National HRO-60
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| Frequency | RX: 0.05–30 MHz (plug-in coils; 9 basic + 4 bandspread) |
| Bands | LF (50-100 kHz), MF (100-960 kHz), HF (1.7-30 MHz), Ham band bandspread |
| Power | RECEIVER ONLY. No transmitter. Communications receiver. |
| Modes | AM, CW, SSB |
| Weight | 38.6 kg (85.1 lb) - 85 lb (~38.6 kg); built-in power supply; large tube communications receiver. |
| Connector | binding posts |
| Year | 1952 |
| antenna | binding posts |
| phones | headphone jack |
| ext spkr | speaker jack (HRO-60TS matching speaker) |
| coil set | plug-in coil set bay |
| ac in | AC mains (built-in PSU) |
| power req | AC mains (built-in PSU). |
A National HRO-60 offers plug-in-coil flexibility across 50 kHz-30 MHz using up to 13 coil sets (9 basic bands plus ham-band bandspread). The PW precision dial, dual conversion above 7 MHz, and a heater-regulated oscillator give stable, drift-free tuning. Coils are factory-aligned to each receiver, the power supply is built in, and the set carries the HRO line's wartime pedigree.
Receiver only, and heavy at about 85 lb. The plug-in coils can be lost or damaged and are increasingly rare and valuable. SSB and CW rely on a BFO (there is no SSB filter). It is a tube set with no digital readout and a large bench footprint.
The HRO-60 was the last and top tube receiver of National's catalog, in production from 1952 to 1964 and the culmination of the plug-in-coil design that began with the 1935 HRO. It covers 50 kHz-30 MHz across interchangeable coil sets with dual conversion above 7 MHz, and at about 85 lb it is a classic boatanchor. Make sure a used unit includes its coil sets - they can be worth as much as the receiver.
The National HRO-60 is the last and greatest of the famous HRO line - the top receiver of National's catalog from its 1952 release until 1964, and the end point of nearly two decades of refinement of the plug-in-coil concept. Like all HROs it uses a plug-in coil rack to change bands, covering nine basic bands plus four bandspread bands across 50 kHz-30 MHz, and it receives AM, CW and single sideband, adding dual conversion on the coils above 7 MHz for greatly improved image rejection.
It retains the legendary micrometer PW dial for precise, repeatable tuning, along with heater-current regulation on the oscillator for excellent stability, and the heavy, meticulous construction that made National receivers prized. Standard coils A through D cover 1.7-30 MHz; the lower-frequency and bandspread coils, and the 60TS speaker, were optional extras.
At $483 in 1952 it was an expensive set - roughly a third of the price of a new car that year - and at about 85 lb it is a substantial boatanchor. As the flagship of the HRO family it remains one of the most desirable of the classic plug-in-coil receivers. See the original HRO and the ham-band NC-300.