Hallicrafters S-40A Receiver
My first receiver was a Hallicrafters S-40A. It was a general coverage receiver capable of receiving signals from 540 kHz to 44 MHz. I seem to remember I paid around $25.00 for it.
Transmitters:
My first transmitters were “home brew”, which means they were built using schematics and individual components. They generally had one tube and used a crystal to set the frequency. I think they would transmit between 5 to 25 Watts, which was enough to communicate with other hams using Morse Code, which we refer to as ‘CW’ or continuous wave. I wish I had pictures of them.
Transceivers:
A transceiver is both a transmitter and receiver. Today, almost all ham radio units are transceivers.
Heathkit HW-22 40 Meter Transceiver
My first transceiver was a Heathkit HW-22. It operated on 40 Meters. I purchased it as a kit, so I first had to assemble all of the components. Building the radio was both educational and provided great satisfaction when it was built, adjusted and was operational.
It required a separate power supply which is also purchased and built. In fact, I purchased a second power supply that allowed me to operate the radio in my car.
Heathkit HW-101 5 Band Transceiver
After I passed my General Class license, I purchased a Heathkit HW-101 kit. It operated 5 different ham bands and was capable of communicating in CW and single sideband (SSB) modes. It also came as a kit and was much more challenging due to its additional bands and modes of operation.
Heathkit HW-7 Low Power Transceiver
I was interested in operating low power to see how far I could communicate with a 5 Watt transmitter. We refer to this as operating QRP (low power). It only operated on CW. I actually talked to a ham radio operator in Japan using this radio.
Icom IC-751A Transceiver
My next radio was an Icom IC-751A HF (Hight Frequency) Transceiver. I covered the HF bands the original bands between 1.8 MHz and 30 MHz. The transmitter power was 100 Watts and had an external automatic antenna tuner. It was used for many years by myself and my brother, Larry.
Yaesu FTDX-10 Transceiver
In 2022, I purchased a FTDX-10 transceiver that operates from 1.8 MHz and 54 MHz. It is a compact radio that operates on many modes and many features. I have been using this radio to talk to a number of hams around the world.