrafters Company in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in late 1932. Prior to this, he had been involved in radio parts sales for some years but decided the time was right for a handcrafted

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 ...

receiver - the company name being a combination of Halli(gan) and (hand)crafters. The new company was located at 417 State Street and immediately ran into

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

difficulties when

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

decided to sue them for building radio sets without an RCA patent license. An opportunity came to purchase the concern of Silver-Marshall Inc. in 1933 and, with it, an RCA patent license as the most valuable asset. In order to meet their financial obligations, Hallicrafters produced radios for other manufacturers until they were financially able to begin production of their own line of communications receivers, starting with the SX-9 'Super Skyrider', in late 1935. By 1938, Hallicrafters was doing business in eighty-nine countries and manufactured the most popular sets in the USA. That year, the company began to produce

radio transmitters In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

. With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the company prepared for wartime production, and was responsible for new designs and innovations for use by the U.S. troops; probably the best-known were the HT-4/

BC-610 The BC-610 was a radio transmitter based on the Hallicrafters HT-4 and was used by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. History In the early 1940s, the U.S. military sought a high-powered radio transmitter capable of infallible voice ...

and related equipment used in the military

SCR-299 The SCR-299 was a U.S. Signal Corps mobile military communications unit used during World War II. History The SCR-299 "mobile communications unit" was developed to provide long-range communications during World War II. The US Military sought im ...

communications package. Production of Ham radio gear and other items was suspended until 1945. After the war, focus was again on consumer electronics, including radio phonographs, AM/FM receivers, clock radios and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

s.Chuck Dachis
''The History of Hallicrafters''
The boom years for Hallicrafters were from 1945 to 1963, during which the company produced equipment considered by many to be superbly designed, including the famous S-38 receiver, which received a cosmetic "makeover" by industrial designer

Raymond Loewy Raymond Loewy ( , ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by ''Time'' magazi ...

. In 1952 Hallicrafters' main plant in Chicago housed general offices and the factory and was a block long. In addition to the main plant was a 3-story building of two blocks away, a 1-story coil plant of on Chicago's north side, and of production and storage space in three other buildings within a five-mile radius of the main plant. The company employed 2,500 people. During the

Cold war era The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of Geopolitics, geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term ''Cold war (term), co ...

, the company took active participation in the

Blue Streak Blue Streak or Bluestreak may refer to: Entertainment * ''Blue Streak'' (album), a 1995 album by American blues guitarist Luther Allison * Blue Streak (comics), a secret identity used by three separate Marvel Comics supervillains * Bluestreak (co ...

(UK) and

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

(U.S.) missile projects, helped to develop capability for many areas of

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

and in missile field, including code translator data systems,

ground support equipment File:Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 before Flying to Doha, 6 Jan 2015.jpg, Qatar Airways Airbus A380-800 on apron outside Heathrow Terminal 4 with a wide range of ground handling equipment around such as aircraft con ...

electronic countermeasure An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

s testing and antenna systems,

infrared homing Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...

techniques, also company provided tactically deployed maintenance and technical support teams for mentioned missile systems,Hallicrafters World Wide “Btue Streak” Project
// ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', Mid-December, 1960, v. 73, no. 27, p. 189. it supplied airborne target simulator system for

Nike Zeus Nike Zeus was an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system developed by the US Army during the late 1950s and early 1960s that was designed to destroy incoming Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile warheads before they could hit their targets. ...

, electronic countermeasure systems for Douglas EB-66E and

Boeing B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

aircraft. Its R&D divisions (Manson Laboratories in

Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. In 2017, it was the sixth-wealthiest town per capita in Connecticut, the wealthiest U.S. state per capita. Officially recog ...

, and Military Electronics Division in Chicago) developed

penetration aid A penetration aid (or "penaid") is a device or tactic used to increase an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warhead's chances of penetrating a target's defenses. These can consist of both ''physical devices'' carried within the ICBM (as p ...

s for

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

s and participated in various other classified programs. In the words of its

advertising slogan Advertising slogans are short phrases used in advertising campaigns to generate publicity and unify a company's marketing strategy. The phrases may be used to attract attention to a distinctive product feature or reinforce a company's brand. Etym ...

ry, the company supported “America’s defense umbrella.” In 1966 Halligan sold the company to the

and Halligan family involvement ended. Northrop ran the company until the early 1970s, but by this time, fierce Japanese competition was putting pressure on the US domestic electronics market. Northrop sold the company name (but kept the factory, by then located in Rolling Meadows, a Chicago suburb) in 1975, bringing non-military electronics production to an end. The Hallicrafters plant became Northrop Corporation's Defense Systems Division. The name and assets of Hallicrafters were traded over the following years, even though there were no products bearing the name. Since around 1988, the remaining assets and rights to the 'Hallicrafters' name and logos have been held by court-appointed trustees. (Note: one known 1980s product bearing the Hallicrafters name does exist - a 4-line plus intercom telephone.) Hallicrafters equipment remains in use by collectors and

vintage amateur radio Vintage amateur radio is a subset of amateur radio hobby where enthusiasts collect, restore, preserve, build, and operate amateur radio equipment from bygone years, such as those using vacuum tube technology. Popular modes of operation include spe ...

enthusiasts.

