SX-117 success!

[KL7AJ]

Well, I picked up a lonely SX-177 the other day and discovered the dial had broken off the drive gear! What a pain....theres no way of taking the front panel off this beast other than drilling out rivets, which is something I didn't want to do. Well, using my great surgical skill, I was able to tack the dial onto the gear with superglue. Then I was able to epoxy the thing in place securely. This was all done by remote control with LONG tweezers.....I felt like a one-legged flamenco dancer. This rig was NOT meant to be fixed...unlike most Hallicrafters rigs. ANYWAY.

Well, the good news is, other that some unsightly but invis9ible blobs of epoxy on the back of the dial, it works like a champ. I did a complete realignment and now I have a like new SX-117. Well, almost like new...a couple of knobs are missing the aluminum inserts that make them look especially festive. I think I can find some suitable replacements.

I need to say that, although this was a later rig, and supposedly more advanced, it's not quite as mechanically stable as my old SX-100, which I regrettably sold a couple of decades ago. Anyway...good to have a "new" hallicrafters in the house again.

Eric

[KD8DEY]

If I remember correctly wasn't the SX-117 a triple conversion and almost as rare as the SX-88??

[KL7AJ]

If I remember correctly wasn't the SX-117 a triple conversion and almost as rare as the SX-88??

It is triple conversion, but I don't think it's anywhere near as rare as the SX-88!

[N0SYA]

Good job, I can see chopsticks coming in handy for similar jobs.

[K9ASE]

It's always good to hear about a rescued hallicrafters

[K8ERV]

Glad to hear you are good at something-----

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[WA6MHZ]

If I remember correctly wasn't the SX-117 a triple conversion and almost as rare as the SX-88??

That's a SX-115! I have seen them going for $1000, so not as crazy as a 88. There was one at TRW a few months back. think he took it home.

[KT4AE]

What rivets? I've had three SX-117's and when you remove the knobs and the control retaining nuts the front panel comes right off. It's handy for cleaning the dial windows and the dial plate. As far as mechanical stability vs the SX-100, there must be something loose in yours because I also have both and there's no comparison. The SX-100 is mechanically stable enough if you don't hit the table, but the SX-117 is rock solid even if you do.

On one of mine, the dial plate had come loose from the gear and a previous owner had fixed it with gobs of solder. The dial gear teeth were so worn that it was almost impossible to tune the receiver accurately. Some other person has that one.

Harry, KT4AE

[KO6WB]

Hi Eric, posting some pictures would have been a nice touch. It's great you're having a good time with the old rig. Ahhhh, the memories of the older stuff. I had a SX-111 during my novice days as well as a DX-60B with a homemade VFO. Fun times indeed.
73
Gary

[KM1H]

I have both the SX-115 and 117 and dont consider them rare, there are always several around for sale.
Both do a decent job and both here are stable electrically and mechanically. Check the HFO cap ground wiper, a drop of DeOxit there often helps any radio as well as soldering the rivet to the cap frame.

Carl