Heathkit A Guide To The Amateur Radio Products AGuide

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

I

II

I l

I

...

~fUW?H&fi

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

By

Chuck

Penson

WA7ZZE

Electric

Radio

Press,

Inc.

DURANGO,

COLORADO

1995

by

Chuck

Penson,

WA7ZZE, P.O.

Box

2414,

St

.

Paul,

Minnesota

55102.

Product

photos

by

Chuck

Penson

or

from

the

Heath

catalogs,

except

where

noted.

Cover

art

is

from

a

the

cover

of

a

1961

Heathkit

log

book.

Back

cover

art

is

from

a

Heathkit

SB-llO

assembly

manual.

Author

photo

by

Jim

Yunker,

Minneapolis,

Minnesota.

Editorial

assistance

provided

by

Kathryn

Bevacqua,

Minneapolis,

Minnesota.

Book

design

by

David

Steinlicht,

St.

Paul,

Minnesota.

Book

was

assembled

using

Quark

XPress.

Photos

retouched

using

Adobe

Photoshop.

Book

text

is

Adobe

New

Century

Schoolbook.

Captions

are

Monotype

Grotesque

Bold

Condensed.

Headlines

are

Monotype

Grotesque

Bold

Extended.

Display

type

is

based

on

the

typeface

Hellenic.

First

Printing:

October

1995.

For

Dad

For

Kathryn

IT§

~f

UiSf

UHi*l

CONTENTS

(

./

)

Foreward

....................................

7

(

.I

) A

History

of

the

Heath

Company

................

9

(

./

)

Buying

and

Collecting

Heathkits

.............

.

37

(

.I

) A

Guide

to

the

Arna

teur

Radio

Products

.........

41

(

./

)

Heath

Master

Product

Index

by

Model

.......

.

227

(

./

)

Heath

Master

Product

Index

by

Type

........

.

233

(

./

)

Product

References

.......................

.

239

(

./

)

Product

Timelines

........................

.

246

A

Guid

e

to

the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Products 5

Foreward

~

esearching

the

Heath

Company's

past

~

has

not

been

an

easy

task.

Very

few

peo

-

ple

with

firsthand

information

from

the

earliest

years

,

prior

to

1955

or

so,

remain

to

tell

the

tale.

To

further

complicate

matters

virtually

all

the

records

documenting

Heath's

past

were

thrown

out

in

the

mid

'80s,

when

Heath

began

its

unfor-

tunate

and

unceremonious

departure

from

the

kit

business

.

Those

records

included

everything

from

engineering

notes,

advertising

photos,

and

sales

records,

to

product

manuals

and

catalogs.

Almost

nothing

survived.

A few

precious

arti-

facts

were

quite

literally

rescued

from

the

dumpster

by

employees

looking

for

items

of

either

cash

or

sentimental

value,

but

most

of

the

Heath's

recorded

history

is

now

entombed

some

-

where

in

a

landfill.

This

is

a

tragic

loss

indeed

.

That

th

e

recorded

history

of

a

company

playing

such

an

important

role

in

the

development

of

both

electronics

and

amateur

radio

could

be

tossed

away

without

a

thought

is

beyond

com-

prehension.

Yet

people

who

know

the

story

of

Heath,

or

at

least

who

know

their

part

of

it

,

are

out

there

,

and

many

of

them

have

contributed

in

signifi-

cant

ways

to

this

book.

Those

who

were

kind

enough

to

spend

time

talking

with

me

about

the

Heath

story

include

many

curr

en

t

and

form

er

Heath

managers

,

engineers,

and

technicians.

Among

them

,

Chas

Gilmore

;

Al

Robertson

,

K

SBLL;

Dar

Evans,

KSADS;

Gen

e

Fiebich

,

Ron

Oxley

, WMSZ; Tom Woods, WA0RBW;

Chuck

Bab-

bit,

Terry

Perdue,

KSTP;

Ray

Nelson,

Bill

Denk,

WSLUH;

Norm

Harvey,

WSRTY;

Randy

Kaeding

,

K

STMK;

Jerry

Tol

s

ma

,

W9GPB;

Bob

Knapp

,

WA2CKY;

Mike

Elliot

, WSKRR;

and

Bob

Groh.

My

thanks

to

all

of

these

folks

for

their

time,

pati

e

nce

,

and

memories.

A

number

of

friend

s

were

in

st

rumental

in

the

proc

ess

of

writing

this

book

.

They

include

Bill

Schmitt

,

KE0XE,

for

all

those

back

issues

of

El

ec-

tronics

magazine,

Courtney

Anne

Nieman

and

Morgan

L'Argent

,

KB0QEJ,

who

helped

sift

through

all

the

old

ham

radio

magazines

;

and

Paul

March

,

KB0MAN

,

owner

of

the

Amateur

Radio

Consignment

Center,

in

St.

Pau

l,

Min-

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

nesota,

who

let

me

take

photos

of

a

number

of

pieces

at

his

store.

Also

of

assistance

were

Kathryn

Bevacqua;

David

Steinlicht

;

Jim

Yunker;

Anne

Welsbacher;

John

Desmond,

K0TG

;

Gene

Kaari

,

W0UZS;

Art

Edhlund

,

KA0ZHZ;

and

Steve

Raymer

of

the

Pavek

Museum

of

Broadcasting.

Additionally,

fellow

collectors

Nick

England

,

KD4CPL;

Dave

Ishamael,

WAGVVL;

Jim

Lockwood

,

KMGNK;

Mike

Sewell,

K0CRX;

and

Chuck

Maas

,

W0IUH

,

provided

a

lot

of

detail

that

I

never

would

have

found

without

their

assistance.

Of

course

Electric

Radio

editor

Barry

Wiseman,

NGCSW, who

provided

a

great

deal

of

support

and

encouragement

,

can

not

go

unacknowledged.

And

lastly,

a

very

special

thanks

to

former

Heath

engineer

Joe

Shafer

, KSDCE;

former

Heath

production

schedule

manager

Helen

Holland;

all

of

the

members

of

the

Heath

Golden

Oldies

club;

and

of

course

to

the

Heath

Company,

without

whose

cooperation

this

book

would

not

have

been

possible.

This

book

is

intended

to

be

a

kind

of

field

guide,

or

spotter's

guide

if

you

prefer.

It

is

a

book

to

keep

in

your

backpack

while

roaming

flea

markets

, a

book

to

keep

in

your

shack

for ha

ndy

reference

when

you

work

someone

running

an

HW-12A,

and

a

book

to

help

you

interpret

the

Yellow

Sheets

or

classified

section

in

El

ectric

Radio.

Additionally,

this

book

will

serve

to

familiari

ze

the

collector

with

the

160

or

so

prin-

cipal

amateur

radio

products

the

Heath

compa-

ny

produced

from

1952

to

1991.

The

book

does

not

go

into

great

technical

depth,

but

should

pro-

vide

sufficient

detail

about

the

piece

of

equip-

ment

you

are

looking

at

and

what

you

may

be

getting

into

should

you

decide

to

buy

it.

For

those

who

own

or

who

once

owned

Heath-

kit

equipment

(that's

just

about

everyone,

isn't

it?

)

and

for

those

who

remember

Heath

fondly

and

mourn

its

passing

,

this

book

will

provide

an

opportunity

to

browse,

as

you

once

did

for

hours,

through

the

Heathkit

catalog

.

Finally,

I

hope

this

book

will

ensure

that

history

records

the

accomplishments

of

a

remarkable

company

on

the

shores

of

Lake

Michigan

and

the

equally

remarkable

people

who

worked

there.

7

r@

~

f dif

ii'Hiil

A

History

of

the

Heath

Company

lVL

y

earliest

recollection

of

the

Heath

company

dates

from

about

age

6

(

1958

),

when

my

father

bought

and

assembled

an

AR-3

shortwave

receiver.

I

don't

recall

the

construction

of

the

radio,

but

I do

remember

with

great

clarity

when

he

brought

it

down

into

the

living

room,

set

it

up

on

an

end

table,

threw

a s

hort

length

of

wire

out

the

window,

and

tuned

in

WWV. I

remember

being

thorough

ly

aston-

ished.

It

was

at

that

mom

ent

that

my

interest

in

radio

and

in

the

Heath

company

began.

I

spent

hours

listening,

spellbound,

to

WWV

and

all

the

other

strange

beeps

and

buzzes

ema

nating

from

that

AR-3.

Sometime

later

my

dad

gave

my

brother

and

me

a

CR

-1

crystal

radio

which,

from

the

perspective

of

my

yout

h ,

appeared

to

defy

the

laws

of

physic

s.

Wh

en

I

was

about

10,

I

received

a

pair

of

GW-21 lOOmw

walkie

-

talkies.

Although

they

worked

very

well

and

provided

end

le

ss

hours

of

enjoyment,

I

was,

by

that

tim

e,

old

enough

to

attempt

to

"make

them

work

bet-

ter."

It

is

a

miracle

any

of

those

early

kits

sur-

vived

my

efforts.

The

AR-3

made

it

to

the

pre-

sent.

The

crystal

radio

and

walkie

-

ta

lki

es

weren't

so lucky.

It

is

likely

that

most

people

familiar

with

the

Heath

Company

have

similar

stor

ies

to

tell-

growing

up

with

the

sme

ll

of

solder

smoke,

the

howl

of

a

heterodyne,

and

the

occasional

electric

s

hock

or

exploding

electrolytic.

(

V'°

) HEATHKIT'S

EARLY

YEARS

Most

hams

are

at

l

east

vaguely

famil-

®

_IJ!Ji,

iar

with

the

hi

story

of

the

Heath

com-

~

pany.

H

eat

h

recounted

the

story

of

its

humble

beginnings

in

severa

l

product

catalogs,

and

one

of

the

best

"t

humbnail

"

ver-

sions

is

on

the

back

cover

of

the

1968

general

catalog

number

610.

Around

the

turn

of

the

cen

-

tury

Edward

Heath

founded

the

Heath

Aero-

plane

Company.

Busin

ess

was

brisk

and

in

1926,

Heath

offered

an

airplane

in

kit

form.

Heath

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

was

killed

in

1931

when

the

plane

he

was

flying

crashed

during

a

test

flight.

After

Heath's

death

the

company

floundered

and

eventually

went

bankrupt.

In

1935

a

young

engineer

named

Howard

Anthony

purcha

sed

th

e

Heath

company

at

auction.

After

World

War

II

Anthony

got

the

idea

that

there

might

be

some

money

to

be

made

in

the

war

surplus

electronics

market

and

pur-

chased

a

large

quantity

of

material.

Exactly

how

much

surplus

he

bou

ght

is

the

subject

of

some

disagreement-anywhere

from

a

single

boxcar

to

several

entire

warehouses

full

depending

on

which

account

you

read

-

but

there

is

no

doubt

that

it

was

a

very

lar

ge

quantity.

These

surplus

parts

were

the

building

blocks

Anthony

would

use

to

assemble

an

entirely

new

Heath

company.

Anthony'

s

original

idea

was

sim

ply

to

sell

hi

s

urplus

parts

outright.

Early

advertisements

and

flyers

listed

everything

from

military

trans-

mitters

and

receivers

to

meters,

chok

es,

dynamotors,

and

condensers.

Often

mixed

in

with

the

ads

were

diagr

ams

and

schematics

sug

-

gesting

alternative

us

es

or

modifications

for

the

items

being

sold.

On

occasion,

these

schematics

showed

devices

for

which

H

eath

didn't

even

sell

parts!

The

idea

to

offer

electronic

products

in

kit

form

had

occurred

to

Howard

almost

10

years

earlier,

but

now

,

armed

with

a

vast

stock

of

raw

material,

he

found

himself

in

a

position

to

test

the

kit

market.

In

194

7

the

Heath

Company

offered

its

first

kit

product

-a

five-inch

oscillo-

scope.

The

idea

to

offer

a

scope

was

a

logical

one

-

among

the

items

acquired

in

Anthony's

surplus

buy

were

several

thousand

five-inch

CRTs.

On

the

strength

of

a

sing

le

ad

in

Electron-

ics

magazine

orders

poured

in

by

the

hundred

s,

and

the

rest

,

as

they

say,

is

hi

story

.

Th

en

in

1954

,

as

though

history

were

repeating

it

se

lf

,

Howard

Anthony

was

killed

in

a

plane

crash

.

Anthony's

wife

continued

to

run

the

compan

y

until

1958

when

she

sold

it

to

Daystrom,

a

lar

ge

holding

company.

9

.A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO:l'.11.CP.ANY

~

'if

d§!U&Ei

'i)

S EA

RCH

LI

G HT

SECT

IO

N

iq)

ft) S EA RC

HLIGH

T S

EC

TION

@

O

SC

ILLOSCOPE KIT

omplece kir

of

parts

for 5"

scope.

Io·

d udes

punch

ed

and

formed chassis

and

case, l

ettered

pane

l, aJl tubes, (5

BPl

ind.),

oil tilled filters, cased

transformer,

freq.

compensated

amp

lifiers,

15

to

30M

sweep

gcneraror,

every

part

supp

li

ed, diagr

am

and

in

structions.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.50

3B7 / 1

291

U.H.F.

Tw

in

Triode

....

.

l.50

30

6/1299

U.

H

.F.

Tetrode

. . .

..

.

..

!.50

Tub

es,

new

bulk

6

J7,

6SL7, 6A6,

6YtS

,

6]5,

IG6GT

, I

UI4

, 12C8. ea .

...

.

..

.49

ircuir

Breaker, 50

Amp.

220V 2 pole .95

Circuit

Breaker,

l

Amp.

110

Volt

....

.95

K it

Power

Rheostats.

25

and

0 \ '

arr

· 6 for 2.95

Kit

As

sorted

Cerlmic

C

on

densers

20

for

1.00

Kir

Assorted

5;1ver &

Mica

Condensers.

a

ll

.

marked

.....

...

.

.. .. ..

12

fo

r 1.00

Kh

Pmentiom

erers.

long

shafcs, 600

ohms

to

200M

ohms

.

.............

10 for 1.95

Ocral

Sockets m

ade

by Cinch

..

20

for

J.00

Dynamotors.

\\'

I.E.,

24

V .

input

220V .080

A.

output

..

......

..........

..

...

1.50

Dynamotors.

6

Volt

input.

550V

at

.350A

o

ut

put

.

....

..

.....

.

...........

6.95

Dynamotors

W.E.

12

V.

i

nput

220 V .

. 0 OA

OUIDUt

.....•.••

. . .

..•

••..

• 1.95

BRAND

NEW

BC455B

\'Vestern

Elect

ric 6

tube

superbetcrodyne

receivers, 3

ganir

cond.

R .F.

Srnge--

21F

sta.!ZeS,

in

original

canon

, ·with

rubes

..............

..

...........

4.95

DUAL

TUNI

NG

UN

IT

BC746.

contains

mo

un

ted

transm

itrer

c

ry

st:i l freo. 3735, receiver crysrnl 455

ab

ove

.

transmirrcr

r

ank

co

i

l,

receiver.

ant.

coiJ

and

tuni11g

condense

r,

all

for

.....

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.. ..

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.

..

.

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.

....

1.00

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Coaxial

Cable,

Pe

r foot . .05

WrHe

for

Complete

Llsflngs

No

order

un d

er

$2.0

0

We

will ship

C.

O .D.

. . . .

HEATH

caM1AHY

~

BENTON

HARIOR,

MICHIGAN

The

first

Heath

ad

in

Electronics

magazine,

August

1947,and

an ad

from

November

1948 .

Tho

se

interested

in

a

more

thoroug

h

discu

s-

s

ion

of

Heath's

ear

ly

yea

rs

are

referre

d

to

Terry

Perdue

's

exce

ll

ent

H e

ath

Nostalg

ia

(1992)

,

which

exam

i

nes

the

history

of

th

e

Heat

h

compa

-

ny

through

t h e

remembrances

of

m

any

who

worked

there.

Anthony's

idea

to

offer

electronic

products

in

kit

form

was

based

on

the

fact

that

the

single

most

expe

n

sive

component

in

el

ectron

ics

equip-

ment

was

t he

cost

of

assembly

,

and

that

if

you

could

do

away

wi

th

that

expense

,

you

could

sell

equipment

at

around

half

the

u

sua

l

price.

Anthony

firm

ly

beli

eve

d

that

anyone-even

someone

who

didn't

know

the

first

th

i

ng

about

it

-

could

bu

ild

a

piece

of

el

ectronics

equipment

if

given

clear

enough

in

s

tructions.

Th

is

belief

wou

ld

become

Heath's

guiding

princip

l

e-a

kind

of

"

prime

di

rective."

By

the

en

d

of

1

94

7

it

had

become

clear

that

Anthony

was

rig

h

t.

Based

on

the

po

pul

arity

of

its

oscilloscope

, H

eath

unleas

h

ed

a

fl

urry

of

test

e

quipment

kits

and

,

by

the

end

of

1

948,

had

more

t h

an

two

dozen

products

in

its

flyer.

Test

eq

u

ipment

was

easy

to

design

and

in

the

post

-

10

war

boom

of

the l

ate

'40s

,

it

was

in

hu

ge

demand

.

H

ea

th's

fled

gling

engineering

staff

often

li

fted

it

s

desig

n s di

rectly

from

circuits

publis

h

ed

in

popu

l

ar

hobbyist

maga

z

ines,

or

"reverse

engi

-

ne

ere

d"

popu

l

ar

test

equipment

from

ot

h

er

man

-

ufacturers.

Th

e

result

was

an

al

most

end

l

ess

list

of

equipme

nt

.

Some

of

the

firs

t

kits

offered

included

an

RF

signa

l

generator,

a

signa

l

tracer,

an

audio

generator,

a

VTVM

(designed

for

Anthony

by

RCA

),

a

condenser

checker,

and

an

el

ectr

onic

switch

to

go

along

wit

h t h e scope.

In

addition

to

test

equipment

,

Heat

h

was

also

an

early

pioneer

in

hi

-

fi

and

TV

prod

u

cts

in

clud

i

ng

an

a

udio

amp

li

fier

,

an

FM

tuner,

and

a

seven-

inch

telev

i

sion

kit

Heath

offered

th

r

oug

h a

dea

l

struck

wit

h B

elmont

Rayth

e

on

. T

he

TV

w

as

off

ere

d

with

a

rather

candid

warning

to

poten-

tial

buyers.

Heath

cautioned

that

alt h ou

gh

the

set

included

the

manufacturer

's

service

manua

l

and

a copy

of

Howard

Sams

service

data

but

did

not

come

wit

h

an

in

s

truction

manua

l

or

pi

ctoria

l

wiring

diagram

,

it

should

not

be

attempted

by

anyone

except

an

experienced

rad

io

technician

.

Th

e

dea

l

was

offered

in

on

ly

one

flyer

in

1947.

Apparent

ly

Heath

did

not

have

many

takers.

Heath

's

test

equipment

products

were

enor

-

mously

successful

because

they

provide

d

high

-

quality

products

at

pric

es

al

most

anyone

could

afford.

It

can

be

argued

that

Heat

h

was

respon

-

sible

for

jump

-

starting

tens

of

tho

u

san

ds

of

elec-

tronics

careers

,

which

in

turn

jump

-

started

thousands

of

bu

s

iness

l

arge

an

d

sma

ll

,

from

mom

and

pop

radio

and

TV

repair

shops

to

l

arge

electronics

manufacturing

firms.

It

is

also

li

kely

that

tens

of

t hou

sands

of

hams

ear

ned th

eir

tick

-

ets

wh

il

e h

udd

l

ed

over

a

Heat

h VT

VM

.

The

HE

.AT

HK

IT

IE=

~

f

§f

#f

iU&f

*l

.A

HISTORY

OF'

THE

HEATH

COlll.IP.ANY

VTVM

was,

perhaps

,

the

most

s

ucce

ssf

ul

and

enduring

of

Heath's

test

equip-

ment

products.

In

the

30-year

span

from

1947

to

1977

Heath

produced

24

model

s

of

the

vacuum

tube

volt

met

er.

By

the

time

Heath

released

the

V-7

A

in

1956

,

over

500,000

units

·.

had

been

so

ld.

But

more

than

anything

else,

Heath

lov

ed

to

build

oscilloscopes.

Over

the

years

H

eat

h

design

ed

Heath

V-1

VTVM

and

so

ld

more

than

60

models

of

oscilloscopes

-

not

including

thos

e

scopes

m

ade

for

radio

ama

-

teurs

.

Since

no

sales

figures

are

available,

we

can

only

guess

that

the

total

number

of

scopes

sold

by

Heath

mu

st

number

in

the

millions.

Any-

one

who

has

ever

been

to

a h

amfest

swapmeet

can

attest

to

th

e

seemi

ngly

endless

variety

of

test

equipment

th

at

poured

out

of

Heath.

For

more

than

40

years,

test

equipment

would

remain

a

mainstay

for

Heath

.

( V ) A HINT

OF

HAMMING

The

first

suggestion

of

an

inter

est

in

amateur

radio

appeared

in

Heath

's

February

1948

flyer

. H

eat

h

offered

a

BC-746

tuning

unit

along

with

plan

s

and

parts

to

convert

it

into

a

one-watt,

80-meter

CW

transmitter.

The

ad

noted

that

a

companion

receiver

also

using

the

746

was

in

the

works

and

plan

s for

the

unit

would

be

publi

s

hed

soon.

Sure

enough,

in

the

March

flyer

H

eath

publi

she

d

plans

to

convert

th

e

746

into

a

receiver

along

1

with

a

correction

to

TRANSCEIVER

:

rR.OM

6C746

Tl/NINO

UNIT

the

transmitter

1 "'

~·:.;::•:.:-::::"!!~.!!

:::.,.'°-'

di

agram

of

the

pre-

1

::!!:

~

:!;:

1

!~·llO~~~:a·;:r::!.du:

1

:=t

via

us

month

.

In

I

:~:.~1

:

11

~

·::!::!

;!~~!

.

~ra:!!t!:•!G1,.

June

1948

Heath

r-------------·

I /

iH':;!

,;

';;;r;,~~

;:;,~~~

/

I

.'

~-·

'

I I

I

RF

CHOKE

!~~~~~~~~~~----'

Instructions

for

BC-

746

offered

a

CW

trans

-

ceiver

kit

built

around

the

BC-746,

giving

credit

for

the

circuit

to

an

un-

named

customer

in

Kamas,

Utah.

There

was

also

a

curious

littl

e

three-tube

"A

ll

Wave Receiver."

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

But

a

serious

inter

est

in

the

amateur

radio

mar-

ket

wouldn't

happen

until

1951.

By

1950

the

Heath

Company

found

itself

swimming

in

a

sea

of

black

ink-and

in

a

huge

backlog

of

customer

technical

correspondence.

Howard

Anthony

went

looking

for

help

.

( V )

ENTER

GENE

FIEBICH

®

@ill

Gene

Fiebich

grew

up

in

Detroit,

grad

-

uated

from

high

school

in

1930,

an

d

found

himself

unqualified

to

do

any-

thing.

Gene

had

a

ham

license

and

an

int

erest

in

radio

so he

decid

ed

to

take

a

two-

yea

r

night

sc

hool

course

in

radio

service.

He

found

service

work

but

was

injured

on

th

e

job

less

than

a

year

into

it.

This,

combined

with

the

death

of

a

close

friend,

cau

sed

Gene

to

b

ecome

discour

age

d

with

D

etro

it

,

and

he

began

to

look

around

for a

new

place

to

call

home.

Fi

ebic

h ,

who

was

noth-

ing

if

not

analyti

cal

,

did

a

care

ful

stu

dy

of

the

mid

west

l

ooking

for

a

place

with

both

good

radio

reception

(

remem

-

ber

this

is

1933

)

an

d a

stable

economy.

He

set

-

tled

on

Benton

H

arbor,

Michigan,

because

ther

e

were

no

large

deposits

of

minerals

to

interf

ere

with

recep-

tion,

and

becau

se

it

had

a

good

balance

Gene

Fiebich,

1994

between

industry

and

agriculture.

Gene

rea-

soned

that

both

of

these

economic

base

s

were

unlikely

to

crash

at

the

same

time

and

that

one

of

them

wou

ld

always

be

healthy.

He

opened

up

a

radio

shop

and

found

that

business

was

good.

Good

enough,

in

fact,

to

make

it

through

tho

se

very

le

an

years

during

WWII.

Gene

meet

Howard

Anthony

in

1948.

Howard

Anthony

was

a

frequent

visitor

to

Gene's

shop

and

the

two

became

friend

s,

but

Gene

had

no

interest

in

working

for

a "s

urplus

outfit

"

and

declined

Howard

's

offers

to

join

the

company.

Still,

Howard

knew

talent

when

he

saw

it

and

kept

the

offer

open.

When

he

learn

ed

of

Howard

's

plans

to

ex

pand

the

kit

business,

Gene

was

intrigued

enough

to

sell

his

shop

and

come

on

board

at

Heath.

The

year

wa

s

1950.

Gene

remembers

being

em

ployee

number

48.

Gene's

first

assignment

was

to

clean

up

that

backlog

of

technical

corr

es

pondence.

This

involv

ed

helping

customers

with

probl

e

ms

,

sending

out

replacement

parts

and

so

on

.

Gene

11

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

00]).l.[F'ANY

[E;=

~

IH&&f

HHfiJ

was

pretty

good

at

it,

finishing

up

the

l

ast

of

200

letters

in

about

two

weeks

time.

Howard

was

impressed.

Seeing

that

Gene

's

talents

were

not

being

used

to

the

fullest,

H

oward

put

Gene

in

charge

of

the

consulting

engineers,

and

very

shortly

after

that,

he

put

him

on

the

design

bench

drawing

up

new

kits

and

refining

older

ones.

Within

a

year

Gene

was

acting

as

chief

of

engineering

for

the

entire

company,

th

ough

he

did

not

actually

hold

that

tit

le.

About

this

same

time

the

FCC

was

making

a

lot

of

noise

about

a

new

class

of

amateur

radio

license

-

the

Novice

class.

Howard

had

been

thinking

about

expanding

into

amateur

radio.

One

of

his

instrument

engineers

even

tried

to

design

a

sma

ll

transmitter,

but

the

project

went

nowhere

because

no

one

then

at

Heath

knew

much

about

transmitters.

Gene

wasn

't

much

help

either.

He

had

let

his

license

lapse

back

in

1934. Yet

Howard

remained

convinced

that

ham

radio

could

be a

profitable

market

to

get

into

and

gave

Gene

the

green

light

to

hire

a

ham

to

get

a

product

going.

The

year

was

1951.

(

t/'

)

ENTER

ROGER

MACE

® We

don't

know

very

much

about

Roger

Ck

Mace.

Fresh

from

the

Navy,

Mace

was

li'..f"iillm

an

active

ham

with

no

forma

l

degree

'

in

el

ectronics.

He

was

however

,

an

inveterate

electronics

tinkerer

and

a

man

of

great

self

confidence.

Even

before

he

h

ad

a

job

offer,

Mace

was

so

confident

he

could

l

and

a

job

that

he

moved

hi

s

family

from

Cleveland

to

Ben-

ton

Harbor.

Fiebich

remembers

being

very

impressed

with

him

,

and

from

a

purely

pragmatic

point

of

view,

Mace

's l

ack

of

for-

mal

training

made

him

a

bargain.

Gene

had

a

hunch

about

Roger

and

offered

him

the

job.

Now

about

that

pro-

posed

transmitter.

All

it

needed

to

be

was

some-

Ro

g

er

Mace

, ca. 1959

thing

simp

le,

inexpen-

sive,

and

rock

bound.

Something

wi

th

a

low

financial

risk

-

just

in

case

it

flopped

.

In

retrospect

,

it

's

easy

to

see

why

a

small

transmitter

might

do well.

Browsing

through

a

QST

from

1952,

it's

clear

that

there

wasn

't

much

to

choose

from

in

inexpensive

transmitters.

The

El

mac

A-

54,

for

example,

was

expensive-$140

without

a

power

supp

l

y-and

it

use

d a

VFO.

12

Same

with

the

Gonset

Commander

.

But

Novices

had

to

be

rock

bound

.

The

Harvey

Wells

Band-

master

Senior

was

nice,

if

not

somewhat

cum-

bersome.

It

was

also

a

bit

pricey

for

the

novice

-

$110

with

a

power

supp

ly.

The

B&W

504

was

a

spartan

litt

le

rig,

but

you

had

to

swap

coils

to

ch

ange

bands,

and

it

didn't

include

a

power

sup

-

ply - a

princely

$85.

For

that

kind

of

money

you

could

get

a

Lettine

model

240,

which

was

about

as

nice

and

came

with

a

power

supply

.

The

Globe

Scout

,

the

Meissner

2 -

CW,

and

the

Sonar

SRT-120

were

all

decent

rigs

but

missed

the

mark

for

various

reasons

.

Even

when

companies

got

it

right

with

the

features,

they

still

missed

on

the

price.

The

Eldico

TR-75

-TV, for

instance,

was

an

attractive

transmitter

and

was

intensely

marketed

to

the

novice,

but

even

in

kit

form

it

sold for

$60.

The

WRL

Trotter

was

on

the

right

track

too

,

but

sold

for $90.

Remember,

we

are

talking

about

1952

here

,

when

$50

was

nearly

a

month's

rent.

After

a

little

homework

sizing

up

the

competi

-

tion

,

Mace

quickly

rea

l

ized

that

anyone

who

could

make

and

sell

an

attractive,

well

-

engi-

neer

ed

novice

transmitter

for,

say,

$30

could

clean

up.

Mace

knew

that

the

basic

circuits

for a

small

transmitter

could

be

had

from

any

handbook.

Thus,

the

engineering

costs

of

developing

a

transmitter

would

be

very

low.

He

also

knew

that

Heath's

warehouse

full

of

war

surplus

parts

had

virtually

everything

needed

to

make

lots

of

small

transmitters.

Thus,

the

cost

of

parts

would

be

very

low.

In

addition,

Heath

already

had

a

great

metal

shop

and

painting

facilities.

Right

away

,

you

can

see

where

this

is

going.

Work

on

the

transmitter

probably

began

early

in

1951

, a few

months

before

the

Novice

license

was

made

official.

The

result

was

the

AT-1-

Heath

's

first

serious

venture

into

ham

radio.

Costing

just

$29.50,

the

AT-1

was

re

l

eased

just

in

time

for

Christmas

in

1951

and

quickly

began

showing

up

in

shack

photos

on

the

pages

of

QST.

Here

was

a

nice

looking,

six-band

transmitter

featuring

single

knob

band

switching,

full

metering

, pl

enty

of

power,

and

a

bui

l

t-in

power

supply.

While

the

unit

was

advertised

and

sold

primarily

as

a

Novice

transmitter,

Mace

knew

better

than

to

limit

the

AT-l

's

appeal.

The

rig

's

non-novice

frequency

coverage

and

provisions

for a

modu

l

ator

and

VFO

made

the

AT-1

attrac-

tive

to

higher

-

class

license

holders

while

giving

the

novice

a

clear

"upgrade

path."

Heath

had

done

everything

right

with

the

AT-1,

yet

the

transmitter

was

less

a

marvel

of

HE.A.TH

KIT

r@

~

f¥'*5¥HHE@

.A

H I

ST

ORY

O F

THE

HEATH

CO:D.'.'.IP.ANY

engineering

than

it

was

a

marvel

of

com-

mon

sense

and

market-

ing

savvy

-

qualities

that

would

become

the

Heath

Company's

stock

in

trade.

The

AT-1

was

sold

for

only

four

years,

but

it

set

the

stage

for

The

AT

-l

one

of

the

most

remarkable

stories

in

ham

radio

and

laid

the

groundwork

for

what

would

become

the

most

extensive

amateur

radio

product

line

ever

assemb

l

ed

by

a

single

company-more

than

200

amateur

kits,

not

counting

the

test

equip-

ment,

stereo

and

TV

lines,

CB

radios,

marine

products,

and

more.

With

the

AT-1

Heath

was

able

to

establish

that

a

market

existed

for

low-cost,

kit-form

ham

equipment.

But

was

there

a

market

for

more

expensive

gear?

Mace

suspected

that

Heath

could

make

virtually

any

amateur

product

in

kit

form-and

even

add

a few

more

features-and

still

be

able

to

sell

it

for

less

than

a

ready

-

made

product

.

Feeling

that

he

now

had

the

ball

rolling

and

anxious

not

to

lose

the

momentum

gained

from

the

AT-1,

Mace

immediately

began

planning

Heath's

Mace

used

the

same

strat-

egy

he

had

used

with

the

AT-1-he

looked

at

the

competition,

thumbing

through

back

issues

of

QST

to

see

what

was

missing

.

Receivers

might

have

been

a

possibility

but

there

were

a

number

of

good

ones

on

the

market

already.

Besides,

receivers

were

tricky,

and

designing

one

would

take

more

time

than

Mace

thought

Heath

had.

To

keep

things

moving,

Heath

needed

another

product

quickly.

( V )

THE

DX-100

:

HEATH

'S

TICKET

TO

RIDE

@~

Again,

the

answer

was

transmit-

A.@~

ters.

Strange-there

were

al

most

'

~~

~

no

affordable

AM

transmitters

on

'/

1

~

the

market.

There

was

the

B&W

51008.

A

mere

$467.

There

was

also

the

WRL

Globe

King-500

watts

in

a

cabinet

31

inches

tall.

In

a box

that

big

you

would

think

they

could

have

found

room

for a

VFO

.

Especially

for

$675.

Well,

try

the

Elenco

77

on

for size.

It

had

a

VFO

and

a

respectable

300

watts

on

AM.

The

price

tag

was

respectable

too-almost

$700.

The

Collins

32-V

series

was

in

the

same

neighbor-

hood,

out

of

reach

for

most

hams.

Mace

had

to

wonder

what

was

going

on.

Couldn

't

anyone

make

a

nice

AM

transmitter

with

a few

features

and

a

little

muscle

and

sell

it

for

less

that

a

1954

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

Buick

four-door

sedan?

Mace

didn't

have

to

sniff

very

hard

to

smell

a

market

here.

No

affordable

AM

transmitters?

Well,

there

was

one

.

It

ran

around

100

watts

AM

and

CW

on

160

thro

u gh

10

-

meters.

It

was

built

into

a

nice-looking

cabinet

and

weighed

an

easy-to-lift

65

pounds.

And

at

only

$280,

it

was

on

the

high

side

of

affor

d

able.

It

was

offered

fully

assembled

or

as

a

kit

,

and

as

far

Roger

Mace

could

see,

it

had

only

one

weakness-no

VFO.

This

was

the

rig

(and

th e

market)

to

go

after.

The

rig

was

the

Viking

II

and

in

a

very

short

time

the

E.F.

John-

son

Company

would

find

itself

looking

down

the

barrels

of

Heath's

l

arge

caliber

engineering

and

marketing

guns.

But

not

so

fast.

In

spite

of

the

modest

success

of

the

AT-1,

management

at

Heath

was

re

l

uctant

to

spend

the

money

needed

to

develop

the

new

transmitter,

arguing

that

it

was

too

expensive.

After

all,

they

said,

there

were

some

big

pl

ayers

in

the

ham

radio

market

,

and

it

would

be

hard

to

go

up

against

them.

Heath

had

become

real

com-

fortable

with

its

test

equipment

and

Hi

-

Fi

prod

-

uct

lines. No,

they

said

, too

much

money-too

risky.

But

Mace

knew

he

was

right.

He

knew

the

market

was

there.

And

he

knew

Heath

could

make

a

pile

of

money

in

amateur

radio

.

At

least,

he

hoped

it

could,

reminding

himself

that

the

AT-1

was

doing

well.

Undaunted,

Mace

took

on

the

project

himself.

On

his

own

time

he

would

prototype

the

transmitter

in

his

living

room.

In

spite

of

its

many

successes

,

and

contrary

to

the

public

image

it

portrayed-that

of

a

compa

-

ny

enthusiastically

designing

new

amateur

products

- H

eath

would

remain

skeptical

about

products

not

test

equipment

.

To

be

fair,

this

re

l

uctance

was

common

to

many

com-

panies

at

that

time.

Heath

engineer

Dar

Evans

recalls

conversations

with

many

of

his

counter-

parts

at

companies

like

Collins,

Hallicrafters,

and

others,

a

ll

of

whom

told

similar

stories.

It

wasn

't

that

management

would

not

accept

new

ideas,

but

that

they

had

to

be

thoroughly

sold

on

them,

sometimes

to

the

extent

of

having

the

product

and

a

bill

of

materials

handed

to

them

on

a

silver

pl

atter.

And

to

some

degree

manage-

ment's

hesitancy

was

justified.

Tool-

up

costs

for

new

products

were

expensive,

as

was

the

invest-

ment

in

inventory.

With

time

and

future

success-

es,

Heath

's

apprehension

would

dissipate

a

lit-

tle,

but

its

basic

reluctance

about

new

products

never

changed.

On

the

other

hand

Heath,

made

it

easy

for

anyone

with

a

product

idea

to

bui

ld a

proto-

type-on

his

own

time.

Heath's

parts

stock

and

13

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO~PANY

~

fHMiHHil

metal

working

shops

were

open

for

use

by

engi-

neers

24

hours

a d a

y.

Heath

also

allowed

its

engineers

to

take

the

parts

they

needed

and

work

with

them

at

home.

And

why

not?

After

all,

that

kind

of

time

and

effort

was

worth

a

lot

of

money,

and

at

the

time,

most

of

Heath's

engi

-

neers

were

happy

to

work

on

pet

projects

at

home

or

after

hours.

For

Heath

to

take

advan-

tage

of

that

kind

of

enthusiasm

was

just

plain

smart

management-it

was

just

another

way

of

saving

money.

It

was

now

early

in

1954.

Heath

's

test

equip-

ment

line

was

flourishing,

as

was

its

hi-fi

equip-

ment.

Soon

it

would

be

expanding

its

amateur

radio

line

.

Indeed

everything

Heat

h

touched

seem

to

turn

to

gold.

The

company

was

booming.

Then

came

the

news

.

Howard

Anthony

was

dead.

Killed

in

a

plane

crash

.

The

mastermind

who

h a d

taken

th

e

Heath

Company

from

bankruptcy

to

a

thriv

-

ing

enterprise

on

the

strength

of

a

freight

car

full

of

surplus

CRTs

was

gon

e . A

stunned

company

ground

nearly

to

a Johnson

Vikin

g

II

ha

lt .

Howard

's

wife

Helen,

who

had

been

active

in

the

business

,

now

took

the

helm

.

But

her

heart

wasn't

in

it.

Numb

wi

th

grief,

she

l

ost

interest

in

everything

and

put

Heath

up

for

sale.

But

not

to

just

an

yone.

It

would

have

to

be

a

company

that

treated

its

emp

l

oyees

well.

There

were

numerous

offers,

including

one

from

Allied

Radio,

home

of

the

Knight

-

Kit.

But

Helen

liked

a

company

called

Daystrom

.

Daystrom

was

a

holding

company

with

interests

in

everything

from

lumber

to

fur

-

niture,

but

was

best

known

in

electronics

circles

as

the

parent

company

of

Weston,

a

manufactur-

er

of

high

quality

meters.

She

accep

t

ed

Day

-

strom's

offer

of

about

1.8

million

dollars.

One

of

Helen's

last

duties

at

Heath

was

to

promote

Gene

Fiebich

to

Director

of

E

ngineer-

ing

.

Gene

had

pretty

much

been

doing

this

job

anyway,

but

now

he

had

the

title.

He

l

en

told

Gene

that

Howard

trusted

him

more

than

any

-

one

else

and

had

said

to

her

on

many

occasions

that

if

anything

ever

happened

to

him,

Gene

was

the

man

to

take

charge

of

engineering.

And

take

charge

he

did

"with

a

soft

touch."

For

the

years

Gene

would

be

the

guiding

light

in

engi

-

neering.

Company

presidents

wou

ld

come

and

go,

products

would

rise

and

fall,

and

Heath

itself

wou

ld

change

hands,

but

Gene

was

always

14

there.

Former

Heath

engineers

remember

Gene

fondly

as

a

man

on

whom

they

could

always

g

depend.

A fair,

honest,

honorable

person

who

~

would

always

go to

bat

for

the

engineering

staff.

~

Daystrom

turned

out

to

be

very

good

for

:;;

H

eath.

Among

other

things,

Daystrom

pumped

a

~

z

l

ot

of

deve

l

opment

money

into

Heath

and

~

encouraged

new

product

growth

.

Daystrom

~

almost

immediately

drew

up

plans

for

a

huge

;;

new

facility

and

in

1956,

moved

Heath

into

a

~

new

building

on

Hilltop

Road

across

the

river

in

~

St.

Joseph.

Was

business

good?

It

took

Daystrom

;;:

less

than

a

year

to

recover

its

original

1.8

mil

-

~

li

on

dollar

investment.

3

But

I

digress.

~

It

took

Mace

only

a

couple

of

months

to

com- ;

pl

et

e

the

prototype

transmitter

-

now

dubbed

;::

the

DX-100

(DX

seemed

like

a

good

idea)

.

~

The

rig

was

designed

~

to

give

the

Johnson

j

Viking

II

some

genuine

~

competition.

It

would

~

:;;

have

everything

the

~

Viking

had

-

pl

us

a =

VFO.

Ta

rget

price:

~

"'

$100

less

than

the

>

Heath

DX-100

Viking.

When

manage-

ment

finally

saw

the

rig

they

said,

with

some

reluctance,

"Well,

OK

"

To

fully

appreciate

the

DX-

100,

one

must

have

an

understanding

of

the

times.

The

DX-

100

was

designed

at

a

time

when

"big

and

heavy"

was

synonymous

with

"good

and

stable."

Prior

to

1958

it

was

axiomatic

that

if

a

rig

weighed

less

than

50

or

60

pounds,

it

couldn

't

be

very

well

designed

. A

big

heavy

radio

is

what

everybody

wanted.

It

was

also

assumed

in

those

days

that

a

rig

should

be

designed

-

or

more

precisely

,

over-

designed

-

to

withstand

any

peril

that

might

come

its

way.

Apparently

a

lot

of

military

-

like

thinking

went

into

these

radios.

Hence,

huge

transformers,

heavy

resistors

,

heavy

gauge

metal

fabrication

,

and

over

-

rated

parts

of

all

description

found

their

way

into

the

circuits

.

Hey,

we

are

talking

"red

menace"

here

and

these

rigs

had

to

be

tough

enough

for

"the

big

one."

One

might

be

tempted

to

counter

that

in

those

days

parts

were

cheap.

Certainly

chokes

and

coils for

35

cents

and

high

voltage

air

variables

for

two

bucks

sound

cheap,

but

two

bu

cks

was

a

l

ot

of

money

in

1953

.

When

viewed

in

terms

of

1

950s

dollars,

parts

were,

with

very

few

excep-

tions

,

no

cheaper

than

they

are

today.

The

Heath

Company

,

like

other

manufacturers,

was

very

much

a

product

of

its

times

and

bought

into

H

El

A.TH

KIT

K§

~

'H?df

HHEiJ

A

HIS

TOR

Y

OF'

THE

HE

ATH

CO:Jl.l.[P

A N Y

much

of

the

over-design

theory

of

construction.

Over

-

designed

or

not,

Heath

had

to

come

in

on

budget

.

In

addition

to

its

well-oiled

manufactur-

ing

facilities

and

its remaining

stockpile

of

so-

cheap-as-to

-

be-free

surplus

parts,

Heath

had

another

trick

for

saving

money.

Can

you

say

"reverse

engineering?"

This

was

a

simple

strategy

Heath

had

discov-

ered

years

earlier.

Here's

how

it

works.

Find

a

successful

product,

buy

a few,

take

them

apart

to

see

how

they

work

,

then

design

your

own

version

with

a few

improvements

and

added

features.

All

you

need

are

a few

veteran

home

-

brewer

types

-

graduate

engineers

need

not

apply. You

save

big

money.

Swe

ll

idea

,

eh?

Reverse

engineering

had

been

extreme

ly

effective

wh

en

Heath

applied

it

to

test

equipment

products.

Did

Heath

do

it

with

the

Viking?

Only

God

and

Roger

Mace

know

for

sure

,

but

it

seems

a

likely

scenario

given

the

similarities

in

design

and

layout

of

the

Viking

II

and

the

DX-100.

When

all

the

dust

had

settled,

the

two

-

tone

gray

DX-100

weighed

in

at

an

even

100

pounds

and

had

"stable"

written

all

over

it

.

