Hmm...The HRO is not that big and is certainly not heavy in that context, and is neither complex...in fact for, what it is capable of it is one of the most simply designed comms receivers of that era both in terms of electronics (do a component count) and mechanical layout...Many are not but I am a great admirer of that design it's a suberb performer, if I had to get rid of all my comms sets but keep one then the National HRO would be it unless I had a Collins then I don't know what I would do......OK I'm an HRO nut.
To Als question, I would say it is down to what you want, I would not think that fitting appropriate style handles to the front would lessen its value by much at all, you might be able to use some of the existing holes for the front rack mount/cabinet fixing possibly, or you could fashion a pair of handles from some 6 mm round bar, a hot fire and a hammer so the handles return to fixing lugs if you see what i mean the lugs can be and flattened with a file so that when drilled the fixing holes in the lugs line up with the top and bottom holes for the cabinet fixing on either side of the front panel, that way the panel does not have to be modified in anyway and you can still retain the two rack mount cover strips (if you are lucky to have a pair) If yer feeling flush, plate the new handles or paint them a nice epoxy hard gloss black, they can then be simply removed if you wanted to move the receiver on and the receiver would look like it did pre fitting the handles...I thought a lifting eye and a set of castors for mine, or a rotating see saw with the AR88 on one end and the B40 on the other (fantasy land)
Good luck which ever way Al
Lawrence.
To Als question, I would say it is down to what you want, I would not think that fitting appropriate style handles to the front would lessen its value by much at all, you might be able to use some of the existing holes for the front rack mount/cabinet fixing possibly, or you could fashion a pair of handles from some 6 mm round bar, a hot fire and a hammer so the handles return to fixing lugs if you see what i mean the lugs can be and flattened with a file so that when drilled the fixing holes in the lugs line up with the top and bottom holes for the cabinet fixing on either side of the front panel, that way the panel does not have to be modified in anyway and you can still retain the two rack mount cover strips (if you are lucky to have a pair) If yer feeling flush, plate the new handles or paint them a nice epoxy hard gloss black, they can then be simply removed if you wanted to move the receiver on and the receiver would look like it did pre fitting the handles...I thought a lifting eye and a set of castors for mine, or a rotating see saw with the AR88 on one end and the B40 on the other (fantasy land)
Good luck which ever way Al
Lawrence.
