My very first receiver, the one that introduced me to the strange noises being generated by people who called themselves "hams," was a monster. The Hallicrafters S-40B was a hulking black box that tipped the scales at something in excess of 25 pounds.rnFast forward 40 years and the breakneck evolution of technology has turned the S-40B and radios like it into little more than beloved curiosities. Over the years we've seen radios become ever smaller thanks to astonishing progress in semiconductor technology combined with ultra-miniature surface-mount components. The new ICOM IC-R6 portable receiver is an example of how far we've come. My S-40B has effectively shrunk to a pocket sized box that weighs less than 8 ounces. Moreover, its frequency coverage has expanded from the depths of longwave to the ratified atmosphere of microwaves. And then there are the IC-R6 memories, multiple scanning functions and ... well, at least the S-40B still retains its nostalgia value!
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