The

rig

ran

125

watts

AM

and

140

on

CW,

used

15

tubes

and,

and

yes,

it

had

a

VFO.

Sticker

price:

$189.50

- a

full

$100

less

than

the

Viking.

Even

before

it

went

out

the

door,

Heath

felt

like

it

had

a

winner

but

was

quick

to

realize

it

didn

't

matter

how

good

the

DX-

100

was

if

no

one

cou

ld

put

it

together.

To

win

at

this

game

would

take

a

crys-

tal

clear,

understandable

assembly

manual.

While

engineers

like

Mace

were

still

writing

the

basic

step-by-step

instructions,

Heath

hired

a

few

graphic

art

i

sts

to

help

with

the

illustrations

and

a few

editors

to

help

make

sense

of

the

engi

-

neer's

often

over-technical

style.

In

fact,

there

was

now

an

entire

"manuals

department."

The

quality

of

its

products

notwithstanding,

it

was

Heath's

manua

ls

that

would

eventually

make

it

the

only

serious

player

in

the

kit

market.

And

did

the

DX-100

sell?

While

the

records

of

these

early

years

are

gone,

we

can

deduce

by

looking

at

Heath's

advertisingthat

it

was

a

phe

-

nomenally

popular

product.

Prior

to

the

DX-100,

Heath

bought

only

small

ads

in

QST

focused

pri-

marily

on

test

equipment

.

But

by

1956,

less

than

a

year

after

the

release

of

the

100,

Heath

began

buying

three

fu

ll

pages

of

advertising

in

se

l

ected

issues

of

the

popular

hobby

magazine.

By

1958

the

company

was

buying

five

full

pages

every

month

.

That

kind

of

advertising

takes

money-

l

ots

of

money-and

there

can

be

little

doubt

about

where

that

money

came

from.

It

came

from

the

DX-

100.

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Pr

oducts

The

DX-100

was

more

than

just

a

wildly

suc-

cessful

transmitter.

It

was

a

pivotal

product

in

Heath

's

development

.

Indeed,

it

was

Heath's

ticket

to

ride.

The

revenue

generated

by

the

100

bought

more

than

just

advertising.

It

bought

"know

how"

-

it

bought

engineers.

Graduate

engineers.

Al

Roberston,

Joe

Shafer,

Dar

Evans,

and

nine

others

with

the

power

to

move

Heath

out

of

the

reverse

engineering

mode

and

into

a

series

of

innovative

products

of

its

own

design

.

In

the

years

that

followed,

as

we

shall

see

,

Heath

would

have

many

successful

products

,

many

even

more

successful

than

the

100.

But

because

of

what

it

was,

when

it

happened,

and

what

it

did

for

Heath,

few

Heathkits

will

be

remembered

more

fondly

-

or

by

so

many-as

the

DX-

100.

( V )

FULL

SPEED

AHEAD

On

the

strength

of

just

two

pr~ducts

,

@

the

AT-1

and

DX-100

transmitters

,

the

Heath

company

had

established

itself

as

a

major

player

in

the

amateur

radio

marketp

l

ace,

and

one

to

be

taken

serious

-

ly.

Again

not

wanting

to

lose

any

momentum

and

now

embo

l

dened

by

the

huge

financial

gains

made

with

the

DX-

100,

Heath

's

engineers

quickly

began

planning

their

products.

While

the

AT

-1

and

the

DX-100

were

well-

designed

products

from

an

electrical

point

of

view

,

they

weren't

much

to

look

at

because

they

had

been

deve

l

oped

primarily

to

see

what

kind

of

market

existed

for

kit

form

amateur

radio

products.

Nevertheless

,

the

DX-100

was

selling

better

than

anyone

ever

could

have

imagined

. So

rather

than

replace

it

with

a

new

r ig,

Heath

decided

that

a

refinement

of

the

100

offered

as

a

"high

end"

product

would

give

customers

a

choice

of

rigs

while

giving

Heath

a

greater

share

of

the

overall

market.

This

low-end

versus

high-end

strategy

proved

so

exceptionally

effec-

tive

that

Heat

h

would

go

on

to

use

it

again

and

again

with

future

products.

Additionally,

Heath

knew

that

if

it

were

to

comp

e

te

aggressively,

it

would

need

a

decent

receiver

in

its

product

line

.

Heath

also

reasoned

that

designing

the

new

products

as

a

matched

pair

would

not

only

be

attractive

from

a

consumer

marketing

perspec-

tive,

it

would

enable

the

company

to

use

many

of

the

same

parts

for

both

units

,

thus

saving

money.

The

"

economics

of

scale"

was

a

concept

on

which

Heath

had

a

firm

gra

sp.

Heath

turned

its

attention

first

to

developing

a

receiver

,

since

the

receiver

would

be

far

more

complex

to

design

than

the

transmitter

and

15

A.

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

COl'.11.[FA.NY

~

f

§f

idiHHEiJ

would

take

much

long

er

to

get

to

a

prototype

stage.

Th

ere

were,

by

the

late

'50s,

l

ots

of

companies

cranking

out

tran

s

mitt

ers,

but

there

wasn't

much

in

the

way

of

competition

with

respect

to

affordable

ham-band-only

receivers.

Prior

to

1958-the

year

Heath

released

the

receiver-

the

vast

majority

of

commercially

avai

l

able

rece

ivers

were

general

coverage

units

with

a

band

s

pread

added

for

the

ham

bands.

High

quality

h a

m-band-onl

y

receivers

were

prett

y

scarce,

and

the

few

that

were

on

the

mark

et

were

pr

et

ty

expensive.

In

d

es

igning

the

RX-1 ,

Heath

looked

carefully

at

five

or

s

ix

of

the

better

receivers

of

the

d

ay

to

get

a feel for

what

fea

-

tures

a

decen

t

communi

catio

ns

receiver

might

includ

e-an

d

ho

w

much

it

might

cost.

Th

e

Hallicrafters

SX-101

was

a

completely

average

rece

i

ver

that

ran

abo

ut

$400

.

The

Ham-

merlund

HQ-110

was

a

thoroughly

unremark-

ab

le

ra

dio for

$230

(

the

somew

hat

more

remark-

ab

le

HQ-170

didn

't

arrive

until

1958

).

National

had

a

coup

le

of

very

pro

fessiona

l

receivers

pric

ed

accor

dingly

:

the

HR0-60

cost

ju

st

under

$500

and

the

NC-300

went

for

about

$350.

Then

of course

there

was

the

Collins

75A4

which,

at

$650,

was

affor

dabl

e

only

by

the

military

and

a few

of

the

more

af

flu

en

t h

ams

.

These

rece

ive

rs,

H

eath

fig-

ured,

would

be

the

ones

to

compete

wit

h .

A

quick

a

naly

sis

found

that

most

of

the

bette

r

re

ceivers

on

the

mark

et

h

ad

a few

things

in

com-

mon.

Virtua

ll

y a

ll

were

dual

conversion

s

up

er

-

h

et

d

es

i

gns

and

mo

st

had

s

lide

rule

dials

,

which

were

regarded

as

a

sign

of

quality.

Ad

d

itionally

most

had

ad

ju

sta

bl

e

se

l

ectiv

it

y,

some

kind

of

notch

filter,

a

cry

sta

l

calibrator,

an

d a

tunable

front

en

d. So

with

a

laundr

y

list

of

feature

s

and

specifications

in

hand,

H

eath

turned,

as

it

had

for

it

s

products

,

to

chief

eng

i-

neer

Roger

Mace.

The

challenge

was

to

combine

a

ll

the

features

of

the

best

receivers

in

a

sty

lish

cab

in

et

an

d

se

ll

it

for say,

und

er

$300.

(

ti°

) HEATHKIT'S

GREEN

MACHINES

@

,,

The

phy

sical

design

of

the

new

receiv

-

er,

dubbed

the

RX-1 "

Mohawk,"

was

realized

by

H

eath's

in

-h

ouse

indu

s

tri-

al

desi

gner,

Stu

Sizer,

hired

after

H

eat

h d

ecide

d

to

get

serious

about

cosmetics

.

Th

e RX-1 wo

uld

be

abo

ut

the

same

physical

size

as

the

DX-100

but

would

be

finished

in

a

glossy

two-tone

gree

n p

aint,

fitted

with

attractive

esc

utch

eons,

and

garnished

wit

h s

hiny

die-ca

st

a

luminum

knob

s. We

will

never

know

with

cer-

tainty

why

Heath

sett

led

on

green,

but

we do

know

there

was

great

interest

in

an

attempt

to

16

di

st

inguish

H

eat

h

products

from

the

ubiquitous

gray

and

wr

inkl

e

black

box

es

of

it

s

competitors.

Whil

e

there

may

hav

e

been

so

me

industrial

psy-

chology

involved,

it

is

more

lik

ely

that

giv

en

the

alternatives

of

red,

blu

e, a

nd

ye

llow,

green

may

simply

have

b

een

vi

ewe

d

as

the

on

ly

real

choice.

In

any

case

it

wasn

't

long

before

the

color

green

became

sy

non

ymous

with

He

at

hkits.

Ind

eed,

the

color sc

heme

proved

so

popul

ar

H

ea

th

would

go

on

to

u

se

it

in

virtually

every

a

mateur

product

it

made

until

the

early

'8

0s.

Building

a d

evice

as

complex

as

a

communica-

tions

receiver

is

a da

unting

task

under

the

b

est

of

circumstances.

The

assem

bly

of

the

RX-l

's

dial

drive

mechanism,

for

example,

was

eno

u

gh

to

intimida

te

a

watch

maker

,

and

the

point-to-

point

wiring

required

a

much

sma

ll

er

i

ron

and

a

much

s

teadier

hand

than

man

y

ops

were

accus-

tomed

to.

Heath

deve

l

oped

a

number

of

strate

-

gies

to

help

the

build

er

cope

with

the

intric

ac

i

es

of

the

work

,

includin

g

improved

instructions

,

detai

led

gra

phic

s,

and

diagram

s

in

the

manual

;

the

u

se

of

color

-

coded

wiring

h

arness

es;

and

that

s

imple

but

in

genious

tool,

the

plastic

nut

starter.

But

it

was

the

pre

-

assem

bled

and

tuned

front-end

sub

-ch

assis

that

really

made

the

RX-1

possib

le

in

ki

t

form.

Heath

's e

ngineers

recog-

nized

the

complexities

of

a

li

g

ning

s

uch

a

unit

a

nd

wise

ly

decided

that

providing

the

front-

en

d

al

ready

assembled

and

tuned

would

avoid

a

lot

of

h

ea

d

ac

hes

l

ater

on

-

both

for

the

ms

elves

and

for

the

cons

um

er.

Without

a

pre-assemb

led

and

tuned

front

-

end,

the

alignment

of

the

receiver

wou

ld

have

be

en

a

painful

and

time

-c

ons

u

ming

task,

beyo

nd

the

capabilities

of

many

ops

and/or

their

test

eq

ui

pment

. H

eath

knew

that

to

se

ll

receivers

it

would

h

ave

to

make

the

construction

both

practica

l a

nd

po

ssib

le. H

eat

h

contract

ed

with

Sherwood

El

ectronics

in

Chicago

to

build

the

front

-

end

assembly

.

Whether

Roger

Mace

designed

the

unit

him

se

lf

or

farmed

it

out

to

Sherwood

is

n

ot

known

,

but

the

ent

ire

front-end

modu

le

was,

at

the

very

l

east,

asse

mbled

a

nd

a

li

gned

by

Sherwood

and

included

the

RF

and

HF

oscillators,

the

mixer

stages,

and

the

band

switc

h

unit.

All

the

kit

build

er

had

to

do

was

attac

h

it

to

the

main

ch

assis

with

a few

screws

and

plug

in

a

couple

of

cables.

With

the

IF

fre-

quencies

established,

the

tune-up

proc

edure

co

uld

be

don

e

usin

g

nothing

more

th

at

the

RX-l

's

built

-in

crystal

ca

libr

ator

an

d S

-m

eter.

In

d

esig

ning

product

s

this

way

H

eath

was

esta

bli

s

hing

for

itse

lf a

kind

of

go

ld

en

rul

e:

To

be

s

uccessfu

l

in

the

kit

market,

a

product

must

be

d

es

igned

so

that

it

can

be

assem

bl

ed

by

a

person

HE

.AT

HK

IT

r@

~

f

i'Mf

HH+i

A

HISTORY

OF

TH

E

HEATH

CO:r.l.l:PANY

with

limited

skill

and

a

ligned

without

compli-

cated

or

expensive

t

est

eq

uipment.

This

princi-

pl

e

was

a

major

step

forward

in

the

kit

product

concept

because

it

would

brin

g

kit

building

with-

in

the

grasp

of

tens

of

thousands

who

would

not

ot

h

er

wi

se

be

able

to

ha

ndl

e

it.

Ironica

ll

y,

two

d

eca

d

es

later

thi

s

same

principl

e

would

play

a

si

gnifica

nt

role

in

H

ea

th'

s

undoing.

By l

ate

1

957

the

RX-1

had

al

read

y b

ee

n

d

esig

n e d

and

proto-

.

CJ

typed

a

nd

was

coming

a

lon

g nicely.

But

Mac

e

knew

that

he

was

going

t o n

ee

d a

little

help

with

the

project

if

h e

Heath

RX-l

was

g

oing

to

get

both

the

receiver

and

th

e

transmitter

out

the

door

on

time

.

Enter

Al

Robert

son , a yo

ung

man

in

the

right

pl

ace

at

the

right

time.

A

Mi

c

hi

ga

n

nativ

e, Al R

oberts

on

graduated

from

Michigan

Tech

in

19

55

holdin

g a

de

gree

in

Electrica

l

Engin

eer

in

g

wit

h a

Communica-

ti

ons

Option

.

In

those

days

the

big

corporations

were

hiring

E .

E.

s

as

fas

t

as

th

ey

could,

so Al h a d

no

trouble

landin

g a

job

wit

h

Gen

era

l

El

ec-

tr

ic

in

Utica

,

New

York,

work

in

g

in

the

ar

ea

of

military

avionics.

After

only

a

few

of

month

s

with

General

El

ectric,

ROT

C

ca

ll

ed

him

up

for

a

co

upl

e

of

years

of

active

duty

and

sta

-

tioned

him

a t

Wri

g

ht

P

aterso

n

Air

For

ce

Al

Robertson

, ca. 1990

Base

in

Da

yt

on

,

Ohio

.

Wh

en

hi

s

st

int

wi t h

the

Air

Forc

e

was

over

, Al dec

id

ed

that

work

-

in

g

for

a

government

co

nt

ractor

wasn't

mu

ch

fun

,

that

the

milita

ry

didn

't

thrill

him

all

that

much

e

ither

,

and

come

to

t

hi

nk

of

it

,

that

Michi

-

gan

wasn't

such

a bad

place

after

all. So

with

resume

in

hand

Al

h

ea

ded b

ac

k

to

his

hom

e

sta

te.

While

interviewin

g w

ith

an

electronics

com

pany

near

Benton

H

ar

bor, Al

stopped

by

to

visit

an

old

Michigan

Tech

friend

who'd

tak

en

a

job

in

Heath

's

audio

di

vision.

Al

had

pick

ed

up

hi

s

ham

license

in

the

service

a

nd

thou

ght

th

at

a

ca

reer

in

ham

radio

might

be

interestin

g.

He

mu

st

have

walked

in

the

door

ju

st

about

the

sa

m e

tim

e Ro

ger

M

ace

was

say

ing

"You

know, I s

ure

could

u

se

some h e

lp

he

re.

" Al

was

hired

on

the

spot.

A

Guid

e

to

the

Amat

eur

Radio

Products

( V )

THE

TX-1

:

SPRINGS

AND

GEARS

AND

PULLEYS

,

OH

MY!

@)

Heath

's n

ew

transmitter

was

de

sig-

nated

th

e TX-1 "A

pache.

"

The

Indian

names

wer e Ma

ce's

idea.

He

had

a

special

affection

for

Native

Americ

an

them

es

as

his

wife

was

a

Native

Am

e

r-

i

can.

Th

e

practice

of

u s

in

g

Indi

an

names

contin-

ued

until

Mace's

failing

h

ea

lth

forced

him

to

l

eave

H

ea

th

in

1960.

Th

e "

Mohican

" s

olid-state

gener-

al

cove

rage

receiv

er,

d

esig

n ed

during

Mace's

tenure,

but

not

released

until

1961

,

was

the

l

ast

pro

duct

to

be

named

with

an

Indian

theme.

Robe

rtson

's

first

assignment

was

to

build

th

e

TX-1

into

a box

that

matched

the

RX-1

receiv

er.

Thi

s so

unded

simple

e

nou

gh -

but

there

w

as

a

hitch

.

Since

the

RX-1 h a d b

ee

n

designed

from

scratc

h ,

its

front

p

ane

l

controls

were

plac

ed

p

re

tt

y

much

wh

erever

they

nee

ded

to

be.

But

the

Heath

TX-1

TX-1 ha d

to

match

, a

nd

that

m

ea

nt

it

s

front

panel

control

pos

ition

s

h ad

to

be

in

place

s cor-

r

es

ponding

to

tho

se

on

the

RX

-

1-wh

e

th

er

tho

se

were

the

b

es

t

loc

a

ti

ons

or

not.

Th

e

implication

of

all

thi

s

is

t hat

connecting

the

TX-l

's

front

panel

kn

obs

to

their

asso

ciat

ed

controls

on

the

chassis

of

te

n

req

uir

ed so

me

complicated

link

ages.

One

of

the

most

e

laborate

of

th

ese

link

ages

was

in

the

VFO

band

switc

hin

g mech a

ni

sm .

The

VFO

osc

illator

ran

at

one

of

th

ree

frequency

ranges

(

1750-2000

kHz

,

7000

-7175

kHz,

or

7000-7

4

25

kHz)

depend-

ing

on

what

band

was

sel

ecte

d.

Since

these

thr

ee

ranges

served

all

five

bands,

the

VFO

didn

't

need

to

change

frequency

ra

n

ges

every

time

the

band

sw

itch

was

turned.

Al

h a d

to

invent

a

m e

chanica

ll

y

int

e

rrupt

ed

sw

itch

assembly

to

choo

se

the

corr

ect

range

w

ith

eac

h

turn

of

th

e

b a

nd

sw

itch

.

Rob

ertso

n a

dmits

he

was

no

mec

hanical

engineer,

but

si

nce h e

knew

he

h

ad

-

n

't

b

een

around

lon

g e

nou

gh

to

argue

he

had

to

come

up

with

something.

He d

escr

ibes

his

solu

-

tion

as

"a

real

Mick

ey

Mou

se

l

as

h

up"

and

adds

th

at

he

w

as

never

very

pro

ud

of

it

.

But

he

is

also

quick

to

note

that

it

ende

d

up

working

quite

we

ll

an

d

pro

ve

d

extremely

dur

a

bl

e.

Th

e

dial

driv

e

assembly

was

anoth

er

of

H

ea

th

's

famou

s (

or

in

fa

mou

s)

Rube

Gol

db

erg

mechanisms

and

ha d

been

d

es

ig

ned

for

the

RX-1

b

efore

Al

arrived.

Not

wa

nting

to

re

-

invent

any

wheels

,

Robert

s

on

chose

to

u

se

the

exact

same

unit

in

the

TX-1.

It

was

a

collection

of

springs,

17

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

COlll.[FANY

r@=

~

f

UMih&f

iJ

gears,

pulleys,

and

string

that

gave

pause

to

even

seasoned

home

brewers.

Several

entire

pages

of

the

assembly

manual

were

devoted

to

its

construction,

and

it

likely

took

a

couple

of

evenings

to

complete.

Exactly

who

was

responsi-

ble

for

its

design

is

not

known,

but

in

the

e

nd,

it

too

proved

to

be

a

very

good

design,

being

both

durable

and

mechanically

stable.

The

actual

electronics

of

the

TX-1

were

very

much

easier

to

design

and

build.

More

than

just

a

DX-100

in

a

new

box,

the

TX-1

was

a

refine-

ment

of

the

100

and

included

several

distinct

improvements

and

additions.

Particular

atten-

tion

was

given

to

the

VFO.

While

Heath

used

the

old

favorite

6AU6

Clapp

oscillator,

Robertson

designed

it

as

a

sub-assembly

to

enhance

fre-

quency

stability.

To

allow

for

sideband

opera-

tion

,

the

TX-1

made

provisions

for

direct

connec

-

tion

to

the

SB-10

single

sideband

adapter,

which

was

also

under

development.

The

SB-10

was

supposed

to

be

ready

for

the

DX-100

and

was

to

be

called

the

DX-10,

but

the

fellow

in

charge

couldn't

get

it

working

-

even

though

it

was

a

direct

copy

of

an

adapter

made

by

Barker

&

Williamson.

Eventually

that

fellow

lost

his

job

over

the

project

and

the

SB-10

was

turned

over

to

Robertson,

who

though

also

had

problems

with

it,

but

finally

got

it

going.

A

pair

of

S0-239s

on

the

TX-l's

rear

panel

permitted

a

front

panel

control

to

put

the

SB-10

in

the

RF

path

between

the

driver

and

the

final

amplifier.

Heath

wanted

to

use

the

SB-10

to

h e

dge

its

bets

on

the

popu-

l

arity

of

SSB

.

At

the

time

there

was

a

lot

of

di

s-

cussion

(sometimes

he

a

ted)

about

the

future

of

SSB

.

Many

ops

swore

(

occasionally

on

the

air)

they

would

never

use

it.

The

strategy

of

provid-

ing

an

optional

adapter

ensured

that

Heath

would

not

lose

out

whatever

the

final

verdict

on

sideband

turned

out

to

be

.

The

TX-1

and

RX-1

hit

th

e

mark

et

together

in

Jun

e

1958

and

were

met

with

rave

r

ev

iews

.

Heath

introduced

the

pair

with

five

full

p

ag

es

of

advertising

in

QST.

( V ) A

SEA

OF

GREEN

@

While

the

AT-1

and

DX-100

marked

~

Heath

's

official

entry

into

amateur

(§fail!)

radio

,

they

se

rved

primarily

as

a

kind

of

"proving

ground"

- a

couple

of

low-

risk

products

to

see

if

a

market

existed

for

kit

form

ham

equipme

nt

and

to

determine

the

diffi-

culties

involved

in

bringing

such

products

to

market.

The

release

of

the

TX-1

and

RX-1

was

different

.

These

shiny,

stylish,

professional

look-

ing

machines

were

the

resu

lt

of

a

new-found

con-

18

viction

to

pursue

the

amateur

radio

market

based

on

the

unbridled

success

of

its

first

two

products.

Now,

for

the

first

time,

amateur

prod-

ucts

were

not

an

experiment.

Heath

committed

serious

design,

engineering,

and

marketing

muscle

to

the

Apache

/

Mohawk

project

and

began

planning

a

long-range

strategy

for

its

emerging

product

lin

e.

This

sh

ift

in

attitude

marked

the

beginning

of

a

truly

phenomenal

era

for

Heath.

It

was

as

though

H

eath

had

hit

resonance.

New

products

practically

flooded

out

the

doors.

To

complement

the

Apache

and

Mohawk,

Heath

developed

two

linear

amplifiers,

the

ill-fated

KL-1

"C

hippewa

,"

and

the

very

successfu

l

HA-10

"Warrior

."

Work

was

started

on

an

SSB

transmitter

(the

HX-10

"Marauder")

and

an

extensive

line

of

VHF

products.

It

was

also

dur-

ing

this

time

that

Heath

designed

its

legendary

"DX"

family

of

small

novice

class

transmitters,

mobi

le

HF

gear,

a

line

of

accessory

products

,

and

more

. No

one,

not

even

those

who

worked

for

Heath,

could

have

imagined

what

was

in

store

for

the

company.

Indeed

,

Heath

was

on

a

roll

that

would

last

more

than

20

years.

(

t/

)

THE

DAY

THE

RADIO

UNIVERSE

CHANGED

Collins

was

an

influence

on

just

about

everyone

in

ham

radio.

Excep-

tional

in

both

design

and

expense,

Collins

rigs

were

the

envy

and

desire

of

almost

every

ham.

This

fact

was

not

lo

st

on

Heath

.

Since

the

introduction

of

the

KWM-1-a

compact

(

by

the

standards

of

th

e

day

)

transc

eiv-

er-Heath

h a d

been

thinking

that

it

could

go

after

the

Collins

market

with

a lo

w-cost,

look-

alike,

work

-

alike

rig

.

Mace

and

Robertson

reck

-

oned

there

might

be

some

mon

ey

to

be

made

if

peopl

e

thought

th

ey

could

get

something

like

Collins

performance

in

a

pack

age

that

looked

something

like

a

Collins

.

Then

one

day

in

No

ve

mb

e r 1

958,

only

five

months

after

Heath

unveiled

the

Collins 75S-l

TX-1

and

RX-1

,

Al

Robertson

opened

the

latest

issue

of

QST

and

saw

something

that

gave

him

pause.

It

was

a

new

receiver.

With

a

modern

design

that

made

it

appear

both

stylish

and

rugged

,

it

was

small

and

gray,

had

just

seven

knobs,

and

we

igh

ed

only

20

pounds.

While

many

of

the

industry's

leading

manufacturers

failed

to

grasp

the

meaning

of

what

they

saw

in

this

ad

(a

failure

that

would

cost

them

dearly)

,

the

instant

Robertson

saw

it

HE

AT

HK

IT

~

f

Hi&f

H&fil

A H I

STOR

Y O F

TH

E

HEATH

CO~PANY

he

understood

as

clearly

as

a

40

over

nine

signal

that

the

days

of

the

big

heavy

radio

were

over.

Indeed,

Heath

had

seen

the

future

,

and

it

looked

like

a

Collins

75S-l.

Al

showed

the

ad

to

his

co

-

worker

Joe

Shafer,

who

had

been

hired

just

after

he

had.

Studying

the

ad

carefully

Joe

replied

simply,

"We

could

do

that

."

(

t/

)

THE

BIG

PLAN

@

In

a

very

short

time,

Collins

had

designed

and

marketed

a

series

of

~

products

that

quickly

became

the

~

.

desire

of

just

about

everyone

with

a

ticket:

the

75S-1

receiver

,

the

32S-1

transmitter,

the

30S

-1

linear,

t he KWM-2

transceiver,

and

a

series

of

refinements

over

the

n

ex

t

couple

of

years.

Hams

lusted

after

these

rigs

but

lust

was

all

most

could

do.

Collins

came

with

a

price

tag

that

put

the

gear

way

out

of

reach

for

all

but

the

most

well-hea

l

ed

of

hams.

Heath

had

taken

on

the

likes

of

Johnson

,

National,

Hallicrafters,

and

Hammerlund,

but

Robertson

,

Shafer,

and

Mace

knew

that

Collins

was

the

real

challenge

and

that

going

after

them

was

where

th e

real

money

was.

Together

they

hatched

a

simple

but

ambitious

pl

an.

They

would

design

a

series

of

products

to

compete

with

everything

Collins

had

on

the

market-a

receiver

, a

transmitter

, a

linear,

and

a

transceiv

-

er

-

and

sell

them

for

one-third

the

price.

And

while

they

were

at

it,

they

would

go

one

up

and

design

a few

things

Collins

didn

't

have.

It

was

about

this

same

time

that

Roger

Mace

's

health

began

to

falter,

forcing

him

to

retire.

Al

Robertson

was

promoted

to

replace

Roger

and

was

quick

to

make

Joe

Shafer

the

point

man

for

the

new

pro

j

ect.

Shafer

was

a

brilliant

young

engineer

just

26

years

old

when

he

came

to

Heath

-

considerably

younger

than

most

of

his

fellow

engineers.

Joe

had

been

kept

busy

with

a

number

of

sma

ll

projects,

but

his

first

major

ro

le

was

in

the

redesign

of

the

KL

-1

"Chippewa"

lin-

ear.

His

job

was

to

turn

it

into

the

HA

-10 "War-

rior."

Shafer

had

a

remarkable

talent

for

being

able

to

look

at

engineering

problems

and

reduce

them

to

their

fundamental

components.

Joe

was

a

"hot

shot"

in

the

true

sense

of

the

term,

the

perfect

match

for

Collins

.

Both

Al

and

Joe

knew

that

a

series

of

products

made

in

an

entirely

new

style

was

the

right

move

to

make

,

but

they

never

anticipated

the

fight

they

would

get

from

management.

From

the

moment

they

proposed

it,

there

was

trouble.

It

all

started

with

money.

The

series

of

prod-

ucts

Al

and

Joe

envisioned

would

be

expensive

to

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

design,

but

the

pot

of

money

Heath

had

set

aside

for

new

product

design

was

limited.

Additionally,

all

depart-

ments

were

competing

for

those

same

product

development

dollars.

If

any

one

department

took

too

much,

the

oth-

ers

would

suffer.

To

the

Joe

Sh

afer, 1994

guys

in

I

nstrumenta

-

tion,

General

Products,

and

most

of

the

others,

it

looked

like

the

Ama

-

teur

group

was

asking

for a

lot

of

loot.

There

were

protests

.

And

that

was

just

for

starters

.

For

virtually

all

the

physical

design

,

sty

le,

and

l

ayout

of

the

front

panel

had

come

first-with

no

thought

whatsoever

of

the

engineering

consequences

.

As

a

result

,

the

"Apache,"

"Mohawk,"

and

others

contained

rather

complicated

control

linkages.

The

engi

-

neers

were

always

being

forced to

make

the

insides

fit

the

outsides

. By

the

time

Al

and

Joe

got

to

think-

ing

about

the

new

product

line,

they

were

say-

ing,

"Enough

is

enough,

already!"

Needless

to

say,

this

didn't

sit

well

with

Heath

industrial

designer,

Stu

Sizer

.

Among

other

things

Stu

believed

that

all

of

Heath's

products

should

share

some

common

design

element-the

way

automo-

biles

did.

Year

after

year

for

example,

Buicks

always

l

ooked

like

Buicks

.

For

Stu

it

was

the

knobs.

He

thought

that

all

Heath

products

should

use

those

big

shiny

cast

knobs.

"No,"

said

Al,

"the

knobs

are

big,

clunky,

old

-

fashioned,

and

everyone

is

tired

of

them.

We

want

small

knobs

-

with

skirts."

And

that

wasn't

all.

There

were

squabbles

over

the

color,

the

VFO

escutch-

eons,

the

VFO

design,

the

filters,

the

tooling

costs,

and

the

cabinets,

and

even

if

the

rigs

should

use

PC

boards

,

to

name

just

a few.

Sud-

denly

it

seemed

like

everyone

was

in

on

the

debate-even

the

guy

from

Personnel.

Personnel?

"What

the

heck

does

he

have

to

say

about

any-

thing,

"

Robertson

wondered

aloud.

What

indeed.

(

t/

) NON-STOP

HITS

In

spite

of

the

turmoil,

energy

ran

high

in

the

engineering

department,

and

the

early

'60s

were

very

produc-

tive

years

for

Heath.

In

1960

Heath

released

the

KL-1

"Chippewa"

amplifier

and

the

GC-1

"Mohican"

solid-state

SWL

receiver.

The

GC-1

was

the

first

ever

kit

shortwave

receiver

on

the

market

and

19

A

HISTOR

Y

OF

THE

H

EA

T H

CO:r-.1.IFANY

~

fH?f!Hi*PI

the

only

one

to

use

standard

"C"

batteries.

The

combination

of

compact

size

(by

the

standards

of

the

day

),

price,

and

the

use

of

commonly

available

batteries

made

it

very

Th

e G

C-1

"

Moh

ican"

popular,

especially

with

people

traveling

overseas.

Because

demand

for

the

"Mohican"

persisted,

Heath

continued

to

sell

this

"

unadvertised

special"

for

more

than

five

years

after

it

was

withdrawn

from

the

catalog.

Also

in

1960

Heath

introduced

the

"Shawnee"

and

"Pawnee,"

six-

and

two-meter

transceivers

designed

by

Heath's

ace

VHF

man,

Dar

Evans.

And

it

was

Evans

who

was

also

responsible

for

one

of

the

most

phenomenally

s

uccessful

prod-

ucts

(

at

least

in

terms

of

units

sold)

that

Heath

ever

made-the

Benton

Harbor

Lunch

Box.

Actually

the

Lunch

Box

story

does

not

begin

with

Dar

Evans

and

the

Amateur

group;

it

all

started

in

the

General

Products

division

and

with

the

creation

of

the

Citizens'

Band

in

1958.

Heath's

General

Products

Division

instantly

recognized

CB

as

a

potential

gold

mine

and

quickly

designed

a

simple,

single-channel,

CB

transceiver

to

tap

the

market.

The

truth

of

the

matter

is

that

Heath's

design

was

based

largely

on

a

design

that

appeared

in

an

article

in

one

of

the

hobby

electronics

magazines.

Heath

called

its

version

of

the

unit

the

CB-1.

It

used

a

crystal-

controlled

AM

transmitter

and

a

tunable

regen

-

erative

receiver,

built

into

an

aluminum

cabinet

about

the

size

and

shape

of

a

lunch

box

-com-

pl

ete

with

a

handle.

The

CB-1

was

an

instant

success.

The

Amateur

Radio

division

concluded

that

General

Products

was

onto

something

and

figured

that

a

10-meter

version

of

the

CB-1

would

do

as

well.

Someone

then

suggested

that

while

they

were

redesigning

it,

perhaps

a

six

-

meter

version

might

also

be

popular

.

Redesigning

the

CB-1

for

10-meters

would

require

almost

no

work

at

all.

And

it

was

just

a

short

putt

to

six-meters.

So

from

an

engineering

standpoint

these

were

a

couple

of

products

pret-

ty

much

free

for

the

taking.

Swell

idea,

eh?

Leaning

on

the

"

economies

of

s

cale"

principl

e

that

had

served

Heath

so

well

with

other

prod-

ucts

,

the

new

ham

version

s

were

designed

to

be

identical

in

virtually

ever

y

way

to

their

CB

cousin

.

Cosmetically,

the

rigs

were

almost

indis-

tinguishable

from

each

other

,

and

electrically

,

the

units

differed

from

each

other

only

by

a few

coils

and

capacitors.

Although

officially

desig-

20

nated

the

"Tener

"

and

the

"Sixer

,"

Heath

nick

-

named

these

little

gems

"Benton

Harbor

Lunch

Boxes"

and

put

them

in

the

cata

l

og

early

in

1960.

They

sold

for

$39.95.

At

this

period

in

Heath's

development,

there

really

was

not

much

in

the

way

of

market

research

to

determine

the

viability

of

any

given

product

suggestion.

Basically,

if

an

engineer

could

convince

the

chief

engineer

that

a

product

might

sell,

he

was

given

the

go-ahead

to

design

and

build

a

prototype.

Once

the

prototype

was

working

,

the

product

would

be

fully

developed

and

put

into

the

catalog.

This

was

a

simple

but

fundamentally

flawed

process-sooner

or

l

ater

Dar

Evans

, 1994

this

"shoot

from

the

hip"

approach

to

prod-

uct

deve

l

opment

was

bound

to

go

wrong

.

In

the

case

of

the

Lunch

Box

series,

H

eath

had

incorrectly

interpreted

the

success

of

the

CB-1.

The

popularity

of

the

CB

-1

was

based

solely

on

the

populari-

ty

of

CB

as

an

essen-

tially

license

-free

means

of

getting

on

the

air

-

not

on

the

"lunc

h box" con-

cept

itse

l

f.

Hams,

on

the

other

hand,

having

many

other

means

to

work

10-meters,

were

not

impressed

with

the

Tener,

so

while

the

CB-1

sailed

to

success,

the

Tener

floundered-badly

-

and

was

pulled

from

production

in

1962.

While

it

was

not

a

particular

ly

expensive

mis-

take

(these

were

not

particularly

expensive

products),

Heath

had

learned

a

va

l

uable

lesson

in

marketing-and

one

it

would

not

forget.

But

wait

just

a

minute!

The

Sixer

was

selling

like

bargain

basement

3-500s.

The

amateur

community

had

discovered

the

Sixer

as

an

inex-

pe

nsive

vehicle

with

which

to

explore

VHF-in

those

days,

the

final

frontier.

Perhaps

a

two

-

meter

Lunch

Box

would

be

equally

popular.

And

hey,

it

sure

would

be

a

great

way

to

use

all

thos

e

boxes

made

up

for

the

Tener.

Besides,

it

was

a

nother

of

those

engineering

freebies

. Yes,

indeed.

A

two-meter

Lunch

Box

was

sounding

like

a

gre

at

idea.

Production

began

immediately,

and

the

Twoer

proved

as

popular

as

the

Sixer.

Both

units

sold

extr

e

mely

well.

Indeed,

VHF

was

the

ke

y

to

s

uccess

for

the

Lunch

Box

transceivers.

By

the

late

'

60s

, six-

and

especially

two-

meters

had

begun

to

define

cle

ar

technologic

directions

for

themselves

.

Channelization

,

band

plans,

repeaters,

solid

stat

e,

and

especially

the

intro

-

HE

.AT

HK

IT

l@:

~

fi'

*Sf

UH+@

A

HISTORY

OF

TH

E

HEATH

COlv.[PANY

"

Benton

Harbor

Lunch

Boxes

"

duction

a

nd

widespread

u

se

of

FM

began

to

take

their

toll

on

the

Lunch

Boxes

series.

With

the

passag

e

of

time,

th

e

Sixer

and

Twoer

became

increa

s

in

g

ly

anachronistic,

and

sa

le

s

declin

ed

steadily

through

the

'60s.

By

1970

"

lunch

tim

e"

was

pretty

much

over, a

nd

Heath

pulled

the

plug

on

both

units.

The

ear

ly '

60s

saw

se

veral

other

success

sto

-

ries.

In

1961

th

e

HA-10

"Warrior"

amplifier

becam

e a

best

seller-

and

the

fir

st

amateur

product

to

be

off

ere

d

fully

assembled.

In

'62

Heath

introduced

the

H0

-

10

monitor

scope,

HX

-

30

s

ix-met

er

transmitter,

and

HA

-

20

six-meter

amplifier.

Yet

the

title

of

the

most

remarkable

product

to

be

relea

se

d

in

the

ea

rly

'

60s

clearly

goes

to

the

humbl

e

HN-31

dumm

y

load

.

Developed

in

1961-almo

st

by

accident-

the

"Cantenna"

was

undeniably

the

longest

run

-

ning,

most

successful

product

H

eat

h

ever

made.

Selling

for

30

years

and

spanning

more

than

three

quarters

of

H

eat

h's

amateur

radio

life

,

it

is

impossible

to

say

how

may

zillions

of

Cantennas

were

put

together.

Other

products

came

a

nd

went

,

but

the

Can-

te

nna

remai

ned

.

It

is

"'

difficult

not

to

wax

u

"'

:E

nostalgic

ove

r

this

:::

humbl

e

Heathkit.

-:.

Th

e

Cantenna

was

~

i

invent

ed

one

da

y

lat

e

in

§

1960,

a

lmo

st

by

acc

i-

g

dent

,

when

Heath

engi

-

~

neers

Joe

Shafer

a

nd

"'

; Al

Rob

ertso

n d

eci

d

ed

0

"'

-for

some

reason

now

forgott

e

n-that

they

The

HN-

31 "

Cantenna

"

A

Guid

e

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

had

to

have

a

dummy

load.

Wanting

to

keep

it

as

simple

as

possible

and

working

with

mat

eria

ls

clo

se

at

hand

,

th

ey

dec

ided

to

u

se

a

whole

bunch

of

cheap

and

pl

ent

iful

two

-

watt

r

es

istors

a

nd

run

them

in

parallel

by

sandwiching

them

betw

een

two

metal

plate

s. R

ealizing

th

ese

the

re

si

stors

would

n

eed

to

be

kept

cool

led

to

a

littl

e

head

scratching.

A

paint

can

full

of

transform

er

oil,

they

concluded

after

some

thought,

would

be

perfect!

What

a

great

idea

for

a

kit!

Man

age

-

ment

,

believing

that

absolutely

no

one

would

pa

y for so

mething

as

s

imple

as

a

paint

can

full

of

re

s

istors

,

was

a

bit

l

ess

enthusiastic.

Undaunted

and

confident

th

ey

had

a

winner,

Robertson

a

nd

Schaffer

managed

to

persuade

Heath

that

because

the

dumm

y

load

was

cheap

enough,

if

it

didn't

sell,

Heath

wouldn't

really

be

out

any

-

thing.

And

so,

taking

its

name

from

the

standard

one

gallon

paint

can

in

which

it

was

built

,

the

Cantenna

was

introduced

in

January

1961

for

$9.95

and

roared

out

the

door

so

fast

it

had

smoke

behind

it.

CV )

THE

"

SB

"

SERIES

e I

i i

I I

; e ·

Through

all

of

these

successes,

work

proceed

e d

on

Heath's

revo

l

utionary

hush

-

hu

sh

product

lin

e.

Of

major

con-

cern

to

management

was

that

the

design

of

these

new

products

relied

heavily

on

outside

vendors

to

provide

a

lot

of

things

Heath

had

traditionally

don

e

in

-

house.

Tak

e

the

VFO

for

exa

mple.

It

was

a

great

design

but

wou

ld

be

tricky

to

build

and

impossible

for

Joe

Ham

to

align

.

Shafer

want

ed

to

farm

it

out.

And

the

sleek

round

ed

cabinets

couldn't

be

made

in

Heath's

metal

shop.

The

y

would

hav

e

to

be

done

outside

as

well.

Even

the

knobs

would

have

to

be

done

out

si

de.

Man

ageme

nt

saw

the

price

tag

and

suffered

an

attack

of

st

icker

shock.

Not

only

did

the

project

almost

not

mak

e

it

off

the

dr

aw

ing

board,

it

almost

n

eve

r

made

it

out

of

th

e

conference

room.

Eventuall

y

thou

gh ,

thanks

to

the

efforts

of

Al

and

Joe

- s

trength

ene

d

by

the

backing

of

Gene

Fiebich

-

compromises

were

made,

deal

s

were

struck,

agre

ements

were

reached,

and

the

on-

again

off-again

project

was

on

aga

in

.

Stu

got

hi

s

common

design

el

ement,

the

color

green;

Al

got

h

is

sma

ll

knob

s -

with

skirts

;

Shafer

got

hi

s

VFOs

pre-assembled

and

aligned;

and

nobody

know

s

what

the

g

uy

from

Personnel

got.

Th

e

new

line

imagined

by

Al

and

Joe

includ

ed

an

entire

family

of

products

-

transmitters

,

receiv

ers

,

transc

eiv

ers,

amplifiers

,

and

a

host

of

accessories.

Everything

from

160

to

two-m

eters.

21

A

HISTORY

OF'

THE

HE.A.TH

COlY.!P.A.NY

l®

~f

U&riii'H+i

And

since

the

emphasis

was

to

be

on

single

side

-

band,

which

they

both

believed

had

a

big

future

in

ham

radio

,

they

agreed

that

"SB"

might

be

a

nice

designator

for

the

whole

product

lin

e.

Joe

was

anxious

to

get

moving

on

the

project

and

felt

that

time

was

of

the

essence-the

battle

to

get

the

new

series

approved

had

taken

a

full

year.

Work

began

in

earnest

early

in

1960,

starting

with

the

receiver,

which

Joe

thought

would

be

the

easiest

piece

to

design.

The

challenge

was

to

make

the

rig

's

perfor-

mance

simi

l

ar

to

the

Collins

but

sell

it

for

about

one

third

of

the

price.

Since

Collins

was

not

about

to

se

ll

upstart

Heath

it

s

permeability

tuned

oscillator

(

PTO

)

or

mechanical

filters,

Shafer

had

to

figure

out

a

way

to

accomplish

the

same

thing

in

more

traditional

ways.

It

was

probably

for

the

best

that

Co

llin

s

wouldn't

se

ll

to

Heath

since

Collins

was

expensive.

It

s

PTOs

and

filters

would

have

at

least

doubled

the

cost

of

the

new

series.

Several

number

two

lead

pen-

cils

lat

er,

Joe

had

cranked

out

the

basic

circuit

and

specifications

for

his

version

of

the

Collins

Shafer's

LMO.

PTO.

The

Shafer

ver-

sion

used

conventional

capacitive

tuning

but

with

a

number

of

twists

designed

to

make

it

ultra-linear.

And

let

's

give

it

some

new

name

other

than

a

VFO

(a

fter

all,

PTO

had

worked

for

Collins).

