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Hallicrafters founder William J. Halligan depicted in a 1944 magazine ad. William J. Halligan (1898–1992), founded Hallicrafters Company in Chicago in late 1932. Prior to this, he had been involved in radio parts sales for some years but decided the time was right for a handcrafted amateur radio receiver - the company name being a combination of Halli(gan) and (hand)crafters.
During this period, Hallicrafters' only real competition was the Hammarlund Company, and the National Radio Company. These companies became known as the "Big Three" of communications equipment manufacture. With a new slogan in hand, "The Radio Man's Radio", Hallicrafters introduced these models: Model S-38 (1947), a "beginner's" receiver.
- The Artifact
- A History of Hallicrafters, Part I: The Boston Ham
- II. Crafting A Brand
- III. Bombproof
- IV. New Adventures in Hi-Fi
- V. Video Skilled, The Radio Star
- VI. End Transmission
“Now Hallicrafters, unchallenged leader in the field of advanced short wave for foreign reception, brings you a remarkable instrument—the Hallicrafters 5R30A. Here is more than simply a radio—here is the key to the airwaves of the world, for with this set, small though it is, you get world-wide reception. Naturally, you get the finest in regular ra...
“Until Bill Halligan came along and designed a radio set for ham radio operators, the hobbyists built their own receiver and transmitter. These consisted of a ton or more of equipment piled tier-on-tier in a jungle of wiring, usually in an attic or basement. Most of them looked like Goldberg nightmares.” —Sales Management, 1947 William Halligan was...
In 1928, with radio sales exploding, Halligan decided to strike out on his own. He also made the astute decision to move his family to Chicago, which he’d visited several times as a salesman and had deemed the rising epicenter of his industry. This is the part of the story, of course, where the stock market eventually crashes and all youthful optim...
“Hallicrafters sets were developed in the great testing grounds of amateur radio. They have served an ‘attic apprenticeship’ and have come out of the attic to go around the world with victorious Allied armies.” —Hallicrafters advertisement, 1944 In the summer of 1941 (according to company lore), one of Bill Halligan’s tidy new 450-watt transmitters...
In the introduction to his 1945 African safari memoir South of the Sahara, explorer Attilio Gatti wrote in glowing terms about Hallicrafters, which had also (coincidentally) sponsored his expedition. The Italian-born adventurer noted the “admiration and gratitude I owe to the Hallicrafters organization, their imaginative leadership, their precise t...
“When you turn on this beautiful console, you’ll thrill to television’s clearest picture . . . a spectacular performance! Hallicrafters sensational DYNAMIC TUNER with the ‘Precision Printed Circuit’ is the answer.” —Hallicrafters Television ad, 1950 America’s transition from radio to television wasn’t as gradual as one might presume. Since much of ...
Despite fizzling out of the TV market, Hallicrafters’ final decade as a family business, from 1956 to 1966, still saw record sales figures—mostly through military contracts (including the new fields of space communications and missile defense systems), but also through steady success in the shortwave radio market, as the company’s ham kits continue...
By 1958 Bill, Sr. wanted to retire, and the company was sold. Little was known about this transaction, but it apparently failed and the Halligans resumed control a short time later. In 1963 Hallicrafters purchased Radio Industries, Inc. of Kansas City, running it as a subsidiary. Radio Industries produced many of the Ham radio accessories and some
William J. Halligan founded his own radio manufacturing company in Chicago in late 1932. Prior to this, he had been involved in radio parts sales for some years but decided that the time was right for a handcrafted amateur radio receiver the company name being a combination of Halli (gan) and (hand)crafters. The new company was located at 417 ...
In Feb.1956, Hallicrafters was acquired by the Penn-Texas Corp. through an exchange of 332,000 shares of Penn-Texas common stock for all the 825,000 outstanding shares of Hallicrafters stock.The company was operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Penn until December 1957, when all common stock was sold back to the Halligan family for $3 million in cash.
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In 1933, radio enthusiast William (Bill) J. Halligan of Chicago founded The Hallicrafters, Inc. The firm sold radios and other electronic components. Ham radio operation in the U.S. was suspended during World War II, and Hallicrafters devoted its resources to producing military goods. After the war, it resumed production for consumers.
