Collins 75S-3/75S-3B/C
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| Frequency | RX: 80–10 m amateur (200 kHz segments; 75S-3C adds general-coverage positions) |
| Power | Receive only (pairs with 32S-3 transmitter) |
| Modes | USB, LSB, CW, AM |
| Weight | 9.1 kg (20.1 lb) |
| Connector | 50 Ω nominal antenna input |
| Year | 1961 |
| antenna | 50 Ω nominal antenna input |
| speaker | external speaker jack (3–4 Ω); 500 Ω+ headphones |
| other | mute, anti-vox, and sidetone jacks (rear panel) |
The Collins S-Line receiver. A 2.1 kHz Collins mechanical filter for SSB (optional 500 Hz/800 Hz/1.5/3.1/4.0 kHz filters), a 100 kHz crystal calibrator, preselector, and the clean audio Collins receivers are known for. Part of the most recognizable amateur station of the 1960s.
Receiver only; needs a 32S-3 transmitter and 516F-2 power supply for a complete station. Tube set requiring periodic maintenance. Sought-after and therefore not cheap.
The S-Line receiver. Paired with the 32S-3 transmitter and 516F-2 supply, the 75S-3 completes the classic Collins S-Line station, a high point of the vacuum-tube era and still a fine performer.
The Collins 75S-3 is the receiver half of the Collins S-Line, a benchmark amateur communications receiver of the 1960s built to the same professional standard as its matching 32S-3 transmitter. It tunes the amateur bands from 80 through 10 meters in 200-kilohertz segments and receives SSB, CW, and AM, using a Collins 2.1-kilohertz mechanical filter for the sharp, stable selectivity that made the company's gear famous.
Its permeability-tuned oscillator gave it rock-solid frequency stability and a precise mechanical readout, and a 100-kilohertz crystal calibrator let the operator zero the dial exactly. The 75S-3B of 1964 added rejection tuning to notch out interference, and the later 75S-3C added fourteen extra 200-kilohertz positions for general-coverage listening. Paired with a 32S transmitter the receiver can run transceive, the two sharing one oscillator so a single tuning knob moves both.
Beautifully made and a pleasure to operate, it remains one of the most sought-after vintage receivers among collectors of American amateur gear. It is a discontinued classic. See the matched 32S-3 transmitter and the KWM-2 transceiver.