Shafer

calle

d

it

the

"linear

master

oscillator,

"

or

LMO.

The

LMO

would

become

the

heart

of

all

of

Heath's

new

rigs.

Elrad

Engineer-

ing

of

Chicago,

the

low

bidder

,

was

given

the

contract

to

supp

ly

the

LMO.

As

time

passed

an

d

demand

grew

(and

to

keep

any

one

vendor

from

getting

too

greedy)

Heath

also

began

to

get

the

LMOs

from

other

vendors.

In

the

end

it

was

TRW

that

made

the

lion's

share

of

the

LMOs,

whic

h

came

complete

with

a

stern

warning

about

opening

up

or

tinkering

with

the

sea

l

ed

unit

.

The

filter

was

the

Co

llin

s

had

a

very

nice

filter.

With

some

thought,

Shafer

was

able

to

design

a

crystal

filter

with

performance

characteristics

very

comparable

to

the

Collins.

And

it

was

a

fairly

simple

design.

But

again

the

decision

was

made

to

provide

the

customer

with

a

pre-a

sse

mbled

unit

-

to

guarantee

specifica-

tions.

Midland

of

Kansas

did

the

originals.

Later

James

Knight

of

Illinois

and

Blackhawk

Engi-

neering

out

of

Janesville

,

Wisconsin

,

also

pro-

22

vided

filters.

Blackhawk,

in

fact,

had

also pro-

vided

filters

for

the

HX-10.

The

IF

frequency

took

some

thinking

as

wel

l.

Shafer's

original

design

called

for

an

IF

of

3400

kHz,

but

in

initial

tests,

this

frequency

kept

mixing

with

the

100

kHz

crysta

l

calibrator,

w

ith

birdies

l

anding

a

ll

over

the

place

. A

simple

so

lu-

tion

was

to

go

down

5

kHz

to

3395

kHz-the

fre-

quency

that

became

H

eath's

standard.

Having

designed

the

basic

circuits,

Joe

began

to

hand

off

the

actual

design

and

layout

of

the

individual

products

to

other

members

of

the

team.

Bill

Denk

got

the

receiver,

now

designated

the

SB-300.

One

of

the

most

important

considerations

in

the

new

series

was

to

avoid

the

complicat

ed con-

tro

l

linkages

found

in

earl

i

er

products.

To

achieve

this,

Denk

worked

closely

wit

h

Stu

Sizer

to

come

up

with

a

physical

la

yout

that

would

look

very

much

like

the

Co

llin

s

and

would

be

simp

le

to

put

together.

Denk

also

designed

the

PC

boards.

All

of

the

engineers

knew

that

PC

board

construction

was

essential.

Heath

had

quite

a

bit

of

with

PC

boards

-

having

used

them

in

the

HX-30

trans-

mitter

,

the

V-7

VTVM,

and

the

CG-1

"Mohican"

receiver

,

to

name

only

a few.

And

there

was

plen-

ty

of

data

to

prove

that

PC

boards

would

make

the

products

less

expensive

and

easier

to

assem-

ble

correctly

.

Nevertheless

there

was

consider-

able

resistance

to

the

u

se

of

PC

boards

from

upper

management.

One

of

the

upper

echelon

who

had

joined

Heath

recently

was

in

a

position

to

make

noise

about

this

issue

and

proceeded

to

do so.

He

did

not

believe

that

PC

boards

were

needed

or

that

they

had

a

future

in

electronics.

As

you

can

imagine,

the

engineers

began

think-

ing

either

t

he

y

had

missed

something

or

this

guy

was

a loon.

There

ensued

another

skirmish.

( V ) MEANWHILE ...

Other

products

were

still

hitting

the

catalog.

In

January

196

3,

Heath

intro-

duced

the

Marauder,

its

first

SSB

rig-still

in

the

old

big-heavy-

s

table

sty

le.

In

April

the

company

introduced

HX-20

and

HR-20

mobile

rigs

(small

but

amazingly

heavy)

and

ran

an

ad

lookin

g for

more

engineers.

June

saw

the

release

of

the

l

eg

-

endary

"Singleban

d

ers"-a

series

of

three

sing

le-b

and

transceivers,

one

each

for

80

,

40

,

and

20-meter

SSB

.

The

Singlebanders

were

in

fact

low

en

d

spin-offs

from

the

SB

project

a

nd

were

designed

in

a

style

that

seemed

to

foretell

Heath

's

new

design

concepts.

HE.A.TH

KIT

[-=

~

1

H?&iHHfiJ

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO~FANY

Then

in

October,

just

in

time

for

Christmas

gift

giving,

hams

all

over

the

world

opened

their

QSTs

and

saw

a

receiver

that

did

to

them

what

the

75S-1

had

done

to

Al

Robertson

four

years

earlier.

Here

was

the

SB-300.

Maybe

it

wasn't

a

~

Collins,

but

it

looked

a

lot

like

one,

and

it

~

seemed

to

have

very

similar

specs.

And

even

~

though

it

wasn't

a

Collins,

the

SB-300's

$250

~

price

tag

was

enough

to

0

;:;

sway

all

but

the

most

§

ardent

of

Collins

fans.

~

The

SB-300

was

a

high

~

quality

"next

genera-

;

tion"

receiver

within

~

reach

of

tens

of

thou-

sands

of

hams,

many

of

The

SB-300

whom

couldn't

open

their

checkbooks

fast

enough.

Heath

had

suc

-

ceeded

in

designing

a

receiver

"for

the

rest

of

us

"

-to

borrow

a

phrase

from

Apple-and

in

doing

so

succeeded

beyond

its

wildest

expectations.

Heath

was

quickly

in

inundated

with

orders

for

the

300.

In

addition

to

orders

from

hams,

indus-

try

and

the

government

were

buying

as

well.

NASA

for

examp

le,

seeing

the

SB-300

as

a

very

sweet

deal,

bought

dozens,

though

Heath

never

found

out

what

for .

The

SB

project

had

been

a

big

investment

but

it

was

about

to

pa

y

off-big

time.

While

no

one

at

the

company

could

have

been

aware

of

it

at

the

time,

the

SB-300

marked

the

beginning

of

the

Heath's

golden

years-a

decade

from

1963

to

1973

during

which

the

company

could do no w

rong

.

The

ex

hilaration

resu

ltin

g

from

the

success

of

the

300

seemed

to

supercharge

everyone

and

put

company

pride

and

spirit

at

an

all-time

high.

Work

on

the

300

's

matching

transmitter

went

int

o

high

gear,

as

did

work

on

a

variety

of

acces-

sories.

The

SB-400

transmitter

was

rel

ease

d

June

1964.

Designed

to

compete

with

the

$590

Collins

32S-l,

the

SB-400

came

in

at

just

$325,

and

with

the

release

of

the

SB-200

linear

ampli

-

fier

the

following

month,

Heath

had

a

compl

ete

station

on

the

market.

The

SB-200

sold

for

$39

0,

which

-

while

sti

ll

a

chunk

of

money-was

a

bar-

gain

when

compared

to

the

Collins

30L-1

at

more

than

$500,

and

would,

in

fact,

go

on

to

become

one

of

most

successfu

l

products

in

H

eath's

hi

s

tory

. Yet

as

phenomenally

successful

as

these

products

were,

the

best

was

yet

to

come.

Meanwhile,

in

a

corporate

office

in

a

galaxy

far

away

.

..

Schlumberger

(

pronounced

Schlum-ber-'zhay

)

Corporation

was

interested

in

acquiring

some

electronics

companies

to

help

in

the

manufac-

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

ture

of

sophisticated

equipment

used

in

the

exploration

of

oil,

its

principal

occupation.

In

particular

it

was

interested

in

instrumentation

,

and

guess

who

seemed

to

have

exact

ly

what

Schlumb

erger

needed?

Weston.

Weston,

you

will

r

ecall,

is

owned

by

Daystrom,

who

also

owns

Heath.

All

of

a

sudden

la

wyers

were

meeting

,

talks

were

h

appening,

agreements

were

being

signed,

and

the

you

know

Schlum-

ber

ger

owne

d D

aystrom,

acquiring

Heathkit

as

part

of

the

package

.

Schlumberger

was

not

real-

ly

interested

in

Heath

but

hun

g

on

to

it

because

H

eat

h

was

making

a

ton

of

money.

The

deal

turned

out

to

be

a good

deal

for

Heath.

Not

only

did

Schlumberger

start

pumping

lots

of

R&D

money

into

Heath,

it

tol

d

Heath

somet

hin

g

like

"Hey,

don

't

worry

about

patent

and

copyright

problems

,

you

just

build

anything

you

want

and

le

ave

any

legal

troubles

to

us.

"

And

so

it

did.

Thi

s

was

October

1964.

Now

then,

back

to

the

booming

business

of

ham

radio.

Engineer

Neil

Litreal

h

ad

been

working

what

seemed

to

be

day

and

night

on

what

was

arguab

ly

the

most

ambitious

and

potentially

the

most

lucrative

piece

of

the

SB

project-the

transceiver.

As

with

the

other

SB

rigs,

Shafer

h

ad

de

sig

ned

the

transceiver

to

look

like

a

Collins.

In

this

case,

like

the

Collins

KWM-2A.

When

he

saw

the

ad

for

the

original

KWM-2

back

in

1959,

Shafer

was

confident

that

he

could

design

a

transceiver

that

could

compete

with

it.

In

1959

the

KWM-2's

$1150

price

was

affordable

only

by

the

Pentagon-which

was

in

fact

the

principal

consumer

of

Collins

radios.

And

the

KWM-2A,

released

two

years

later

in

1961

,

was

a

hundred

dollars

more

.

Shafer

felt

certain

that

being

able

to

sell

a

transceiver

for

a

third

of

that,

say

around

$400,

would

be

like

havin

g a

lice

ns

e

to

print

money.

There

was

intense

inter

es

t

in

keeping

the

transceiv

er

on

schedule

for

a

Christmas

1965

relea

se.

Heath

had

learned

long

ago

that

releas-

ing

a

product

just

before

Christmas

meant

a

guarantee

of

heav

y

initial

sales

- a

quick

way

to

recoup

some

inv

estme

nt

money.

Meanwhile,

up

graded

versions

of

the

300

and

400

were

al

ready

being

started,

and

in

spite

of

the

hectic

sch

edu

le,

new

products

kept

showing

up

in

the

catalog.

In

May

1965

Heath

released

the

HA-14

"Kompact

Kilowatt

"

mobile

linear

amplifier.

Thi

s

SB-200

spin-off

was

designed

and

sold

pri-

marily

as

a

mobile

unit

but

was

offered

with

an

optional

AC s

uppl

y

and

was

pictured

in

the

cata

-

log

on

a

desktop

al

ongside

one

of

the

sing

le

ban-

23

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

COlY.l:PA

NY

IT5

~

f

UMi§fHEI

ders.

In

August

the

SB-110

six-meter

transceiv-

er

hit

the

catalog

with

a

splash,

and

in

Novem-

ber

the

HD-10,

Heath

's

first

electronic

keyer,

was

a

big

hit.

Then

in

December,

right

on

sched-

ule

for

a

Christmas

introduction,

Heath

unveiled

the

SB

-

100,

a

five-band

transceiver

designed

to

match

the

rest

of

the

SB

series

-

and

the

KWM-2A.

As

anticipated

,

the

similarities

were

not

lost

on

Joe

Ham

.

The

price

tag

was

just

$360,

less

power

supply.

Engineering

had

a feel-

ing

the

SB

-

100

was

going

to

be

hot,

and

they

were

correct.

Shafer

had

put

a l

ot

of

clever

engineering

into

the

100

and

was

particu

-

larly

proud

of

the

rig.

He

would

remember

it

as

one

of

his

favorites.

With

the

introduc-

The

SB-lOO

tion

of

the

SB-100,

Shafer

and

Robertson

had,

at

last

,

realized

their

vision

of

a

complete

line

of

Collins

look-alikes

.

But

rather

than

throttle

back

and

let

the

money

roll

in

(

which

it

did

in

l

arge

quantities),

the

was

spent

working

on

refinements

and

developing

some

accessories

to

round

out

the

line.

The

SB-610

monitor

scope

(

an

updated

ver

-

sion

of

the

H0-10

)

and

the

SB-630

station

con-

sole

were

released

in

1966.

These

two

products

would

themse

l

ves

become

best

sellers.

But

th

e

most

important

work

was

on

r e

fining

the

SB-100,

which

had

now

become

the

fastest

sell

-

ing

radio

in

amateur

history.

To

capitalize

fur

-

ther

on

the

success

of

the

SB-100,

work

wa

s

also

begun

on

a low-

cost

version

of

the

transceiver,

designed

to

give

buyers

a

choice

and

tighten

Heath's

grip

on

the

market

.

CV )

THE

SUMMER

OF

LOVE:

1967.

@

3

Hippies

,

Haight

Ashbury

,

and

flower

.

power.

Indeed

.

It

was

the

summer

~

hams

fell

in

love

with

Heath

in

un-

precedented

number

s.

By

mid

-

1967

amateur

radio

sales

had

grown

to

account

for

fully

40

percent

of

Heath

's

total

sales,

eclipsing

Heath'

s

mainstay

products-test

equipment-

for

the

first

time

ever.

In

1967

Heat

h

released

the

SB

-

301

and

SB-401.

The

se

refinement

s

of

the

original

300

/

400

transmitter

/re

ceiver

combo

sold

even

better

than

the

originals

,

but

the

biggest

s

eller

was

the

new

SB

-

101.

The

101

was

everything

you

loved

about

the

SB-100

plus

a

CW

filter

and

out-of

-

the

-

box

compatibility

with

the

SB

-

640

remote

LMO

("

available

soon

")

.

Can

you

say,

"I'll

take

one?"

By

1968

it

seemed

like

24

everyone

you

worked

on

the

air

was

using

Heath

equipment,

and

in

just

about

every

shack

photo

on

the

pages

of

QST

cou

ld

be

seen

at

least

one

piece

of

Heath

equipment.

But

the

rea

l

indicator

of

just

how

popular

Heath

had

become

could

be

seen

in

Heath's

QST

advertising.

Beginning

in

January

1968

Heath

started

buying

color

adver-

tising

for

the

first

time.

And

what

's

more,

it

bought

inside

back

covers

of

the

popu

l

ar

maga-

zine,

locations

favored

by

industria

l

giants

like

RCA,

Amperex,

and

others

.

And

as

if

that

weren't

enough,

Heath

bought

this

location

every

month

for

two

solid

years

,

all

the

while

bringing

more

products

to

its

swiftly

growing

li

ne.

These

included

the

SB-620

"Scanalyzer"

(a

modernized

H0

-13)

with

its

bright

yellow

CRT;

the

SB-640

remote

LMO;

the

HW

-1 6, a

wildly

popular

CW

novice

transceiver;

and

the

not

so

wildly

popular

HW-18

special

HF

purpose

trans

-

ceivers.

Heath

also

began

to

realize

the

potential

of

VHF

in

1968.

In

the

late

'

60s

not

many

ham

s

knew

much

about

two-meters

or

FM.

But

VHF

in

general

,

and

two

-

meters

in

particu

l

ar

,

were

gaining

some

popularity.

A

lot

of

Heath's

engi

-

neers

were

eager

to

get

going

on

a

two-meter

project

,

but

Joe

Shafer

was

not

convinced

that

the

market

for

two-meter

gear

was

there

,

and

he

needed

to

make

sure

any

given

amateur

product

would

pay

for

its

elf.

There

was

fierce

competi

-

tion

for

product

development

money

company-

wide,

and

if

he

was

going

to

go

after

a

chunk

of

money

he

needed

to

be

sure

that

there

would

be

a

pay

-

off-a

product

failure

would

make

it

hard-

er

to

get

development

money

later

on.

In

addi-

tion,

two

-

meters

had

not

really

coalesced

into

the

set

standards

we

know

today.

AM

or

FM?

Channelized

or

VFO?

Simplex

or

repeaters?

What

kinds

of

splits?

It

has

also

been

suggested

that

Joe

just

wasn't

personally

enthusiastic

about

anything

above

10-

meters

.

In

any

case,

Joe

had

resisted

the

idea

of

two

-

meters

for a cou-

ple

of

years

but

capitulated

in

late

1968,

in

the

face

of

mounting

press

u

re

from

ma

n

agement,

who

wanted

to

know

why

Heath

wasn't

working

on

a

two-meter

product.

Heath's

first

serious

two-meter

product,

the

HW-17,

was

not

entirely

successful.

The

10

watt

AM

rig

s

uffered

from

a

variety

of

small

problems

any

one

of

which

would

not

have

been

a

big

deal.

But

put

them

all

together

and

you

had

a

kit

full

of

headaches.

L

ow

transmitter

audio,

poor

AGC,

a

noise

blanker

that

didn

't

work,

microphonics,

poor

rec

e

iver

sensitivity

,

and

on

and

on.

Owners

were

offered

two

separate

mods

directed

at

fixing

the

HE

..A..T

HK

IT

r@

~fi'Si#'H+il

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

COlll.l:PANY

problems,

but

try

as

they

might,

Heath's

engi-

neers

never

completely

solved

all

the

troubl

es

with

the

problem-plagued

HW-17.

Th

e

FM

adapter

never

worked

very

well

either.

In

the

end,

Heath

was

lucky

to

get

its

money

out

of

HW-17-in

spite

of

heavy

advertis

ing-and

pulled

the

plug

on

the

rig

soon

as

it

did.

Back

to

the

drawing

board.

It

would

take

another

three

years

to

do

the

job

right

.

Nevertheless,

He

ath

h

ad

so

ld

thousands

of

the

HW-17

and

had

made

a

great

deal

of

noise

two-meters,

establishing

a

VHF

name

for

itself.

Never

mind

the

problems

.

All

was

about

to

be

forgiven

because

1968

was

the

year

Heath

would

make

ham

radio

history.

Remember

that

low-

cost

version

of

the

SB-100

Heath

had

begun

designing

back

in

'66?

Heath

designated

it

the

HW-100-and

it

was

ready

to

ship.

In

designing

this

low-cost

version,

Shafer

had

reused

as

much

as

possible

from

the

SB-100-right

down

to

the

metal

chassis-while

cutting

some

of

the

SB-lOO's

very

expensive

corners

.

The

cabinet

for

the

low-co

st

version,

for

examp

le,

was

desi

gned

so

that

it

could

be

fabricated

in-house.

And

the

expensive

LMO

was

replaced

with

a

more

con-

ventional

tuning

system.

Put

the

SB

and

the

HW

side

by

side-the

front

panels

are

virtually

identical.

The

layout

and

design

are

the

same,

too-includi

ng

the

printed

circuit

boards.

Given

the

phenomenal

sa

l

es

of

the

SB-101,

it

is

hard

to

imagine

anything

selling

faster

or

in

greater

numbers.

But

the

HW-100,

the

low-

cost

little

brother

of

the

SB-100

/

101,

was

running

roughshod

over

the

competition.

CV )

THE

HOT

WATER

100

=-

There

was

a

general

agreement

that

th

e

HW-100

could

do

well

,

but

it

is

unlikely

that

anyone

.

could

have

imagined

exac

tl

y

how

popular

it

wou

ld

become.

In

ret-

rospect

it

is

clear

that

the

100

was

going

places.

Fir

st

of

all

the

HW-100

had

superb

references-

it

was

made

by

Heath.

Secondly,

it

was

well

-d

esigned,

well-

behaved,

and

very

good

looking.

Thirdly,

it

had

just

about

all

the

fea

-

tures

you

could

ask

for.

And

then

of

course

there

was

the

$250

price

tag-which

gave

the

100

the

market

impact

of

a

high

yield

tactical

nucle

ar

weapon.

Indeed,

the

HW-100

was

about

to

bec

ome

the

most

popular

radio

of

all

time

.

When

the

HW-100

first

appeared

in

March

1968,

it

was

an

in

stant

success.

Within

months,

Heath

was

advertising

the

100

as

the

"world's

fastest

se

ll

ing

transceiver

,'' a

claim

that

was

no

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

exaggeratio

n.

The

so-called

"Hot

Water"

100

was

one

of

those

rare

in-the-right-place-at-the-right-

time

products

and

was

destined

to become a classic.

By

1969

Heath

was

comfortable

enough

with

its

overall

product

lin

e to

begin

to

throttle

back

just

a

little

bit.

The

only

significan

t

product

to

appear

in

'69

was

the

SB-500

two-meter

con-

verter.

One

reason

no

other

major

product

s

came

out

in

1969

is

be-

cause

Heath

was

busy

refining

its

biggest

The

HW-100

sellers-the

SB-101,

the

SB-301,

and

the

HW-100.

These

were,

of

course,

priority

products,

and

Heath

did

not

want

to

rest

on

its

laurel

s.

The

introduction

of

the

SB-220

linear

amplifi-

er

was

the

high

point

of

1970.

It

had

been

more

than

six

years

since

Heath

had

put

the

lKW

SB-200

on

the

market

,

and

many

folks

had

won-

dered

when

H

eath

would

bring

out

a

2KW

amp

-indeed

the

author

of

a

QST

review

of

the

SB-220

wondered

aloud

about

the

cause

of

the

delay.

It

had

taken

so

long

to

get

the

SB-220

on

the

market

because

Heath

was

determined

to

bring

out

a

full

two-kilowatt

amp

but

didn

't

like

the

selection

of

tubes

that

were

available

in

the

early

'60s.

The

old

reliable

811

and

813

wouldn't

handle

eno

ugh

power

unless

you

put

a

bunch

of

them

together,

and

then

they

wouldn't

fit

into

a

cabinet

of

reasonable

s

ize.

Tubes

that

would

handle

the

power

were

either

too

big,

too

expen-

sive,

or

lacked

the

right

physical

or

electrical

operating

characteristics.

Then

early

in

1968

Eimac

introduced

the

3-500.

Here

at

last

was

the

tube

Heath

had

been

looking

for. A

pair

of

these

guys

would

handle

2KW

with

ease,

were

small

enoug

h

to

work

with,

were

relatively

inex-

pensive,

and

seemed

to

have

a

ll

the

right

char-

acteristics.

With

the

right

tubes

in

hand

,

it

did-

n't

take

long

for

Heath

to

get

a

product

together

.

By

1970

Heath

was

shipping

the

SB-220

by

the

truckload.

The

220,

and

later

the

221,

would

join

the

SB-200

as

one

of

Heath's

most

end

urin

g

prod-

ucts.

In

January

1970

Heath

changed

its

QST

advertising

by

dropping

the

inside

back

covers

in

favor

of

a

multi-page

la

y

out

within

the

maga-

zine

primarily

because

of

the

cost.

Heath

was

redirecting

some

resources

to

begin

dev

e

lop-

me

nt

of

an

entirely

new

product-a

full

y solid-

state

transceiver

.

This

new

project

was

being

drafted

at

t

he

same

time

Heath

was

introducing

its

revamped

big

sellers

.

In

April

1970

the

25

A ·

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO])l.[PANY

~

~f

U?tSiUHfi

SB-102

was

unveiled.

The

102

incorporated

a

new

solid-state

LMO

and

a

couple

of

other

minor

refinements

but

was

otherwise

essentially

unchanged-relying

on

vacuum

tubes

for

the

bulk

of

the

circuits.

It

sold

better

than

ever

.

Then,

just

in

time

for

Christmas

1970,

Heath

released

the

HW-101-a

refinement

of

the

already

legendary

HW-100.

The

HW-100

and

101

will

live

forever

as

the

world's

most

popular

radios.

In

their

combined

14-year

production

life,

Heath

sold

almost

40,000

Hot

Water

100/lOls.

Nearly

3,000

per

year.

About

eight

rigs

every

day.

It

was

a

sales

record

that

h

as

never

been

broken.

Not

even

the

Collins

KWM-2

and

KWM-2A

could

match

the

HW-100

/

101

in

unit

sales.

But

the

101

holds

another

distinc-

tion-it

was

Heath's

last

vacuum

tube

design

.

Heath

cou

ld

see

the

writi

ng

on

the

wall

and

it

said

"solid

state."

Indeed,

the

age

of

vacuum

tubes

was

rapidly

coming

to

a close.

It

wasn't

so

much

that

H

eath

had

a

lot

of

interest

in

solid

state.

Indeed,

Heath

did

not

really

believe

that

transistors-especially

for

use

in

the

PA-

would

ever

amount

to

much

.

But

the

market

was

rapid-

ly

turning

in

that

di

re

ction.

Transistors,

once

regarded

as

a

curiosity,

were

finding

their

way

into

everything

,

and

the

speed

of

technological

change

was

accelerating

with

each

passing

day.

Heath

realized

that

if

it

were

to

survive,

it

would

have

to

meet

solid-state

technology

head

on

.

Heath

also

wou

ld

have

to

face

another

chal-

lange

head

on

-

rapidly

mounting

competition

from

the

Japanese

and

others

who

were

bringing

solid-state

gear

to

the

market

with

astonishing

speed.

So

the

decision

to

develop

a

solid-state

rig

wasn't

made

be

cause

Heath

was

interested

in

being

on

the

cutting

edge.

It

was

much

more

a

market

-d

riven

decision

.

(

t/'

) INSTALL

Ql

AS

SHOWN

®OCJ

The

necessity

of

delivering

a

solid

-

state

rig

had

occurred

to

Heath

much

earli

-

er

-l

ate

in

'67.

Indeed

there

was

agree

-

ment

to

market

a

full

line

of

solid

-st

ate

products

to

repl

ace

the

vacuum

tube

SB

series,

but

heck

,

the

vacuum

tub

e

rig

s

were

still

selling

extremely

well. So

while

it

was

decid

ed

to

pro-

cee

d

with

desi

g

ning

a

solid-state

series,

the

SB/HW

series

would

be

played

out

fir

st .

Thi

s

may

ha

ve

been

a

strategic

mi

sste

p

becaus

e

it

delayed

the

proc

es

s

of

design

a

bit

long

er

than

may

have

been

prudent.

The

SB-303

receiver,

Heath

's

first

fully

so

lid-

state

rig

,

wasn

't

re

l

eased

until

October

1970-s

eve

n

years

to

the

day

after

the

introduction

of

the

vacuum

tube

26

receiver

it

replaced-SB-300,

Heath's

first

SB

series

rig.

By

this

time,

severa

l

other

manufac-

turers

had

solid-state

receivers

already

on

the

market.

Although

the

SB-303

proved

to

be

a

superb

analog

design

which

sold

exceptionally

well,

it

was

really

just

an

SB-301

with

no

tube

s

and

did

not

provide

much

in

the

way

of

solid-

state

experience.

A so

lid-state

version

of

the

SB-400

,

called

the

SB-403,

was

on

the

drawing

board

but

plans

to

produce

it

were

scrapped

because

Heath

decided-correctly-that

trans-

ceivers

were

the

way

of

the

future.

Solid

state

made

possible

the

building

of

small,

highly

func-

tional

transceivers

for

less

than

the

cost

of

a

sep-

arate

transmitter

and

receiver.

The

new

solid

-

state

transceiver

envisioned

by

Heath

engineers

wasn't

much

of

an

engineering

marvel

either.

The

SB-103

was

a

modest

design

and,

like

the

SB-301,

could

be

characterized

as

a

copy

(in

this

case

of

the

SB-102)

wherein

the

tubes

had

been

replaced

with

transistors

-e

xcept

for

the

finals.

Finals

in

the

PA

were

regarded

as

a

bad

ide

a

because

in

those

days

transistors

were

not

near

ly

as

rugged

or

reliable

as

they

are

today.

Engineers

often

referred

to

the

"

purple

plague"

-a

condition

in

which

transistors

would

simp

ly

fail

,

and

no

one

could

figure

out

why.

The

10

3

had

been

designed

and

developed

through

the

prototype

stage

when,

because

of

disagreements

over

how

the

project

was

devel-

oping

,

its

principle

designers

quit.

And

when

th

ey

left,

most

of

Heath

's so

lid-

state

experience

went

with

them.

The

SB-103

was

shelved.

Then

in

December

1970

there

was

some

-

thing

of

a

replay

of

the

events

of

12

years

ear-

lier

when

Al

Rob

e

rtson

opened

his

QST

,

saw

Yeasu

FT-101

th

e

75S-1,

and

was

inspired

to

design

the

SB

series.

We do

not

know

who

saw

it

first

,

but

someone

at

Heath

opened

the

December

QST

and

must

hav

e

taken

a

deep

breath.

In

this

case

it

was

not

an

ad

for

Collins

but

for Yeasu,

and

the

rig

in

que

s

tion

was

the

FT-101.

This

remarkable

little

transceiv

er

was

fully

solid-state

except

for

the

finals,

and

was

replete

with

a

load

of

features

that

mad

e for a

very

attractive

and

desirable

rig.

And

oh

yes-it

w

as

fu

ll

y

ass

embled

and

aggressively

priced.

Th

ere

can

be

no

doubt

that

th

e

Yeasu

FT-101

upp

ed

the

ante

and

put

Heath

under

tremen-

dous

pressure

to

deliver

a

clearly

superior

rig

at

a cl

ea

rl

y

competitive

pric

e.

But

could

it

do

it?

HE

.AT

HK

IT

[#

~

f

b?df

¥'Hiil

.A.

HISTORY

OF

THE

HE.A.TH

COl'.11.l:P.A.NY

CV )

ACT

104,

SCENE

1

We

need

to

take

a

little

side

trip

to

Cedar

Rapids,

Iowa,

home

of

Collins

Radio.

About

the

same

time

Heath

was

busy

developing

the

103,

Rockwell

International

was

busy

buying

Collins.

Many

employees

at

Collins

were

very

upset

about

the

sale

in

genera

l

and

about

how

Art

Collins

was

treated

in

particular,

so

many

began

looking

through

the

help-wanted

column

of

the

Cedar

Rapids

paper.

Among

these

people

was

Mike

Elliot,

who

noticed

an

ad

placed

by

the

Heath

Company

seeking

engineers.

To

make

a

long

story

a

bit

shorter,

Mike

sent

a

resume

and

was

offered

a job.

Mike's

first

assignment

was

the

development

of

a

small

VHF

amplifier,

the

HA-202.

Mike's

solid-state

talents

quickly

caught

the

eye

of

management

who

asked

Mike

if

he

would

be

so

kind

as

to

have

a

look

at

the

SB-103

and

provide

an

assessment

of

the

project.

Mike

saw

a

lot

of

potential

in

the

103,

but

noted

that

the

unit's

design

failed

to

take

ad-

vantage

of

some

of

the

capabilities

that

were

inherent

to

solid

-

state.

The

103

had

a

preselec-

tor,

copious

tuned

cir-

cuits

, a complicated

band-

switching

scheme,

and

a

Mike

Elliot, 1995

very

traditional

pi-net-

work

PA,

etc.,

etc.

It

had

very

low

receiver

dynamic

range,

high

power

consumption,

low

efficiency,

poor

stability,

and

so on.

Mike's

deci-

sion

was

an

easy

one-start

over

from

the

ground

up

.

About

all

Mike's

new

design

would

save

was

the

frequency

scheme,

since

Heath

had

a

lot

of

with

3395

kHz

crystal

fil-

ters.

Up-conversion

was

considered

briefly

but

was

rejected

as

too

complex

for a

kit

form

rig.

Given

the

length

of

time

it

would

take

to

develop

the

new

rig

-

now

called

the

SB-104-it

was

decided

to

take

a

giant

technological

leap.

Mike

knew

that

by

the

time

the

rig

hit

the

mar-

ket,

its

techno

lo

gy

would

not

be

considered

cut-

ting

edge

unless

they

really

stretched

its

design.

Mike

remembers

the

SB-104

as

taxing

the

limi

ts

of

his

know-how.

Beyond

simple

solid

-

state

,

the

rig

would

emp

lo

y,

among

other

things,

digital

technology

and

broadband

tuning;

both

concepts

were

new

to

Heath,

and

both

would

give

engi-

neers

their

biggest

challenge

yet.

Oh,

did

I

men-

tion

that

Mike

wanted

to

use

solid-state

finals?

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

A

major

obstacle

in

developing

the

104

was

in

fact

the

prime

directive

Heath

had

established

early

on. Specifically,

any

given

rig

must

be

able

to

be

successfully

built

by

a

customer

with

limit-

ed

technical

knowledge

and

nothing

more

than

simple

tools,

and

must

be

able

to

be

checked

and

aligned

with

little

more

than

at

VTVM.

These

criteria

made

for

some

difficult

engineering

con-

siderations

that

would

never

be

required

with

equipment

coming

off

an

assembly

line.

When

you

stop

to

think

about

it,

trying

to

explain

to

someone

how

to

assemble

an

electron-

ic

device

of

any

kind

(let

alone

something

as

sophisticated

as

a

transceiver)

is

a

formidable

task.

If

you

don't

believe

this,

try

writing

a

set

of

instructions

detailing

the

operation

of

a

trans-

ceiver

by

someone

who

hasn't

the

faintest

idea

of

how

to

use

it.

Remember,

you

can't

say

a

word

or

lend

a

hand

in

any

way

-

you

must

rely

on

the

clarity

of

your

written

instructions.

Now

extend

the

exercise

to

the

complete

assembly

of

your

transceiver

and

you

begin

to

get

an

understand-

ing

of

the

complexity

of

the

task.

Heath

had

to

work

out

i

nstructions

for

everything

from

sim

-

ple

soldering

to

the

assembly

of

complicated

dial

and

tuning

mechanisms,

to

alignment

and

tune-up

procedures,

all

the

while

assuming

very

little

in

the

way

of

test

equipment

and

technical

expertise.

That

Heath

had

mastered

the

instruc-

tion

process

was

a

most

remarkab

le

feat

all

by

itself.

Without

a

doubt

,

Heath's

superbly

written

and

profusely

illustrated

manuals,

finely

tuned

over

the

years,

were

responsible

in

lar

ge

mea-

sure

for

the

company's

success.

After

all,

why

have

the

best

product

on

the

market

if

no

one

could

put

it

together?

And

there

were

other

challenges

.

The

SB-104

required

a

tremendous

number

of

parts.

And

that

meant

that

the

odds

of

a

bad

part

showing

up

in

any

given

SB-104

were

high.

For

example,

if

the

rig

used

a

thousand

parts

and

you

were

willing

to

settle

for 0

.1

percent

bad

parts,

the

odds

are

that

one

bad

part

would

exist

in

the

rig.

Depending

on

exactly

which

part

was

at

fault,

a

customer

with

limited

knowledge

and

test

equipment

may

or

may

not

be

able

to

trou-

bleshoot

the

problem

himself.

And

even

if

all

the

parts

were

good,

as

the

parts

got

smaller

and

the

parts

density

got

higher,

the

physical

room

for

error-solder

bridges

and

so

on-went

way

up.

It

is

not

clear

if

all

of

these

considerations

were

apparent

to

Heath

engineers

at

the

onset

of

the

project,

but

the

company

was

determined

to

push

forward

in

digital

electronics

.

As

a

result,

several

other

products,

including

a

digital

display

27

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO]).l.[PANY

II5

~

f¥

1

%i§fHil

for

the

SB-102

and

a

sy

nth

esize

d

two

-

meter

transceiver,

were

initiated.

What

is

cle

ar,

at

least

in

hindsight

,

is

that

solid-state

technolog

y

substantia

ll

y

raised

the

stakes

for

the

kit

engi

-

neer

as

well

as

for

the

kit

build

er

.

<V >

GROWING

PAINS

@

And

as

if

that

were

not

eno

ugh

, th

ere

~

was

another

more

s

ubtl

e

problem.

.

~

Heath

had

become

a

big

company

and

was

beginnin

g

to

experience

the

kinds

of

probl

ems

big

companies

hav

e.

The

mo

st

sig-

nificant

of

these

was

higher

employee

turnov

er.

It

was

increasingly

difficu

lt

to

keep

the

same

peopl

e

on

a

project

from

start

to

finish

.

The

result

was

a l

ack

of

continuity

th

at

hampered

product

developm

ent;

added

to

a

growing

overa

ll

l

eve

l

of

emp

l

oyee

frustration,

and

started

a slow

but

perva

sive

corrosion

of

morale.

Ind

eed,

the

"fami

ly"

atmosphere

that

Howard

Anthon

y

had

worked

so h

ar

d

to

foster

was

beginning

to

eva

porat

e.

Th

e

year

1971

was

unique

in

H

eat

h's

hi

story

-no

significant

amateur

product

s

were

re

l

eased

th

at

year.

A

reflection

,

perhap

s,

of

the

probl

ems

H

eath

was

havin

g

with

products

a

lready

und

er

de

velopment.

In

April

1972

,

while

sti

ll

wrestling

with

the

SB-104,

Heath

released

its

first

digita

l

produ

ct,

the

SB

-

650-a

digital

frequency

display

for

the

SB-102.

The

$200

SB

-

650

worked

we

ll

,

cr

eated

a

sensation

within

the

ham

community,

and

was

warmly

received

by

reviewers.

But

compared

to

the

SB-104,

the

650

was

child's

play.

The

unit

was

based

on

a couple dozen

TTL

chips

, a

double-sided

PC

board,

and

Nixie

neon

readout

tubes.

Two

other

significant

prod

ucts

a

lso

hit

the

mark

et

in

1972.

The

first

was

the

HW-7

QRP

transceiver.

It

h

as

been

sa

id

that

the

HW-7

was

the

result

of

casual

lunch-tim

e

exper

iment

s

with

low

pow

er.

Thi

s

may

be

true,

but

it

is

lik

ely

that

th

ere

was

much

more

motivation

than

simp

le

tink

er

in

g.

The

HW-7

was

prob

ab

ly

inspired

by

th

e

Power

Mite

PM

-1, a

sma

ll

, solid-

sta

te

80

and

40

meter

QRP

transceiver

introduced

by

Ten-T

ee.

By

the

time

Heath

released

the

HW-7,

Ten-T

ee

had

dev

elop

ed

the

$50

PM

-1

into

severa

l

other

more

sophisticated

produ

cts

s

uffici

ent

ly

more

expens

iv

e

to

allow

Heath

to

price

the

HW

-7

at

$79.95

an

d

sti

ll be

compet

iti

ve.

Th

e

two-watt,

thr

ee

-b

and

HW-7

proved

very

popu

l

ar

a

nd

quickl

y

became

a

best

seller.

Th

e

other

significant

product

re

l

ease

d

in

1972

didn

't

come

out

of

t h e

amateur

division.

The

General

Products

group

h ad

been

tinkering

wit

h

digital

circuits

themselves

and

h

ad

discovered

a

28

clock

chip

manufactured

by

Mostek.

Th

e

result

was

the

GC-10

05-a

six

-digit

digita

l clock

in

a

stylish

wood-grained

plastic

cabinet

.

It

was

the

first

commercial

digital

clock

kit,

and

one

of

the

very

first

digital

clocks

to

app

ear

on

the

market.

At

$55

the

clock

was

not

cheap,

but

was

s

ubst

an-

tiall

y l

ess

expensive

than

any

other

digital

clock

on

the

ma

rket

.

Sometimes

a

littl

e

product

like

thi

s

takes

everyone

by

s

urpri

se-eve

n

those

who

design

ed

it

.

The

1005

practically

ex

ploded

out

of

the

catalog

.

It

may

be

hard

to

be

lieve

but

H

eat

h

so

ld

more

than

50,000

unit

s p

er

year-a

lmost

140

a

day

...

seve

n

days

a

week.

Because

it

di

s-

play

ed

secon

ds

and

cou

ld

be

set

accurately,

it

was

very

popular

with

hams

as

a

shack

accesso

-

ry.

To

say

that

He

at

h

made

a

killing

with

the

GC-1005

wou

ld

under

sta

te

it

s

profits

.

As

if

trying

to

go "

one

up

"

on

the

Genera

l

Product

s

gro

up

,

the

Amateur

group

fir

ed

back

with

a

killer

of

its

own

.

In

April

1973

it

rel

ease

d

th

e

HW-202

two-m

eter

transceiver.

Heath

want-

ed

b a

dl

y

to

tap the

soon

-to-b

e

-boomin

g

two

-

m

eter

market

but

didn

't

want

anot

her

HW-17

on

it

s

hands.

It

had

been

t

hr

ee

years

s

in

ce H

eat

h

took

the

ill-fated

HW-17

off

the

market.

This

tim

e,

Heath

had

done

its

hom

ewor

k.

Th

e

eng

i-

ne

ers

knew

what

it

wou

ld

take

to

crack

the

mar-

k

et

and

they

knew

how

to

do

it.

The

HW-202

was

a

straightforward,

crysta

l-

controlled,

solid-

state

rig-a

s

uperb

piece

of

eng

ine

ering

in

tho

se

ea

rly

d

ays

of

two

-m

eters.

The

un

it

sold so we

ll

that

H

eath

had

trouble

keeping

up

with

orders.

H

eat

h

was

su

ccessfully

in

to

VHF

at

la

st-big

time

.

In

spite

of

t h

ese

achievements,

ho

wever,

H

eath

wou

ld

never

venture

higher

in

frequency

than

two-meters.

P

erhaps

the

most

sig

nific

ant

eve

nt

of

1973

wa

s

the

retirement

of

Gene

Fiebich

.

Gene

had

manag

ed e

ngin

eering

wit

h a

gentle

hand

a

lmo

st

from

day

one.

He

was

a

vision

ary

a

nd

a

tireless

champion

of

the

Amateur

divi

s

ion

,

and

fought

h

ard

for

many

impo

rtant

proj

ects.

It

was

he,

for

example,

who

p

ersuade

d

senior

management

to

OK

the

SB

ser

ie

s

project

back

in

19

58.

Gene

sai

d

he

decided

to

retire

because

he "co

uld

see

the

handwriting

on

the

wall

." H e

could

see

the

off-

s

hor

e

competit

ion

in

the

wings,

he

co

uld

see

the

di

rection

the

industry

was

taking

,

and

he co

uld

see

the

way

H

eat

h h

ad

changed

over

the

years.

So

after

23

year

s

at

Heath,

Gene

decided

it

was

time

to

go.

Hi

s

departure

was,

in

a way,

symbo

lic

of

what

was

h

appening

to

H

eat

h-the

founda

-

tion

wa

s

beginning

to

crumble

.

Gene

Fiebich

pa

sse

d

away

early

in

1995.

Meanwhile

work

on

the

SB

-1 04

drag

ged

on.

HE...A.THKIT

rE=

~

'HiiiHH+iJ

A

HIS

T

OR

Y

OF

THE

HEATH

COlll.l:FANY

As a

prototype,

the

rig

was

unstable,

quirky,

and

erratic.

The

biggest

problem

with

the

SB

-

104

can

be

summed

up

in

two

words

-

"cutting

edge."

The

SB-

104

was

a

rig

pus

h

ing

every

edge

of

the

envelope.

A

very

complex

rig

involving

lots

of

new

technologies,

it

was

the

expression

of

Heath's

desire

to

recapture

its

steadily

eroding

market

share

with

a

product

that

would

be

regarded

not

just

as

"state

of

the

art"

but

as

"ahead

of

its

time."

The

reliability

of

parts

was

a

major

source

of

frustration.

For

example,

it

was

discovered

that

depending

on

the

batch

of

diodes

used

in

the

bal-

anced

modulator,

you

may

or

may

not

be

able

to

get

it

to

balance.

The

104

used

more

than

275

solid-state

devices

including

31

ICs.

There

were,

of

course,

hundreds

of

capacitors,

resistors

,

coils,

crystals,

and

so

on

,

and

parts

tolerances

were

turning

out

to

be

more

critical

than

had

been

imagined

.

Further,

there

was

no

easy

or

inexpensive

way

to

ensure

that

any

given

part

was

within

tolerance.

Again

, for

rigs

coming

off

an

assembly

line

,

parts

could

have

a

wider

toler-

ance.

But

for

kit

building,

engineers

needed

to

ensure

that

the

rig

would

land

on

its

feet

with

a

minimum

of

tweaking

.

Remember

the

prime

directive-the

customer

has

limited

knowledge

and

doesn

't

have

sophisticated

test

or

alignment

equipm

e

nt.

Random

sampling

of

parts

wasn

't

good

enough

for

the

104

.

As

a

result,

the

cost

of

quality

assurance

rose

substantially,

which

in

turn

added

to

the

cost

of

the

rig

.

( V )

SCENE

104

ACT

2

®

~

·

At

last,

just

in

time

for

Christmas

1974,

Heath

rolled

out

the

SB-104

with

a

full

-

co

l

or

fold-out

ad

in

QST.