Equipment

Pre war

Some of the more well-known Hallicrafters equipment from the pre-war period include: *Super Skyrider, model SX-9 (1936), equipped with a large German silver tuning dial, and one of the first receivers to use the new "all-metal" vacuum tubes. *Ultra Skyrider, model SX-10 (1936), able to tune what were then sometimes referred to as "UHF" bands (frequencies above 30 megahertz). *Skyrider Diversity (1938), actually two complete multi-tube receivers side-by-side. This enabled the operator to connect two different antennas to the set and counteract the effects of fading. A huge set and today, one of the most sought-after models. * HT-4 Transmitter (1938), an efficient high-performance transmitter for the Ham bands, later to become famous in World War II as the BC-610. It was sold well into the late 1940s. *Model S-19 Sky Buddy (1938), an octal tube version of the Hallicrafters 5-T receiver. *Skyrider 23, model SX-23 (1939), famous for its innovative "art-deco" cabinet design. * Super Skyrider SX-28, (1940–43) and SX-28A (1944–46), one of the most popular Hallicrafters receivers. Its design was state of the art for the time, and featured excellent external styling. The SX-28 was notable for audio that sounded better than many expensive home receivers. It is still easy to find today, and remains a favorite of collectors.

Wartime

/399 (1942), complete mobile HF station on frequencies from 2-8 MHz (and 1-18 MHz using conversion kits), entire unit came in a K-51 truck except Power Unit PE-95 which was in a K-52 trailer. *SCR-543/593 (1944), also sold after the war as the model BC-669-B, a medium-range (25–100 nm) portable vehicular and ground set for CAC. *SCR-593 was a portable receiver. * S-36A Ultra High Frequency Communications Receiver. Covering 27.8 to 143 Mhz in AM or FM *Model S-40 (1946) A multiband single conversion radio with 455 KHz IF. Covered Broadcast Band (

Medium Wave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime ...

) to 44 MHz. *Model SX-42 (1948), a massive receiver featuring the new FM band. It, too, was popular for its appearance, styled by the famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy. The SX-42 was a dual-purpose receiver; it provided not only shortwave reception, but standard AM broadcast and FM reception. *Model SX-62 (1949), an updated version of the SX-42, with improved circuitry and cabinet styling. *Model SX-73 (1952), a professional receiver aimed mainly at the military market, but also available on the civilian market. It was Hallicrafters' answer to the Hammarlund SP-600 Super-Pro. *Model HT-20 (1952), an all-purpose shortwave transmitter, featuring multi-band switching. *Model S-85 (1954-5), general coverage (560 kHz-30 MHz/4 bands), single conversion), amateur

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 ...

(10-80m), dual tuning dials, RF and audio gain controls, beat frequency oscillator (controllable frequency), transmit/receive switch, sold for $119.95 at Sears, Roebuck and Co. *Model SX-88 (1954), at the time, the finest commercial receiver available. The SX-88 was designed for the operator for whom cost was not a concern, and featured outstanding performance and appearance. Less than 100 are known to exist, as such they are highly prized by ham radio operators. *Model SX-96 (1954-5), general coverage (560 kHz-30 MHz/4 bands), double conversion, S-meter, crystal filter, amateur bandspread (10-80m), dual tuning dials, RF and audio gain controls, beat frequency oscillator (controllable frequency), transmit/receive switch, sold for ~$169. *Model HT-30 (1954), The first single-sideband transmitter made by Hallicrafters. *Model SX-100 (1955), a double conversion superhet general coverage receiver with SSB capability and bandspread tuning for the 10-80 meter amateur bands. *Model SX-101 (1956), the first ham band only receiver built by Hallicrafters *Model HT-32 (1957), the most popular SSB transmitter made by Hallicrafters *Model HT-37 (1959), a lower cost version of the HT-32, using phasing type SSB generation. A well-designed transmitter, and many are still in service today. *Model SX-110 (1959-1962) A large receiver for the Amateur Radio (Ham) market. *Model SX-115 (1961), yet another large receiver for the Amateur Radio market. It featured a huge central dial, and is another model prized by collectors. *Model S-119 (1961), commemorative Sky Buddy model celebrating the 100th receiver model produced since the original S-19. *Model SX-117 (1965), triple conversion receiver, covered 10-80 meter amateur radio bands with added 10 MHz WWV. *Model HT-44 (1962), transmitter with continuous wave (CW) and single-sideband (SSB) capability on 10 to 80-meter amateur radio bands. The HT-44 was the matching transmitter for the SX-117 receiver.

References

Sources

*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

External links

Hallicrafters Virtual MuseumHallicrafters rigsHallicrafters Radio IO Group
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