[Hallicrafters] DD-1 Audio amplifier


Richard Knoppow 1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
Fri Feb 24 16:58:12 EST 2012


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duane Fischer, W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com>
To: "Richard Knoppow" <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>; "Waldo 
Magnuson" <magnuson at mac.com>; 
<Hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: "Waldo Magnuson" <magnuson at mac.com>
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] DD-1 Audio amplifier


> Richard,
>
> Per my prior post of the specifications of the DD-1 by 
> Chuck Dachis, Radios By Hallicrafters 2nd Edition, the 
> frequency response was 200 Hz to 6000 HZ. More than 
> adequate for speech communications and not too shabby for 
> general listening either!
>
> Because Bill Halligan, Sr., and his partner Toby, traveled 
> the world, literally, to purchase the best transformers, 
> resistors, capacitors etc. it is most likely that the DD-1 
> contained the best quality components they could procure.
>
> Now let me state without prejudice, that a very brilliant 
> Engineer designed the DD-1, and it did have its share of 
> proponents and opponents among the Hallicrafters powers 
> that were. This same Engineer designed two other receivers 
> that I am aware of. One was a brilliant success, the other 
> was a total flop. Primarily because the Engineer refused 
> to make several changes in the RX that other Engineers 
> told him were needed. Ego got in his way, the SX- failed 
> badly and he lost his job.
>
> Yes I know his name, but most of you probably know of whom 
> I am speaking of already.
>
> While I was performing around our country I used a HME 
> Dual Diversity receiver with a wireless lapel microphone. 
> It performed nothing short of fantastic! I suspect the 
> Engineer who designed the DD-1 might have been too many 
> years ahead of the engineering mentality of the time.
>
     I don't have the details in mind right now but 
diversity, I think in the form of polarization diversity, is 
commonly used in microwave relay and studio to transmitter 
links because variations in the air cause preferential 
fading of one or the other path. I don't remember when the 
simple expedient of using either two antennas or circularly 
polarized antennas was first used. Microwaves are subject to 
effects from water vapor in the atmosphere which can cause 
all sorts of problems. I think the radio mic problem is 
similar but due mostly to varying reflections.
     I am not sure who you are referring to at 
Hallicrafters. Hallicrafters is notorious for all sorts of 
variations during production, I suspect because of 
procurement problems. While H made a lot of low-priced stuff 
IMO they never built much junk (some exceptions to this) and 
many of their products performed very well. A few H 
products, the SX-117 comes to mind, were evidently 
exceptional performers.
     Ego and hubris are, of course, the basis of many of 
Shakespeare's plays. I am personally offended by arrogance, 
another manifestation of the same thing. It would be nice if 
poetic justice happened to these folks more often but it 
doesn't.



--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com



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