Seventy-five years ago this month, the July 1960 issue of Electronics Illustrated reviewed the then-new Mohican shortwave receiver from Heathkit. The reviewer reported that the assembled the $100 receiver in about 40 hours, and the result was an astonishingly “hot” 10-transistor superheterodyne that covered 560 kHz to 30 MHz (with apologies, apparently, to the stations at the very bottom of the broadcast dial).

The general coverage receiver would serve the SWL well, and the set was also a good backup receiver for the ham, especially on the lower bands. The bandspread dial was calibrated for the amateur bands, making it particularly useful. The receiver ran on flashlight batteries, but an AC power supply was available for an additional $9.95.

The set weighed in at 17 pounds, making it “transportable” rather than “portable” according to the reviewer.