The

ad

fea-

tured

the

comp

l

ete

104

series

product

·

line

including

the

SB-230

linear

amplifi-

er,

the

SB-634

station

console

,

the

SB-644

remote

LMO,

the

SB-

614

station

monitor

scope,

and

the

SB-604

station

speaker.

There

were

also

extensive

product

notes

written

by

Joe

Shafer,

extolling

the

many

virtues

of

the

104.

A

2KW

lin

ea

r

amplifi

er,

the

SB

-

240

(using

a

pair

of

3-500s)

had

also

been

developed

through

The

SB-104

the

proof-built

stage,

but

at

the

last

moment

the

unit

was

canceled

because

of

safety

concerns.

There

were

fears

that

because

of

the

rig's

layout

the

customer

would

be

threatened

by

high

voltage.

About

14

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

units

were

actually

built.

Several

were

destroyed

and

the

rest

ended

up

with

employees.

Sales

of

the

SB-104

were

good,

but

almost

immediately,

customers

began

calling

with

prob-

lems.

Most

of

the

problems

turned

out

to

be

mistakes

in

assembly

and

tune

up.

There

can

be

little

doubt

the

104

was

a

good

solid

rig

,

but

it

quickly

became

clear

that

align-

ment

of

the

104

was

critical

to

the

success

of

the

rig

and

l

eft

almost

no

margin

for

error.

Addition-

ally,

the

sheer

complexity

of

the

assembly

process

was

testing

the

limits

of

even

experi-

enced

kit

bui

l

ders.

Unknowingly,

Heath

had

stepped

over

the

line

,

violating

the

prime

direc-

tive.

But

it

was

also

clear

that

there

were

some

design

problems

as

well

.

The

CW

wave

form

was

much

too

abrupt,

the

TR

switching

was

not

very

clean

,

and

the

digital

disp

l

ay

had

the

jitters

,

to

name

only

a few

of

the

104's

troubles.

Heath's

initial

strategy

was

to

handle

these

one

at

a

time,

but

in

a

short

while,

it

became

clear

that

a

bigger

fix

was

in

order.

One

solution

was

to

begin

to

pre-assemble

some

of

the

more

complex

boards,

including

some

of

the

RF

boards.

That

solved

some

of

the

problems

but,

of

course,

it

ate

substantially

into

the

profits

.

The

SB-104

wasn't

Heath's

only

headache.

Late

in

'75

the

company

had

released

its

replace

-

ment

for

the

venerable

HW-202

two-meter

transceiver-the

HW-2026

.

The

2026

was

a

syn-

thesized

unit

on

which

the

frequency

was

set

with

thumbwheel

switches.

The

2026

had

given

its

designers

about

as

much

trouble

as

the

104

had

provided

for

its

crew.

Almost

as

soon

as

the

first

units

went

out

the

door,

customers

began

calling

with

complaints

that

they

were

bringing

up

repeaters

other

than

the

one

intended

as

well

as

putting

in

good

signals

on

law

enforcement

frequencies

,

whenever

the

2026

was

put

on

the

air.

Some

quick

checking

revealed

that

the

transmitter

had

some

significant

spurs.

The

problem

was

not

really

a

design

flaw.

In

design-

ing

th

e

2026

Heath

had

looked

at

the

Clegg

FM-27

.

The

engineers

had

noticed

some

signifi-

cant

spurs

on

the

27's

signal

but

concluded

that

if

the

spurs

weren

't a

problem

for

Clegg

they

shouldn't

be

a

problem

for

Heath.

Unfortunately

for

Heath

,

the

spurs

from

the

2026

landed

in

all

the

wrong

places

.

Heath

had

designed

the

2026

to

conform

to

CCIR

specifications,

and

in

fact,

the

2026

actually

performed

better

than

the

CCIR

specs

by

a good

10

db.

The

problem

was

that

the

CCIR

specs

were

flawed.

And

to

make

matter

worse,

a

quick

fix

was

not

in

the

cards.

For

the

first

and

only

time

in

its

history

,

Heath

29

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO:r-1.l:FANY

nr=

~

f

H?diUHilJ

issued

a

product

recall.

Customers

were

offered

their

money

back

or

a

trade-in

for

one

of

Heath's

other

new

products

that

year

,

the

HW-2021

walkie-

talkie.

Unfortunately

for

customers

who

chose

the

walkie-talkie,

satisfaction

proved

somewhat

e

lusiv

e.

While

the

2021

was

a

good

basic

design,

it

s

shear

compactness

reduced

the

odds

of

assemb

lin

g

the

unit

without

errors.

Th

ere

was

at

l

east

one

success

in

197

5-the

HD-1410

el

ectronic

keyer.

Th

e

physical

d

esign

of

the

HD-1410

was

patterned

after

the

T

en-Tee

KR-20

and

a

keyer

sold

by

Palomar

Engin

eers,

both

of

which

first

appeared

lat

e

in

1969.

The

1410

rep

l

aced

the

very

s

ucc

essful

HD-10

(

the

first

kit

keyer

on

the

market),

which

Heath

had

released

10

years

earlier

.

The

1410

was

more

compact

and

more

easily

adjustable

that

its

pre-

decessor,

and

employe

d a

vastly

improv

ed

switching

scheme.

It

so

ld

extremely

well.

H

eath

also

had

some

luck

with

the

HW-104

,

the

low-

end

version

of

the

SB-104.

The

HW

ver-

sion

replaced

most

of

the

complicated

digital

cir

-

cuits

with

analog

designs.

For

examp

l

e,

the

HW-104

used

a

traditional

tuning

sc

heme

with

a

dial

readout

more

akin

to

the

SB-102.

The

HW-104

worked

quite

well

because

of

these

changes,

but

still

suffere

d

in

sa

l

es

as

a

result

of

guilt

by

association

.

It

was

also

being

torn

to

s

hred

s

by

the

competition.

The

rig

would

last

only

two

years

.

( V )

ENTERING

THE

COMPUTER

AGE

@

Still

reeling

from

the

HW-2026

recall

an

d

still

pulling

out

its

h

air

over

the

SB-104,

Heath

pressed

on,

working

on

an

improved

version

on

the

104

and

beginning

work

on

an

entire

ly

new

transceiver

,

the

SS-SOOO.

At

the

same

time,

development

also

began

on

an

entire

ly

new

product-the

personal

computer.

Heath

can

be

credited

with

some

real

vision

in

this

area.

It

was

still

a

year

or

so

before

the

first

Apple

and

the

Radio

Shack

computers

would

appear

.

Heath

recognized

the

value

an

d

potential

of

the

com-

puter

very

early

on.

For

most

people,

computers

were

still

very

much

a

curiosity.

Heath

under-

stood

that

personal

com

put

ers

were

not

some

passing

fad,

and

that

they

were,

in

fact,

the

growth

industry

.

Heath

quickly

tooled

up

for

a

major

effort,

enth

usi

astica

ll

y

beginnin

g

work

on

a

pair

of

compu

ter

products-the

HS

and

the

Hll.

Ironically,

by

starting

development

of

the

computers,

Heath

was

unleashing

the

very

products

that

would

le

ad

to

its

demise.

In

November

1976,

exac

tl

y

one

year

after

the

30

rel

ease

of

the

ill-fat

ed

HW-2026

,

Heath

re

l

eased

its

rep

lac

ement,

the

HW-2036-an

entirely

redesigned

two-meter

transceiver.

To

help

e

limi-

nat

e

any

lingerin

g

suspic

ion

s

about

the

new

rig,

the

ad

in

the

catalog

was

complete

with

charts

det

ailing

its

spectral

purity.

This

time

Heath

had

gotten

it

right

and

the

rig

was

a

hit.

Sales

took

off

and

never

slowed

down

.

You

could

almost

hear

He

ath's

collective

sigh

of

relief.

It

had

been

a long,

hot,

frustrating,

and

expensive

summer

for e

ngin

eering.

Getting

the

bugs

out

had

not

been

easy.

The

first

of

two

significant

releases

in

1977

was

the

HS

personal

computer.

The

HS

did

not

in

any

way

resemble

personal

computers

as

we

hav

e

come

to

know

them.

The

HS

was

a

nerd

s

-only

SOSOA-based

product

wit

h a conve-

ni

ent

front

panel

keypad

for

programming.

As

luck

would

have

it

,

there

were

plenty

of

nerds

who

had

been

waiting

their

whole

liv

es

for

a

product

like

this.

They

wasted

no

time

putting

in

their

orders-heck

,

only

$300

,

less

any

kind

of

I/O.

The

Hll,

Heath

's

other

com

put

er,

was

somew

h

at

more

imposing-it

was

a

plain

white

box

with

no

front

panel

controls

at

all.

The

Hll

was

based

on

the

DEC

PDP-11103

and

was

avai

l-

able

with

an

optional

eight

or

16-bit

bu

s.

This

machine

was

a

bit

more pricey

t

han

the

HS-

$1200

in

kit

form,

$2000

wired,

less

I/O.

Never-

theless

,

the

two

computers

proved

both

popular

and

lucrative.

Sales

of

the

HS,

Hll,

and

their

periph

era

l

product

s

quickly

infused

a

great

deal

of

cash

into

the

company.

While

Heath's

gross

sa

l

es

were

rapidly

approaching

$

100

million

annually,

the

bulk

of

the

money

wasn't

coming

from

amate

ur

products.

Heath

was

pullin

g

in

money

from

television

and

stereo

products,

and

from

test

equipment

as

well

as

from

computers.

Amateur

products

,

which

10

years

earlier

had

accounted

for

40

percent

of

Heath

's

sales,

had

shrunk

to

less

than

25

p

ercent

.

And

to

make

matters

more

uncomfortable

,

engineer

in

g

costs

in

the

amateur

division

were

very

high.

The

secon

d

significant

release

in

1977

was

the

improved

SB-104.

It

had

taken

a

lot

of

re-engi-

ne

ering,

but

in

Jul

y

1977,

Heath

re-released

the

SB-104

as

the

104A.

Most

of

the

problems

had

been

solved

but

the

rig

remained

touchy.

True

to

it

s

customers

,

Heath

worked

diligently

to

keep

everyone

happ

y

and

,

for

the

most

part,

cus-

tomers

were

happ

y.

But

the

word

was

out

that

the

104

was

"iffy"

and

that

getting

it

to

work

could

be

a

problem

.

Sales

flattened

out,

then

slowly

started

down.

But

Heath

wasn't

standing

st

ill.

Development

of

the

104

's

replacement,

des-

HE..A..THKIT

~

~fH&iU&f@

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO?ll.J:PANY

ignated

the

SS-8000

,

was

moving

slow

ly

for

-

ward.

Among

other

thing

s, H

ea

th

had

develop

ed

an

ambitious

plan

to

provide

for

computer

con-

trol

of

the

new

transc

eiver.

There

was

nothing

e

ls

e

like

it

on

the

mark

e

t.

A

computer-controlled

HF

station

was

somethin

g

that

only

a

handful

of

h

ams

had

even

dreamt

about.

In

1978

Heath

released

the

HW-8

, a

repl

ace

-

me

nt

for

the

HW-7

QRP

rig.

The

HW-7

had

been

very

popular

but

had

b

ee

n

cr

itici

ze

d for a

num-

b

er

of

minor

probl

em s a

nd

limitation

s.

Th

e

HW-8

addressed

all

of

tho

se

problems

and

added

a f

ew

nice

touche

s.

Th

e

HW-8

would

turn

out

to

be

one

of

the

most

popul

ar

of

th

e

three

version

s

H

ea

th

made-attaining

a

kind

of

cult

status-

a

nd

one

of

the

most

popul

ar

QRP

rigs

ever

mar

-

keted.

In

that

same

year,

H

eat

h

replaced

th

e

very

s

ucc

ess

ful

HW-20

36

two

-

meter

box

with

the

new

digital

readout

VF-7401.

The

7401

was

nice

and

had

lot

s

of

power

an

d f

ea

tures

,

but

th

e

unit

had

cost

a

bundl

e

to

d

esign,

and

sales

were

n

ever

as

high

as

H

eat

h h

ad

hop

ed for.

It

i

sn'

t

that

anyo

ne

thou

g

ht

poorl

y

of

th

e

7401

,

but

by

this

time,

the

off-shor

e

competitors

were

turnin

g

up

th

e

heat

on

H

ea

th-

and

it

hurt.

It

is

lik

ely

th

at H

ea

th

lost

money

on

th

e 7401.

The

VF-7401

is a sig

nificant

product

in

H

ea

th

's

history

, how-

ever,

as

it

was

th

e l

ast

kit-

type

two-meter

prod-

u

ct

H

ea

th

ev

er

made. By

this

time

off-shore

com

-

petition

in

the

exp

l

oding

two

-

meter

mark

et

was

so

feroc

iou

s

it

was

cl

ear

that

H

eat

h

could

not

compete.

Heath

wa

lk

ed

away

from

VHF

a

nd

n

ever

came

back-

at

l

east

not

with

its

own

eq

uipm

en

t.

(V )

1978-THE

BEGINNING

OF

THE

END

@

In

1978

Schlu

mberge

r (

rememb

er

Schlumberger?

it

owned

He

ath?)

decided

that

it

would

be

nice

to

h

ave

an

"

in-h

ouse

"

source

of

se

miconduc-

tors

an

d b

ega

n

lookin

g

aro

und

for a

nice

se

mi-

conductor

manu

fact

u

rer

to

swa

ll

ow

.

It

didn

't

have

to

look

ve

ry

far. H

eath

was

buying

lit

era

ll

y

mi

llion

s

of

se

miconduct

ors

every

yea

r

from

a

compa

ny

called

F

airc

hild

.

Heath

was,

in

fact,

Fairchild's

singl

e l

argest

consumer

of

b

oth

discrete

a

nd

int

egra

t

ed

devices.

Additionally,

Sc

hlu

mb

erger

owned

a l

ot

of

other

companies

that

used

se

mi

con

du

ctors,

an

d

it

u

sed

a lot

it

se

l

f.

This,

it

r

easone

d,

cou

ld

be

sweet

d

ea

l.

By

acq

uirin

g

Fair

c

hild

,

Sch

lumb

erge

r

wo

uld

contro

l

not

only

th e so

ur

ce

an

d th e

devic

es,

but

al

so

the

product

s

in

w

hi

ch

they

were

u

se

d.

Funny

..

.

that

is

exac

tl

y

ho

w

the

Federal

Tr

ade

Commission

saw

it.

Who

co

uld

hav

e

im

agi

n ed

A

Guid

e

to

the

Amat

eur

Radio

Products

th

at

we

wou

ld

ever

h

ea

r

the

words

"

Heath

"

an

d

"a

ntitrust

"

in

the

sa

me

se

ntence?

The

Federal

Trad

e

Commission

exp

lain

ed

to

Schlumberger

its

ac

tions

mi

g

ht-at

the

risk

of

putting

too

fine

a

point

on

it-

be

construed

as,

well,

illegal.

The

Commis

sion

told

Schlumberger

that

if

it

wanted

Fairchild

it

would

have

to

se

ll

H

ea

th.

Sorry.

If

ther

e

was

any

doubt

abo

ut

Schlum-

b

erger's

loyalty

to

H

ea

th

,

it

didn't

last

ver

y

long

.

Schlumberger

had

purch

ase

d

Heath

for a song

a

nd

now

,

whi

le

it

wasn

't

exa

ctl

y

what

it

had

plann

ed,

had

the

opportunity

to

se

ll

it

for s

ome-

thing

much

more

lik

e a

sym

phony.

It

saw

th

e

chance

to

make

a

great

d

ea

l

of

mon

ey

very

quickl

y

a

nd

it

took

it.

By

D

ecem

ber

1978,

Heath

was

up

for

sale.

It

is

hard

to

say

what

kind

of

effect

this

news

h ad

on

e

mployee

s at H

eat

h

or

on

the

admini

s-

tration.

But

ther

e

can

be

no

doubt

that

a s

hock

wave

swe

pt

through

th

e

pl

a

nt

. A

clue

about

the

int

en s

it

y

of

this

s

hock

wave

can

be

found

in

the

pages

of

QST.

H

eat

h h ad

no

ad

in

the

Febru

ary

1979

is

s

ue

of

QST.

Thi

s sma

ll

eve

nt

wa

s s

pok

e

volumes:

it

was

the

first

i

ss

ue

He

at

h

had

mi

sse

d

in

more

than

20

years

or

a

dv

er

tisin

g.

By

January

1979

He

at

h

had

com

pleted

devel-

opment

of

its

third

computer

product-the

H89

"a

ll-in-one"

comput

er.

Th

e

H89

used

not

ju

st

one

bu

t a pair

of

the

n

ew

Mo

ste

k Z80

microproces-

sors

and

was

a

mo

st

remarkab

le

product.

It

was

not

some

inscrutabl

e box w

ith

a k

ey

pad;

it

h ad a

k

ey

bo

ar

d, a

di

s

pl

ay

screen,

a

nd

a

flopp

y di

sk

drive

built

into

one

very

attract

ive

cabinet.

It

was

how

ever,

onl

y p

art

ly a

kit.

The

main

CPU

and

t

erm

inal

int

erface

boar

ds

were

fully

assem-

bl

ed

an

d

teste

d,

as

was

th e

keyboard

and

th

e

di

sk

dri

ve

.

Durin

g d

eve

lopm

e

nt

of

the

H89

,

H

eat

h

qui

c

kly

r

ea

li

zed

th

at

a

lmo

st

no

one

could

successfu

lly

as

semb

le

and

-if

necessary-trou-

bleshoot

one

of

these

t

hin

gs

.

Assembly

then

,

was

limit

ed

to

cons

truction

of

t h e

power

s

uppl

y a

nd

the

putting

together

of

all

the

s

ub-ass

e

mbli

es.

The

H

89

first

appeared

in

Heath's

Summer

1979

cata

log

an

d li

sted

for ab

ou

t

$20

00, d

epe

ndin

g

on

what

options

y

ou

a

dd

ed.

Th

e

89

was

e

normou

sly

successfu

l.

Heath

so

ld

zi

ll

ions

of

them.

At

about

thi

s

same

time,

the

idea

that

person-

al

comp

ut

e

rs

could

be

worth

a

lot

of

money

was

beginning

to

occur

to

a

number

of

l

arge

corpora-

tions,

many

of

w

hi

ch

began

to

explore

th

e

id

ea

of

designing

their

own

computer

products.

Among

these

was

the

Ze

nith

Corporatio

n .

Zenith

ha d

the

idea

t

hat

it

might

be

pos

s

ibl

e

to

by

pa

ss

much

of

the

expe

n si

ve

a

nd

time-consuming

d

esign

phase

an

d

get

a h

ead

start

on

the

competition

by

buying

a

company

a

lr

ea

dy

making

comput

ers.

31

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO~FANY

rE¥

~

f

H¥Sf

¥f

i*+il

Zenith

began

l

ooking

around

for

some

small

computer

company

it

could

easil

y

acquire

and

it

didn't

take

lon

g

for

its

corporate

gaze

to

fall

upon

Heath.

From

Zenith's

perspective

Heath

was

very

attractive.

It

was

reasonably

priced

and

had

an

excellent

computer

product

line

on

the

market

and

more

in

development

.

Negotia-

tions

began

early

in

1979

,

and

th

e

deal

was

com-

pleted

by

fall.

Zenith

was

now

in

the

computer

business

-

and

Heath

was

now

in

trouble.

<V >

THE

END

IN

SIGHT

The

Zenith

buyout

was

a

nasty

piece

of

busin

e

ss

by

a

ll

accounts.

Many

peo-

ple

at

Heath

thought

Zenith

would

be

good

for

business.

After

all,

Zenith

was

a

consumer

electronics

company.

It

was

logical

to

assume

that

Zenith

might

bring

with

it

a

lot

of

marketing

muscle

and

know-how

that

would

be

very

beneficial

to

Heath.

Zenith,

however,

had

other

ideas.

Zenith

was

interested

only

in

Heath's

computer

line.

Nothing

else

mat-

tered

.

Nothing.

In

fact

emp

l

oyees

began

to

feel

that

Zenith

regarded

them

and

Heath's

products

with

contempt

.

They

were

probably

right

.

Bud-

get

cuts

and

layoffs

were

quick

to

follow.

Zenith

cut

the

budgets

of

all

of

Heath's

departments

by

15

percent

every

year

beginning

in

1980.

All

departments

except

computers,

that

is.

Addi

-

tionally,

Zenith

began

siphoning

huge

amounts

of

cash

and

resources

from

Heath.

Al

Rob

e

rtson

wasn't

having

much

fun

.

For

him

,

the

Zenith

buyout

was

only

part

of

it

.

He

had

been

transferred

to

mark

e

ting

a

couple

of

years

earlier,

and

he

wasn

't

doing

the

things

he

really

loved.

He

looked

around

one

day

and

couldn

't

see

the

Heath

company

he

had

originally

come

to

work

for.

Time

to

go. Al

called

it

a

day

-

and

retired

.

His

departure,

like

Gene

Fiebich

'

s,

was

a

harbinger

of

things

to

come.

Needl

e

ss

to say,

the

takeover,

the

budget

cut

s,

the

lay-offs,

and

all

the

rest,

were

very

disrup-

tive

and

very

distracting.

And

none

of

these

cor-

porate

high

jink

s he

lped

th

e

Amateur

group

,

who

had

been

having

plenty

of

troub

le

with

the

SS-8000

even

before

the

Zenith

problems.

Nev-

erthele

s

s,

work

had

progressed

well

into

the

proof-built

stage

by

this

time,

giving

Heath

enough

confidence

to

run

a t e

aser

ad

in

the

Spring

1980

catalog.

The

ad

displayed

th

e

SS-8000

,

major

portions

of

which

were

hidden

by

a la

rge

banner

reading

"space

reserved

for

revolutionary

new

SS-8000.

"

Text

in

an

inset

stated

"

see

it

here-in

your

cata-

log."

In

another

inset

was

a

picture

of

the

new

32

H19

smart

terminal

(not

the

H89),

implying

that

the

SS-8000

could

be

computer

controlled.

It

had

become

increasing

clear

over

the

course

of

its

development

that

given

the

complexity

and

parts

density

of

the

SS-8000,

it

would

be

very

difficult,

perhaps

impossible,

for

the

average

builder

to

successfully

assemble

and

a

lign

the

rig.

Heath

found

itself

in

a

bind

.

It

had

two

choices-

both

bad.

To

proceed

with

the

rig

in

kit

form

meant

endless

problems

for

the

customer

and

lot

s

of

bad

PR.

To

offer

the

rig

fully

assembled

meant

a

working

rig

and

a

happy

customer

,

but

would

double

the

cost

,

making

it

unaffordable

.

No

matter

what

it

decided,

Heath

was

in

trouble.

Still

smarting

from

its

experiences

with

the

SB-104,

Heath

made

the

decision

to

offer

the

SS-8000

as

a

fully

assembled

product

and

not

as

a

kit.

Of

course

by

the

time

this

determination

was

made,

a

fully

operational

model-no

longer

a

prototype-had

been

completed.

It

is

impor-

tant

to

remember

here

that

it

had

taken

most

of

five

years

to

develop

the

8000

to

this

point

. Now

it

would

take

another

three

years

to

redesign

the

rig

for

sale

as

a

pre-assembled

unit.

This

would

prove

to

be

the

single

most

costly

decision

ever

made

at

Heath

because

the

SS-8000/9000

was

the

sing

le

most

expensive

product

Heath

had

ever

designed.

Most

estimates

put

th

e

development

cost

s

of

the

8000

/

9000

project

at

around

3

million

dollars,

and

probably

more.

The

SS-9000

hit

the

market

for

almost

$2800

in

the

face

of

competition

costing

half

of

that.

Bells

,

whistle

s,

and

computer

-

control

notwithstand-

in

g,

it

never

really

had

a

chance.

Only

a

couple

of

thousand

units

were

ever

sold.

The

project

was

an

immense

financial

loss

from

which

the

company

never

fully

recovered.

The

HW-5400,

Heath

's

last

hope

of

success

in

the

kit

market,

did

little

better

.

It

sold

for

only

a

year

and

a

half,

and

while

it

wa

s

less

expensive

to

develop,

Heath

lost

a

bundle

on

it

as

well

.

It

originally

had

sold

for

$750.

The

power

supply

was

another

$175;

the

frequency

entry

ke

ypad

was

another

$60;

and

so

was

the

"

deluxe

"

SSB

crystal

filter.

The

whole

package

was

just

over

a

$1000,

and

for

almost

everybody,

it

just

didn't

add

up.

Not

when

compared

to

rigs

from

Ken-

wood,

Yeasu,

and

others

.

And

comparing

was

what

e

veryone

wa

s

doing.

By

th

e

time

the

SS

-9000

hit

the

catalog

in

19

82

it

was

crystal

clear

to

everyone

Heath

could

no

longer

st

a

nd

up

to

off-shore

competi

-

tion

.

There

was

some

talk

of

having

the

SS-9000

and

HW-5400

built

overseas.

Engineers

made

severa

l

trips

to

Korea

to

meet

with

manufactur-

HE

A.TH

KIT

~

~t§f@Siifi*F@

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

COJ:\l.l:PANY

ers

and

exp

lore

this

idea,

but

nothing

came

of

it.

Meanwhile

Icom

,

Kenwood,

and

Yeasu

were

putting

new

products

on

the

market

at

the

rate

of

almost

one

a

month,

and

by

the

middle

of

1982,

Heath's

Amateur

group

essent

ially

caved

in

und

er

the

und

er

the

now

crushing

weight

of

foreign

competition.

The

SS-9000

and

the

HW-5400

were

to

be

the

la

st

big

products.

Another

factor

contributing

to

the

demise

of

the

Amat

eur

gro

up

was

the

layoffs

of

1982.

Until

that

time,

the

Amat

eur

group

had

really

been

trying

to

hold

things

together.

The

layoffs

were

the

la

st

straw

for

Joe

Shafer.

Drake

had

been

courting

Joe

for

several

years

and

this

seemed

like

a good

time

to

make

a

run

for

it.

He

did.

At

the

same

time,

man

ageme

nt

was

deciding

that

it

had

enough

of

ham

radio

and

that

it

was

time

to

go QRT.

For

all

inte

nts

and

purposes,

the

Amateur

grou

p

was

out

of

business.

The

effects

on

the

Amateur

group

of

these

lay-

offs

are

clearly

visible

in

the

products

that

came

out

of

the

department

after

'82

.

These

products

were

either

extensions

or

refinements

of

existing

products

or

were

r el

ative

ly

simp

le

in

nature

.

Concentration

on

these

"dow

nsiz

ed"

products

was

a

reflection

of

the

increasingly

limited

resourc

es

available

to

the

Amateur

group

and

Heath

's

inability

to

compete

in

other

product

areas.

Th

e "

little

brown

box"

ser

i

es,

which

began

to

appear

in

1985,

provides

the

best

exa

mpl

e

of

a

company

struggling

to

maintain

a

presence

in

amateur

radio.

The

little

brown

box

series

was

a

group

of

accessory

products

that

did

not

require

any

sop

hi

sticated

or

innovative

engineering

and

which

could

be

marketed

very

inexpensively.

The

group

encompasses

mo

st

of

the

hi

gh

four-digit

"H

D"

series

of

products

and

includ

es

the

HD-1418

Active

Audio

Filt

er,

the

HD-1

420

VLF

Receiving

Converter

,

the

HD-1422

Antenna

Noise

Bridge,

the

HD-1424

Active

Antenna

,

and

several

others.

There

was

at

l

east

one

gem

in

this

otherwise

unr

emarkab

le

series

of

products:

the

extraord

inar

y

HD-8999

"UltraPro"

CW

key-

board

.

This

microprocessor-based

keyboard

fea-

tured

memories,

practice

sessions,

a

type-ahead

buff

er,

built-in

side-tone,

complete

control

of

all

operating

parameters,

and

the

ability

to

key

any

transmitter

ever

made

.

But

products

like

these

are

not

enough

to

make

a

living

on.

Especially

when

yo

ur

par

e

nt

company

couldn't

care

less

about

them.

The

end

did

not

come

quickly.

No

one

came

in

one

day

and

said

"That's

it

. No

more

ham

products

."

In

stead,

the

Amateur

group

sl

owly

withered

away.

As

budget

cuts

continued,

people

once

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

working

for

the

Amateur

group

were

transferred

to

other

areas,

laid

off,

or

replaced

by

mark

eting

types.

By

1984

only

a

handful

of

people

were

left

in

the

Amateur

group

and

they

were

not

design-

ing

amateur

products.

They

worked

on

products

like

electronic

Christmas

ornaments,

light

dim-

mer

s,

and

motor

speed

controls.

By

1985

all

new

amateur

product

d

eve

lop-

ment

had

ceased.

Only

a

few

products

were

relea

sed

after

'85

and

all

of

them

had

been

developed

earlier.

The

budg

et

cuts,

transfers,

and

layoffs

continued,

and

although

a

numb

er

of

ham

products

lingered

in

the

catalog,

by

1986

the

Heath

company

we

once

knew

and

loved

was

gone.

During

the

lat

e

80s

and

early

90s

Heath

made

a few

more

attempts

in

amateur

radio

by

strik-

ing

deals

with

other

companies

to

make

equip

-

ment

using

the

Heath

nam

e.

Heath

went

to

Ameritron

and

came

back

with

the

SB-1000

lin-

ear

amplifier

.

It

went

to

Standard

for

HTs,

to

Yeasu

(ironic,

isn

't

it?)

for

a

transceiver

(the

SB-1400),

and

to

Telex

for a

rotator.

With

the

exception

of

the

SB-1000

,

Heath

made

very

little

money

with

this

strategy,

and

the

concept

was

abandonedinshortorde~

Ultimately,

the

splitting

up

of

Zenith

itself,

and

its

s

ubsequent

sale

to

Group

Bull,

a

French

conglomerate,

left

Heath

directionles

s

and

in

disarray.

Bull

had

no

interest

at

a

ll

in

Heath

and

immediately

put

the

company

on

the

block.

Heath

experimented

with

the

home

security

market

for a

while,

acting

as

a

reseller

for

prod-

ucts

designed

and

built

off-shore.

It

was

a

short-lived

exercise.

It

a

lso

began

to

experiment

with

home-study

products,

selling

educational

videos

and

workbooks

on

subjects

electronics

and

computers.

This

market

proved

more

profitable

and

Heath

continues

to

expand

into

the

home

study

market.

Group

Bull

was

finally

successful

in

selling

Heath

in

February

1995. As

of

this

writing

little

is

known

about

the

buyers-said

to

be

a

group

of

investors

from

Florida-or

their

intentions

for

the

company.

It

appears

as

though

as

le

ast

one

more

chapter

of

Heath's

history

awaits

writing.

( V )

WHAT

HAPPENED

TO

HEATH?

People

often

attribute

Heath's

diffi-

culties

to

off-shore

competition

in

the

early

'80s.

To

be

sure,

that

was

a

major

factor.

Peopl

e

also

point

to

the

Zenith

buyout

and

subse

quent

bud-

get

cuts.

It

is

true

that

Zenith

did

not

h e

lp

mat-

ters.

But

the

off-shore

competition

and

Zenith

were

not

the

causes

of

Heath

's

demise.

They

33

A

HISTOR-Y

OF

THE

HEATH

CO:D.1.IPAN"Y

IE:=

~

'Ui&f

#f

HEI

served

only

to

hasten

the

in

evitab

le.

It

is

clear

that

Heath's

problems

really

began

much

earlier,

in

the

late

'

60s

.

After

20

years

of

rock

solid

products

,

things

began

to

unravel.

This

difficulty

is

seen

first

in

the

SB-104

and

is

evident

in

many

s

ubsequent

products.

What

is

l

ess

clear

is

why

things

began

to

unravel.

I h

ave

talked

to

many

former

Heath

employees

and

I

ha

ve

heard

their

technical

explanations

of

what

happ

ened,

for

example,

to

the

SB-104,

HW-20

21,

SS-9000

,

and

others

.

They

cite,

amo

ng

other

things

,

the

cutting-edge

nature

of

technologies

being

used

and

the

complexity

of

the

projects

undertaken

.

But

these

exp

l

anations

do

not

fully

account

for

the

problems

,

and

the

turn

of

events

that

must

have

begun

about

1969-about

the

time

d

eve

lopment

of

the

SB-104

began.

Gene

Fiebich

may

not

h

ave

been

able

to

put

it

into

words

,

but

it

is

cl

ear

that

he

felt

things

chang-

ing,

and

that

by

1973

the

atmosphere

h

ad,

for

him

, b

ecome

intolerable.

I

submit

that

H

ea

th

ha d

difficulty

coping

with

the

dramatic

growth

it

experienced

through

th

e

'

60s

.

This

high-speed

growth

resu

lted

in

its

crossing

a

kind

of

threshold

around

1969

,

at

which

point

Heath

began

to

suffer

from

the

same

things

that

plague

many

large

companies-poor

internal

communication,

high

em

ployee

turn

over

,

corrosion

of

morale,

and

especia

ll

y

the

lo

ss

the

"fa

mily

"

feeling

that

had

serve

d

Heath

so

well

in

its

earlier

years.

The

family

feeling

is

, I

think

,

what

Gene

missed

most.

Thi

s

kind

of

sce

-

nario

is

not

unique.

It

is

experienced

by

lots

of

companies

in

their

formative

years.

The

differ-

ence

for H

ea

th

is

that

it

had

to

contend

not

only

with

its

own

growth,

but

with

the

growth

of

a

rapidly

changing

market

and

the

growth

of

a

rapidl

y

changing

technology.

Th

e

combination

of

the

se

forces,

combined

with

th

e

ravaging

effects

of

a

corporate

takeover,

would

h a

ve

driv

en a

les

ser

company

to

spontaneous

combustion.

To

its

credit

,

Heath

was

a

ble

to

cope,

at

l

eas

t

to

some

extent

,

with

all

of

these

changes.

The

inabi

li

ty

to

adapt

to

change

is

a

major

probl

em

plaguing

many

big

companies.

As

com-

pani

es

grow,

there

is a

tendency

to

bec

ome

mired

in

bur

ea

ucrac

y

an

d

its

attendant

problem

s.

Deci

sion

making

beco

mes

diffic

ult

becaus

e

too

many

s

ignature

s

are

required

and

/

or

there

is

too

much

fear

of

making

important

decision

s -

no

one

wants

to

take

responsibility.

By

the

early

'

60s

, e

lectronics

technology

was

changing

at

a

rate

that

began

to

outpaced

He

at

h's

ability

to

adapt.

The

cycle

time

for

bringin

g a

kit

to

mar-

ket

had

lengthen

ed

from

two

or

three

years

to

34

more

than

five

years

because

of

the

growing

complexity

and

speed

of

techno

logic

change

.

The

cycle

time

was

l

engthen

in

g

at

a

time

when

the

ability

to

adapt

quickly

was

becoming

more

crit

-

ical

with

each

passing

day.

At

some

point

tech-

nology

began

to

cycle

with

an

interval

shorter

than

the

cycle

time

for

completing

a

kit.

The

result

was

that

half

way

through

development

of

a

given

kit

,

Heath

could

find

itself

working

on

an

outmoded

product.

Th

e

density

of

parts

was

also

playing

a roll.

As

kits

became

more

sophisticated,

greater

skill

wa

s

required

by

the

builder.

With

the

SS-9000,

H

eath

fina

ll

y

exceeded

the

average

kit

builder's

ability

to

successfully

assemble

a

kit.

Parts

quality

was

a

problem

as

well

.

Greater

numbers

of

parts

increas

ed

the

chanc

es

of

a

bad

part

app

ear

ing

in

a

product

too

sophisticated

for

the

average

builder

to

troubleshoot.

Additionally,

as

manufacturing

proc

esses

b

ecame

increasingly

automated,

the

cost

of

assembly-Heath

's

very

reason

for

b e

ing

-

beg

an

to

approach

zero,

and

the

savings

once

poss

ible

in

kit

form

vanis

h

ed.

By

the

lat

e

'60s

it

was

possible

to

buy

a

fully

assembled

and

tested

produ

ct

for

the

same

or

l

ess

than

the

cost

of

a

kit

.

And

in

the

e

nd,

it

must

be

recognized

that

people

began

to

change.

Heath's

original

cus-

tomer

base

was

getting

older

and

the

younger

generation

seemed

to

have

neither

the

time

nor

the

interest

required

to

assemb

le a

kit.

In

stant

gratification

had

come

of

age.

Wh

at

happened

to

Heath?

Th

e

re

is

no

one

simple

answer.

It

is

clear

that

a

conste

ll

ation

of

event

s a

nd

circum

sta

nces

converged

on

Heath

and

that

their

combined

weight

simply

crushed

the

company

.

( V )

CAN

IT

HAPPEN

AGAIN?

Thomas

Wolfe

said

it

be

s

t.

"You

can't

go

home

again."

The

Heathkit

ph

e-

nomenon

was

a

result

of

the

right

per-

son,

in

th

e

right

place

,

at

the

right

time

in

history,

with

the

right

idea,

for

the

right

price.

The

Heathkit

phenom

e

non

happ

ene

d

at

a

tim

e

in

history

when

the

leisurely

pac

e

of

technologic

change

permitted

the

tim

e-inte

nsive

process

of

kit

desi

gn ,

and

when

the

eco

nomics

of

el

ectronics

manufacturing

pro-

vided

a

cost-effective

alternative

process

for

th

e

acqui

s

ition

of

electronic

technology.

The

H

eat

h-

kit

phenomenon

happened

at

a

time

in

history

when

electronics

was

a

great

d

ea

l

simpler

than

it

is

today,

when

it

was

realistic

a

lly

possible

for

Joe

H am

and

hi

s

50-watt,

half-inch

chisel

tip

HE

.AT

HK

IT

l8

~

f

b&&f

HH+il

A

HISTORY

OF

THE

HEATH

CO?>.l.l:PANY

soldering

iron

to

put

a

kit

together

and

h

ave

a

good

chance

of

being

successful.

Can

Heath

rise

again?

Short

answer-no.

Long

answer-few

businesses

successfully

weather

both

the

economic

changes

and

the

cor-

porate

shenanigans

that

tossed

Heath

around

like

a

three-element

quad

in

a

thunderstorm.

Even

without

those

factors,

the

technologic

and

social

climates

that

allowed

Heath

to

flower

are

gone-never

to

return

.

Can

anyone

make

a liv-

ing

from

kits?

Doubtful.

Kits

could

figure

into

a

mix

of

products

lik

e

they

do

for

Ten-Tee

and

Ramsey,

for

example,

but

no

one

is

likely

to

sur

-

vive

very

long

on

kits

alone.

I

guess

all

we

can

do

is

dream

abo

ut

the

way

it

was.

The

muffin

pan

full

of

hardware.

The

pack-

ing

box

cut

to

hold

resistors

and

capacitors.

The

tubes,

the

transformers,

the

terminal

strips,

and

the

steps.

Ah,

the

steps

...

Refer

to

Pictorial

5-5

and Detail

5-5A

for

the

follow-

ing

steps.

( ) Connect

one

end

of

a

2-W

' green wire to

lug

1

(S-2)

( ) Connect a

.01

µfd disc capacitor from

lug

10

of

tube socket V9 (S-2)

to

solder

lug

X (S-4)

( )

Install

a metal coupling

on

the shaft

of

switch

D.

Use

a

6-32

x

V4"

screw.

( ) Connect a 20 KQ (red-black-orange) resistor

between

lugs 2

(NS)

and

3

(NS)

of

terminal strip

A.

Isn't

this

how

it

worked?

We

rushed

home

after

work,

ate

a

quick

dinner

(or

maybe

not),

headed

for

the

shack

and

followed

the

steps.

Care-

fully

.

Exactly.

To

the

letter

. We

worked

eagerly

but

patiently.

Time

passed

quickly.

Is

Jack

Paar

on

already?

I'll

be

up

in

a few

minutes,

honey.

And

so

it

has

come

to

this

. A

couple

of

empty

Heath

packing

boxes

in

the

basement

and

a few

red

plastic

nut

starters

in

the

junk

box.

These

are

all

that

remain

to

tell

the

tale.

These

and

a

few

memories

and

the

scar

on

my

index

finger

from

when,

during

the

assembly

of

an

HW-100

, I

picked

up

my

soldering

iron

from

the

wrong

end.

There

is

a

phrase

in

the

back

of

just

about

every

assembly

manual

Heath

ever

wrote.

A

phrase

that

has

a

very

different

meaning

now

than

it

did

back

then.

It

read

simply,

"This

com-

pletes

the

assembly."

Yes. I

guess

it

does.

Most

kit

builders

find

it

helpful

to

separate

the

various

parts

into

convenient

categories.

Muffin

tins

or

molded egg

car

t

ons

make

convenient

trays

for

small

parts.

Resistors

and

capaci

-

tors

may

be

placed

with

their

lead

ends

in-

serted

in

the

edge of a

piece

of

corrugated

cardboard

until

they

are

needed.

Values

can

be

written

on

the

cardboard

each

component.

The

illustration

shows

one

method

that

may

be

used.

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

35

lB

~

u•&tUHE;i]

Buying

and

Collecting

Heathkits

CV >

FLEA

SPEAK

Flea

markets

may

be

the

best

possible

way

to

b

uy

and

co

ll

ect

any

kind

of

elec-

tronic

equipment,

but

you

have

to

know

the

subt

l

eties

of

buying

and

se

ll

ing

and

the

protoco

ls

involved

in

a

transaction

.

Usually

the

best

way

to

acquire

th

e

necessary

skills

is

just

to

get

in

there

and

get

some

prac

ti

ce.

Start

wit

h

some

nickel

-

and

-

dime

j

unk

and

work

your

way

up

to

the

expensive

st

uff.

Perhaps

the

most

important

aspect

of

"fleai

ng"

is

understanding

the

language

. Fl

ea

markets

have

a l

anguage

all

th

eir

own

an

d

it

is

vital

th

at

you

be

able

to

speak

and

understan

d

it.

It

is

important

to

be

able

to

interpret

what

the

person

behind

the

flea

mar-

ket

table

is

saying

about

t he

equipments

/

he

has

to

sell.

To

ma

ke

your

task

a

bit

easier,

I

have

compiled

a

lis

t

of

a few

possib

le

answers

to

the

simple

questio

n

"Does

it

work?"

ANSWER TRANSLATION

Absolutely!

.

..

..................

Maybe

Yes

. .

........................

.

Maybe

I

don

't

know

...

.

...............

.

No

.......

.

....

..

.....

.

........

No

It

did

the

last

time I

plugged

it

in

.

..

.

No

At

the

flea market.

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

T

he

point

I

am

trying

to

make

h

ere

is

that

there

is

a

risk

inherent

to

buying

anyt

h

ing

at

a

fl

ea

market,

and

with

Heathkits

the

risk

is

somewhat

h igh er.

Heathkits

were,

after

a

ll

,

kits.

Someone,

not

t he

factory

,

put

them

toget

her,

and

that

person

may

or

may

n

ot

have

had

the

skills

req

u

ired

to

do

the

job

c

orrectly.

It

is

prudent,

therefore,

to

be

a

bit

extra

cautious

with

Heath-

kits.

It

wou

ld

pay

to

inspect

the

piece

with

a

carefu

l

eye,

to

turn

all

th e

controls,

to

l

ook

for

evidence

of

modification

or

abuse.

Th

ere

is

a

good

reason

why

Heat

hk i

ts

picked

up

th e

nick

-

name

"Griefkits."

CV >

GET

THE

BOOK

.4

!QI

Heathkits

are

su

bject

to

the

ravages

of

time

and

use

ju

st

as

any

ot

h

er

equip-

ment

.

Contacts

oxidize,

caps

d

ry

out,

PC

board

traces

crack,

and

on

and

on.

(

By

the

way, H

eath

's

tro

ubl

eshooting

tips

said

that

90

percent

of

all

pro

bl

ems

can

be

traced

to

poor

solderi

n

g.)

But

u

nli

ke

most

other

rigs,

H

eathkits

are

relatively

easy

to

troub

l

es

h

oot

-

if

you

have

the

manua

l. I

can

not

em

phasize

en

ough

the

importance

of

having

t h e

manual.

The

best

situation,

of

co

u

rse

,

is

to

get

the

book

when

you

buy

the

product.

Often

as

not

though

,

the

book

has

l

ong

since

di

sapp

ea

red.

Th

ere

are

a

number

of

small

companies

offering

copies

of

man

y

of

Heath's

manua

ls for a fee.

