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

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communications receiver Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not only transmit ...

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 radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

, 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

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

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engineers, commercial users, and

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s. The SX-28's distinctive

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styling was considered sleek and strikingly modern in 1940. The

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coverage was 550 kHz (0.55 MHz) to 43

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in six bands. The SX-28 included an Amplified AVC, a Lamb Noise Silencer, Calibrated bandspread, 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 system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

and communications during the war such as Beaumanor Hall in the English Midlands where German and Italian encrypted radio messages were sent to

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...

for decoding. A number of the receivers were sent to the Soviet Union as a part of the Lend Lease Act, subsequently modified to accommodate Russian tubes. Hallicrafters published that 50,000 SX-28 and SX-28As 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-28/28As 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 Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

SX-28A, a ruggedized unit built for U.S. Army Signal Corps and U.S. Navy use.http://jproc.ca/army/index.html Canadian Army Communications - 1944

References

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, 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 H ...

Handbook 1946

External links

Western Historic Radio Museum, ''The Hallicrafters SX-28, A pre-war masterpiece''
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413202913/http://radioblvd.com/SX28Notes.html , date=2009-04-13 Amateur radio receivers Military radio systems of the United States World War II American electronics Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944