I'm repairing this Allied Knight R-100 ham receiver. It's the first one I've ever seen.

Who ever built the kit did a nice job.

This one didn't come with the optional S-Meter or crystal calibrator.

Made around 1960. It has 9 tubes.

Very cool looking.

My novice receiver was a Knight R-100A. I've always considered it a sleeper. It was a lot of receiver for the money. Most of the inexpensive single conversion receivers I've tuned from this period go deaf above 15 MC or so. Not this one. It has plenty of sensitivity all the way thru 10 meters. The Q-multiplier worked well, and image rejection was about what you would expect. It was a little flimsy on the mechanical side of things, but hey, it was a $100 radio.

You'll like it.

Darrell

Nice clean little unit. Looks pretty straight forward.

My first radio was an R-100, and I still have it, though I haven't run it in years.

I got one for Xmas.... I think it was in '67.
Just got my Novice then. Not really any kind of radio for commo work. I told Dad about this and and he agreed. Traded it for a used HQ-110....and he picked it out!

The Eico 723 looked puny next to this radio!

But with the 2 el quad on 15, I worked the world!

I knew a ham who built an R-100 back when he was a novice, sometime around 1962 or 1963, as he got his license a couple years before I did. He was a retired RMC (radioman, chief) from the Navy and spent 30+ years in the Navy, so he knew how to do an expert job building it from a kit.

He passed away about six years ago and that R-100 was still on his operating bench and still was used, but it was no longer his main receiver.
Curt

It looks like the chassis was cleaned down about an inch on the back and the rest left with grime still on it. If you did the cleaning, could you share what cleaning method you used?

thanks,

arnie - W1GCI

I saw the brown knob at the top between the main and bandspread tuning knobs and was wondering what that was for. I looked at my R100A and decided that must be the ANTENNA tuning knob which is located on the top row of knobs to the right of the Q-multiplier switch on the R100A. I guess you need a correct replacement knob there or why is it otherwise brown?

I bought my R100A back around 1966 for $99.95 and added the S8A speaker, S meter and crystal calibrator to the package. My best friend already had an R55A and when he saw my R100A, his comment was "My gosh, it's BIG!" And it is a LOT larger than the R55A, although the R55A had a 6-meter band in addition to the normal .55 - 30 MHz spread.

For the money, it was a lot of receiver, especially back in 1965. I had no signal generator when I built the receiver and band "C" never had good sensitivity. It wasn't until I was in the Navy in 1976 (after 10 years of putting up with it) that I did a realignment with an hp 8640B and discovered that for all these years, band "C" was originally aligned on an image frequency. After proper realignment, band "C" was just as "hot" as the other three bands. I only just bought a used synthesized replacement HF receiver for it about two years ago. There's still something wonderful listening to the sound of rotating that main tuning knob through a crowded band that the synthesized receiver will never give me!

I think it looks like what you're seeing is where the cabinet covers part of the chassis.

Strange as it may seem, my R-100A also has a brown antenna tuning knob above the tuning dials just like in the picture. It might have been a design afterthought but I think a black knob with silver insert would look better.

I'm confused about what you are describing in your second sentence. Seems like the knob to the right of the "Null-Off-Peak" Q-multiplier switch is the "BFO-MVC-AVC-ANL" control. Are you saying your set has the antenna tune control there instead?

Dave

There are 3 models of "R-100", all with the same circuitry - this is also perhaps the earliest use of printed circuit boards in a communications receiver.

The original was just known as the Amateur Communications Receiver or Y-726. It has block K and Knight logos and was painted tan.
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/kits/knight/knight-yu726-2.jpg

The second was called the R-100 and had an italic k and knight logos and was painted gray.
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/kits/knight/knight-R100G.jpg

The third is the R-100A with black and silver paint scheme to match the T-150 and T-150A.
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/kits/knight/knight-R100A.jpg
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/kits/knight/knight-R100A-kit.jpg

For the first two models, the antenna trimmer control was located at the top center and had a burgundy/brown knob. On the R-100A the trimmer control was relocated below the meter and had a black knob with silver insert.

cheers,
Nick K4NYW

Here's a better shot of the early "R-100" - shows the correct tan color and also the matching Y-728 speaker.
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/knight-y726.jpg

And FWIW here's the S-8 speaker that matches the R-100
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/knight-s8-2.jpg

And finally the S-8A that matches the R-100A
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/knights8a.jpg
cheers,
Nick K4NYW

Wanted to thank the group for some very good information and links regarding the R100A. I recently found one with matching S-8A speaker in very good condition at an estate sale for $25.00 - It seems to work well but Im in the process of getting it to a tech friend for a "check-up". Was curious if I could find a replacement S-Meter cover for it as mine has 2 cracks in it... but otherwise looks good.

What I thought was really cool was that the "custom built by" sticker on the side of the radio that must have been included with the set when new has the callsign WN2LIQ on it with the name of the builder. I havent had too much luck ID'ing that old call... Anyone have any hints, I thought that was as cool as the finding the radio.

Have a good day!
Rod

Cabletek73,

WN2LIQ would have morphed into WA2LIQ in those days
if the op upgraded. My '71 call book lists WA2LIQ as

Merry A Tappen
200 Rano Blvd
Vestal, NY 13850 (near Binghamton)

HTH,

I probably shouldn't question a WA2 but I recall that by 1971 they were well into the WB2s. I suspect WB2LIQ. That would have been a very new call in 71, may not have made it into the callbook.

Not to go off topic, but one of the things about ham radio that I used to enjoy was guessing the dates that a person was licensed. I got to be pretty close on most guesses with hams in the seventh district as I knew hams that got their licenses in such years as 1938, 1940, 1946 and whatever.

Sadly the FCC removed my source of fun when they adopted the vanity call sign system. So a call nowadays does not mean squat about how long it has been held by a particular person. Heck, some of the guys I tested as a VE are now sporting call signs that go way back before I was even born!
Curt

Jack, you're right. There is a listing for WB2LIQ. It was at the
top of the next column, and I missed it.

Robert G Berrington
562 Long Pond Road
Rochester, NY 14612

Edit: According to a name search on the ARRL web site,
WB2LIQ is now KC7BDL. Nothing further on WA2LIQ.

Sorry to take so long to get back to this thread, Dave. On the R100A, the "ANTENNA" tuning knob is directly above the "BFO" frequency adjust knob in line with the upper row of knobs. It has a metal flexible shaft from knob to tuning capacitor.