Their

names

and

address

can

often

be

found

in

the

classified

ad

sections

of

the

popular

ham

radio

hobby

mag

-

azines.

Collectors

will

often

make

copies

of

their

manuals

for

you

,

usually

for a

couple

of

bucks,

sometime

for

free,

or

a

return

favor

someday.

The

Heath

Company

has

also

begun

to

advertise

copies

of

their

manuals

for

sale

.

Their

nu

mber

is

616.925.5899.

Be

prepared

to

wait

on

hold-and

on

your

nicke

l.

The

cost

of

their

service

varies

with

the

product

in

quest

ion. I

checked

the

price

of

a

book

for

the

AT-1 and for

the

GR

-64.

Both

were

$25

pl

us

postage.

37

BU

Y

ING

AND

COLLECTING

HEATH

K

ITS

IE=

~

fUfSiHHEI

{V ) MODIFICATIONS

It

is

likely

that

no

other

amateur

radio

products

were

subjected

to

more

modifi-

cation

than

were

Heathkits.

Over

the

years,

hundreds

of

modifications

have

been

published

in

the

popular

magazines.

In

addition,

many

well

-

meaning

hams

put

in

all

sorts

of

mods

of

their

own

.

Pity

.

One

of

the

most

heart-breaking

stories

I

can

relate

is

that

of

the

AT-1 I

spotted

at

a

hamfest

.

From

a

distance

it

appeared

to

be

pristine.

Sad

ly,

upon

close

inspection

I

discovered

that

the

rig

was

indeed

pristine-not

a

scratch

to

be

found-except

for a

pilot

light

added

to

the

front

panel.

For

the

co

ll

ector,

of

cou

rse,

modifications

reduce

the

value

of

the

kit

-

no

matter

how

Can

you

find

the

AT-1

in

this

picture?

rare-to

something

very

close

to

zero.

But

even

if

you

are

just

looking

for

an

older

rig

as

a

backup,

modified

Heathkits

should

be

a

voided

.

Once

the

owner

started

deviat-

ing

from

the

manual,

heaven

knows

what

went

on.

What

you

see

on

the

front

panel

is

only

the

tip

of

the

iceberg.

Mods

do

not

occur

on

ly

on

the

fro

nt

panel

however.

The

rear

panel

may

sport

extra

connec-

tors

and

so on,

and

inside

th e

rig

there

may

be

mods

that

are

difficult

or

impossible

to

spot

with

casual

inspection.

Regardless

of

your

reason

for

bu

ying,

Heathkits

with

mods

(except

t h

ose

sanc

-

tioned

by

the

factory)

sho

u

ld

be

regarded

as

use

-

ful

only

for

parts.

{V )

UNBUILT

KITS

Unbui

lt

kits

are

the

Ho

ly

Grail

for

Heath

collectors.

Though

rare,

un

-

assembled

kits

ca

n

and

do sh ow

up

at

fleas

and

they

are

not

always

easy

to

spot

.

Sometimes

they

are

disguised

as

just

another

junk

box.

If

you

find

one

and

buy

it,

you

wi

ll

be

faced

with

a

terrible

decision-whether

or

not

to

put

it

together

.

The

answer

is

simple-

don't

.

Rare

or

not

,

there

are

plenty

of

examples

of

whatever

you

have

found

that

are

already

assembled.

An

unassembled

kit,

on

the

other

hand,

is

an

artifact

frozen

in

time.

Unassembled

kits

are

finds

of

historica

l

significance

because

they

are

direct

links

to

the

past.

When

assem

-

bl

ed

,

the

link

is

irretrievably

broke

n .

Unlike

assembled

pieces

which

endure

,

unassembled

kits,

once

assembled,

are

l

ost

forever.

Without

38

them,

the

idea

of

Heath

"kits"

becomes

a

mere

abstraction.

{V )

PRICES

Vintage

radios

are

in

many

ways

no

dif-

ferent

from

ant

i

ques

of

any

other

kind.

Their

value

is

h

ighly

subjective

and

depends

on

many

factors.

How

rare

is

the

piece?

Wh

at

condition

is

it

in?

Does

the

sell-

er

know

wh

at

s/he

has?

How

skillfu

l

are

you

in

bargaining?

How

bad

ly do

you

want

it?

These

are

only

a few

of

the

variables

that

figure

into

the

price

of

any

given

piece

.

By

carefu

lly

reading

the

classified

ads

in

Electric

Radio,

th e Yellow

Sheets,

and

various

other

publications,

you

can

begin

to

get

a

sense

of

the

h

igh,

l

ow,

and

average

price

for

any

given

piece

in

a

particu

l

ar

condi-

tion.

If

you

intend

to

co

ll

ect

serious

ly

you

had

better

do

your

homework.

Familiarize

yourself

with

the

market.

{V )

COLLECTING

ON

THE

CHEAP

-

~

, You

don't

necessarily

have

to

spend

~~§~

tons

o~

money

to

build

an

impressive

~

collection.

Try

collectmg

small

stuff.

For

example,

you

could

collect

an

entire

series

of

re

l

ated

products

like

the

AM-2

and

all

the

other

products

bu

ilt

in

that

same

size

cabinet.

Coll

ect

all

the

grid-dip

meters,

all

the

VTVMs,

all

the

substitution

boxes,

all

the

"

little

br

own

boxes,"

or

any

of

th e

dozens

of

small

prod-

ucts

Heath

made

.

For

a l

ittle

more

you

could

col-

l

ect

all

the

nov

i

ce-class

transmitters.

How

about

a

collection

of

the

ear

ly

test

equipment

products

prior

to

the

gear

in

gray

cabinets.

Those

gizmos

can

be

had

for a

song-even

if

they

are

in

mint

condition.

Assembling

a

collection

of

Heath's

osci

ll

oscopes

could

be

a life-

long

endeavor.

After

a

ll

they

made

about

60 di

fferent

mode

ls.

These

too

can

be

had

for

nothing.

Many

pieces

of

Heath

hi

-

fi

equipment

can

be

also

found

inex

-

pensively.

If

you

really

like

scrounging

through

junk

boxes,

you

may

enjoy

collecting

Heathkit

panel

meters.

Without

trying

very

hard

I

have

managed

to

co

ll

ect

a

number

of

these-often

for

l

ess

than

a

dollar

each.

Complete

collections

of

very

specific

products

or

components

can

be

as

rewarding

as

they

are

inexpensive

.

{V )

PRE-SALE

CHECKLIST

'@

The

value

of

any

piece

of

equipment

~

lies

in

the

details.

If

you

are

buying

via

~

the

classifieds

you

do

not

have

the

lux-

ury

of

seeing

the

equipment

and

must

take

sellers

at

their

word

with

respect

to

its

con-

HE

..A...T

HK

IT

(@

~

fU&iHHiiJ

B

UY

ING

A

ND

COLLECT

IN

G

HEATH

K

ITS

di

tion.

It

is

very

rare

to

be

intentionally

deceived,

but

for a

variety

of

reasons

sellers

may

not

themselves

know

if

what

they

have

is

in

good

working

order

and

fitted

with

original

parts.

Bu

ying

at

flea

markets,

however,

is

a

different

matter.

It

is

very

important

to

carefully

inspect

the

unit

in

question

before

you

hand

over

your

hard-earned

money.

In

the

excitement

of

finding

a

Heathkit

you

want

(

especially

a

rare

one)

it

is

easy

to

overlook

a

problem.

When

you

spot,

for

example,

a VX-1

and

your

heart

rate

doubles,

it

is

possible

not

to

see

that

extra

toggle

switch

on

the

front

panel

,

or

that

the

mic

connector

has

been

replaced

with

a

non

-

original.

I

once

discov-

ered

a

beautiful

Mohawk

at

a

flea

market

.

The

unit

appeared

to

be

perfect

and

was

priced

accordingly.

Upon

careful

inspection

however,

I

observed

that

the

main

tuning

knob

was

not

original.

It

had

been

replaced

by

something

sim-

il

ar

.

Finding

an

original

knob

is

not

impossible

but

could

be

both

difficult

and

expensive.

Once

you

have

your

hand

on

a

piece

of

equip-

ment

you

have

the

right

of

first

offer.

No

one

is

going

to

take

it

away

from

you.

Relax.

Take

your

time.

Here

is

a

check

list

you

can

use

to

make

sure

you

are

buying

a good

piece

of

gear,

Heath

or

otherwise.

CH

EC

K

FOR

:

( ) Rust

( ) Dents

( ) Scratches

( ) Or

ig

inal knobs

( ) Ex

tra

holes in

top

/sides /back

of

cabinet

( ) Ex

tra

front

panel controls/connectors

( ) Extra rear panel controls/connectors

( )

All

connectors are original t

ype

( ) Feet are present and original

( )

All

pa

int

is

original

( )

All

painted surfaces

intact

(no worn spots)

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

( ) Dial and

front

panel legends orig

inal

and

intact

( ) Dial window g

lass/plastic

in

ta

ct

( ) Meters orig

inal

and not stuck

( ) Controls operate

smoothly

throu

gh ran g

es

( ) Slide rule

dial

pointers operate

smoothly

over entire

length

( ) Dial drums

not

cracked

( ) Fuses present and not burned

out

( ) Wiring

is

neat

{ ) Soldering is expert

{ )

All

tubes present and

intact

( ) Evidence

of

internal

modifications

{ ) Chassis corrosion

{ ) Battery corrosion {where applicable)

( ) Evidence

of

overheated/burned components

( ) Assembly and /or operating manual present

These

steps

represent

that

fabled

"ounce

of

prevention."

And

given

the

weight

of

the

average

"boat

anchor

,"

they

may

be

worth

much

more

than

the

fabled

"pound

of

cure.

"

There

is

a

great

deal

more

that

could

be

said

about

collecting,

restoring,

and

using

vintage

radio

equipment-most

of

it

well

beyond

the

scope

of

this

book.

The

potential

collector

has

a

great

deal

to

learn

and

there

are

many

good

sources

to

learn

from.

Hamfests

offer

an

oppor

-

tunity

not

only

to

collect,

but

also

to

connect

with

collectors,

most

of

whom

are

only

too

happy

to

share

their

knowledge

and

experiences.

Users

of

the

Internet

have

access

to

a

wea

l

th

of

infor-

mation

about

vintage

radios.

In

addition

to

the

Usenet

newsgroups

such

as

REC.RADIO.SWAP

there

is

a

listserve

dedicated

to

the

discussion

of

vintage

radios.

To

subscribe

send

a

post

to

"boatanchors

@

gnu.ai

.

mit.edu".

Owning

and

using

vintages

radios

is

a

great

joy

I

hope

many

people

will

experience,

and

the

fraternity

of

collecting

has

many

rewards.

39

~

1

i'¥Si§'HfiJ

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products 41

r@

~'if

i&iHH+iJ

Antenna

Coupler

Manufactured:

53-56

Price:

$14.50

Comments:

The

AC-1

is

a

simp

le

"

match

box

"

an

d

was

re

l

eased

as

a

companion

product

for

th

e

AT-

1

transmitter

(see

listing).

It

is

designed

to

work

with

random

wire

antennas

(at

least

75

feet

long

)

from

80

through

10

meters

and

contains

an

L-section-tuning

network.

The

unit

features

a

tapped

inductor

for

coarse

adjustment,

a

vari

-

able

capacitor

for

fine

adjustment,

a

neon

l

amp

tuning

indicator,

and

a

36

MHz

low-pass

filter.

The

AC-1 will h

andle

75

watts,

h

as

a

rear

panel

S0

-

239

input

connector,

and

a

front

panel

porce-

l

ain

stand

-

off

binding

post

for

the

out

pu

t. Two

versions

of

the

AC-1

have

been

not

ed.

The

earli

-

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

it<P1CAIOR

~LER

Atner-HlA

~J.,C,.1

.A.C-1

er

version

uses

black

Collins-like

knobs

and

dial

markings

including

complete

circles.

Later

ver-

sions

used

small

gray

knobs

and

dial

markings

without

the

complete

circles.

The

si

lv

er

paint

style

matches

the

AT-1.

Both

versions

are

very

rare

.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

8"

wide

x 4.25"

high

x 5"

deep

none

43

.A.K:-7

Mobile

Speaker

Manufactured: 59-63

Price

: $5.95

Comments:

The

AK

-7

was

designed

for

use

with

the

MR-1

(Comanche)

receiver,

but

was

compat

i-

ble

wi

th

a

variety

of

other

Heath

products.

The

simp

le

square

box

contains

on

ly

an

8

ohm

speak

-

er.

It

was

sold

with

a

mobi

le

mounting

bracket

and

sh

ould

not

be

considered

comp

l

ete

without

it.

The

unit

is

finis

h

ed

wit

h a

smooth

finis

h

green

paint.

Very

rare

.

Weight/Size: 1

lbs

; 5"

wide

x 5"

high

x 2.5"

deep

MR-1

44

r®

~f

H@Sf

UHEI

HE

.A..T

HK

IT

[§

~

thiSii'HiiiJ

ANTE

N.NA

IMPEDANCE METER

T

T.Hl

m:

,A'l H

COl(fAH

'I'

tfJUON

tl

AUOll,

,

Ml~

@

PHONES

.A.1VL-1

cy

of

an

antenna,

as

well

as

transmission

line

impedance

.

By

connecting

headp

h

ones,

the

AM-1

a l

so

can

be

u

sed

as

a

monitor

for AM

tra

n

smissions

.

It

also

can

be

used as

a field

strengt

h

meter

when

h

igh

sen-

si

ti

vi

ty

is

not

req

u

ired.

The

AM

-1

wi

ll

measure

impedance

from

0

to

600

ohms

and

has

a

freq

u e

nc

y

range

from

0

to

150

MHz

. Th

ere

isn't

m u

ch

to

go

wrong

wi

th

the

AM-

1-

its

only

active

component

is

a

diode

.

CAUTION

: Do

not

u

se

the

AM-

1

with

an

RF

source

exceeding

a

half

a

watt.

CAUTION:

Antenna

Impedance

Meter

Remove

th e

bottom

cover

first

to

avoid

damage

to

the

front

pane

l wh

en

opening

the

unit

for

inspection.

The

small

assembly

manual

for

the

AM-1

contains

detailed

instructions

for

use

of

the

unit

in

a

wide

variety

of

applications

and

would

be

handy

to

have.

Th

e

re

are

two

very

simi

l

ar

but

dis-

tinctly

di

fferent

vers

i

ons

of

the

AM-1.

Earl

y

units

had

th

e

imp

e

dance

calibration

num

-

bers

screened

onto

the

front

panel

,

and

employe

d

an

AT-1

style

pointer

knob;

but

by

at

lea

st

1956

(an

d

perhap

s

much

earlier),

these

had

b

ee

n

replaced

with

a

ro

u

nd

knob

attached

to

a

circu

l

ar

pla

s

tic

disk

on

which

the

numb

ers

rotated.

Whil

e

both

type

s

are

rare,

t h e

earlier

version

is

much

more

so.

The

paint

style

matches

the

QF-1,

et

al-a

sil-

ver

gray

front

panel

wi

th

a

Manufactured:

52-60

Price:

$14.50

Comments:

The

AM

-1

was

i

ntroduced

in

Fall

1952

and

was

designed

primarily

as

a

compan-

ion

device

for

use

with

the

GD

-1

series

grip

dip

meters.

It

is

,

in

fact,

built

into

the

same

size

box

as

the

GD-1. Th e AM-1

is

essentia

ll

y a

resis-

tance

type

SWR

bridge

in

wh

ich

one

a

rm

of

the

bridge

can

be

varied.

When

used

with

a

small

RF

source

(like

the

GD-1),

the

AM-1

may

be

used

to

d

etermine

the

impedance

an d

resonant

frequen

-

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

gray

wrink

le box.

Although

Heath

sold the AM-1

for

almost

nine

years

and

undoubted

ly

so

ld

th

ousands

of

them,

AM-ls

are

very

rare

regard-

l

ess

of

condition

.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

2.5"

wide

x 3"

high

x T

deep

GD-l(A)(B)

45

.A.lVL-a

ot.t

•t"'4

,

cowp_,..,.-.,

A

$Vllf0)A

<llf'

0'

O-.YfT"O"'

• • C

SWR

Bridge

Manufactured: 57-62

Price:$15.95

Comments:

The

AM-2

was

He

at

h's

first

SWR

meter

(

the

AM-1

was

an

antenna

impedanc

e

bridge

).

The

AM-2

was

designed

to

match

all

th

e

DX

series

gear,

u

sing

the

silver

and

gray

paint

sc

hem

e.

Th

e

un

it

will

handl

e "we

ll

over

1

kilo

-

watt

"

of

power,

can

oper

-

ate

with

50

or

72

ohm

lines

,

an

d

covers

160-6

met

ers.

L

ate

-m

od

el

units

hav

e

an

a

ll

pla

stic

meter

similar

to

the

DX-40

with

a

red

ar

ea

above

the

3:1

mark

and

are

calibrated

to

25

percent

reflected

power.

Earli

er

unit

s

have

been

found

in

which

the

meter

is

calibrated

a

ll

the

way

to

6:1

with

no

re

d

area,

and

in

which

the

refl

ected

power

sca

le is

calibr

ate

d a

ll

the

way

to

46

[;

~fifidiiflffiJ

100

percent.

Very

early

unit

s

used

black

bakelite

meter

s

lik

e

those

used

in

the

GD-1

series

gri

d

dip

meters,

but

these

unit

s

are

very

rare.

Addi-

tion

a

ll

y,

the

meter

s

in

man

y

ea

rl

y

unit

s

are

marked

so

that

a 3:1

SWR

corresponds

to

50

per-

cent

reflected

pow

er

which

is,

of

course,

wrong.

Thi

s is

one

of

the

more

obvious

mistakes

He

a

th

l

et

sneak

out

the

door

.

In

all

other

respect

s

the

met

ers

of

the

two

versions

are

identical.

Havin

g

a

ll

three

ve

r

sio

n s

in

yo

ur

co

ll

ection

would

be

JN.

great.

In

1962

, H

eat

h "

updat

ed"

the

AM-2

with

the

classic

green

paint

finish

and

called

it

the

HM-11.

Th

e

in

s

ide

s

didn

't

ch ange.

The

AM-2 is

not

too

rare

and

s

hows

up

at

swa

p

fests

with

surpr

is

ing

frequency

.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

7.25"

wide

x

4.75"

high

x 4.25"

deep

HM-11,

HM-15, HM-102

H

El

.A..T

HK

IT

r8

~

1

Ui&f

Hi*fiJ

.A.:R-1

caJ

General

Coverage

Receivers

covering

535

kHz

to

35

MHz

in

fo u r

bands.

Again,

the

IF

was

455

Manufactured/Price:

AR-1

49-51 $23.50

(less

cab

i

net)

AR-2

52-55 $25.50

(less

cabinet)

Comments:

These

were

Heat

h's

first

serious

SW

L

receivers,

preceded

only

by

the

Heath

K-1

and

K-2

"a

ll

wave"

radios

(

not

listed)

.

The

AR-1

and

AR-2

are

6

tube

superhet

designs

and

employing

both

octal

and

miniature

tubes.

Outwardly,

th

ese

radios

are

virtually

id

entical.

Electrically

they

differed

from

each

ot

h

er

in

su

bstantial

ways.

The

AR-1

is

a

bare-bo

n

es

receiver

and

first

appeared

in

Heath's

1949

Christmas

flyer.

It

is

a

six-tube

unit

covering

550

kHz

to

20

MHz

in

three

bands

using

a

455

k

Hz

IF.

It

features

a

transformer

power

supply

and

a

tone

contro

l.

Th

ere

is

also

a

"phono/rad

i

o"

switch.

It

has

no

built-in

speaker-that

was

optional.

It

also

does

not

h

ave

a

BFO,

bandspread,

phone

jack,

or

AVC

switch.

Sensitiv

i

ty

was

ad

vertised

as

15

uV

or

better

on

all

bands

. It

was

also

offered

with

an

optional

gray

metal

cabinet

and

front

panel

com-

bi

nation

-

$4.50.

Th e AR-2 also

uses

six

tubes

,

but

its

frequency

coverage

has

been

expanded,

A Guide to the

Amateur

Ra

dio Products

kHz.

H

eat

h a l

so

had

added

a

few

amenities

missing

on

the

AR

-

1:

a buil

t-in

speaker,

a

band-

spread,

BFO,

RF

gain

control

with

AVC, a

head

-

ph

one

jack,

an d a

noise

limiter,

and

took

off

the

tone

control

and

"phono/radio"

switch

.

Adver-

tised

briefly

as

the

"

perfect

companion"

for

the

AT-1

novice

transmitter

,

the

AR-2's

poor

se

lec-

tivity

and

stability

would

have

made

it

a

disma

l

choice for

that

purpose

. By

this

time

Heath

had

replaced

the

optional

metal

cabinet

with

an

optional

gray

fabric-covered

pl

ywood

cabinet

-

st

i

ll

$4

.50.

Overall

,

the

AR-1

and

AR

-2

worked

about

as

we

ll

as

any

receiver

of

t h e

genre.

Unlike

the

AR

-3,

these

un

i

ts

do

not

have

lighted

dia

ls.

Designe

d for 120VAC,

50/60

Hz

operation

.

Both

theAR-

1

andAR-2

have

become

quite

rare.

Weight/Size: 9

lbs

;

11.5

"

wide

x 5. 75"

high

x

6.75"

deep

AR-3 , GR-54, GR-64, GR-78,

GR-81

,

GR-91

,

SW-717

, SW-7800,

QF-1

47

.A.::R-3

I&

~

fH&iHHEI

General

Coverage

Receiver

p

ower

supp

ly

and

fea

-

tu

res

an

electrical

band

-

Manufactured: 56-61

Price:

$29.95

(less

cabinet)

Comments:

Unlike

the

AR

-1

and

AR

-2

(see

list-

in

gs

),

the

AR

-3

uses

on

ly

five

tubes,

though

advertising

was

sometimes

unclear

or

inaccu

-

rate

on

this

point.

The

12BA6

BFO

was

removed

and

the

circuit

redesigned

so

that

t h e 12AV6

(

2nd

detector,

AVC

,

and

first

audio

amp

)

could

also

act

as

the

BFO.

The

front

panel

l

ayout

changed

a

bit,

now

incl

u

ding

an

ante

n

na

trim

-

mer

contro

l

and

a

band

switch

with

a

larger

knob

located

in

the

midd

le

of

the

unit.

Also, th e

frequenc

y

coverage

differed

slightly-550

kHz

to

30

MHz

in

four

bands,

wit h a

455

kHz

IF.

The

selectivity

has

been

improved

with

t h e

use

of

new

slug

-

tuned

high

Q coils

and

better

IF

trans

-

formers

.

These

changes

did

nothing

to

improve

the

unit

's

stability,

which

was

sti

ll poor.

The

AR

-

3

also

includes

an

octal

accessory

socket

to

sup

-

pl

y

power

for

a Q-

mulitp

li

er,

wh

ich

could

im

prov

e

considerably

t h e

AR-3

's

se

l

ectivity,

a l

though

Heat

h

's

QF-

1

Q-mu

l

itp

li

er

didn

't

arrive

until

1959

.

The

AR

-3

uses

a

transformer

48

spread,

separate

RF

and

AF

gain

contro

l

s,

an

AGC

an

d B

FO,

noise

li

miter,

hea

dph

one

jack

,

and

an

interna

l

speak

-

er.

The

gray

fabric

-

covered

· plywood

cabinet

was

sti

ll

an

extra

$4.50

.

Unli

ke

the

AR-1

and

AR-2,

the

AR-3

feature

s a

lig

h

ted

dial.

Designed

for

120 VAC,

50

/60

Hz

operation.

The AR-3

is

quite

rare.

Weight/Size: 9lbs;11.5"

wide

x 5.75"

high

x

6.75"

deep

AR-1,

AR-2, GR-54, GR-64,

GR-78,

GR-81

,

GR-91

,

SW-717

, SW-7800,

QF-1

HE

A.TH

KIT

IT§

~

f#'ifiUHEil

.A..T-1

6

Band

CW

Transmitter

1

is

not

the

same

one

used

on

the

DX

-

20

or

Manufactured: 52-56

Price:

$29.50

Comments:

The

AT-1

was

H

eath's

first

serious

entry

into

ham

radio

and

as

a

result,

it

is

highly

sought

after

by

co

ll

ectors.

Inspired

by

the

cre

-

ation

of

the

Novice

class

li

cense

only

months

earlier,

this

radio

stormed

the

novice

market

and

set

Heath

on

a

course

for

fame

and

fortune.

Whi

le

it

was

just

a

basic

th

r

ee-tube

design

(5U4,

6AG6,

6L6

),

Heath

packed

a

lot

of

nice

features

into

the

AT-1.

For

examp

le,

there

were

provi

-

sions

for a

modu

l

ator

(though

Heath

never

made

one)

and

a

VFO.

The

AT-1 also

included

an

inter

-

nal

power

supp

l

y,

was

bui

lt

on

a

copper

plated

chassis,

and

i

ncorporate

d

single-knob

band

switching-no

need

to

swap

coils

.

The

fina

l

input

power

is

from

25

to

35

watts,

depending

on

which

ad

you

read,

with

cov

erage

from

80

through

10 (

including

11)

meters.

Ear

ly

units

were

fitted

with

black

"Co

lli

ns-like"

knobs

whi

le

l

ater

models

used

gray

DX-

20

style

knobs

(sans

pointers.

)

With

respect

to

t he

meter,

it

is

impor

-

tant

to

note

that

the

pane

l

meter

used

on

the

AT-

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

DX-35

transmitters.

The

AT-1

meter

has

no

zero

adjustment,

has

a

small

"

hump"

that

covers

the

pivot

point

,

and

does

not

say

"Heathkit

."

It

is

not

uncommon

to

find

AT-

ls

wi

th

other

meters

installe

d.

There

were,

however,

variations

in

the

crystal

socket

and

key

connector

used

in

the

rig.

Beware

the

high

voltage

across

the

key

contacts

.

In

1957,

the

AT-1

was

replaced

by

the

DX-20. The DX-

20

was

in

turn

replaced

by

the

HX

-11,

which

was

th e l

ast

of

the

line,

in

1961.

Heath

didn't

make

another

CW

-

only

transmitter

until

1979

(t

he

HX-1681).

The

AT-1

is

designed

for

1

20

VAC,

50

/60

Hz

operation.

AT-ls

in

good,

unmodified

condition

are

very

rare.

Weight/

Size:

13

lbs;

13

"

wide

x 8.5"

high

x

7"

deep

:

VF-1

,

AT-1

, DX-20,

HX-11

49

B-1

Balun

Coil

Manufactured:

57-63

Price:

$8.95

Comments:

The

B-1

covers

80

through

10

meters

a

nd

handles

up

to

200

wat

t s.

It

matches

coaxia

l

cab

l

es

to

75

ohms

or

300

ohm

balance

d

line

and

w

ill

provide

a 1:1

or

4:1

match

.

It

was

sold

as

an

accessory

for

AT-1

and

DX

series.

The

unit

is

pa

i

nted

with

th e

familiar

d

ark

gray

col

or of

the

cl

assic

series

test

equipme

nt.

The

B-1

is

medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 4

lbs

; 9"

wide

x 9"

high

x 5"

deep

none

50

~

'if

fif

Hi*il

HE

..AT

HK

IT

~fHMi§fHf;i]

C.A.-1

~

C·O

ELR

AO

Al)

AR

l1

(0CHL

C A •l

HfATH

CCJMPllll

A-

t\l

li

SIDI

Alli

'1

IH

£jl

~

V

8't

A D

~

.

Pt

t\.

CONELRAD

Alarm

Manufactured: 57-60

Price:

$13.95

Comments:

The

Cold

War

was

a

treasure

trove

for

manufacturers

offering

a

ll

kin

ds

of

"protec

-

tive"

devic

es,

and

Heath

was

no

exce

ption.

In

addition

to

geiger

counters

and

dosimeters,

Heath

sold

this

clever

gizmo

d

esigne

d

to

sh

ut

down

your

stat

ion

at

the

fir

st

hint

of

"

incoming."

The

CONELRAD

syste

m

was

d

esigne

d

to

thwart

atte

mpts

by e

nem

y

aircraft

to

hom

e

in

on

b

roa

d-

cast

stations.

Thi

s

was

how

the

J

apa

nes

e

had

found

their

way

to

Pearl

Harbor.

CONELRAD

is

an

acronym

for

CONtro

l

of

EL

etro

ma

gnet

ic

RADiation.

In

times

of

war,

h a

ms

and

most

broadcast

sta

tion

s

had

to

go

off

the

air.

The

assembly

manua

l

rather

matter-of-factly

men

-

tions

th

at

having

the

CA

-1

conn

ecte

d

to

you

transmitter

"precludes

the

pos

sibi

lity

of

yo

ur

stat

ion

b

eing

the

recipient

of

a g

uided

missile

which

is

using

your

antenna

for

a

homing

d

evi

ce."

Th

e CA-1

is

placed

in

th

e

line

betw

ee

n

the

pow

er

receptacl

e

and

eq

uipm

e

nt

to

be

con-

trolled.

It

was

then

attached

to

any

AC

or

DC

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

broadcast

band

radio,

provided

the

radio

had

an

AVC.

When

th

e

monitored

bro

a

dcast

sta

tion

went

off

the

air

(

this

is

how

the

CONELRAD

system

worked)

the

CA-1

would

cut

power

to

whatever

it

was

co

nnec

te

d

to,

and

would

li

g

ht

a

red

warning

light

.

It

features

a

thyratron

tube,

a

6-amp

relay,

and

an

internal

power

supply.

The

front

p

ane

l

cont

a

ins

a

on

/

off

to

gg

le

switch,

a

"res

et

"

push

button

, a

pilot

li

g

ht

(

clear

),

an

ala

rm

li

g

ht

(red

),

an

d a

sens

itivit

y

control.

Note

that

the

panel

li

g

ht

s

are

of

difer

en

t

styles

.

The

rear

pan

el

contains

the

lin

e

cord

and

a

cabl

e for

connection

to

th

e

receiver.

The

unit

is

fini

s

hed

with

th

e

si

lver

and

gray

paint

and

match

es

the

DX

series

and

other

sm a

ll

accessories.

It

is

d

esig

ned

for

120

VAC,

50

/

60

Hz

operation.

The

CA-1

is

an

ex

trem

e

ly

rar

e

product

.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

7.25"wide x 4.75"

high

x

4.25"

deep

AM-2,

QF-1,

VX-1

51

C0-1

•

~

COD&

OSCILLATOR

MODEL

C0-1

HEATH

COMPANY

•

eeNTON

HARBOR.

MICt"t.

A

SVBSIOIARV

OF

DAYSTROM.

INC.

rKEYl

Code

Practice

Oscillator

Manufactured:

59-67

Price: $7.

95

Comments:

The

first

of

three

code

practice

oscil-

lators,

this

transistorized,

battery

-

powered

unit

didn

't

match

any

other

Heath

amateur

product

in

size, sh

ape,

or

paint

sch

eme.

The

unit

is

enclosed

in

the

same

bl

ack

plastic

box

used

with

the

small

resistance

substitution

boxes

as

well

as

the

CR-1

crysta

l

radio.

The

C0-

1

has

a

white

front

pane

l

and

a

cloth

gri

ll

over

the

speaker.

It

is

power

ed

by

two

"C"

cells,

was

supplied

with

a

key

and

fea-

tures

a

switch

-

selectab

le

tone

or

blinking

light.

In

1967

Heath

completely

redesigned

the

C0-1,

enclosing

it

in

a

metal

box

with

classic

green

paint

.

The

result

was

the

HD

-16.

Still

later

the

HD-16

was

downsized

into

a pl

astic

box

(it

was

cheaper

)

and

called

the

HD-1416.

In

spite

if

its

l

ong

production

run

the

C0

-1

is

very

rare.

Related Products: HD-16, HD-1416(A)

52

®=

~

1

U@SiHH+I

HE.A.TH

KIT

n:x:-ao

6

Band

CW

Transmitter

DX-35

(see

listing),

which

had

Manufa

ct

ured:

57-60

Price:

$35.95

Comments:

The

DX-20

was

the

replacement

for

the

AT-1

(see

listing

)

and

was

arguab

ly

one

of

the

most

successful

transmitters

Heath

ever

made.

It

was

more

than

just

an

AT-1

in

a

new

box;

it

was

redesigned

from

top

to

bottom.

It

was

still

a

three

-

tube

design,

but

its

6CL6

gave

it

a

more

stable

signal,

and

its

6DQ6

gave

it

twice

the

power

of

the

AT-1 -

about

50

watts.

The

DX-

20's

Pi-ne

tw

ork

output

allow

ed

the

user

to

match

anything

from

50

to

1,000

ohms

and

gave

it

the

reputation

of

being

able

to

load

into

bed

springs.

Its

two-tone

gray

styling

made

it

look

like

a

miniature

DX-100.

Acce

ss

to

its

single

crystal

is

through

a

pull

-

out

m

eta

l

plug

on

the

left

side

of

the

cabinet.

The

DX-20

covers

from

80

through

10 (

including

11) m

eters.

While

the

DX-20

can

be

used

with

the

VF-1

VFO,

there

are

no

provisions

for

getting

power

to

it

as

with

the

AT-1.

And

unlike

the

AT-1 ,

the

DX-20

makes

no

provisions

for a

modulator.

These

features

were

eliminated

in

an

effort

to

"sell

you

up

"

to

the

A Guide

to

the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Products

been

introduced

about

a

year

before

the

DX-20.

Particular

attention

should

be

paid

to

the

panel

meter

as

it

is

often

found

to

have

been

replaced

with

a

non-original.

Note

that

the

DX-20

uses

a

black

iron

vane

meter

with

a

zero

adjust,

and

h

as

the

Heathkit

logo

printed

on

the

meter

face.

This

is

the

same

meter

used

in

the

DX-35,

but

is

not

the

same

one

used

on

the

AT-1.

It

is

hard

to

say

how

many

DX-

20s

were

sold,

but

it

was

probably

several

times

the

number

of

AT-ls.

In

1961

the

DX-20

was

replaced

by

the

HX-11 (s

ee

listing

).

The

DX-20

is

designed

for

120

VAC

,

50/60

Hz

operation.

Good

condition,

unmodified

DX-20s

are

very

rare

but

still

turn

up

at

swap

meets

now

and

then

.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

13

lbs

;

13

"

wide

x

8.5

"

hi

gh x T

deep

Rel

a

ted

Product

s:

VF-1

,

AT-1

, DX-35, DX-40,

DX-60(A)(B),

HX-11

53

D:X:-85

~

1

H@f§fi*EI

..........

TRA

N

SM

ITT

ER

6

Band

AM/CW

Transmitter

mitter.

The

DX-35

has

an

internal

power

sup-

Manufactured:

56-57

Price:

$56.95

Comments:

The

DX

-

35

was

on

the

market

for

fewer

than

two

years

an

d

was

Heath's

first

low-

end

AM

(or

"phone"

as

it

was

referred

to

then)

rig

.

The

DX-35

uses

the

D

X-20's

silver-and

-

gray

paint

scheme,

bl

ack

meter,

and

gray

knobs,

and

te

ll

ing

them

apart

is

very

d

ifficult-especially

at

a

distance.

The

35

is

a

si

x-

tube

desig

n

covering

80

through

10

(including

11)

meters.

It

includes

an

electron-coup

l

ed

Pierce

oscillator,

a

three-

stage

RF

section,

a

screen

modu

l

ator,

and

a

sin-

gle

6146

as

the

final

amp.

No

neutralizing

is

required.

The

6146

is

a h

efty

tube

a

nd

permits

the

DX-

35

to

run

65

watts

on

CW

and

50

watts

on

AM

.

When

running

phone,

maximum

modula-

tion

is

about

60

percent.

T

he

35

also u

ses

a

Pi-

network

output

circuit

and

will

load

anything

between

50

and

1000

ohms-very

forgiving.

The

DX-

35

features

single-knob

band

switching

and

switch

se

l

ect

i

on

(on

t h e

back

pane

l)

of

three

crysta

l

frequencies

or

a

VFO.

Crysta

ls

are

acces-

sib

le

via

a

door

on

t he

back

panel

of

t he

trans-

54

ply.

Particular

a

tten-

tion

should

be

paid

to

the

knobs

and

the

panel

meter

as

these

are

often

found

to

have

been

replaced

with

non

-

original

parts.

Note

that

the

DX-35

uses

a

black

iron

vane

meter

with

a

zero

adjust,

and

h

as

the

Heathkit

logo

printed

on

the

meter

face.

This

is

the

same

meter

used

in

the

DX-20,

but

is

not

the

same

one

used

on

the

AT-1

or

DX-40. Also

take

care

to

note

t he

presence

and

condition

of

the

black

plastic

Heath

insignia

under

the

meter.

I n 1

958

the

DX

-

35

was

replaced

with

the

DX

-

40

(

see

listing).

Good

,

clean,

DX-35s

are,

because

of

their

short

produc-

tion

life,

very

rare.

The

35

is

designed

for

120

VAC,

50/60

Hz

operation.

Weight/Size: 25

lbs

;

13

"

wide

x

8.5

"

high

x 9"

deep

VF-1

,

AT-1

, DX-20, DX-35, DX-40,

DX-60(A)(B)

H

El.A.TH

KIT

~

fbidf§fHf'J

D:X:-40

6

Band

AM/CW

Transmitter

ing

power

supply,

fre

-

quency

coverage,

crys-

Manufactured: 58-60

Price:

$64.95

Comments:

Outwardly,

the

DX-40

is

almost

iden-

tical

to

the

DX-

35

(see

listing).

There

are,

how-

ever,

two

notab

le

differences.

The

most

obvious

of

these

is

the

meter.

The

old

iron-vane

meter

of

the

DX-35

has

been

replaced

with

a

modern

pl

astic

cased

D'Arsonva

l

type.

The

D'Arsonva

l

meter

wobbled

much

l

ess

than

the

iron

-

vane

type

and

made

tuning

easier

and

faster.

Note

that

t he

meter

has

the

Heathkit

logo

printed

on

the

face.

The

other

obviou s

change

is

in

th e

func

-

tion

switch-it

now

h

as

a

"tune"

position.

Changes

inside

include

a

new

t u

be

line

up

.

Most

of

the

12-volt

tubes

have

been

replaced

with

6

volters.

Only

the

12AX7

speech

amp

remains

the

same.

The

osci

ll

ator

has

been

changed

to

a

hot-

cathode

Colpitts

type,

and

t h e

unit

employs

cathode

keying.

Heath

also

took

the

opportunity

to

goose

the

output

power

a

bit

.

The

DX-

40

runs

75

watts

on

CW

and

60

on

AM

using

screen

mod

-

ulation

and

has

much

better

average

modulation

compared

to

the

DX-35.

Other

features-includ-

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

tal

selection,

and

so

on-remained

the

same

as

in

the

DX-35.

Partic-

ular

attention

should

be

paid

to

the

knobs

and

the

panel

meter

as

these

are

often

found

to

have

been

replaced

with

non-origina

l

parts.

Also

take

care

to

note

the

presence

and

condition

of

the

plastic

Heat

h

insignia

under

the

meter

.

This

si

l-

ver

colored

insignia

replaced

the

black

plastic

version

found

on

the

DX-

35

. Th e DX-

40

was

the

last

of

the

pre-classic

"DX

sty

le"

of

ham

gear

and

was

replaced

in

196

1

by

t h e

DX-60,

which

reflected

a new,

"modernized"

d

esign

.

Heath

also

made

a

British

version

of

the

DX-

40

called

the

DX-40U.

The

on

ly

difference

between

the

two

is

the

front

panel

styli

ng.

The

DX-40

is

designed

for

120

VAC,

50/60

Hz

operation.

Clean

DX-

40s

are

rare.

Weight/Size: 25

lbs

;

13"

wide

x 8.5"

high

x 9"

deep

AT-1

, DX-20, DX-35, DX-60(A)(B),

HX-11

55

D:X:-60

(.A)

CB)

l®

~

tif

P&i¥'HEI

1..0AOING

FINAL

ORIVE

LEVEL

)(TAL

ORIVE:

TUNE

BAND

.::·ft)·

. "':· .

".:'~

··-··

: : '

.:~·.

~·

. ·:...

.:,,··

: : :

:~

--·:

·: ;·

•'"

::i•

...

,.

• }

,. ,

5

Band

AM/CW

Transmitter

has

a

full

range

of

con-

trols

,

full

metering,

Manufactured

/Price:

DX-60

62-64

$79.95

DX-GOA

65-67

$79.95

DX-608

68-

76 $124.95

Comments:

The

DX

-60

series

was

the

l

ast

and

most

successful

of

the

"DX"

line

-

it

was

on

the

market

for

14

years.

Completely

re

-

sty

l

ed

and

wearing

the

"official"

Heathkit

two-tone

green

paint,

externa

ll

y

the

DX

-

60

bears

no

resem-

blance

to

its

predecessors.

El

ectronica

ll

y

there

are

a few

simi

l

arities,

but

the

DX-

60

is

much

more

than

a DX-

40

in

a

new

box.

First,

the

DX-

60

uses

a

solid

state

power

supply.

And

though

the

basic

5-t u

be

audio

and

RF

tube

line

-

up

is

almost

identical

to

the

DX-40,

the

actual

RF

cir

-

cuit

is

a

return

to

that

used

in

the

DX-35-an

electron

coupled

Pierce

oscillator-with

a

num-

ber

of

distinct

improvements

.

For

example

,

the

6146

is

now

fully

neutralized,

and

there

is

a

pot

for

controlling

the

grid

drive.

The

DX

-60

also

uses

grid

block

keying

and

is

rated

at

90 wa

tts

phone

using

screen

modulation

(about

65

per-

cent

max.

)

and

CW

,

80

through

10

meters

.

The

Pi

-

network

output

circuit

is

now

followed

by

a

bui

lt -

in

low

pass

fil

ter

- a

welcome

feature,

although

the

trade-off

is

that

t he

unit

wi

ll

match

loads

only

from

50

to

75

ohms

.

The

front

pane

l

56

connectors

for

a

mic

and

key,

and

two

pilot

lights

("ON"

and

"HV").

Features

include

switch

selection

(

from

the

front

panel)

of

four

crysta

ls

or

an

external

VFO

and

an

octal

accessory

socket

providing

power

for a

VFO

and

an

TR

relay.

Crystals

are

held

in

a

compartment

on

the

rear

panel.

Differences

in

the

A

and

B

versions

are

largely

cosmetic

.

For

example

the

smooth

paint

finish

of

the

original

and

A

version

was

replaced

with

a

wri

n

kle

finish

on

the

B.

Perhaps

the

most

obvious

difference

between

the

three

versions

is

the

style

of

the

panel

meter.

The

nice

recessed

i

ll

uminated

meter

of

the

first

version

was

too

costly

and

was

rep

l

aced

with

a

panel

-

mounted,

non-i

ll

uminated

type

.

On

the

A

version,

this

meter

most

often

has

rounded

corners

and

a

yellowish

face.

On

the

B

version

,

the

meter

usually

has

square

corners

and

a bl

ack

section

covering

the

movement

.

Sub

-

tle

variations

in

meter

style

have

been

seen

in

both

the

A

and

B

versions

,

but

the

meter

always

says

"Heathkit

."

Additionally,

very

early

B

ver-

sions

used

A

sty

le

meters.

Other

changes

inclu

de

crysta

l

socket

l

ocation,

addition

of

a

socket

to

provide

for

crystals

with

.050

diameter

pins,

minor

changes

to

the

driver

and

tank

circuits,

and

knobs

of

a

darker

shade

of

green

on

the

B

version.

A

ll

versions

are

designed

for

120

VAC,

HE.A.TH

KIT

lE

~

f

H&ii'Hf

iil

50/60

Hz

operation.

DX-60

series

transmitters

are

not

rare

,

though

the

A

version

is

seen

much

less

frequently.

Many

are

still

on

the

air.

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

Wei

ght/Size: 24

lbs;

13.

75"

wide

x 6.5"

high

x

11.5

"

deep

AT-1

, DX-20 , DX-35, DX-40,

HX-11

, HR-10(8), HG-10(8)

57

D:X:-100

(B)

r®

~

'§f

ff&ii'HiiJ

••••••

1

it

ANS,

..&

"'

M I l J { !l

6

Band

AM/CW

Transmitter

and

output

coupling.

There

are

some

sign

ifi-

Manufactured

/

Price:

DX-100

.A

55-57

DX-1008

...

