Note
QST, Aug 1957, p. 1.
QST, May 1959, p. 107. (some technical notes)
QST, Sep 1959, p. 101. ("where is the FPM-200?")
QST, Mar 1960, p. 87. (Still not quite there.)
QST, Apr 1960, p. 87. (notes on)
QST, Oct 1961, p. 157. (listed for sale with accessories)
Allied Radio catalog 1962 (copyright 1961), p. 273.
Allied Radio catalog 1963 (copyright 1962), p. 280.
Hallicrafters announced an astonishing new radio in the summer of 1957. The FPM-200 was a full-featured transmitter/receiver for the 80-10 meter amateur bands on CW, AM, and SSB.
The receiver section and low-level transmitter stages were solid-state. Its 6146 finals, their 12BY7 driver, and a pair of 0B2 voltage regulators were the only tubes used. The FPM-200's dual PTOs provided linear tuning with calibration in 1 kHz increments. A front-panel switch enabled transceive operation with either PTO, as well as separate transmit and receive functions using both of them.
The radio ran directly off 12 VDC. An internal multivibrator supply furnished high voltage for the tubes.
From the outset, Hallicrafters had trouble getting the FPM-200 to market. In fact, there is disagreement about whether it ever became a real production item at all. Estimates range from a total of about 50 to nearly 200.
In QST, Hallicrafters last talked about the FPM-200 in April 1960. There was no subsequent discussion of the unit. And in QST, the FPM-200 appears to have been advertised for sale only once (and without any real fanfare), in a World Radio Labs (WRL) ad in the October 1961 issue. Hallicrafters did not mention the unit in any of its own advertising. The rig did appear in both the 1962 (copyright 1961) and 1963 (copyright 1963) Allied Rado catalogs.
When it finally appeared in 1961, the FPM-200's price tag of $1795 was worth almost $20,000 in 2025 currency.
References
A sneak peak. CQ, Oct 1959, p. 38.
