Eico HFT-90 (circa 1959)
A tube-based FM tuner kit from the late 1950s, designed for high performance at a modest price.
Overview
The Eico HFT-90 is a mono FM tuner kit from the late 1950s. Production likely began around 1959. Eico (Electronic Instrument Company) sold it for hobbyists to build themselves, the same kit-based business model as Heathkit and Dynaco. It is a tube tuner with a Magic Eye dial pointer that shows signal strength. The pointer changes from a dot to an exclamation point as reception improves. One description calls it "among the most advanced of the FM tuner designs both electrically and mechanically." Eico marketed it as matching or beating factory-wired tuners costing up to three times as much.
Specifications
| Sensitivity | 1.5 µV or 10 µV for 20 dB (conflicting sources) |
| Power Requirements | 115 V AC, 60 Hz |
| Dimensions | 10" W × 7" H × 11" D |
| Weight | 14 lbs or 10-lbs (conflicting sources) |
| Kit or Assembled | Kit |
Design
The HFT-90 is a tube design with a Magic Eye dial pointer that responds to signal strength. It was noted as one of the most advanced FM tuner designs of its time, both electrically and mechanically. Builders assembled it themselves from the kit. A service manual is available, with resistance and voltage charts for servicing.
Context
Eico was founded in 1945 in Brooklyn, New York by Harry Ashley and Morris Pollack. It started with test equipment and later moved into hi-fi with affordable, high-quality kits. The HFT-90 followed that model. It put advanced tuner performance in kit form, so cost-conscious audiophiles and hobbyists could get high-end results by building it themselves.
Market
The HFT-90 turns up on the used market. Listings include one unit at £16.90 and "as-is" eBay sales. Recapping - replacing aging capacitors - is a known maintenance task, going by user forum activity. A service manual is available for repair and restoration.
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