58-60

$189.95

Comments:

The

two-tone

gray

DX-

100

and

lOOB

(

there

was

no A

version)

were

the

fir

st

of

H

eat

h's

"

bi

g

guns

"

and

the

first

in

the

"DX"

se

rie

s

-and

were

imm

ense

ly

popular

.

These

massive

15-

tube

transmitt

ers

wer

e

typical

of

the

construction

of

the

era-

big

and

heavy.

Th

e

100

is

built

on

a cop-

per-plated

chassis

with

a cl

ea

r

lacquer

coating;

the

B

version

is

built

on

a

zinc-plated

chassis

with

no

coating.

Both

versions

feature

a

built-in

illumin

ate

d

VFO

(

indentical

to

the

one

u

se

d

in

the

VF

-1

),

modulator,

pow

er

supply,

and

illumi

-

n

ate

d PA m

eter.

Both

the

original

an

d

th

e B

are

rated

at

100+

watts

phone

(

pl

ate

modul

a

ted

)

an

d

120+

watts

CW

,

and

cover

from

160

through

10

(

including

11 )

meters.

They

u

se

pu

s

h-pull

1625s

in

the

modulator

and

a

pair

of6146

finals.

The

6146

had

ju

st

come

onto

the

market

a

nd

H

eat

h

quickly

settled

on

it

as

th

e a

mplifie

r

of

choice,

using

it

in

most

future

tr

ansm

itter

s.

The

100

and

lOOB

also

used

Pi-network

int

erstag

e

58

ca

nt

differences

be

twe

en

the

100

an

d lOOB .

The

100

provid

es

for

se

lection

of

four

crysta

ls

or

the

VFO

from

a

sw

itch

on

th

e

front

pan

el.

In

the

B

version

there

is

onl

y

one

crystal

available-from

a

switch

inside

the

cabinet.

Th

e lOOB is

pre-punched

for

two

S0-239s

(

not

includ

ed) for

those

wanting

to

modify

it

for u

se

with

th

e

SB-10

SSB

adapter

(see

listing).

Th

e

100

u

ses

a

combination

of

ste

pp

ed

loadin

g (

for

coarse

adjustment)

and

variable

capacitor

loadin

g (for

fin

e

tuning

).

This

sc

hem

e

was

replaced

in

the

lOOB

with

a

larger

gear

-dri

ven

variable

cap

l

ess

pron

e

to

arcing;

a

modification

kit

was

offered

for DX-100

owners.

Also,

there

are

subt

le

changes

in

the

sty

l

es

of

the

knob

s.

Th

e

100

knob

s u

sed

white

lines

for

pointer

s.

On

the

lOOB

the

point

ers

are

little

white

triangles.

The

most

obvious

change

in

the

B ve

rsion

is

th

e

cabinet

.

Th

e

multi-piece

cabinet

of

the

100

was

rep

l

ace

d

with

a

one-piece

formed

cabinet

wit

h a

hatch

in

the

top,

through

which

one

gains

access

to

th

e

crystal

and

mak

es

other

a

dju

stme

nt

s.

There

a l

so

are

some

minor

changes

in

the

lo

ad

in

g

an

d

crystal

circuits

and

HE

A.TH

KIT

Q

0

~

"

0

~

0

~

u

0

~

u.

0

z

0

,_

u

w

~

0

u

w

"

,_

:;;;

0

"'

u.

rE

~f#

1

¥f

Hi*f#l

in

the

output

circuit.

The

original

can

match

from

50

to

600

ohm

s.

The

B

will

ma

tch

only

from

50

-72

ohm

s.

Heath

made

a

"British"

ver

s

ion

of

the

lOOB

called

th

e DX-lOOU.

It

wa

s

electrically

identical

(exce

pt

for s

ome

tube

de

s

ignation

s)

but

had

a

different

pa

int

scheme.

Th

e

Briti

sh

ver-

s

ion

also

uses

a

plastic

p

ane

l m

eter

similar

to

the

DX-60A

N

eit

h

er

th

e DX-100

nor

th

e lOOB

are

too

rare,

although

very

clean

units

in

nice

unmodifi

ed

condition

ar

e

becomin

g

hard

er

to

find

and

ori

g

inal

s

are

mor

e

plentiful

than

B

ver

-

s

ion

s.

Both

unit

s

are

d

esig

ned

for

120

VAC ,

50/

60

Hz

op

era

tion

.

Weight/Size:

"100"-120

lbs;

20.

75"

wide

x

13.75"

high

x

16"

deep

Weight/Size:

"1008"-107

lbs;

19.5"

wide

x

11.5"

high

x

16

"

deep

SB-10

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

.......

I

A.IL

·~A

I

...

~&MI

T'Te'1:.

' .

59

GC-1

(.A.)

f:

~

f

Uiiiiii*fl

General

Coverage

Receiver

two

versions;

both

worked

very

well

.

The

Mohican's

flywheel

"

Mohican

"

Manufactured/Price:

GC-1

60-62 $99.50

GC-lA 63-68 $89.50

Comments:

The

GC-1

was

Heathkit

's

first

soli

d

state

SWL

receiver

and

the

first

ever

commer

-

cia

ll

y

avai

l

ab

le,

fully

solid-state

SWL

receiver

on

the

market.

It

was

not,

however

,

Heath's

first

foray

in

solid

state.

Heath

had

a

number

of

l

ess

ambitious

transistor

i

zed

kits

al

ready

in

produc

-

tion.

The

GC-1

and

lA

receivers

are

portable,

10

trans

i

stor,

6

diode,

single

conversion,

superhet

desig

n

units

with

a

455

kHz

I

F.

They

cover

from

550

kHz

to

32

MHz

in

five

bands.

Most

of

the

electronics

are

on

a

printed

circuit

board.

Origi

-

nally

priced

at

$99.95,

the

lA

went

to

$109.95.

But

by

1968,

Heath

had

sold

so

many

that

they

were

able

to

reduce

the

price

to

only

$89.50

,

hav

-

ing

recouped

their

development

costs

many

times

over

by

then.

The

receiver

features

a

bandspread

for

each

ham

band

and

the

11

meter

Citizen's

band,

a

BFO,

an

AVC, a

noise

limiter,

and

a d

ia

l

lig

ht

switch,

and

sports

a

gigantic

54

-

inch

telescoping

antenna.

There

also

are

connec

-

tions

for

muting

,

external

antenna,

and

head

-

phones.

The

GC-1

and

lA

are

rated

at

10

uV

on

the

broadcast

band

and

2

uV

el

sewhere

.

There

are

on

ly

minor

circuit

differences

between

the

60

tuning

gave

it

a

very

smooth,

solid

feel

and

its

heavy

gauge

metal

cabinet

l

ent

to

the

overa

ll

feeling

of

a

rugged

piece

of

gear.

The

GC-1

and

lA

came

standard

with

a

battery

power

pack

requiring

8 "C"

cells

and

was

offered

with

an

OPTIONAL

120 VAC

adapter.

The

battery

pack

and

the

AC

adapter

are

interchangeable

and

fit

into

a

compartment

on

the

receiver's

rear

panel.

It

is

very

rare

to

find

both

power

packs

with

the

units

.

In

the

author's

opin

i

on,

the

Mohican

is

the

best

SW

L

receiver

Heath

ever

made-tube

or

transistor

-

surpassed

only

by

the

SB-303

and

313

(

which

were

not

genera

l

coverage

),

and

maybe

the

SW-7800.

The

unit's

compact

size

(

by

the

standards

of

the

day),

battery

power

supp

l

y,

and

its

use

of

commonly

available

batteries,

made

it

very

popular,

especia

ll

y

with

those

trav

-

eling

overseas.

The

Mohican

was

so

popular

in

fact

that

sa

l

es

of

it

continued

for

almost

five

years

after

it

was

withdrawn

from

the

catalog.

The

GC-1

and

lA

are

"

Heath

Green

"

in

color.

Early

units

where

supplied

with

brushed

chrome

knobs

.

Later

units

had

polished

chrome

knobs.

These

receivers

are

medium

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 20

lbs;

12

"

wide

x

6.

75"

high

x

10

"

deep

AR-1

,

AR-2

,

AR-3

, GR-54, GR-64,

GR-

78, G

R-81

, G

R-91

,

SW-

717

,

SW-

7800

HE.A.TH

KIT

lE

~

'HM¥HH+ii1

Digital

Clock

"Most

Accurate

Clock''

Manufactured:

83-92

Price:

$249.95

Comments:

The

Most

Accurate

Clock

is

included

here

because

was

and

still

is

a

very

popular

shack

accessory.

The

GC-1000

uses

a

scanning

receiver

to

lock

onto

and

synchronize

with

WWV

(

with

a

wiring

option

for WWVH)

at

5,

10,

or

15

MHz-whichever

is

strongest.

The

clock

runs

on

its

own

when

signals

are

not

available

and

is

guaranteed

accurate

to

within

10

milliseconds

when

synchronized-referred

to

as

"hi

spec

."

Most

of

the

electronics

in

the

GC-1000

are

con-

tained

on

four

PC

boards

:

display

,

tone

decoder

,

receiver,

and

main

circuit

board.

The

receiver

board

is

factory

assembled,

tested,

and

aligned.

The

receiver

is

an

AM

heterodyne,

single-con-

version

type

with

a

tuned

RF

amp,

rated

at

1

uV

sensitivity

.

It

is

user

programmable

to

any

one

of

the

24

standard

time

zones,

propagation

delays

of

up

to

18.75

milliseconds

, 12-

or

24-hour

format,

and

daylight

savings

time.

The

GC-1000

also

can

display

UTCl,

which

compensates

for

variations

in

the

Earth's

motions.

A

3.6

MHz

sig-

nal

output

is

provided

on

the

back

panel

and

can

be

used

as

a

reference

standard.

The

Most

Accu-

rate

Clock

has

a r e

movable,

built-in,

54

-i

nch

telescoping

antenna;

a

BNC

connector

for

an

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

GC-1000

external

antenna

;

and

a vo

lum

e

control

for

listening

to

the

receiver.

Front

panel

LEDs

indicate

which

frequency

is

being

received,

if

WWV

is

locked

in,

if

data

is

being

received,

and

if

the

clock

is

in

"hi-spec"

mode.

If

the

clock

has

not

calibrated

itself

in

the

hours

,

the

10th-second

digit

will

be

dimmed.

The

GC-1000

was

offered

with

an

optional

RS-232

output

to

provide

data

to

a com-

puter

(for

example

)

from

110

to

9600

baud.

Look

for

the

rear

panel

RS-232

connector

to

check

for

the

presence

of

the

option.

Released

just

in

time

for

Christmas

1983,

the

CG-1000

was

one

of

Heath's

most

popular

and

enduring

kits.

It's

hard

to

say

how

many

tens

of

thousands

of

GC-

lOOOs

Heath

sold.

The

clock

was

available

in

kit

form

or

wired

and

was

one

of

the

last

kits

Heath

sold-offered

right

up

to

the

end.

The

GC-1000

uses

120/240VAC

or

12VDC

power.

12

volt

power

consumption

is

750

ma

(150

ma

with

display

turned

off).

NOTE:

The

GC

-1000

may

take

as

long

as

45

minutes

to

synchronize

when

it

is

first

turned

on.

During

this

time

the

main

dis-

play

will

not

light;

don

't

panic

.

The

GC-lOOOs

are

rarely

seen

because

they

are

still

in

very

high

demand

and

sell

quickly.

Weight/Size: 7

lbs;

9"

wide

x 4"

high

x 6.25"

deep

none

61

GC-1005

Di

g i

ta

l

Clock

Ma

nu

fac

tu

red:

73

-77

Price:

$7

4.

95

Comments:

The

GC-1005

is

another

of

Heath's

most

successful

products

and

is

included

here

because

it

was

a

very

popular

accessory

in

the

shack

and

was

one

of

the

first

true

digital

clocks

on

the

market

.

This

6-digit

clock

uses

7-segment

neon

glow

tubes

in

the

disp

lay,

reading

hours,

minutes,

and

seconds

in

a 12-

or

24-hour

format

.

The

12/

24

option

is

selected

during

assembly

but

is

easy

to

change

later-it

's a

single

jumper

wire.

The

clock

features

an

alarm

function

with

a

somewhat

raspy

(

though

not

unpleasant)

beep

-

beep

sound.

There

is

also

a

"snooze"

function

that

shuts

off

the

alarm

for 7

minutes

(not

user

adjustable)

and

can

be

hit

repeatedly

for

up

to

an

hour.

The

alarm

is

24

hour

smart

(e.g

.,

set

-

ting

at

7 a .m.

will

not

sound

at

7

p.m.).

Both

the

time

and

the

alarm

are

set

with

four

slide

switches

on

the

bottom

and

can

be

set

exactly

to

the

second.

If

power

is

lost

for

more

that

a few

seconds,

the

display

reads

88 88

88

upon

power-

up

until

reset.

The

GC-1005

derives

its

accuracy

from

the

power

line

frequency,

so

the

time

may

drift

back

and

forth

by

up

to

severa

l

seconds

.

This

shouldn't

be

a

big

problem

for

anyone

but

the

most

obsessive

time

keepers

,

and

they

should

invest

in

a

GC-1000

(see

listing)

.

Also

known

as

GC-

1094

,

the

clock

evolved

into

the

GC-1107 (see

listing

)

in

late

'77

and

into

the

GC-

62

IE=

~

f

h&Sf

if

HEI

1108

(

not

listed

)

in

1985

.

Heath

made

a

series

of

weather

instru-

ments

designed

to

match

the

GC-

1005

(see

relat-

ed

products

b e

low),

and

they

made

a

very

nice

set.

Collect

them

all.

Th

e

GC-1005

can

be

identified

by

care

-

fully

examining

the

display

.

The

1005

has

6

digits;

th

e GC-

1107

has

only

4.

Also,

the

1005

has

4

slide

switches

on

the

bottom.

Th

e

1107

has

only

3. D

esigne

d

for

120

/

240VAC

50

/

60

Hz

operation.

No

bat

-

tery

backup.

The

GC-

1005

is

housed

in

a

black

plastic

box

with

wood-grained

contact

paper.

Early

units

may

suffer

from

one

or

more

flickering

digits

.

This

is

the

result

of

an

internal

timing

error,

and

while

it

may

be

a

bit

irritatin

g,

it

is

not

a

serious

prob-

lem.

He

at

h

fixed

the

problem

in

later

units.

Another

common

but

easily

solved

problem

with

the

GC

-

1005

is

that

one

or

more

segments

of

individual

digits

may

be

inoperative

and

appear

to

be

burned

out

.

In

fact

the

problem

is

almost

always

mechanical,

not

electronic.

The

readout

tubes

connect

the

PC

board

with

tiny

plug

and

socket

connectors.

Over

time

the

pl

ug

/

socket

junctions

may

oxidize

cau

si

ng

an

individual

seg-

ment

to

fail.

Simply

re

-

seating

the

readout

tubes

will

almost

always

correct

the

problem

. GC-

1005s

are

quite

rare

and

almost

never

show

up

at

hamfest

flea

markets

in

spite

of

the

fact

that

dur

i

ng

the

peak

of

its

sales,

Heath

sold

an

unbe

-

lievable

50,000

clocks

per

year.

Weight/Size: 2

lbs

; r

wide

x 3"

high

x 5"

deep

GC-1107

, ID-1390,

GC-1029A, GC-10290, ID-1490,

ID-1590, ID-2295, ID-1795

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

r@

~

'#f

friiU&fiJ

Digital

Clock

Manufactu r

ed

:

77-84

Pr

ice:

$29.

50

Comments:

The

GC-1107

is

included

here

because

of

its

populaity

as

an

accessory

in

the

shack.

When

the

GC-

1005

became

too

expensive

to

sell,

Heath

completely

redesigned

the

clock

around

a

vacuum

fluorescent

readout.

Going

to

the

new

display

allowed

Heath

to

cut

the

parts

count

by

around

80

percent.

The

new

product

was

called

the

GC-1107,

was

packaged

in

the

same

cabinet

as

the

1005

,

and

had

similar

fea

-

tures.

The

most

obvious

differences

are

the

color

of

the

display

(green

instead

of

orange)

and

the

lack

of

a

seconds

display.

The

clock

will

operate

in

either

a

12

or

24-hour

format.

The

12/24

option

is

se

lected

during

assembly

but

is

easy

to

change

later

-

it

's a

single

jumper

wire.

The

clock

features

an

alarm

with

a "snooze"

function

that

shuts

off

the

alarm

for 9

minutes

(

not

user

adjustable),

and

can

be

hit

repeatedly

for

up

to

an

hour.

The

alarm

is

24-hour

smart

(e.g.,

set

-

ting

at

7

a.m.

will

not

sound

at

7

p.m.).

Both

the

time

and

alarm

are

set

with

three

slide

switches

on

the

bottom.

When

the

alarm

is

armed,

the

colon

will

flash.

As

assembled,

the

time

on

the

GC-1107

cannot

be

set

to

the

second-plus

or

minus

30

seconds

is

about

the

best

you

can

do.

However,

a

simple

modification

can

be

done

to

allow

for

setting

of

the

seconds.

This

mod

was

described

on

page

49

of

the

January

1982

issue

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Pr

oducts

GC-1107

of

QST

magazine

.

The

clock

derives

its

accuracy

from

a

power

line

.

The

resu

lt

is

that

the

unit

will

drift

with

the

line

fre-

quency.

This

shouldn't

be

a

big

problem

for

most

users.

There

is

no

battery

backup.

If

power

is

lost

for

more

that

a few

seconds,

the

clock

wi

ll

begin

"ticking"

from

a

random

time

upon

power

-

up,

and

in

12-

hour

mode

the

AM

/

PM

indicator

will

flash

until

reset

.

The

displ

ay

brightness

adjusts

to

ambient

lig

ht

level.

In

1985

Heath

put

the

clock

into

a

new

cabinet

and

called

it

the

GC-

1108

(not

listed)

,

which

was

still

in

producion

in

1993.

At

a

flea

market,

GC-1107

can

be

identi-

fied

by

carefully

examining

th

e

display.

The

1107

has

only

4

digits;

the

GC-

1005

has

6. Also,

the

1107

has

only

3

slide

switches

on

the

bottom.

The

1

005

has

4.

See

comments

on

-

ucts

under

GC-

1005.

D

esigned

for 120/240VAC,

50/60

Hz

operation.

Housed

in

the

same

pl

astic

and

wood

grained

box

as

the

GC-1005.

GC-1107s

are

not

rare

and

show

up

often

at

flea

markets

.

Don't

pay

too

much.

Weight/Size: 2

lbs

; T

wide

x 3"

high

x 5"

deep

GC-1107

, 10-1390, GC-1029A,

GC-10290, 10-1490, 10-1590, 10-2295,

10-1795

63

GD-1

(.A.)

CB)

...

;.~

/

.

..

.;

.,,._

.,

•

""""~·

-ll

e.a:l:

IJ..

i:L

GRID 011' M E

TER

Grid

Dip

Meter

Manufactured

/

Price

GD-1

52-52

GD-lA

53-53

GD-18

53-60

$19.50

Comments:

Along

with

the

Cantenna

and

the

HW-100,

the

GD-1

series

of

grip

dip

meters

rank

right

up

there

among

the

most

popular

products

Heath

ever

made.

While

the

successful

nature

of

the

Cantenna

and

the

100

are

obvious,

the

popu

-

larity

of

the

GD-1

reflects

the

rich

home-brew

past

of

amateur

radio.

The

grid

dip

meter

can

be

used

in

a

variety

of

applications

:

to

check

rela-

tive

power

of

transmitter

stages

; for

checking

neutralization;

for

locating

parasitics

and

spuri-

ous

radiation;

for

measuring

the

C, L,

and

Q

of

components;

for

determining

the

resonant

fre-

quency

of

tuned

circuits;

and

for

the

alignment

of

traps

,

filters,

if

stages,

and

so on.

With

head-

phones

attached,

the

GD-1

ser

i

es

can

be

used

to

monitor

an

AM

transmitter.

Heath

went

through

three

quick

iterations

of

the

GD-1,

arriving

at

the

GD-lB

early

in

1953.

The

basic

circuit

is

a

simple

Hartley

oscillator

using

either

a

6AF4

or

a

6T4

depending

on

what

Heath

had

on

hand

.

64

¢11'.j!'~

....

~

-

..

._

\-

-1

/

,,,.,.f}t.lt.i.J::..

GRID

OI

P M

ETER

lf5

~

'f'P&f

UHEI

The

unit

covers

from

2

to

250

MHz

with

the

coils

supplied

,

and

with

optional

coils

can

be

extend-

ed

down

to

350

kHz.

The

optional

coils

were

a

set

of

2

and

included

dia

l

correlation

curves

. A

simi-

lar

set

of

two

3-

pronged

coils

was

sold

for

the

lB.

Each

version

of

the

grid

dip

meter

was

a

refine-

ment

in

stability

,

sensitivity,

and

RF

output

level,

though

each

is

a

very

satisfactory

product.

While

there

were

subtle

changes

in

the

circuitry

of

each

version

,

the

mo

st

obvious

internal

change

is

that

the

lB

is

bui

lt

on

a

copper

-

clad

chassis.

Although

most

of

the

changes

were

internal

,

there

are

some

outward

differences

worth

noting.

Most

obvious

among

these

is

the

paint

color.

All

versions

are

housed

in

a

gray

wrinkle

finish

box,

but

the

front

panels

of

the

GD-1

and

lA

are

sty

l

ed

to

match

the

color

of

the

Heath's

early

test

equipment-a

color

best

described

as

very

light

gray

with

a

hint

of

green,

while

the

lB

wears

the

familiar

dark

gray

color

of

the

classic

style

test

equipment.

Additiona

ll

y,

the

1

and

lA

use

jacks

for

the

plug

-

in

coils

that

have

3

ho

l

es

(2

actual

connections)

, wh

ile

the

lB

uses

a

jack

with

4

ho

les (3

actual

connections

).

Finally,

whi

le

all

versions

used

a

paper

disk

printed

with

frequency

markings

taped

to

the

underside

of

a

plastic

wheel,

the

l B

added

a

HE

...A..T

HK

IT

r@

~

f#

1

Wf

UHEI

plastic

window

with

a

hairline

reticule

for

improved

accuracy.

If

the

tape

has

dried

out

and

the

paper

dial

markings

have

fallen

away

from

the

plastic

disk

it

is

a

simple

matter

to

reattach

them,

assuming

the

paper

disk

is

still

in

good

condition.

With

the

aid

of

a

computer

and

the

appropriate

software,

it

even

would

be

possible

to

make

a

new

paper

disk.

The

units

were

origi-

nally

supplied

with

spare

blank

dial

scales

for

custom

use,

though

few

of

these

have

survived.

CAUTION

:

Remove

the

bottom

cover

first

to

avoid

damage

to

the

front

panel

when

opening

the

unit

for

inspection

.

The

GD-1

series

features

a

solid

state

power

supply,

a

sensitivity

control,

and

a

rear

panel

switch

to

de-energize

the

oscil-

lator

and

permit

operation

as

an

absorption

wave

meter

(500

uV

required

for

full

scale

read-

ing).

The

GD-1

was

supplied

with

6

plug-in

coils,

while

the

lA

and

lB

were

supplied

with

only

5.

These

coils

are

stored

in

a

nice

maroon-colored

cardboard

box

and

the

meter

should

not

be

con-

sidered

complete

without

both

the

coils

and

the

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

box.

Perhaps

the

most

remarkable

thing

about

the

GD-1,

lA,

and

lB

is

the

sheer

number

of

them

Heath

sold.

In

the

first

two

years

on

the

market,

Heath

sold

more

than

15,000

grid

dip

meters.

Based

on

the

number

of

them

that

show

up

at

swap

meets

it

is

likely

that

the

total

num-

ber

sold

in

the

ensuing

six

years

may

have

been

several

times

that

.

The

most

common

version

seen

these

days

is

the

lB.

lAs

are

much

more

scarce,

and

the

original

GD-1

is

very

rarely

seen.

All

three

in

your

collection

make

a

fine

set.

Look

for

the

matching

AM-1

(see

listing)

to

complete

the

line.

Weight/Size: 4

lbs;

2.5"

wide

x

3"

high

x T

deep

AM-1

65

GD-125

NOTCH

DEPT

H

lAAh'Mit!fiMI

Q

Mulitiplier

Manufactured: 66-

71

Price:

$14.95

PEAK

Comments:

The GD-125

is

most

ly a

repackaged

QF-1.

It

s 2-

tone

gray

paint

disti

n

guishes

it

fr

om

SB

series

accessories

like

the

HD

-15 th

at

were

packaged

in

the

same

box.

The

GD

-1

25

was

designed

for u

se

with

Heath

genera

l

coverage

receivers

including

the

GR-64

(see

listing)

and

ot

h

er

receivers

with

IFs

from

45

0-

500

kHz.

Note

th

at

th e 125

cannot

be

used

wit

h

the

GR-54

(see

li

sting)

because

of

that

receiver

's

incompatib

le

IF.

The

GD-1 25

is

designe

d

to

im

p

rove

the

se

lec-

tivity

of

inex

p

ensive

receivers

and

works

very

well.

It

has

an

effective

Q

of

4000

and

provides

a

notch

for

adjacent

signa

l

re

j

ectio

n.

Like

the

HD-

11

,

the

GD-1

25

incl

u

des

a

built

-in

power

supp

ly

and

is

designed

for 120/240VAC,

50/60

Hz

opera

-

tion.

Th e GD-

125

is

medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 2

lbs;

9.25"

wide

x 2.5

..

high

x 3.5"

deep

QF-1

,

HD-11

66

lE=

~

1

H&rii§f

&fi

HE

..A..T

HK

IT

[

~

fi'idf

Hi*fiJ

G:R-54

General

Coverage

Receiver

genre

-which

is

to

say

that

is

was

pretty

dr

ifty.

Manufactured: 65-

71

Price:

$84.95

Comments:

The

GR-54

was

released

about

six

months

after

the

GR

-

64

an d

was

the

l

ast

of

t he

"GR"

family

of

receivers

.

The

54

was

Heath's

top

-

of

-

the

-

line

slide-ru

le

dia

l

type

receiver

an d

the

best

receiver

of

t he

ser

ies.

It

is

a 5-

band,

6-

tube

,

6-diode

(not

including

the

power

supp

ly),

superhet

radio

built

on

a

sing

le

PC

board.

Th e

GR-54

covers

from

1

80

to

420

kHz,

from

550

to

1550

kHz

,

and

from

2

to

30

MHz.

The

54

uses

a

1682

kH z

IF

and

has

a l

oa

d

of

features

: a

tuned

RF

-

stage,

crystal-fi

l

ter,

separate

prod

u

ct

detec

-

tor

fo r

SSE

/

CW

reception;

switc

h

ab

l e

upper

/l

ower

si

deband;

an

S

-meter;

an

el

ectrica

l

bandspread;

a

lighted

dia

l face;

and

a sol

id

-

state

transformer

type

power

su

pply

.

Se

l

ectivity

is

en

h

anced

wit

h a

crysta

l fil

ter

rated

for 3 kHz

minimum

at

minus

6

db

an d 7 .5

kHz

maxim

u m

at

minus

20

db

.

Depending

on

the

band,

the

sen

-

sitivity

varies

from

as

good

as

1 u V

to

as

bad

as

8

u

V,

but

th

is

kind

of

sensit

i

vity

is

typica

l

of

th e

genre.

T

he

54's

stab

i

lity

was

also

typical

of

t he

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

The

GR-54

features

an

AN

L,

an

AVC,

an

antenna

trimmer

contro

l, a

built

-in

ferr

i

te

rod

anten

n a for b

road

c

ast

band

reception,

a

built

-

in

4x6

speaker,

a

headp

hone

jack,

and

a

built-in

code

practice

monitor

and

code

key

jack

.

To

practice

code,

tune

in

a

weak

AM

station

with

the

BFO

turne

d

on

.

The

result

-

ing

he

t

erodyne

can

be

used

as

t he

tone

sou

rce

and

ca

n

be

keyed

from

t he

key

jack

.

The

54

is

al

ignable

with

or

without

instrume

n

ts

an

d

is

designed

for 1

20

/

240

VAC,

50

/

60

Hz

operation.

The

receiver

is

housed

in

a

gray

cabinet

and

has

white

-an

d-green

band

markings.

Note

that

the

GR-54's

1682

kHz

IF

makes

it

incompatible

with

H

eath

Q-m

ul

tipliers

such

as

the

QF

-1, HD-11,

and

GD-125.

CAU

TI

ON

: T

he

pl

astic

front

pa

n el

cracks

easi

l

y.

The

GR-54

was

replaced

in

1971

by

the

solid

state

SW

-717

which

was,

in

terms

of

features,

closer

to

the

GR

-64.

GR

-

54s

in

good

condition

are

medi

um

rare.

Weight/Size: 25

lbs

; 14.5"

wide

x 6.5"

high

x

11"

deep

AR-1

, AR-2, AR-3 , GC-l(A),

GR-

64, GR-78,

GR-81

,

GR-91,

SW-717, SW-7800

67

G:R-64

IE

~

'H&tSi§f

Hil

General

Coverage

Receiver

without

instruments

and

is

designed

for

Manufactured: 64-71

Price:

$39.95

Comments:

Released

for

Christmas

in

1964,

GR-

64

was

the

first

of

two

receivers

featuring

Heath's

new

"low-boy"

styling

.

Its

companion,

the

GR-54

(see

li

sting),

was

released

about

six

months

l

ater.

The

GR-64

is

a

basic,

no-frills

, 4-

band

,

4-tube

,

superhet

rec

eiver

built

on

a

sing

le

PC

board.

The

64

is

design

ed

with

a

455

kHz

IF

and

covers

from

550

kHz

to

30

MHz.

Features

include

a

BFO

for

CW

/

SSE

reception,

electrical

bandspread,

an

S-meter

, a

lighted

dial

face,

built

-

in

speaker,

headphone

jack,

and

a

solid

-

state

transformer

type

power

supp

ly.

Sensitivity

varies

depending

on

mode

and

frequency

but

generally

is

good

and

typical

of

the

genre.

Sta-

bility

is

another

matter.

There

is

also

an

input

for

the

GD-125

Q-mulitplier

and

a

connector

for

an

externa

l

antenna.

The

receiver

is

alignable

68

120

/

240

VAC

,

50

/

60

Hz

operation.

The

64

is

housed

in

a

gray

cabinet

and

has

white-and-green

band

markings

. CAU-

TION:

The

plastic

front

panel

crac

ks

easily.

In

1971

the

GR

-64

was

replaced

by

the

fully

solid

state

SW-717

(see

listing)

.

GR-64s

in

good condi-

tion

are

medium

rare.

Weight

/

Size:

15

lbs

; 13.5"

wide

x 6"

high

x 9"

deep

AR-1

,

AR-2

,

AR-3

, GC-l(A),

GR-54, GR-78,

GR-81

,

GR-91

, SW-717,

SW-7800,

QF-1,

GD-125

HE

A..T

HK

IT

[[

~fUMiUH+il

G:R-78

General

Coverage

Receiver

exter

nal

antenna

con-

nector,

and

carrying

handle.

Sensitivity

Manufactured:

69-76

Price:

$141.91

Comments:

In

1969

Heath

decided

it

was

time

to

update

the

venerable

GC-

lA

"Mohican"

receiver.

The

result

was

the

GR-78, a

receiver

that

was

sma

ller

and

light

er

than

its

predecessor

but

worked

every

bit

as

well

and

perhaps

a

bit

bet

-

ter.

The

GR-78

is

a

portable

solid-

state

superhet

unit

with

double

conversion

above 18

MHz

and

a

lot

of

features

packed

into

a

small

cabinet.

Its

frequency

coverage

is

190

kHz

to

30

MHz

in

6

bands.

Th

e 78

uses

11

transistors,

5

FETs,

and

7

diodes

and

ha

s

four

ceramic

IF

filters.

Th

e

IF

below

18

MHz

is

455

kHz;

above

18

MHz,

Heath

emp

loys

double

conve

rsion

usin

g a

first

IF

at

4.034

MH

z a

nd

a seco

nd

IF

at

455

kHz.

Featu

res

include

a

built-in

500

kH

z

crystal

calibrator,

an

el

ec

trical

bandspread,

a

lighted

dial

and

S-

meter,

anANL,

and

an

AVC .

The

GR

-78

pro

vides

switc

h

se

l

ection

of

AM, CW,

and

SSB,

and

a

rece

ive

/stan

dby

switch,

receiver

muting

connec-

tion,

and

headphone

jack.

The

receiver

comes

with

a

built-in

spea

ker

,

telescoping

antenna,

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

varies

d

epe

ndin

g

on

mode

and

frequency

but

genera

ll

y is good

an

d

typical

of

the

genre

.

Sta-

bility

is

very

good

.

Th

e

78

is

built

on

6

PC

boards,

4

of

which

plug

into

a

main

boa

rd

.

The

unit

will

operate

from

120/240

VAC

or

12-15

VDC.

It

also

will

r

un

on

internal

Nicads

kept

charged

from a

built

-

in

c

harger.

The

batteries

are

trickle

charged

(at

20-25

ma

)

whenever

the

unit

is

plu

gge

d

in

to

an

exter

nal

power

source

.

The

Nicads

may

be

d

ea

d,

but

if

you

'

re

hand

y

you

can

figure

out

a

modern-day

replacement

.

Before

you

buy

a GR-78

it

would

be

worth

yo

ur

time

to

remove

the

bottom

cover

to

see

ifthe

bat-

tery

ha

s

been

l

eaki

ng

.

NOTE:

Unscrewing

the

whip

antenna

will

cause

intern

al

hardw

are

to

fall

off.

The

GR-78

is

hou

se

d

in

a

charcoal

gray

cabinet,

an

d

the

front

panel

varies

from

light

gray

to

li

gh

t

gr

een,

depending

on

vintage.

GR

-

78s

are

not

very

common.

Weight/Size: 14lbs;11.5"

wide

x 6.25"

high

x

9"

deep

AR-1

, AR-2, AR-3, GC-l(A), GR-54,

GR-64

GR-81,

GR-91

, SW-717, SW-7800

69

GIR,-81

rG=

~

1

H?&iif

Hil

General

Coverage

Receiver

and

comes

equipped

with

a

headphone

jack

and

provisions

for

both

Manufactured: 61-72

Price:

$29.95

Comments:

It's

hard

to

say

why

the

GR

-

81

lasted

11

years

-

maybe

because

it

was

inexpensive,

and

was

an

easy

project

for

beginners.

The

81

is

a

simple

3-tube

superegenerative

unit

covering

from

140

kHz

to

18

MHz

in

4

bands.

Regen

e

ra-

tive

receivers

are

a

li

tt

le

fussy

and

take

some

getting

used

to-the

regeneration

control

must

be

set

just

so. As

long

as

you

keep

your

expecta-

tions

down

you

won't

be

disappointed

with

its

performance.

The

GR

-

81's

selectivity,

sensitivi

-

ty,

and

stabi

li

ty

are

awful.

As

if

trying

to

reas

-

sure

the

wary

consumer

,

Heath

advertised

the

GR

-

81

as

having

a

"shock

free"

tra

n

sformer

power

supp

l

y.

T

he

81

i

ncludes

a

bui

l

t-in

speaker

70

long

and

short

antennas

.

The

GR-81

is

designed

for

120

VAC 50/60

Hz

operation

and

is

fuse

pro-

tected.

The

pilot

light

comes

on

only

after

the

rig

has

warmed

up -

be

patient

.

The

cabinet

is

beige

and

the

front

pane

l

is

green

with

white

dia

l

markings

. Al

though

H

eath

probably

sold

zillions

of

th

ese,

clean

GR-81s

are

fair

ly

rare.

Weight/Size:

12

lbs;

10

"

wide

x

Thigh

x T

deep

AR-1

,

AR-2

,

AR-3

, GC-l(A),

GR-

54, GR-64, GR-78,

GR-91,

SW-717, SW-7800

HE

.AT

HK

IT

[

~

'§f

i§f

H&f

iiJ

VHF

Receivers

Manufact

ured

/

Pri

ce:

GR-88

69

-77 $54.95

GR

-98 69-76 $54.95

Comments:

These

16

transistor

portable

VHF

receivers

work

surprisingly

well.

Th

ey

have

rea

-

sona

ble

sensitivity

and

are

quite

stable

and

drift

free.

Th

e

units

feature

a 6-

to

-1

vernier

tuning

drive

ratio;

squelch

control;

a VFO-XTAL

switch

with

provi

s

ion

s

for

1

cr

ysta

l

channel;

and

an

internal

telescoping

antenna.

Th

e

receivers

h

ave

a

built

-

in

speaker

and

a

jack

for

an

exter

-

nal

50

-75

ohm

antenna.

Th

e

IF

on

both

versions

is

10

. 7

MHz.

The

se

nsitivit

y

was

advertised

at

2

uV

for

the

88

and

1.5

uV

for

the

98.

The

selectiv

-

ity

was

advertised

as

plus

or

minus

40

kHz

@ 6

db

down.

Frequ

e

nc

y

coverage

for

88

is

152-174

MHz

and

108-136

MHz

(t

h e

aircraft

band

) for

the

98.

Both

versions

use

PC

board

construction

and

feature

a

factory

assembled

a

nd

aligned

tun

er.

Th

e

units

can

be

pow

ere

d by s

ix

"C"

cells

or

from

125

VAC

with

optional

AC

power

supply.

The

optional

AC s

upply

is

built

into

a

small

m

eta

l

box

and

fit

s

inside

the

case

of

the

rec

e

iver

.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

G:R-88/98

The

pre

se

nce

of

the

optional

pow

er

supply

can

be

determined

by

looking

for

the

"

cheater"

type

connector

on

the

bottom

right

side.

If

you

see

the

two

connector

pins,

the

power

supply

is

installed.

The

unit

s

are

housed

in

a

leatherette

case

and

have

handles

that

double

as

a

tilt-

stand

.

Fl

ea

market

advice:

Check

for

battery

leak

damage.

(R

emove

from

cas

e

by

removing

handle

and

hand

le

mounting

screws.

To

remove

hand

le,

put

handl

e

in

vertical

position

and

push

down

on

each

side

.)

The

GR

-

88

and

98

ar

e

medi

-

um

rare.

Weight

/

Size:

5

lbs

; 8.75"

wide

x 7.5

..

hi

gh x

3.5"

deep

none

71

G:R-91

General

Coverage

Receiver

Manufactured: 61-64

Price:

$39.95

Comments:

This

general

coverage

receiver

is

the

forerunner

to

the

GR

-64.

Its

specifications

and

frequency

coverage

are

sim

ilar-500khz

to

30MHz

in

four

b

ands

.

It

features

an

illuminated

"s

lide

rule"

dial

,

an

S

meter

,

an

electrical

band-

spread,

a

nd

a

transformer

power

supply

.

It

includes

a

BFO

,

an

int

erna

l

speaker,

a h

ead

-

phone

j

ack,

an

ANL

, a

noi

se

limit

er,

and

is

bui

lt

on

a

single

PC

board.

Also

included

is

a

rear

panel

connector

for

Q-multiplier

like

the

GD-125

(see

listing

). S

ensitiv

it

y

varies

depending

on

mode

and

frequency

but

it

is

generally

good a

nd

typical

of

the

genre.

Th

e GR-91

is

designed

for

120VAC

50/60

Hz

operation,

and

h

as

a

beig

e

cab-

inet

with

a

bei

ge

and

gree

n

front

pan

el

and

white

and

red

di

al

markings.

Rar

e.

Weight/Size: 1lb;12.25"

wide

x 5.5

..

high

x

8.25"

deep

AR-1,

AR-2

,

AR-3

, GC-l(A),

GR-54, GR-64, GR-78,

GR-81,

SW-717,

SW-7800,

QF-1,

GD-125

72

lE=

~

fi

1

?t5f

UH+i1

HE

.A..T

HK

IT

r@

~'#

1

Sii'HfiJ

G:R-110

VHF

Scanning

Monitor

bracket,

external

speaker

jack,

and

two

power

cables-one

for

Manufactured:

73-76

Price:

$119.95

Comments:

This

very

successf

ul

radio

was

Heath's

first

venture

into

scanners.

It

is

a

crys

-

tal-controlled

8

channel

unit

,

using

29

transis

-

tors,

8

IC

s,

and

17 di

odes

.

The

GR-110

covers

any

9

MHz

band

segment

between

146

and

174

MHz

an

d

scans

at

17

channels

per

second.

The

llO

's

sensitivity

is

rated

at

better

than

.5

uV

(1

uV

for

20

db

of

q

ui

eting).

The

10

.7

MHz

IF

e

mpl

oys

crystal

filters.

Features

include

a

prior-

it

y

channel

(channel

0), a

4-second

scan

resume

del

ay

(not

adjustab

le

or

defeatable),

a

manual

override

channel

ste

p

switch,

and

8

push

but-

tons

to

se

l

ect

or

de-select

eac

h ch

anne

l.

One

unique

feature

is

the

sing

le

digit

channel

read-

o

ut-

an

in

ca

nd

esce

nt

,

seven

-

segment

device,

type

8015A.

Downside:

Ifa

segment

of

t

hi

s

read-

o

ut

burns

out,

the

entire

device

must

be

rep

l

aced,

and

these

days

the

readout

device

may

be

very

h

ard

to

find.

It

is

important

to

note

that

the

radio

will

continue

to

function

normally

even

with

burned

out

rea

dou

t

segments

.

The

techni-

cally

inclined

user

could

replace

this

device

with

a

seven

-

segment

LED.

During

assembly,

t h e

builder

could

choose

one

of

two

modes

of

opera

-

tion.

In

one

mode,

the

chan

nel

readout

r

un

s

co

n-

tinuously.

In

t he

other

mode,

the

channel

indica-

tor

lights

only

when

the

squelch

ope

ns.

The

GR-110

comes

with

a

built-in

speaker,

mounting

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

1

20

VAC,

50

/

60

Hz

operation,

and

one

for

12

VDC

operation.

The

unit

h

as

a

ph

ono

type

con-

nector

for a 50

ohm

antenna-t

h

ere

is

no

bu

ilt-

in

antenna

.

Crystal

frequency

formula:

(operat-

ing

frequency

in

MHz

-10. 7) I 3.

Some

unit

s m

ay

make

a

faint

ticking

sound

whi

le

scanning,

and

some

units

may

ma

ke a

distinct

"pop"

each

time

the

priority

channel

is

sampled

.

The

popping

sound

is a

little

irritating

but

can

be

e

li

minated

by

turning

off

the

priority

channel.

The

110

has

a

black

and

gray

front

panel

w

ith

chrome

trim

and

a

wrinkle

black

case,

though

some

may

have

been

supplied

with

li

ght

green

cases.

Heath

so

ld

a

ton

of

these

scanners.

They

were

popular

for

moni

to

rin

g

local

repeaters

and

local

l

aw

enforce

-

ment,

etc.

In

the

end,

the

GR-

110

proved

too

expensive

an

d

was

replaced

wit

h a

more

conven-

tional-looking

scan

n

er-t

h e

GR

-11

30

series

(see

li

sting).

The

GR-110

is

medium

rare.

Don

't

try

to

align

it

without

the

book.

Weight/Size: 9

lbs;

8.25"

wide

x 3"

high

x 9.75"

deep

GR-1130

series

73

G:R-1130

~fHWiHHilJ

sensitivity

of

better

than

.5

uV

for

12

db

SINAD

,

an

d

all

us

e a

10.7

MHz

IF

with

a 4

pole

crystal

filt

er.

An

8

pol

e

filter

was

avail-

able

as

an

option.

Th

e

GR

-11

32

has

three

sep

-

arate

built

-

in

anten

n

as

while

the

other

unit

s

h

ave

only

one.

All

ver-

sions

h

ave

external

antenna

jacks

on

rear

panel

and

versions

fea

-

ture

a

built-in

speaker

but

make

no

provision

for

externa

l

speaker.

All

use

PC

board

con-

struct

ion

and

are

designed

for

120

VAC,

50/60

Hz,

or

12

VDC

operation

and

come

with

an

AC

cable

.

For

VHF/UHF

Scanning

Monitors

D C

operation

Heath

supp

li

ed

on

ly a

plug-you

had

to

make

your

own

cable

.

Some

units

may

make

a

fa

in

t

ticking

sound

while

scann

in

g

and

some

units

may

make

a

distinct

"pop"

eac

h

time

the

priority

channel

is

samp

l

ed.

