Hammarlund HQ-129-X
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| Frequency | RX: 0.54–31 MHz (6 bands) |
| Power | Receiver only |
| Modes | AM, CW |
| Weight | 15 kg (33.1 lb) |
| Connector | binding-posts |
| Year | 1945 |
| antenna | binding-posts |
Hammarlund's postwar receiver below the Super Pro. Good selectivity from the crystal filter, a calibrated bandspread that actually works, and an RF stage for decent sensitivity. A solid general-coverage receiver.
Heavy. The bandswitch is complex. Hammarlund's cosmetics from this era have not aged well. The crystal filter needs care. Less well-known than comparable Hallicrafters and National receivers.
A capable postwar receiver that gets overlooked because Hammarlund did not have Hallicrafters' marketing reach. Functionally competitive with the National NC-173 and Hallicrafters S-40B.
The Hammarlund HQ-129X is one of the most iconic post-war communications receivers, a handsome, capable general-coverage set introduced in 1945 and produced into the early 1950s that became a fixture of amateur stations across America. Its 11-tube superheterodyne design covers 540 kHz to 31 MHz in six bands, receiving AM and CW, with a calibrated bandspread for the 80, 40, 20, and 10 meter amateur bands presented on a separate dial for precise tuning.
It carried the features serious operators wanted, including Hammarlund's variable-selectivity crystal filter for cutting through interference, in a substantial, well-built cabinet. Affordable yet genuinely capable, the HQ-129X sold in large numbers and introduced a generation of post-war hams to a real communications receiver. Plentiful, good-looking, and a pleasure to operate, it remains one of the most popular and recommended vintage Hammarlund receivers.
It is a discontinued classic. Compare it with the HQ-150 and the professional SP-600.