The

popping

so

und

is

a

little

ir

ritating

but

can

be

e

liminat

ed

by

turning

off

the

priority

channel.

Crystal

frequency

formula

for

all

units:

Manufactured /

Pr

i

ce:

GR-1131

76-78 $89.95

GR-1132

76-79 $139.95

GR-1133

see

text

GR-1134

76-77

MR-1134

76-77

$99.95

Comments:

In

1976,

Heath

replaced

the

GR

-110

(see

listing)

with

the

GR-1130

series

of

scanning

receivers.

It

was

a

matter

of

economics-the

di

g-

ital

display

of

the

GR-110

was

too

expensive

and

unr

e

liabl

e.

On

the

outside,

the

GR

-

1130

series

is

more

conventional

in

that

the

channel

display

is

a

row

of

lights

that

scan

from

left

to

right

with

push

buttons

under

each

light

that

lock

each

channe

l

in

or

out.

Inside,

however

,

the

circuit

isn't

very

much

different

from

the

GR

-110.

The

1130

priority

channe

l

is

channel

1

and

is

sam

-

pled

every

4

secon

ds w

hen

it

is

se

l

ected.

The

radios

feature

a

scan

res

um

e

delay

of

about

a

half

a

second

that

is

not

adjustable

or

defeat-

able.

The

GR

-1131

and

MR-1134

are

VHF

high

band

units

covering

any

8

MHz

band

segment

from

146

-

174

MHz.

They

appear

to

be

identical,

being

marketed

in

separate

parts

of

the

catalog

to

separate

interest

groups

-

the

MR-1134

being

targeted

as

a

marine

cha

nn

el

scanner.

The

GR

-

1132

is

a

LO/HI/UHF

unit.

It

covers

any

10

MHz

segment

from

30

to

50

MHz,

any

8

MHz

segment

from

146

to

174

MHz,

an

d

any

8

MHz

segment

from

450

to

500

MHz.

All

versions

have

a

rated

74

VHF

LO

, c

hann

el

frequency

+ 10.7

MHz;

VHF

HI

, (ch

anne

l

frequency

-

10.7

) I 3;

450-470

MHz

,

(channel

frequency

-10. 7 ) I 9; 4 70-500,

(cha

nn

el

frequency

-

10.7)

I 10.

The

GR-1130

radios

hav

e

brown

wood-grain

m

eta

l

cabinets,

a

nd

brown

or

gray

front

pan

els.

Th

e

MR-1134

ha

s a

bei

ge

cabi-

net

and

a

green

front

panel.

Even

though

they

worked

OK,

no

one

was

real

impres

sed

with

these

scanners

,

and

in

the

end

,

Heath

eliminat

-

ed

them

with

big

price

reductions.

The

GR

-11

33

was

to

be

an

aircraft

band

scanner

.

Although

in

the

Christmas

1977

catalog

it

was

ad

vertise

d

as

b

eing

ava

ilabl

e

in

J a

nu

ary

'78

the

GR-1133

never

came

to

pass.

The

GR-1130

series

scan-

ners

are

medium

rare

.

Weight/Size: 8

lbs;

ff'

wide

x 3.25"

high

x 8.5"

deep

GR-110

HE

A..T

HK

IT

rB

~f

HMf#ii*E'1

10

Meter

Hand-

Held

Transceiver

Manufactured: 60-62

Price:

$32.95

Comments:

The

GW-30

was

Heath's

first

walkie-

talkie.

The

unit

uses

4

common

socketed

transis-

tors

and

an

output

power

in

the

vicinity

of 100 mw.

Though

advertisied

for

10-meters,

units

have

been

found

with

CB

frequency

crystals

installed

a

nd

to

which

FCC

Citizen's

Band

transmitter

identification

cards

h

ave

been

affixed.

The

GW-

30

uses

a

crystal

controlled

transmitter

and

a

socketed

3rd-overtone

crystal

with

wire

l

eads

(type

ML18).

The

receiver

is

a

fixed

frequency

superregenerative

unit

whose

frequency

is

determined

by

a

simp

le

tuned

circuit.

The

receiver

frequency

is

matched

to

the

transmitter

frequency

by

positioning

the

transmitter

crysta

l

near

the

tuning

coil

and

adjusting

the

coil for

minimum

hiss.

Receiver

sensitivity

is

about

4

microvolts.

The

transmitter

is

peaked

with

a

special

low

power

light

bulb

(

type

unknown).

All

elec

tron

ics

are

contained

on

a

single

PC

board.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

GVV--80

The

only

contro

ls

are

the

PTT

switch-a

larg

e

red

push

button

on

the

side

of

the

cabinet-and

the

on/off/volume

control

on

the

front

pan

el.

Th

e

unit

is

powered

by

a 9

volt

battery,

Eveready

type

246

or

equivalent,

though

many

unit

s

may

be

found

to

ha

ve

been

modified

to

accomodate

AA

cells

or

other

types

of

batteries.

Note

that

while

type

246

batteries

are

not

standard

tran-

sistor

batteries

they

can

sti

ll

be

found

at

better

electronics

s

hop

s.

Current

drain

is

22

mA

during

transmit

an

d 12

mA

while

receiving.

Th

e

range

of

the

GW-30

in

an

urban

environment

is

typi-

cally

two

or

three

blocks

at

best.

Out

in

the

open

and

away

from

electrical

noise

the

range

may

be

as

far

as

half

a

mile-though

Heath

claimed

as

far

as

one

mile

between

two

units

was

possible.

The

GW-30

is

housed

in

a

two

piece

steel

cabinet

with

a

textured

front

panel

and

a

louvered

speak

-

er

gri

ll.

Thi

s

design

is

unique

among

Heath

products.

Original

equipment

included

a

black

leather

carrying

case

with

a

sho

uld

er

strap,

and

a

40

inch

telescoping

antenna,

though

these

items-especially

the

antenna

-

are

rarely

found

with

the

unit.

Leather

cases

that

have

survived

to

the

present

may

be

extremely

dry

and

fragile

and

shou

ld

be

removed

with

great

care.

Histori-

cal

note:

GW-30s

have

a

form

on

the

back

certi-

fying

their

compliance

with

FCC

part

15

regu

la-

tions.

Th

ese

forms

are

dated

with

the

month

and

year

of

sa

le,

and

are

signed

by

Gene

Fiebich,

Heath's

director

of

engineering,

as

well

as

the

builder.

Also,

Heath's

Al

Robertson

wrote

to

QST

magazine

suggesting

ways

in

w

hi

ch

the

GW-30's

performance

could

be

inproved.

Al's

notes

on

the

subject

were

published

in

the

February

1961

issue

of

QST

in

the

"Hin

t s

and

Kinks"

column.

The

GW-30

is

very

rare.

Weight/Size: 2

lb;

3.25"

wide

x 6.25"

high

x

2.25"

deep

none

75

HA.-10

rE=

~

fU@i§fH+IJ

Five

Band

HF

Linear

Amplifier

respectable

signa

l

by

anyone's

definition-

"Warrior''

Manufactured: 61-65

Price:

$229.95 kit; $330

wired

Comments:

The

HA-10

was

H

eath

's

first

real

suc

-

cess

in

a

linear

amplifier

and

the

first

Heath

product

ever

to

be

offered

as

a

kit

or

fu

ll

y

wired.

It

was

d

esigned

to

complement

the

TX-1, RX-1,

HX-10

(see

listings)

fami

ly

of

product

s

and

to

replace

the

too

big,

too

h

eavy,

and

much

too

expensive

KL-1

"Chippewa"

(see

listing)

and

it

s

equally

bi

g,

he

avy,

and

ex

p

ens

ive

power

sup

pl

y,

the

KS-1.

In

the

HA-10

,

Heath

combined

the

amp

an

d

its

power

supply

into

a

sing

le

cabinet

the

size

of

the

Chippewa

amplifier

sect

ion

alone-and

sold

it

for

about

half

the

price

of

the

KL-1

/

KS-1

combination.

Th

e

HA-10

us

es

two

866As

in

its

power

supply

(whic

h

runs

aro

und

1300

vol

ts

key

down

and

fully

load

ed)

and

four

parallel

ed,

fan-cooled

, 811As

running

cl

ass

B

in

the

RF

deck.

Together,

they

developed

around

1000

watts

PEP

/

CW

and

about

400

watts

AM-a

76

r

equiring

only

50

-75

watts

of

drive.

The

HA

-1

0

covers

80

through

10

(but

not

11)

meters

and

operates

AM,

SSB,

and

CW.

The

amp

lifier

is

bui

lt

on

a

16-gauge

steel

chassis

with

an

1/8-inch

thick

aluminum

front

panel.

It

is

enclosed

in

a

one

-

piece

welded

copper

clad

TX-1

style

cabinet

painted

in

the

now

famil-

iar

two-tone

gree

n

colors.

The

HA

-lO

's

broad

-

band

input

circuit

wi

ll

match

from

50

to

70

ohms.

The

output

circuit

is

a

variable

Pi-net-

work

with

an

impedance

of

50

to

75

ohms

to

an

S0

-

239

RF

connector

.

There

is

also

a

monitor

scope

output

with

a

level

control.

Th

e

front

pane

l

meter

reads

grid,

pl

ate,

relative

power,

and

high

voltage

.

The

HA-10

is

d

esig

ned

for

120

VAC

50

/60

Hz

operation.

R

are

in

good

condition.

Weight/Size:

100

lbs;

19.5"

wide

x

11.5

"

high

x

16

"

deep

TX-1

,

RX-1,

HX-10,

KL-1

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

lE

~

'§f

ffif

f

§'Hi'J

:H:A-14

UNIT

HAS

NON-ORIGINAL

POWER

SWITCH.

Five

Band

HF

Linear

Amplifier

and

SWR

from

its

built-in

b

ri

dge.

Pow

er

"KW Kompact"

Manufactured: 65-68

Price:

$99.95

Comments:

The

HA-14

is

essentially

an

SB-200

(see

li

s

tin

g)

without

an

internal

p

owe

r s

uppl

y.

It

was

re

le

ase

d

about

a

yea

r

after

the

SB-200

and

is

d

es

igned

primaril

y for

mobil

e u

se,

although

it

also

was

promoted

for

use

in

a fixed

sta

tion.

Th

e

KW

Komp

act

u

ses

a

pair

of

572B

(

T-160L

)

tub

es

and

covers

80

throu

gh

10

(

but

not

11)

mete

rs

.

It

use

s a

pre-tuned

bro

a

dband

input

an

d

pro

v

id

es

1000

watts

input

PEP

with

100

watts

of

driv

e.

The

a

dv

er

ti

s

ing

didn

't

say

an

yt

hin

g

about

CW

operation

but

did

say

the

dut

y cycle

was

50

per-

cent

for

SSB.

Th

e m eter

re

ads

re

la

tive

pow

er

A

Guid

e to the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Products

requir

eme

nts:

2000

VDC

at

500

ma

,

minus

110 VDC

at

60

ma

, a

nd

12.6 vo

lt

s AC

or

DC

at

4

amps.

Th

es

e

voltages

can

be

provided

by

two

optional

pow

er

supplies:

the

HP-14

(

not

to

be

confus

ed

with

the

HP-1

3)

mobil

e s

upply

or

the

HP-24

(not

to

be

confu

sed

with

the

HP-23

)

120

VAC

supply.

The

HA-14

is

fini

shed

in

the

cl

ass

ic SB

ser

i

es

gree

n

wrinkle

paint.

These

are

very

rare

in

good

condition.

Weight/Size:

10

lbs;

12.25"

wide

x 3.25"

high

x

10"

deep

HP-14, HP-24, SB-200

77

H.A-80

f=

~

f§f@fUHiiJ

e

M•T•"

LtN•A•

A•P&..tfltalt

6

Meter

Linear

Amplifier

light

on

the

front

pane

l.

The

meter

reads

grid

and

plate

current,

Manufactured:

62-64

Price:

$99.95

Comments:

Th e

HA

-20

was

re

l

eased

ju

st

a few

mont

h s

after

the

HX

-

30

(see

li

sting)

and

was

des

i

gned

specifically

to

give

th e

HX

-30 a

little

more

punc

h. The

HA

-20

uses

a

pair

of

6146s

in

push

-

pull

to

produce

125

watts

input

P

EP

SSB

or

about

75

watts

on

AM,

and

requires

from

2.5

to

10

watts

of

drive.

The

HA-20

looks

like

a

miniature

version

of

the

HA-10

(see

listing)

an

d

is

designed

to

match

the

HX

-

30

.

The

only

tu

be

other

than

the

fina

ls is

an

OA2

regu

l

ator

- th e

bui

lt -

in

power

supp

ly

is

so

li

d

state.

Features

incl

u

de

forced-

air

coo

li

ng,

extensive

s

hi

el

ding,

a

multi

-

functio

n

meter,

a

50

ohm

tuned

g

ri

d

input,

a

link

-

coup

led

outp

u

t,

and

stub

ne

u

tralized

fina

ls.

Front

pane

l

contro

ls i

nclude

coupling,

loading,

tune,

power

on/off,

meter

function,

band,

and

meter

adjust.

There

also

is

a

pi

l

ot

78

plate

voltage,

and

re

l

ative

power.

Th e HA-20's

pane

l

meter

is

unique

in

that

it

is

the

on

ly

one

to

use

a

black

face

wit

h a

white

sca

le pr

ior

to

the

introductio

n

of

the

SB

series

.

There

is

a

rear

pane

l

contro

l

for

bias

adjustment.

R

ear

pane

l

connections

include

S0-239s

for

RF

input

and

output

and

a

ground

post.

The

outp

ut

circuit

matc

h

es

50

-75

ohm

antennas.

Power

require-

ments:

1

20

VAC

50

/60 Hz. The

HA

-20 is

enclosed

in

a

one

-

piece

copper

clad

steel

cabinet

and

is

pa

i

nted

in

two

-

tone

green

to

match

HX

-30, TX-1 ,

etc.

T

he

HA-20

is

very

rare

in

any

cond

ition

.

Weight/Size: 38

lbs;

16.5"

wide

x

10

"

high

x

10

"

deep

HX-30

HE

.AT

HK

IT

lE;

~

'Hif

f

§f

Hiil

2

Meter

Amplifier

Manufactured/Price:

HA-201

74-77

$29.95

HA-201A

78-83 $39.95

Comments:

Rel

eased

on

t h e

heels

of

the

p

opular

HA

-

202

,

this

ti

ny

amp

was

designed

mostly

to

boost

the

signa

l

from

a

ha

n

dy

-

ta

l

kie.

It

provides

about

8

watts

of

output

with

1

to

3

watts

of

drive.

The

HA

-

201(A

)

is

fu

ll

y

solid

state-no

mechanical

re

l

ays

are

use

d

in

switching.

The

amplifier

will

withstand

infinite

VSWR

without

failure

but

is

not

indestructib

le

and

can

be

dam-

aged

by

excessive

drive

.

CAUTION:

Do

not

exceed

3

watts

of

drive

or

you

may

damage

the

final

(2N

6081

or

CTC

B12

-12).

Another

ti

p:

The

length

of

cable

used

to

connect

th

e

amp

to

your

HT

should

be

cut

to

odd

m

ul

tipl

es

of

114

wav

e-

l

engths

of

the

frequency

you

use

most

often

.

It

is

a l

so

important

to

note

t h

at

there

is

no

RF

bypass

around

the

HA-201(A)

when

its

power

is

off.

If

the

amp

is

in

the

RF

li

ne

it

must

be pow-

ered

up

or

no

RF

will

get

t h

rough.

T

he

HA-

201(A

)

tunes

up

with

a

VTVM

or

SWR

br

i

dg

e, a

dummy

load,

and

a

broadcast

band

receiver

(

to

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio Products

H.A-801

(.A)

listen

for

oscillations

).

The

A ve

rsion

was

a

major

redesig

n t h

at

re

du

ced

the

possibility

of

in

stability,

simplified

tu

ne

-

up

,

and

rep

l

aced

the

RCA

type

connectors

wit

h

S0-239s.

Both

ver-

s

ions

, h

owever

,

work

very

well

,

and

are

eas

y

to

fix. I

nput

/

out

p

ut

impedance:

50

ohms

nominal.

The

HA

-201(A)

requires

12-16 VDC

at

2.2

amps

maximum

and

is

painted

one-color

green

.

Heath

sold zi

ll

ions

of

these

amps

and

they

sh ow

up

at

swap

meets

with

regular

ity.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

3.5

..

wide

x 2.75"

high

x 5"

deep

HA-202(A), HWA-202-1,

misc

VHF

accessories

79

:a:.A-aoa

(.A)

2

Meter

Amplifier

Manufactured/Pri

ce:

HA

-202 73-

77

$64.95

HA-202A

78-84

$79.95

Comments:

The

HA

-

202

was

designed

and

sold

primarily

for

mobile

operation

but

works

equa

l-

ly

well

in

fixed

station

use.

It

will

cover

any

1.5

MHz

portion

of

the

band

between

143

and

149

MH

z.

Power

output

depends

on

drive:

20 W @ 5

in,

30

W@7.5

in,

40

W@

10

in,

and

50W@15

in.

A

pair

of

2N5591s

in

pus

h-

pu

ll

will

wit

h

stand

up

to

3:1

SWR

and

rely

on

a big

heat

sink

to

keep

th

em

cool

instead

of

"exotic

sensing

circuitry."

Tuned

input

/

output

is

50

ohms

nominal.

The

HA-202(A)

tunes

up

wi

th

a

VTVM

or

SWR

80

r&

~

·ue+tna+1

bridge

, a

dummy

l

oad,

and

a

broadcast

band

receiver

(to

li

sten

for osc

ill

ations).

The A

version

was

a

major

redesign

that

reduced

the

possibili-

ty

of

instability,

simplified

tune

-

up,

and

replaced

the

RCA

type

co

n

nectors

wit

h

S0

-

239s.

Both

versions,

however,

work

very

well

and

are

easy

to

fix. R

equires

12-16 VDC

at

7

amps

maxi

-

mum.

Bl

ack

in

color

.

Medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 4

lbs

; 4"

wide

x 3"

high

x 5.5"

deep

HW-201(A), HWA-201-1,

misc

VHF

accessories

HE.A.TH

KIT

l@

~

f

d&Wi#f

H+iil

Electronic

Keyer

Manufactured:

65-74

Price:

$39.95

Comments:

The

HD-10

was

Heath

's

first

keyer

and

the

first

keyer

kit

on

the

market.

While

it

so

ld

extremely

well,

it

was,

in

retrospect,

not

a

very

good

design.

It

lacked

adjustability

once

assembled,

had

a

poor

dot

/

dash

weighting

scheme,

had

way

too

much

paddle

travel

to

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

:H:I:>-10

make

it

comfortable

to

use,

and

made

about

as

much

noise

as

a

Vibroplex

semi-automatic.

Nev-

ertheless,

it

was

on

the

market

for

nine

years,

and

Heath

sold

tens

of

thousands

of

HD-10

key-

ers,

so

the

model

must

have

seemed

like

a

good

idea

at

the

time.

The

HD-10

is

a

simple

device

and

employs

a

pair

of

microswitches

on

either

side

of

the

paddle

arm.

Moving

th

e

paddle

back

and

forth

clicked

the

switches-simple

as

that.

It

is

not

an

iambic

device.

The

unit

uses

11

tran-

sistors

and

has

a

built-in

transformer

operated

solid-state

power

supply.

It

features

a

built-in

sidetone

speaker

and

has

controls

for

sidetone

volume,

speed

,

and

weighting.

There

is

also

a

"hold"

switch

for

tuning

.

During

assembly,

the

builder

could

choose

one

of

two

speed

ranges-

10-20

WPM

or

15-60

WPM.

The

keyer

can

also

be

wired

for

left-hand

operation

.

The

HD-10

is

for

use

only

with

transmitters

using

grid-block

keying.

Keying

output:

keyed

line

to

ground.

Polarity:

negative

to

ground

only.

Maximum

open

circuit

or

spike

voltage:

105

volts.

Key-

closed

current:

35

ma

maximum.

Connections

on

rear

panel

include

the

keyed

line,

receiver

audio,

45

volts

battery

input,

22.5

volts

battery

input,

and

external

key/paddle

input.

The

HD-

10

is

designed

for

120

VAC

,

50

/6

0

Hz

,

or

from

a

battery

supply-45

volts

with

tap

at

22.5

volts,

14

ma.

The

unit

is

finished

in

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint.

HD-lOs

are

not

rar

e

and

show

up

at

flea

markets

on

a

regular

basis

-

often

with

problems.

Weight/Size: 6

lbs;

3.75"

wide

x 4.5"

high

x

10.5"

deep

HD-1410,

SA-5010(A), HD-8999

81

:H:D-11

!C

;.i;

!if.fii'f!mil

Q

Multiplier

Manufactured:

61

-64

Price:

$14.95

-

Comment

s:

The

HD

-11

is

essentially

the

same

Q-

Mulitplier

as

the

older

QF-1

but

with

the

addi-

tion

of

a

bui

lt-

in

power

supply,

a

pilot

light

,

and

the

classic

Heath

two

-

ton

e

green

paint

scheme.

For

additional

detai

ls

and

specifications

,

see

listing

under

QF

-1. Also

see

listing

under

GD-

125-the

product

into

which

the

HD-11

would

eventually

evolve-still

the

same

ba

sic

de

s

ign

.

We

i

ght

/

Size:

3

lbs

; 7.25"

wide

x 4.75"

hi

gh x 4.25"

deep

oduct

s:

QF-1

,

GD-125

82

®=

~

f

Ui#i§f

Hil

Q

MULTIPLIER

MOO

I L

HD

~

11

HE

.AT

HK

IT

lB

~

fff

MiHHEiJ

Phone

Patch

Manufactured:

66-83

Price

: $24.95

Comments:

This

is

a

just

a

restyling

of

t h e

famous

HD-19

pho

n e

patch

and

was

done

to

bring

th e

unit

into

line

cosmetically

wit

h

the

SB

series

. E l

ectronically

the

HD-19

and

the

HD-15

are

virtually

the

same

device

.

Other

than

the

cabinet

change

to

Heath's

"low boy"

style,

the

most

obvious

change

is

that

the

station

mic

does

not

conn

ect

to

the

phone

patch,

as

in

the

HD

-19.

Instead,

the

mic

is

connected

to

the

transceiver

in

the

normal

way,

and

the

patch

connects

to

jacks

provided

on

the

back

of

the

SB

series

transmitters

and

transceivers.

For

additional

detai

ls

and

specifications,

see

listing

under

HD-

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

:H:D-15

19.

The

HD

-15

is

a

simple

device

and

works

very

well. Th

ere

is

very

li

tt

le

to

go

wrong.

It

is

easy

to

install,

adjust,

and

use

.

The

HD-15

was

a

very

successful

product

and

was

on

th e

market

for 17

years.

It

was

replaced

by

the

H D

-1515-becom-

i

ng

part

of

Heath's

"little

b

rown

box"

series.

HD-

1

5s

are

not

rare

an

d

frequently

are

seen

at

fl

ea

markets.

Two-

tone

green

wrink

le.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

9.25"

wide

x 2.5"

high

x

3.5"

deep

HD-19

,

HD-1515

83

:H:D-16

~

f

H&df§fHilJ

Code

Practice

Oscillator

unit

is

in

good

shape,

the

battery

holders

can

Manufactured: 67-

74

Price:

$8.95

Comments:

The

HD-16

is

a

real

clas

sic

and

a

bat-

tleship

of

a

CPO

.

Heath

must

have

thought

it

would

be

subjected

to

some

abuse

by

frustrated

would-be

novices

trying

to

learn

the

code, so

it

over

-

designed

the

HD

-16

in

every

way.

Today

the

metal

cabinet

would

be

worth

more

than

$20

all

by

itself.

The

HD-16

featured

separate

volume

and

tone

controls,

a

built-in

speaker,

key

jack,

and

headphone

jack.

Heath-apparently

not

wanting

to

miss

the

scouting

merit

badge

mar-

ket-even

built

in

a

light

that

could

be

flashed.

The

HD-16

replaced

the

older

C0

-1,

uses

a

uni-

junction

transistor,

and

is

powered

by

two

9

volt

transistor

batteries

and

one

"C"

cell

for

the

light.

Eventually

reality

(

and

economics)

caught

up

with

Heath

and

the

HD-16

was

replaced

with

the

plastic

-

cased

HD-1416(A)

(see

listing).

Too

bad.

The

HD-16

is

finished

in

classic

SB

two-

tone

green

wrinkle

paint.

Be

sure

to

check

for

battery

damage

-

but

don

't

necessarily

let

it

stop

you

from

buying.

Assuming

the

outside

of

the

84

be

replaced.

The

HD

-

16

was

originally

supplied

with

a

key

,

but

the

key

is

seldom

found

with

the

units

today.

While

thou

-

sands

were

sold

,

HD-16s

show

up

at

flea

mar-

kets

much

less

often

than

one

might

suspect.

Wei

ght/Size: 3

lbs

; 4.75"

wide

x 4"

hi

gh x 4.25"

deep

C0-1

,

HD-1416(A)

H E

..A..T

HK

IT

Phone

Patch

Manufactured: 60-65

Price:

$34.95

Comments:

The

HD-1

9

was

Heath's

first

phone

patch.

It

uses

a

special

hybrid

transformer

to

achieve

very

high

isolation

between

the

receiv-

ing

and

transmitting

lines

.

The

HD-19

allows

both

VOX

and

manual

operation

and

is

placed

in

operation

by

a

single

switch.

The

HD-19

fea

-

tures

separa

te

controls

for

transmit

gain,

receive

gain,

and

patch

on/off. A

VU

meter

pro-

vides

levels

and

permits

a

convenient

check

for

null

depth

.

The

patch

is

designed

to

operate

with

a

standard

telephone

line

impedance

of

600

ohms,

and

provides

a

null

depth

of

30

db

mini-

m

um

between

receive

and

transmit

lines

.

Receiver

impedance

:

3-16

ohms

.

Transmitter

impedance:

600

ohm

or

high

impedance

output

.

Eventually

Heath

redesigned

the

HD-19

to

A Guide to the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Products

:H:D-19

bring

it

in

line

with

the

SB

series,

rereleasing

it

as

the

HD-15.

This

was

pretty

much

a

matter

of

cosmetics,

as

the

insides

didn't

change

much

at

all.

The

HD-19

has

a

green

front

panel

and

a

light

green

or

gray

cabinet.

The

panel

meter

is

most

often

seen

with

a

ye

llo

wish

face,

though

white-faced

meters

have

been

observed.

Rare.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

7.25"

wide

x

4.

75"

high

x

4.25"

deep

HD-15,

HD-1515.

85

HD-80

Crystal

Calibrator

Manufactured:

60-67

Price:

$14.95

Comments:

$14.95

was

a

lot

of

money

in

1960,

but

the

HD

-20

sold

very

well.

In

side

this

little

box

are

a

100

kHz

crystal,

a

sing

le

transistor

oscillator,

and

a 9

volt

battery.

The

HD-10

puts

out

accurate

markers

from

100

kHz

to

more

than

54

MHz

and

calibrates

to

WWV

with

a

sma

ll

trimmer

on

the

back.

Many

of

these

have

been

user

modified

for

external

power.

The

binding

post

cap

originally

was

red

an

d

early

units

were

fitted

with

metal

TX

-1-

sty

le

knobs.

Later

mode

ls

used

a

sma

ll

gray

plastic

knob

of

the

sty

le sh

own

on

the

AC-1

elsewhere

in

this

book

. Be

sure

to

check

for

battery

damage

(t

he b

ack

is

open).

Fin

-

ished

in

two-tone

gree

n

Rare.

Weight/Size: 1

lb;

2.5"

wide

x 4.25"

high

x

2.75"

deep

PM-2

86

lE=

~f

HMii'H+I

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

I@

~

fHMiHH+i

Electronic

Keyer

Manufactured:

75-84

Price:

$59.95

Comments:

Unlike

its

predecessor,

the

HD-10,

the

HD

-1

410

is

a

very

nice

keyer

and

features

se

lf-

comp

l

eting

,

iambic

operatio

n . T

he

keyer's

mecha

n

ical

action

is

eas

il

y a d

juste

d

(from

inside)

and

has

a

nice

action

beca

u

se

it

u

ses

con-

tactors,

not

microswitches

.

The

1410

is

fu

ll

y

solid

state

and

can

be

wired

for

one

of

two

speed

ra

n

ges

(

from

under

10

to

over

35

WPM

or

under

10

to

over

60

WPM),

as

well

as

right-

or

l

eft

-

hand

operation

.

The

d

ot

/

dash

we

i

ghting

is

good

but

is

not

adjustable

.

The

front

panel

includes

a

p

il

ot

light

and

controls

for

on/off/volume

and

speed.

The

speed

control

pu

lls

out

to

provide

a

"t

u

ne"

mode

.

Features

include

a

bui

lt -

in

120

VAC

power

supply

, a

built

-

in

speaker

,

and

adjustab

le

sidetone

freq

u

ency

(inside

). Th e

keyer

provides

negative

and

positive

l

ine

to

ground

keying.

Positive

line

to

ground

keying

is

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

Hil-1410

300

volts

200

ma

maxim

um.

Negative

line

to

ground

is

200

vol

ts

10

ma

maximum.

Rear

panel

connections

in

clude

12

VDC

power

in

,

keyer

ou

t,

h

eadphones,

r

eceiver

audio

in

(route

d

to

head

-

ph

ones)

,

and

externa

l

key

(straight

key,

not

pad

-

dl

e).

Designe

d for

120

VAC,

50

-60

Hz

or

10-14.5

VDC

150

ma

operation.

The

t

wo-tone

green

wrink

le

cabi

n

et

is

nicely

weighted

for

mecha

ni-

cal

sta

bi

lity.

Th

e

HD-

1410

was

t he

most

pop

ul

ar

of

Heath's

keyers

an d

arg

u

ably

one

of

the

most

popu

l

ar

keye

r s

ever

made

by

an

yone.

They

are

frequent

ly

seen

at

swap

meets

an d

many

of

t h

em

are are

still

on

t he

air.

Wei

ght/Size: 5

lbs

; 5"

wide

x 3"

high

x 7.5"

deep

HD-10

, HD-8999,

SA-5010{A}

87

:H::0-1416(A.)(:H:)

Code

Practice

Oscillator

Manufactured/Price:

HD-1416

75-86

$24.95

HD-1416A

87-88

$24.95

HD-1416H

88-91 $24.95

Comments:

Compare

the

H

D-14

16

to

its

prede-

cessor

the

HD-16

(see

listing)

and

you

wi

ll

be

astonis

h

ed

to

find

th

at

the

l

ast

year

it

was

sold,

the H D-

1416-a

simple

three

transistor

CPO

in

a

tiny

pl

astic

box-cost

about

th

ree

times

what

t he HD-16 did.

Now

that's

economics

for

you.

Th e

HD

-1 416

features

a

built

-in

speaker,

vol-

u

me

control,

tone

contro

l

(on

back),

headphone

jack,

a

nd

bin

di

ng

post

s for

the

key

(included).

It

also co

ul

d

be

used

as

a

si

d

eto

ne osc

ill

ator

for

transmitters

using

grid-b

l

ock

keying

(400

vol

ts

negative

maximum

),

though

it

is

doubtful

t h

at

many

were

ever

used

in

t h

is

way

.

The

HD

-1416

operates

from

a

sing

le 9 volt

battery

.

The

origi-

nal

1416

had

a

gray

cabinet

an

d a

green

front

pane

l.

The

only

differ

e

nces

in

the

versions

are

a

new

style

knob

and

the

color.

The

origina

l

is

green,

the

A

is

brown,

and

t he H is

black.

Weight/Size:

2 lbs;

4.25

" wide x

2.5

" high x

4.25"

deep

C0-1

,

HD-16

, HD-1426

88

(E;

~

f

UP&f

HHilJ

H E

.A..T

H K I T

~

·ue&tne+il

Active

Audio

Filter

Manufactu

re

d:

83-91

Price

: $49 .95

Comments:

One

of

the

first

in

the

"little

brown

box"

series,

the

HD-1418

is

a

very

useful

gizmo

that

works

quite

well.

Just

plug

it

in

between

your

receiver

audio

output

and

your

speaker

and

filter

out

QRM.

Th

e

1418

features

12

total

poles

of

filtering

that

can

be

combined

in

various

ways

to

make

better

copy

out

of

closely

packed

AM,

SSB,

or

CW

signals.

The

1418

features

separate

high

and

low

pass

filters

that

are

a 5-

pole

tun-

able

elliptical

type

with

a

300

-

3500

Hz

range

at

-

6

db

.

The

notch

/

peak

fil

ter

is

a 2-

pole

tunable

type

creating

a

notch

as

narrow

as

200

hertz

and

as

deep

as

30

dB.

Input

impedance

is

Hi

-

Z,

5000

ohm

minimum.

Nominal

gain

is

unity

.

The

audio

amplifier

output

is

1

watt

into

4

ohms.

Input

/

output

connections

are

RCA

phono

jacks.

"

Tape

out"

is

at

-20 dB.

Note

that

the

headphone

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

HD-1418

jack

is

a

mono

connector

and

that

you'll

have

to

use

an

adapter

if

you

use

st

ereo

phones.

When

the

HD

-

1418

is

switched

off,

signals

are

bypassed

around

it

.

The

HD

-

1418

u

ses

22 com-

mon

ICs

a

nd

requires

7-13.5 VAC

or

9-18

VDC

at

400

ma

maximum.

The

unit

is

designed

for

stan

-

dard

"power

cube"

operation

and

is

enclosed

in

a

brown

cabinet.

Lot

s

of

these

are

still

in

service.

Medium

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 3

lbs

; 9"

wide

x 2"

high

x 6.5"

deep

Little

Brown

Box

series

89

:E-3::0-1480

r§:

2*

IH?&f

UH+IJ

VLF

Receiving

Converter

ence.

The

unit

works

quite

well

but

a

good

Manufactured: 85-91

Price:

$49.95

Comments:

The

HD-1

420

is

another

"

little

brown

box"

product.

Connected

betw

een

your

antenna

and

receiver,

the

HD-1420

l

ets

you

tune

in

VLF

signals

between

10

an

d

500

kHz.

Th

ese

signa

ls

are

fed

from

the

converter

to

your

receiver

and

appear

between

35

10

a

nd

4000

kHz.

The

act

u

al

frequency

of

the

VLF

station

being

received

is

the

di

al

frequency

shown

on

your

receiver

minus

35

00

kHz

.

Th

e

HD-1420

is

about

as

s

impl

e a

device

as

one

could

ask

fo

r.

There

is

no

align

-

ment

or

tuning

to

be

done

.

Th

e

front

p

anel

con-

tains

on

ly a

pilot

li

ght

and

a

sing

le

control-the

on/off

switch

.

Ju

st

conne

ct

th

e box

an

d

turn

it

on.

Rear

pan

el

connect

ion

s

include

only

the

power

connector

and

two

S0-239s

(

input

from

antenna

an

d

output

to

receiver

).

When

unit

is

switched

off

,

signals

are

byp

assed

aroun

d

it.

A

few

tips

on

use:

Any

long

wir

e

antenna

will

clo-

the

lon

ger

the

better.

Al

so

,

be

s

ur

e

to

use

a

s

hi

e

ld

ed

cab

le

b

etween

the

converter

a

nd

your

receiver.

This

will

c

ut

down

on

80

meter

int

e

rfer-

90

antenna

is

essential

-

and

a

vertica

l

one

is

best,

followed

by

a l

ong

ran

-

dom

wire

.

WARNING:

If

you

u

se

the

HD-1420

with

a

transceiver

of

any

kind

be

s

ure

to

remove

th

e

converter

from

the

RF

lin

e

before

transmit-

tin

g.

Fai

lu

re

to

do so

will

result

in

destruction

of

the

converter.

The

1420

u

ses

one

IC

and

two

transistors

and

runs

on

one

9 vo

lt

transistor

bat

-

tery,

or

6-14

VDC

at

20

ma,

an

d

is

enclosed

in

a

brown

cabinet.

Medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 1

lb;

5"

wide

x 2.25"

high

x 5"

deep

Little

Brown

Box

series

HE

A.TH

KIT

lE=

~

f

H?&f

HHE'J

:a::o-14aa

CAJ

Antenna

Noise

Bridge

range:

0-

200

ohms.

Capacitance

range

:

plus

or

minus

60

pF.

Manufactured /

Price:

HD-1422 85-89 $49.95

HD-1422A 89-91 $49.95

Comments:

The

HD

-

1422

Antenna

Noise

Bridg

e

is a

very

u

se

ful,

though

little

under

sto

od, gizmo.

Valuable

for

the

serious

antenna

experimenter,

it

may

be

of

little

interest

to

the

average

"a

ppli-

ance

operator,"

and

Heath

probably

di

dn't

sell

many

of

these.

Unlik

e

an

SWR

bridge

,

which

tells

you

how

well

an

antenna

is

matched

to

your

transmitter

, a

noise

bridg

e t e

lls

you

what

is

causing

any

mi

sm

atch.

The

HD

-

1422

is

a

tone-

modulated

,

broadband

noi

se

generator

coupled

to

an

impedance

bridge.

Using

your

station

receiver

,

the

impedance

bridge

measures

the

resistive

and

reactive

components

of

your

anten-

na.

The

1

422

may

also

be

used

to

pre

-

tune

an

antenna

tuner

,

to

tune

quarter

wave

transmis-

sion

lines,

a

nd

to

find

the

value

of

unknown

capacitors

and

inductors.

A

ll

in

all,

a

hand

y

de

vice

-

for

the

serious

HF

antenna

person.

Hav

i

ng

t he

instruction

book

would

be

very

he

lp-

fu

l

in

learning

to

u

se

th e

HD-1422.

Resistance

A Guide to the

Amateu

r

Radio

Products

Operating

range

:

1-30

MHz.

Front

pane

l

includes

power

on/

off

and

pilot

li

ght

and

con

-

tro

ls

for

resista

n

ce

and

reactance.

The

rear

panel

ha

s

two

80

-

239

connectors

(marked

"unknown"

and

"receiver"

), a

ground

l

ug,

and

a

standard

DC

external

power

connector.

The

unit

can

be

calibrated

using

your

station

receiver.

T

he

HD

-1422

is

designed

to

ru

n

on

one

9-volt

battery

or

9-

11

VDC

at

45

ma

externa

l

power

.

As

far

as

I

can

determine,

there

is

no

difference

between

the

1

422

and

th

e

1422A.

Enclosed

in a

brown

cabinet.

You

don't

see

many

of

the

se

since

not

too

many

were

so

ld

and

most

peop

le

who

bou

ght

th

em

sti

ll

u

se

them

.

Weight/Size: 2

lbs

; 5"

wide

x 2.25"

high

x 5"

deep

Little

Brown

Box

series

91

HI:>-1484

(.A)

Active

Antenna

Manufactured/Price:

HD-1424

85-89

$49.95

HD-1424A 89-91 $59.95

Comments:

Essentially

an

antenna

pre-amplifi-

er

,

the

HD-1424

can

be

used

with

very

short

wire

antennas

(only

a few

feet

long

)

or

its

own

tele

-

scoping

antenna

to

provide

good

reception

of

sig

-

nals

between

300

kHz

and

30

MHz

.

It

also

can

be

used

as

a

pre

-

selector

and

pre-amplifier

for

both

indoor

and

outdoor

antennas.

The

1424

uses

a

simple

three

-

transistor

circuit

.

The

front

panel

includes

a

pilot

light

and

controls

for

power

on/off,

gain

,

band

,

and

tuning.

The

rear

panel

has

two

S0-239s

(

input

for

antenna

and

output

to

receiver)

and

a

standard

DC

power

connector.

The

telescoping

antenna

connects

to

a

terminal

on

the

rear

panel.

Tip:

Don't

run

the

gain

too

high

or

receiver

overloading

may

occur.

Also,

92

oscillations

may

occur

if

gain

is

run

too

high

.

This

is

especially

a

problem

when

used

with

receivers

having

plastic

cases.

The

unit

is

designed

to

run

from

a

sing

le 9

volt

battery

or

6-

14

VDC

external

power.

The

HD-1424

is

a

useful

accessory

for

the

SWL

and

works

very

well

.

As

far

as

I

can

determine,

there

is

no

difference

between

1424

and

the

1424A.

Enclosed

in

a

brown

cabinet.

Fairly

common.

Wei

g

ht

/

Si

z

e:

2

lb

s;

5"

wide

x 2.25"

hi

gh x 5"

deep

Little

Brown

Box

series

HE

.AT

HK

IT

[(

~f¥'¥4Hi*i*l

Field

Strength

Meter

Manufactured:

77-80

Price:

$12.95

Comments:

Until

Heath

released

the

HD-1426

,

it

hadn't

had

a

field

strength

meter

in

its

product

line

since

the

PM-2

in

1967.

The

HD-1426

is

a

simple

self-powered

accessory

useful

in

trans-

mitter

and

antenna

adjustments.

It

features

a

built-in

printed

circuit

antenna,

a

binding

post

for a

whip

antenna,

and

a

se

nsitivity

control.

Its

useful

frequency

range

is

1.8-250

MHz

and

it

is

designed

for

transmitter

outputs

from

1

to

1000

watts

.

The

HD-1426

was

a

short-lived

product,

and

Heath

probably

didn

't

se

ll

very

many

.

Cabi-

net

is

gray;

front

panel

is

green

.

Rare.

Weight/Size: 2

lbs;

4.25"

wide

x 2.5"

high

x

4.25"

deep

PM-1, PM-2,

HD-1416

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

HD-1486

93

:H:D-1481

Antenna

Switch

Manufactured: 84-91

Price:

$89.95

Comments:

The

HD-

1

481

replaced

the

SA

-

1480

(see

listing

),

but

for a

brief

time

these

two

prod-

ucts

were

on

the

market

together.

Like

the

SA-

1480

,

the

HD-1481

is

a

device

for

the

remote

switc

hing

of

antennas

sharing

a

common

feed-

line

to

the

shack.

Un

li

ke

the

SA-1480,

the

HD

-

1481

contro

l

unit

(w

hich

contains

the

power

sup-

ply)

uses

the

station

RF

coaxial

cable

to

route

switching

signals

to

the

relay

switch

box

mount

-

ed

on

th

e

tower,

or

wherever.

The

1481

can

select

up

to

four

antennas.

The

sw

itch

will

handle

up

to

2000

watts

PEP

with

a

VSWR

of

1.15

: 1

or

less

94

[@

~

f§f

ff§i§f

HilJ

below

30

MHz.

CAUTION:

A

VSWR

higher

than

about

3:1

(eve

n

momentarily)

can

damage

the

control

unit

.

The

1481

is

designed

for

120

VAC,

50160

Hz

operation

and

is

enclosed

in

a

brown

cabinet

.

The

units

are

medium

rare

and

still

are

very

much

in

demand

.

Weight

/

Size:

5

lbs;

control

unit 5"

wide

x 2.25"

high

x 5"

deep

SA-1480

, Little

Brown

Box

series

HE

.AT

HK

IT

®

~

'#

1

*Si¥f

&fi

Phone

Patch

Manufactured:

85-87

Pr

i

ce

: $49.95

Comments:

The

HD-1515

is

a

fully

solid-state

device

that

utilizes

an

integrated

active

speech

and

transmission

circuit.

Direct

connection

to

the

phone

line

is

made

possible

through

a

bui

lt -

in

active

low

voltage

polarity-protection

inter

-

face

circuit.

The

HD-1515

derives

its

power

directly

from

the

phone

line

but

may

be

battery

operated

with

phone

line

s

exhibiting

low

voltage

conditions.

Special

speech

tr

a

nsmis

s

ion

circuits

re

place

the

conventional

hybrid

transformer

and

perform

th

e

4-wire

to

2-wire

radio-to-phone

line

conversion.

Front

panel

controls

include

power

on

/off,

tran

sm

it

gain,

and

rec

eive

gain.

Connec-

tion

to

phone

lin

e

is

ma de

via

a

standard

modu

-

lar

connector

on

r

ear

panel.

Th

e

re

ar

panel

also

provides

access

to

line

null

controls.

Features

include

an

8-pole

filter

,

PTT

or

VOX

operation,

and

a

built-in

d

etector

circuit

for

adj

u

stme

nt

with

a

VTVM

or

VOM.

Telephon

e

loop

input

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

HIJ-1515

impedance:

600

ohms

,

polarity

protected.

Receiver

output

to

phone

line:

not

to

exceed

-9

dBm

(278

m V).

Transmitter

output

to

radio:

25

m V

into

a

22

k

ohm

load

at

1000

hertz.

Receiver

input

impedance:

3-50

ohms.

The

1515

is

pow-

ered

by

phone

line

or

internal

9

volt

battery.

I

MPORTANT:

DO

NOT

install

a

battery

unless

it

is

needed.

The

HD

-

1515

works

well

enough

but

is

a good

example

that

more

technology

is

not

always

better.

Brown

in

color.

Not

a

big

sell-

er.

Not

seen

very

often.

Wei

ght/Size: 2 lb

s;

5. 75"

wide

x

1.

75"

hi

gh x

3.75"

deep

Rel

ated

Produ

c

ts:

HD-15

,

HD-19

,

Little

Brown

Bo

x

series

95

HD-1580

Touch-Tone

Decoder

Manufactured:

85-90

Price:

$79.95

Comments:

The

HD-1530

was

a

nice

idea,

but

it

didn

't do

very

much

and

it

was

relatively

expen

-

sive

.

Basically,

the

HD-1530

connects

between

your

receiver

audio

output

and

a

speaker.

It

then

keeps

the

speaker

muted

until

it

hears

the

correct

Touc

h-

Tone

code

-y

our

basic

tone

-

call-

ing

scheme.

Th

e

HD

-

1530

also

can

provide

a con-

tact

closure

for

sing

le

functio

n

contro

l

of

a

repeate

r

or

autopatch

(or

anything

else

for

that

matter)

upon

receipt

of

the

right

code.

The

oper-

ative

phrase

here

is

"s

ingle

function."

You

have

to

have

an

HD

-1530

for

each

function

you

want

96

rE=

~

fH?df§fHEI

to

control.

The

on

ly

front

panel

control

is

th e

on

/off

push

button

.

Three

front

pane

l

LEDs

indicate

power

on

/off,

receipt

of

tone,

and

device

on

/off. A

user

pro

-

grammab

le

two-digit

Touch-Tone

se

quence

tog-

gles

the

unit

on

and

off.

The

1530

can

be

set

to

turn

off

the

device

automatica

ll

y

under

contro

l

after

8

minutes.

It

uses

7 .5-11 VAC

or

11-16

VD

C.

Enclosed

in

a

brown

cabinet.

Rar

e.

Weight/Size: 2

lbs;

T'

wide

x 2.25"

high

x 5"

deep

Little

Brown

Box

series

H

El

AT

HK

IT

[§

~

fff&ifii*f@

Antenna

Rotator

"IntelliRotor"

Manufactured:

90-92

Price:

$279.95 (excluding rotator

motor

and

cable)

Comments:

Ava

il

able

in

kit

or

assemb

l

ed

form,

the

HD-

1780

is

compatib

le

wit

h

many

popular

rotators

including

a

ll

Ham

-M

(series

3,4,5

and

6),

Ham-II

,

Ham

-II

I,

Ham

-

IV,

CD

E,

TR

-44, CD-

45

(ser

i

es

2),

and

M2.

The

QWERTY

keyboard

lets

you

swing

the

antenna

based

on

entry

of

ca

ll

sign

prefix,

grid

sq

u

are,

l

at

i

tude

an

d

longi

-

tude,

bearing

in

degrees,

or

first

few l

etters

of

the

country.

The

unit

has

a

ROM

database

of

400

countries

and

a

ll

ows

you

to

ad

d

10

head

i

ngs

of

your

own.

T

he

1

780

also

can

be

connecte

d

to

and

contro

ll

ed

by

your

PC

(

with

supplied

software)

and

can

report

headings

in

20

WPM

morse

for

visua

ll

y

impai

r

ed

users.

Features

incl

ud

e

motor

pu

l

sing,

automatic

brakes,

and

in

i

tia

l

back

-

rota-

tion

to

protect

brakes

from

locking

due

to

win

d

l

oading.

A

spec

ial

120

VAC

power

supp

ly

module

connects

via

ca

bl

e;

specifications

are

not

avai

l-

A Guide to the

Amateu

r

Radio

Products

HD-1780

able.

Made

off

-

shore

and

designed

by

H

eath

for

Telex

as

on

OEM

product.

Make

sure

you

get

the

i

nstruction

book. Also,

if

you

want

to

contro

l

it

with

a

PC,

you

must

have

the

software

.

Caution:

The

HD

-178

0 is a

nice

gizmo,

b

ut

if

it

ever

goes

down,

chances

of

getting

it

fixed

are

remote.

Rare.

Weight/Size: 6

lbs

-

dimensions

not

available

none

97

:B:I:>-SOOS

II5

~

f

U@i§'&fi

RI

I

VTuning

Indicator

almost

any

interface

or

terminal

unit

with

a

scope

output

for

tun

-

"Crossfire"

Manufactured:

84-86

Price:

$59.95

Comments:

The

HD-3006

was

on

the

market

on

ly

two

years.

The

idea

was

to

rep

l

ace

the

oscillo-

scope

-

the

t r

aditiona

l

means

of

tuning

in

a

RTTY

signal-with

a

tiny,

low

cost,

solid-state

device.

The

HD

-

3006

uses

16

LEDs

to

indicate

correct

tuning.

Eight

vertica

l

LEDs

indicate

mark

strength,

and

8

horizontal

indicate

space

strength

.

Just

tune

t he

receiver

for

maximum

vertical

and

horizontal

display.

The

unit

has

a

wide

voltage

range

and

is

compatib

le

wit

h

98

ing.

Input

level

threshold

: .3

volts

RMS

AC

or

.5

vol

ts

DC.

Maximum

input:

15

volts

RMS

AC

or

15 vol

ts

DC.

Each

axis

requires

about

14

dB

no-

signal

-

to

-

signal

voltage

ratio

(5:1) for

full

width

display

.

Runs

on

8-

16

vo

l

ts

AC

/

DC.

Brown.

Medium

rare

.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

5"

wide

x 3.25"

high

x 4"

deep

Little

Brown

Box

series

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

lB

~

'§f

if

f

Hi*i@

H:O-SOSO

RI

I

VTerminal

Interface

sh

ifts).

P

reselect

filters

for

170

hertz

is

option

-

Manufactured:

84-87

Price:

$249.95

Comments:

The

HD-3030

can

se

nd

a

nd

receive

ASCII

and

Baudot

RTTY

,

as

we

ll

as

CW,

an

d is

designed

with

eight

p

lu

g

-in

PC

boards

and

a

moth

er

bo

ar

d. F

ea

tur

es

include

6-pole

ac

tiv

e

pre-s

e

lect

filtering

,

data

rates

up

to

300

ba

ud

,

TTL

and

RS-232C

I/O, a

nd

a

built-in

20/60

ma

loop

supp

ly for

old-style

terminals.

Also

features

crystal

controlled

AFSK

generator,

capability

for

full

FSK

with

equipped

tran

smit

t

ers,

and

true

mark/space

det

ecti

on

.

An

autostart

function

energizes

an

AC

receptacle

on

rear

pan

el.

The

front

panel

h

as

LEDs

for

power,

se

nd,

RDA

,

mark,

and

space

and

a

10-s

eg

ment

bargraph

t

unin

g

indicator.

Front

panel

contro

ls

includ

e

flag-type

pushbuttons

for power, ope

rate/stand-

by

,

se

nd

/

receive,

CW

/

RTT

Y,

send

/

rece

i

ve

(

rever

se

shift),

preselect/byp

ass,

and

170

,

425

,

and

850

hertz

(i

ndependent

an

d

inter

lo

ckab

le

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Rad

io

Products

al.

An

optional

425/850

H z

filter/shift

board

provides

a

425

or

850

shift,

but

not

both.

This

option

is

chosen

during

assemb

l

y.

Rear

panel

connectio

n s

include

a loop

j

ack

in

put

(

100

VDC @ 20

or

60

ma

),

25-pin

DB-

25

I/O

connector

for

TTL

and

RS-232C

comput

-

ers,

terminal

and

printers,

120

VAC

340

watt

autostart

out

let

,

an

d

gro

und

post.

There

also

are

provisions

for

scope

tuning

output.

Th

e

CW

demodulator

ce

nter

freq

u

ency

is

750

Hz

. -3

dB

bandwidth

is

70

Hz.

-20

dB

bandwidth

is

240

Hz.

Without

the

manual

,

you

could

be

sorry.

Brown

.

Me

dium

rare

.

Weight/Size: 8

lbs;

7.5"

wide

x 3"

high

x

10

"

deep

HD-3006, Little

Brown

Box

series

99

:H:IJ-4040

r®

~

'Hiii§f

i*+IJ

Terminal

Node

Controller

pletely

bypass

the

internal

modem

for

Manufactured:

85-87

Price:

$199

.95

Comments:

The

HD-4040

was

Heath's

first

pack-

et

product.

It

has

most

of

the

feat

ur

es

one

would

expect

in

a

TNC,

including

a

mailbox

, a

beacon

mode,

and

a

repeater

mode.

Features

include

32K

of

ROM

as

4 x

2764

an

d

SK

of

RAM

as

1 x

6264

expan

dabl

e

from

2K

to

16K

RAM

or

ROM

an

d

RS-232C

interface

baud

rates

from

50

to

4800

(optiona

l

to

19,200

). A

parallel

port

pro

-

vides

controller

channel

and

command

channel

,

diagnostic

sig

n

al

port

,

and

a

PROM

programmer

port.

The

modem

input

is

filtered

prior

to

demodulation

an

d

the

filter

consta

nt

can

be

changed

by

a

plug-in

header.

Modulator

is

1200

baud.

An

externa

l

modem

can

plug

in

to

com-

100

faster

baud

rates.

Operating

commands

can

be

stored

in

non-

volatile

RAM

-128

4-

bit

l

ocations.

Protocols

:

AX.25

and

VADCG.

Operating

modes:

command,

conversation,

a

nd

transparent.

The

HD

-

4040

came

with

both

an

assemb

ly

manual

and

a

user

manual.

It

would

be

very

h

andy

to

h

ave

them

both.

120

VAC

50

/

60

hertz.

Brown.

Rare

.

Weight/Size: 5lbs;13.75"

wide

x 2.5"

high

x

7.75"

deep

HDA-4040-1 , HK-232

HE

AT

HK

IT

r@

~

'bdi§'Hf@

CW

Keyboard

"UltraPro"

Manufactured:

83-88

Price:

$249.95

Comments:

The

UltraPro

is

a

microprocessor

based

CW

keyboard

that

was

very

popular

and

is

still

highly

sought

after

.

It

is

built

large

ly

on

two

PC

boards

and

is

a

really

fun

toy-absolutely

loaded

with

features.

It

has

a

professional

quali

-

ty

,

pre

-

assemb

l

ed,

full-stroke

keyboard

with

key

l

ege

nds

that

won't

wear

off.

There

are

10

vari-

able

length

text

storage

buffers

(w

hic

h

can

be

linked

together

for

added

flexibility),

a

64

char-

acter

type-ahead

buffer

with

a 3-color

LED

mon

-

itor,

and

a 4-

digit

LED

display

to

indicate

oper-

a

ting

parameters,

all

of

which

are

se

l

ectable

from

the

keyboard

.

Three

different

4-l

evel

code

practice

modes

w

ill

send

random

lengt

h

or

5-

charactor

groups

wit

h

3,000

characters

sent

A Guide to the

Amateu

r

Radio

Products

HI:l-8999

before

the

sequence

repeats.

The

UltraPro

also

has

a

built

-

in

sidetone

oscillator

and

speaker.

There

also

is

a

self-d

i

agnostic

function

:

if

a

chi

p

fails,

the

chip

number

will

light

up

on

the

dis

-

play.

This

function

also

is

used

during

initia

l

testing.

The

HD-8999

uses

CMOS

memory

with

battery

backup

to

save

buffer

text

.

Speed

range

is

1-99

WPM

in

1

WPM

steps

with

selectable

weighting

.

The

8999

also

features

auto

serial

numbering

from

1-

9999.

Total

text

buffer

capaci

-

ty

is

495

characters.

About

the

only

complaint

heard

is

that

the

pros

i

gn

AA

is

missing.

Keyer

output

is

+25

volts

@

100

ma,

and

-

200

vol

ts

@

40

ma.

Power

requireme

n

ts

are

7.5-11 VAC

or

11-16

VDC @

450

ma

maximum.

The

HD-8999

is

a

real

gem.

Very

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 7

lbs

; 15.5"

wide

x 3"

high

x 8"

deep

HD-10

,

HD-1410

, SA-5010(A)

101

:H:G-10

CB)

External

VFO

Manufactured/Price:

HG-10

61-66 $37.95

HG-108 67-76 $37.95

Comments:

The

HG

-1 0

was

released

in

1961

ju

st

a

few

mont

h s

after

the

DX

-

60

(see

listing

).

Designed

as

a

matc

h

ing

accessory

for th e DX-60,

the

HG

-

10

is

calibrated

to

cover

80-2

meters

b

ut

will

provide

drive

on

220

MHz

and

44

0

MHz

as

well.

The

HG

-

10

and

lOB

are

two

tube

un

its

using

a

series

-

tune

d

Clapp

oscill

ator

(a

var

i

ety

of

Col

pitts)

and

a

cathode

-fo

ll

ower

isolation

stage,

and

wi

ll

provide

5 vol

ts

RMS

output

(to

an

open

circuit).

The

H G-

10

is

designed

for

trans

-

mitters

using

grid-block

keying

(like

the

DX-60

series)

and

most

transmitters

using

cathode

keying

(

like

the

DX-

40

).

Load

impedance:

50,000

ohms

or

hig

her.

Output

frequency:

3.5

to 4 MHz,

7

to

7.425

MHz,

and

8

to

9

MHz.

Features

include

a 28:1

dia

l

drive

turns

ratio,

a "s

pot"

switch

for

off

-th

e-air

tuning,

and

an

i

ll

umina

t

ed

dia l

window

.

Front

pane

l

controls

incl

u

de

off

/

spot

/

operate,

freque

ncy, a n d

band.

Rear

panel

connections

include

an

RCA

phono

RF

out-

102

E

~

fff

WiUH+iJ

put

jack,

a 1/4

inch

jack

for a key,

and

a

cable

for

B+

and

filament

power

.

Power

requirements:

108

VDC

at

25

ma

and

6.3 VAC

or

DC

at

.

74

ma

.

The

HG-lO(B)

can

derive

its

power

directly

frnm

the

DX-60, 60A

and

60B,

and

the

HW-16. CAU-

TION:

Most

HG-

l

Os

you

find

wi

ll

have

been

wired

specifica

ll

y for

the

DX-

60

,

et

al;

however,

it

is

possib

le for

it

to

have

been

u

se

d

with

oth

er

transmitters

as

we

ll

.

Before

you

plug

it

in,

make

sure

you

know

where

it's

been.

The

manua

l

detai

ls

changes

that

are

needed

to

make

it

work

with

non

-

Heath

transmitters

.

Differe

n

ces

between

HG-10

an

d

the

lOB (

there

was

no

Aver

-

sion)

are

purely

cosmetic

.

For

examp

le

both

ver

-

sions

are

two

-

tone

green,

but

the

smooth

finish

of

the

10

was

rep

l

aced

with

a

wrink

le

finis

h

on

the

lOB.

And

on

th e B

version

the

knobs

are

a

darker

shade

of

green.

Th

e

HG-10

and

lOB

are

common,

tu

rning

up

at

flea

markets

with

great

regu

l

arity,

thoug

h B

versions

are

seen

more

often

.

Weight/Size:

12

lbs;

9.5"

wide

x 6.5"

high

x

9.25"

deep

DX-60(A)(B),

HW-16

HE

.AT

HK

IT

[@

~

f¥'¥5i§fi*fiJ

:a::K-asa

(.A)

V.I'

....

~(ol

1ttl

unr-4"1

HI.

#hJ

(....,(1'

f""ll

.....

,.

••X-"

Terminal

Node

Controller

connectors

for

inter-

changeable

H F /

VHF

Manufactured /

Price:

HK-232 87-88 $279.95

HK-232A 88-91 $279.95

Comments:

Rel

eased

in

the

fall

of

1987,

this

was

an

ma

j

or

overhau

l

of

the

HD-4040.

The

HK-

232

is

a

mu

l

timode

TNC

providing

for

HF

and

VHF

packet,

RT

TY,

CW

, AMTOR,

and

WEFAX. It

sup

-

ports

H F

packet

rates

to

300

baud

an

d

VHF

packet

to

9600

baud,

al

though

rates

beyond

1200

b

aud

require

a n

externa

l

modem.

The

TNC-

to-

comp

u

ter

bau

d

rate

can

be

as

h

igh

as

9600

baud

and

the

CW

speed

range

is

from

5-

99

WPM

. Th e

232

supports

a

ll

common

Baudot

RTTY

and

ASC

II

rates.

A

specia

l

"SIGNAL"

com-

mand

causes

the

HK

-

232

to

determine

th e

mode

being

received

and

wi

ll

preset

the

baud

rate

and

mode

.

It

also

will

invert

the

signal

if

required

.

Lots

of

front

pane

l

LED

s

dis

pl

ay

t he

current

operating

mode

and

system

status.

Features

include

two

independe

n

t,

se

l

ectab

le

rear-panel

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

operation

,

an

8-pole

bandpass

filter

fo

ll

owed

by

a

limiter

discrimina

-

tor

with

automatic

threshold

correction,

and

a

bui

l

t-

in

front-panel

LE

D

bar

-

graph

tuning

indi

-

cator.

An

answer

-

back

memory

permits

auto

answer

in

both

Packet

and

RTTY. No

data

is

avai

l

ab

le

on

the

differences

between

the

232

and

the

232A,

although

it

is

likely

there

are

no

dif-

ferences.

Power

req

u

irements:

12

VDC

at

750

ma.

Gray.

Med

i

um

rare.

Weight/Size: 5

lbs

; 8.25"

wide

x 2.5" hi

gh

x

ff'

deep

: HD-4040

103

HL...-aaoo

lF

~

fH&iHH+I

4

Band

HF

Linear

Amplifier

meter

for

plate

cur-

rent.

Rear

panel

con

-

nections

include

phono

Manufactured:

83-84

Price:

$849.95

Comments:

In

the

spring

of

1983

the

venerable

SB

-

221

(see

listing

)

was

replaced

by

the

HL-

2200-the

last

of

the

genuine

Heath

amplifiers.

With

almost

no

added

features

the

2200

was

basica

ll

y

an

SB-221

in

a

cabinet

designed

to

match

the

ill

fated

SS-9000

and

the

HW-5400

(see

listings).

The

price

tag

may

have

been

the

most

substantial

change-the

HL-2200

cost

$250

more

than

the

SB-221.

Like

the

221,

the

2200

uses

a

pair

of

3-500Z

finals

and

covers

80,

40

, 20,

and

15

meter

s.

The

2200

requires

100

watts

of

drive

and

has

a

duty

cycle

of

100

per-

cent

for

SSE

and

CW

and

50

percent

for

RTTY

(maximum

of

10

minutes

key

down

or

RTTY

transmit

time).

The

HL

-

220

will

tolerate

an

SWR

of

2: 1

or

less

and

has

an

input/output

impedance

of

50

ohms

(

unbalanced).

Front

panel

controls

include

tune,

load,

band,

amplifier

in

/

out,

meter

function

,

power

,

and

CW

/

SSB.

The

multi-function

meter

reads

grid

current,

rela-

tive

power

,

and

high

voltage.

There

is

a

separate

104

type

connectors

for

antenna

relay

and

ALC,

S0-

239s

for

RF

input

and

output

,

and

a

ground

post

.

Power

requirements:

120

VAC ,

50

/60

hertz

at

20

amps

maximum

,

or

240

VAC,

50

/60

hertz

at

10

amps

maximum.

Th

e

unit

is

protected

by

two

10-

amp

breakers.

The

2200

is

housed

in

a

brown

cabinet.

Although

it

was

as

reliable

as

its

prede

-

cessor,

the

HL-2200

was

met

with

the

scowls

of

hams

who

viewed

it

as

something

of

a

rip

-off. It

lasted

only

a

year

and

a

half.

The

HL

-

2200

was

th

e

last

true

Heath

HF

amplifier

-

the

SB-1000

(see

listing)

was

not

des

i

gn

ed

by

Heath.

Heath

never

sold

very

many

2200s,

and

becau

se

of

its

short

production

life

,

it

is

not

seen

very

often.

Wei

ght/Size: 68

lbs

;

15

"

wide

x 8.25"

hi

gh x

14.5"

deep

: SB-220,

SB-221

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

r@

~

'§fk&iHi*iiJ

QRP

Wattmeter

Manufactured: 83-91

Price:

$49.95

Comments: T h e

HM

-9

is

another

product

designed

for

the

QRP

and

VHF

markets.

It

is

a

50

watt

power

meter

and

SWR

bridge

th

at

can

be

wired

for

one

of

three

frequency

ranges:

1.8

-

30

MHz,

50-54

MHz,

or

144-148

MHz

. Th e

range

is

chosen

during

construction.

It

is

bu

il

t

on

a

sing

le

PC

board

and

features

two

ranges:

0-5

watts

and

0-50

watts.

Accuracy

is

plus

or

minus

10

percent

of

full-scale

reading

.

The

SWR

sensi-

tivity

is

less

than

1.5

watts

and

the

unit

is

fitted

with

80

-239

connectors

.

Th

e

HM

-9's

broad

fre-

quency

range

made

it

very

popular

,

and

when

H

eat

h

closed

them

out

in

1991

,

they

practically

flew

out

the

door

.

Many

-

if

not

mo

st

-

are

still

in

service.

B

efore

you

buy

one

,

make

sure

you

know

what

frequ

e

ncy

it

has

been

wired

for.

It

is

diffi-

cult

(

but

not

impossible

)

to

re-wire-assuming

you

have

the

manual.

Brown

.

Medium

rare

.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

3

lbs

; 5.5"

wi

de x 2. 5"

high

x T

deep

HFT-9, Little Brown Box

se

rie

s

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

:H:M-9

105

:H:1VL-11

'

!

FUNCTION

SWR

Bridge

Manufactured: 62-65

Price:$15.95

Comments:

In

1962,

He

ath

"

upd

ated"

the

AM-2

with

a

more

mod

ern

looking

meter

an

d

the

clas-

sic

green

paint

finish

and

called

it

the

HM-11.

The

in

sides

didn

't

change.

See

li

sting

und

er

AM-

2 for d

etai

ls

and

specifications

.

Weight

/

Size:

3

lbs;

7.25"

wide

x

4.

75"

high

x

4.25"

deep

AM-2, HM-15, HM-102.

106

®=

~

f

U#&iUH+il

RB

..

L•CT•D

POW•R

M•T•R

SENSmVITY

HE

.AT

HK

IT

SWR

Bridge

Manu

fa

ctured:

66-70

Price:

$14.95

Comments:

The

HM-15

is

the

third

incarnation

of

an

SWR

bridge

that

was

born

as

the

AM-2

in

1957.

In

1962

the

AM-2

was

given

a

new

paint

job

and

called

the

HM-11.

Then

in

1966

the

HM-

11

was

put

in

to

a

new

"low boy"

cabinet,

painted

to

match

the

SB

series

,

and

renamed

the

HM-15.

It

will

handle

up

to

2000

watts

PEP

and

will

operate

from

160

-6

meters

.

It

also

will

operate

with

50

or

75

ohm

lines

depending

on

the

pick-

off

resistors

chosen

during

construction.

For

a

little

more

history

on

this

unit,

see

l

istings

under

AM-2, HM-11.

In

1970

the

HM-15

wou

ld

itself

be

changed

into

the

HM-102

-

the

last

of

the

line.

The

HM-15

ha

s a

light

green

cabinet

and

an

SB

green

wrinkl

e

front

panel.

The

HM-

15

is

another

of

Heath's

most

popular

products,

turning

up

at

flea

mark

e

ts

all

the

time

. He

ath

must

have

sold

zillions

of

them

.

Not

rare

.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

3

lbs

; 9.25"

wide

x 2.5"

hi

gh x

3.5"

deep

AM-2,

HD-11

, HM-102,

HD-15

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

:H:1VL-15

107

:H:1VL-108

HFWattmeter

Manufactured: 70-81

Price:

$34.95

Commen

ts

:

This

is

the

last

and

most

successful

of

the

line

of

SWR

meters

that

began

with

the

AM-

2

in

1957.

In

this

final

iteration

Heath

added

a

wattmeter

and

built

it

all

into

a

smart-looking

cube

adorned

with

the

SB

color

scheme

.

In

1970

,

a low-

cost

wattmeter

was

pretty

much

an

oxy-

moron

.

When

Heath

released

it,

the

HM

-

102

went

out

the

door

so

fast

Heath

cou

ld

hardly

keep

up.

T h e

102

has

two

switch

-

selected

ranges-0

-

200

watts

and

100

-

2000

watts-and

features

a

bu

i

lt-in

calibrator

permitting

10

per-

cent

accuracy

throughout

the

80-10

meter

bands,

low

-l

oss

torroidal

circuitry,

and

a

remov

-

able

remote

sender

unit

that

permits

the

meter

to

be

placed

up

to

six

feet

away

.

The

HM

-

102

is

designed

for

continuous

duty,

has

an

impedance

108

~

1

Hi&ii'H+i1

of

50

ohms,

has

a

working

frequency

range

of

3-

30

MHz

,

and

is

fitted

with

80

-

239

connectors.

In

1973

Heath

re

l

eased

a

matching

VHF

unit-t

h e

HM

-

2102

(see

listing).

The

HM

-

102

h

as

a

light

green

cabinet

and

an

SB

green

wr

i

nkle

front

pane

l. Zill

ions

sold.

These

are

not

rare

but

are

still

in

demand

and

tend

to

se

ll

quickly.

Wei

ght/Size: 3

lbs

; 5.25"

wide

x 5.25"

high

x

6.5"

deep

AM-2,

HM-11,

HM-15, HM-2102

HE

AT

HK

IT

iE

~

1u+1ua+@

VHFWattmeter

Manufactured: 73-81

Price:

$34.95

Comments:

The

HM-2102

was

released

in

time

for

Christmas

in

1973.

It

was

a

big

hit b

ecause

low

-

cost

VHF

wattmeters

were

al

most

unknown

at

the

time.

It

was

designed

to

match

the

popu

-

l

ar

HM-102

HF

wattmeter

and

has

a

frequency

range

of

50

to

160

MHz,

a

maximum

power

rat

-

ing

of

250

watts,

and

a

built-

in

SWR

bridge.

There

are

two

switch-selectab

le

ranges-1

to 25

watts

and

10-250

watts

.

Accuracy

is

10

percent

of

fu

ll

scale.

SWR

sensitivity

is

less

than

10

watts.

Other

features

include

a

removable

remote

sender

unit

that

permits

the

meter

to

be

placed

up

to

six

feet

away.

The

2102

may

be

placed

in

the

line

permanently

with

"

little

or

no

A Guide to the

Amateu

r

Radio

Products

H:L\IL-8108

loss."

The

unit

is

fitted

with

S0

-

239

connectors

and

h

as

a

light

green

cabinet

wi

th

gree

n

wrink

le

front

panel.

The

unit

is

designed

for

50

ohm

antennas

.

At

a

distance

the

HM

-

2102

is

indistin

-

guishab

le

from

HM

-102

making

it

easy

to

over-

look.

The

HM-2102

is

much

more

diffic

ul

t

to

find

than

the

HM-102.

They

are

st

ill

in

de

m

and

sell

qu

ickly

.

Medium

rare

.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

5.25"

wide

x 5.25"

high

x

6.5"

deep

HM-102

109

HM-8103

HF

Load/

Wattmeter

Manufactured:

73-

75

Price:

$69.95

Comments:

It

is

not

clear

why

Heath

made

this

li

ttle

gem

for

on

ly

three

years.

The

HM

-

2103

is

a

wattmeter

and

a

dry

dummy

load

in

one

pack-

age

.

It

was

(and

st

ill

is) a

very

usefu

l

product.

D

esigne

d for

HF

use,

its

op

erating

range

is

from

1.

8

to

30

MHz

.

It

w

ill

prov

i

de

a

50

ohm

non-reac-

tive

loa

d

wit

h 1.2:1

SWR

over

the

fu

ll

range.

The

l

oad

resistor

wi

ll

hand

le 175

watts

continuous

l

y,

500

watts

for 5

min

u

tes,

and

1000

watts

for 2.5

m

inutes.

An

over

l

oad

indicator

light

warns

of

h

igh

temperature

conditions.

This

circ

u

it

is

acti

-

vated

by

a th

erma

l

switc

h

and

requires

a 9 volt

battery

. A

front

pane

l

switch

se

l

ects

two

power

ranges

(0-200

watts

and

0-2000

watts)

an

d a

h

igh

-

temp

in

d

icator

lamp/battery

test.

NOTE:

110

lG=

~

fif&iHH+il

t h e

HM-2103

does

not

contain

an

SWR

br

~

dge.

The

2103

cabi-

net

is

light

green

and

the

front

pane

l

is

wr

i

nkle

green.

These

are

hi

ghly

sought

-

after

units,

and

on

the

rare

occasions

they

show

up

at

a

flea

mar-

ket,

t h

ey

se

ll

in

an

i

nsta

nt .

Very

rare

.

Weight/Size: 6

lbs

; 5.25"

wide

x 6"

high

x

13.75"

deep

HM-102

HE

..AT

HK

IT

lE

~

B'*Sii'HWiJ

HFWattmeter

Manu

fa

ctured

/

Pri

c

e:

HM-2140

79-83

HM-2140A 84-91 $74.95

$99.95

Comments

:

This

handy

little

kit

was

on

the

mar

-

ket

right

to

the

end.

The

HM

-

2140

provides

simultaneous

indication

of

both

forward

and

reflected

power

by

means

of

two

separate

meters

,

and

will

read

PEP

or

average

power.

In

addition,

the

instrument

contains

an

SWR

bridge

.

It

has

a

usable

frequency

range

from

1.8

to

30

MHz

and

will

h a

ndle

forward

power

up

to

2000

watts

and

reflected

power

up

to

500

watts.

Front

pan

el

push

buttons

select

power

ranges

(

0-200

watts

and

0-2000

watts

),

PEP

/

average,

SWR

set/forward/reflected,

a

nd

battery

test,

while

a

control

combines

SWR

sensitivity

and

on/off

function

.

The

2140

has

a

forward

accuracy

of

plus

or

minus

5

percent

and

a

reflected

accu-

racy

of

plu

s

or

minus

7 .5

percent.

The

insertion

SWR

is

less

than

1.05

:1.

The

removable

sensor

unit

is

factory

assembled

and

calibrated

and

can

be

mounted

up

to

6

feet

away

from

the

readout

box

.

The

HD-2140

requires

a 9

volt

battery

and

a

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

HM-8140

jack

is

provided

for

us

e

with

a

power

cube.

The

only

difference

between

the

2140

and

the

2140A

is

the

paint

co

l

or

.

The

2140

is

two-tone

SB

green.

The

"A"

version

was

painted

brown

to

match

the

rest

of

the

"little

brown

box"

series.

Heath

also

took

the

opportunity

to

raise

the

price

$25.

Just

a few

months

after

its

release

in

'79,

Heath

came

out

with

a VHF

version-the

HM-2141.

Tens

of

thousands

of

2140s

were

sold

.

Many

are

still

in

use

.

They

show

up

frequently

at

flea

markets

but

don

't

seem

to

sell

all

that

quickly

.

The

HM-

2140

and

the

HM-2141

are

indistinguishable

from

a

di

s

tance

and

are

easily

confused.

Not

rare.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

3

lbs

; 7.5"

wide

x 4.25"

hi

gh x

6.5"

deep

:

HM-2141

111

HM-8141

UNIT

SHOWN IS

HM-2140,

COSMETICALLY

IDENTICAL.

VHFWattmeter

Manufactured:

79-83

Price:

$79.95

Comments:

Not

as

s

ucces

sfu

l

as

its

HF

cousin,

the

HM-2141

la

sted

only

four

years.

The

2141

is

functionally

identical

to

the

HM-2140

except

that

it

covers

from

50

to

175

MHz

with

a

forward

maximum

of

300

watts

and

a

reflected

maximum

of

100

watts.

Th

ere

are

two

power

ranges:

0-30

or

0-

300

watts

forward

and

0-10

watts

or

0-100

watts

reflected.

See

listing

und

er

HM-2140

for

other

functions

and

specifications

-

they

are

identical.

Requires

a 9

volt

battery.

No

brown

colored

"A"

version

was

ever

made.

The

2141

is

finished

with

the

classic

two-tone

SB

green

wrinkle

paint.

The

HM-2141

an

d

the

HM-2140

are

indistinguishable

from

a

distance

are are

easi

ly

confused.

The

2141

is

very

rare

compared

to

the

HM-2140.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

7.5"

wide

x 4.25"

high

x

6.5

..

deep

HM-2140(A)

112

lE=

~

f

UMf§fH+il

HE.A.TH

KIT

"'

"

"'

"

:.'

-'

=>

"

0..

~

0

z

0

>==

"

w

-'

0

"

w

"'

1-

:;o

0

"'

~

K§

~

fU@SiHi*iiJ

RF

Load

''

Cant

en

na

"

Manufactured/

Price:

HN-31

61-83 $9.95

HN-31A 83-91 $24.95

Comments:

The

Cantenna

RF

Load

is

undeniab

ly

the

l

ongest

running,

most

successful

product

Heath

ever

made

.

It

sold

for

30

years

and

spanned

more

than

three

quarters

of

Heat

h's

amateur

radio

life. It

is

impossib

le

to

say

how

many

gazillions

of

these

were

put

together.

Other

products

came

and

went,

but

the

Canten

-

na

remained

.

It

is

difficult

not

to

wax

nostalgic

over

this

humb

le

product.

Housed

in

a

standard

one

gallon

paint

can

and

so

ld

for

$9.95,

it

remained

plain

black

unt

il

1969

when

it

was

adorned

with

the

familiar

Heath

logo an d a de-

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

HN-31

(.A)

rating

curve

diagram

.

The

original

Canten-

na

came

topped

off

with

a

small

al

uminum

mini-box

with

an

S0-239

and

a phono

jack

DC

pick-off

for

relative

power

measure-

ments

.

In

1983,

the

box

and

the

phono

jack

were

removed

and

the

S0

-

239

was

mounted

through

the

lid

of

the

can.

At

the

same

time,

Heath

removed

the

printing

from

the

can

and

replaced

it

with

a

flashy

three-color

stick

-

on

label.

Th

e

HN-31

provides

a

50

ohm

non-reactive

load

with

an

SWR

or

1.5

:1

from

1.5

to

300

MHz.

It

handles

up

to

1000

watts

and

can

be

filled

with

oil

to

help

cool

the

resistor

.

With

transformer

oil

the

Can

-

tenna

will

handl

e

1000

watts

for

10

min

-

utes.

With

mineral

oil

the

lKW

rating

drops

to

less

than

a

minute

.

CAUTION:

Some

transformer

oils

contain

PCBs-a

suspected

carcinogen.

If

you're

not

s

ure

what's

in

your

Cantenna,

handl

e

it

with

care.

Heath

did

not

supply

oil.

The

original

HN-31

has

a

3:

1

SWR

s

pike

just

above

225

MHz

and

a 2:1

SWR

above

400

MHz

..

The

"A"

version

moved

this

spike

up

to

a

bout

350

MHz

and

lowered

the

SWR

a

bove

400

MHz

to

l

ess

than

1.5:1.

No

shack

should

be

wit

h

out

this

piece

of

history.

It

's

hard

to

go

to

a

flea

mar-

ket

and

not

see

at

l

east

one

Cantenna

.

Wei

ght/

Size

: 3 lbs ;

Size:

See

text

none

113

:a::o-10

AF

lRAf'

S

IN

E \ I I T

:ip

fUNCllON

I <C

,.,

,.

lE§

~

f

H&f

HHFIJ

~

WlfP

FREQ

.

•

fONE GilN. HOR. GAIN

of

dri

ve

and

will h

an

dle

as

much

as

1000

watts.

A

rear

panel

atte

nu

ator

con-

trol

is

used

for

adjusting

the

vertical

deflection

size

based

on

your

input

power

- 0

to

24 dB

in

6 dB

steps.

Vertical

response

is

plus

or

minus

3 dB

from

10

to

500

kHz

with

sens

itivi-

ty

of

500

mv

per

inch

and

an

input

resistance

of

50,000

ohms.

The

horizon

-

tal

section

has

a

response

of

plus

or

minus

3 dB

from

10 to 30

kHz

with

sens

itiv-

ity

of

800

mv

per

inch

and

an

input

resistance

of

1

meg

ohm.

With

respect

to

monitoring

received

sig

-

nals,

the

H0

-10

is

des

i

gn

-

ed

for

use

with

receivers

having

an

IF

frequency

of

500

kHz

or

l

ess

,

an

d con-

t

e§#

'.ili.l;imu'"'

Station

Monitor

Scope

Manufactured:

62-66

Price:

$59.95

Comments:

The

H0-10

monitor

scope

was

brilliant

idea.

In

one

small

box

it

combines

everything

needed

to

do

all

kinds

of

tests,

adjustments,

and

measurements

of

your

transmitter.

It

will

disp

l

ay

wave-envelope

patterns

of

AM, SSB,

or

CW sig-

nal

s;

trapezoidal

patterns

oflinear

amplifier

oper-

ation

or

AM

signals;

an

d

RTTY

cross

patterns.

With

the

right

connection

to

your

receiver,

it

will

also

display

patterns

of

received

signals.

Th

e

H0-

10

uses

5

tubes

(excluding

the

CRT)

and

connects

to

the

RF

line

with

a

pair

of

S0-239s

in

a

sim

ple

loop-through

configuration.

A

built-in

tone

ge

ner-

ator

provides

sing

le-ton

e

or

two-tone

audio

tests

(

1000

/

1700

Hz)

at

mic level

-15

mv

(peak).

Front

panel

controls

include

intensity,

focus,

vertical

and

horizontal

position

and

gain,

sweep

frequency

(approx

10-200 Hz),

tone

generator,

an

d

function

selector.

To

prevent

burning

of

the

CRT, a

clamp

circuit

pulls

the

beam

off

the

face

of

the

tube

when

input

signals

are

not

present.

Rear

panel

connec-

tions

include

loop-throu

gh

S0-239s,

loop-through

phono

jacks

for

exciter

input,

vertical

an

d

horizon

-

tal

phono

inputs

for

rece

i

ved

si

gna

l a

nd

RTTY

input,

and

a

phono

jack

output

for

the

tone

gener-

ator.

(

Th

e

6Jll

compactron

tone

generator

is

unr

elated

to

the

rest

of

the

circuit,

and

if

it

's

bad

,

it

will

not

affect

the

genera

l

operation

of

the

scope.)

The

H0-10

requires

a

minimum

of

5

watts

114

n

ects

through

a

5-15

pf

capacitor

to

the

grid

(preferably)

or

plate

circuit

of

last

IF

stage

of

the

receiver.

It

s

hould

be

noted

that

any

information

gleaned

about

received

signals

monitored

in

this

way

is

suspect

at

best

si

nc

e

there

are

too

many

variables

that

can

affect

the

quality

of

the

incom-

ing

signa

l.

Clearly,

the

monitoring

of

transmitted

RF

is

the

best

use

of

the

H0-10.

Th

e

H0-10

ha

s a

50-75

ohms

coaxial

input

and

a

frequency

cover-

age

of

160

-6

meters.

The

biggest

problem

with

HO-lO

s

seems

to

be

the

power

transformer.

It

is a

special

design

and

if

it

goes

out,

your

best

option

may

be

to

find

a

noth

er

H0-10

(or

H0-13

)

for

part

s.

Often,

HO-lOs

can

be

found

without

the

pow

er

transformer

or

with

a

home

brew

outb

oard

power

supp

ly.

The

H0-10

is

designed

for

120

VAC,

50/60

Hz

operation.

The

H0-10

is

almost

indistin

-

guishable

from

the

matching

H0-13.

The

ca

bin

et

is

finished

in

a

two-tone

green,

d

esigned

to

match

the

TX-1,

et

al,

and

is

fitted

with

a

dark

green

bezel.

The

green

reticu

le

over

the

standard

3

RP1

C

RT

is

an

8 x 8

gri

d.

In

1966

the

H0-10

was

put

into

a

cabinet

that

matched

the

new

SB

series

and

renamed

the

SB-610.

There

are

only a few elec

tri

-

cal

differences

between

the

two

units.

HO

-

lOs

used

to

show

up

at

flea

markets

all

the

time,

but

in

recent

years

have

become

much

more

e

lu

sive.

Weight/Size:

11

lbs;

7.5

..

wide

x 5.25"

high

x

10.5

..

deep

H0-13,

SB-610

,

SB-614

HE

A.TH

KIT

r@

~ff

'*Sf

ff

Hf

I

Pan

adapter

Manufactured:

64-66

Price:

$79.00

Comments:

The

H0-13

is

a

very

clever

and

useful

device.

It

gives

you

a

"picture"

of

band

activity

up

to

100

kHz

wide.

Signals

are

displayed

as

pips

on

the

screen,

and

their

positions

l

eft

or

right

of

the

center

of

the

screen

can

be

interpret-

ed

as

their

frequency

in

kilohertz

higher

or

lower

than

where

your

receiver

is

tuned.

As

you

tune

the

receiver,

the

pips

move

slowly

across

the

screen

.

The

signal

you

hear

is

always

in

the

center

of

the

screen.

The

va

lu

e

of

such

a

gizmo

depends

to

a

certain

extent

on

your

fondness

for

gadgets

.

The

advantages,

however,

are

clear.

You

can

identify

open

frequencies

in

a

band

without

having

to

tune

aro

und.

You also

can

get

an

idea

of

genera

l

band

conditions,

spot

activity

on

a

"deserted"

band,

and

identify

transmission

modes

and

signal

strengths

of

signals

not

tuned

in.

The

H0-13

uses

point-to-point

wiring

and

is

built

around

seven

tubes

(excluding

the

CRT)

and

four

solid

state

diodes

(

in

the

low

voltage

section

).

Connection

to

the

receiver

is

through

a

small

value

capacitor

to

the

plate

of

the

first

IF

stage

.

IMPORTANT:

The

H0-13

must

be

wired

for a

particular

receiver

IF

frequency.

Th

e

unit

originally

was

supplied

with

all

the

parts

need-

ed

to

make

it

work

with

the

following

IF

s:

455,

1600, 1650,

1681,

2075,

2215,

2445,

3000,

3055,

and

3395

kHz

(the

SB

and

HW

series

IF

).

Before

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

H0-13

you

buy

an

H0-13

be

sure

to

find

out

what

IF

it

has

been

wired

for.

To

rewire

for a

new

IF

will

require

the

right

parts

and

the

manual.

While

the

manual

may

be

easy

to

find,

the

right

parts

will

not.

Of

course

if

you

just

need

the

unit

for

spare

parts

it

does-

n't

matter

what

it

ha

s

been

wired

for.

Sensi-

tivity

is

about

50

uV

for

one

inch

of

vertical

deflection.

Frequency

scan

width

is

approxi-

mately

30

to

100

kHz

and

is

continuously

variable.

Resolution

is

approximately

2

kHz.

Using

the

H0-13

takes

some

practice,

but

once

you

become

comfortable

with

it,

it

is

(in

the

author's

opinion)

a

very

useful

accessory.

In

1966

the

H0-13

was

put

into

an

SB

sty

le

cabinet

and

renamed

the

SB-620.

There

are

no

signifi-

cant

electrical

differences

between

the

H0-10

and

the

SB-620.

The

biggest

problem

with

H0-

13s

seems

to

be

the

power

transformer.

It

is

a

specia

l

design,

and

if

it

goes,

your

best

option

may

be

to

find

another

H0-1

3

(or

H0-10)

for

parts.

The

H0-13

is

designed

for

120

VAC,

50/60

H z

operation.

The

H0-13

is

almost

indistin-

guishable

from

the

matching

H0-10.

Early

H0-

13s

were

supp

li

ed

with

standard

3RP1

green

CRTs.

Lat

e

model

unit

s

were

fitted

with

high

persistence

yellow

(PS)

phosphor

tubes,

making

them

visible

across

the

flea

market.

The

reticule

over

the

tube

is

a

sing

le

lin

e

with

ten

divisions.

The

H0-13

is

hou

se

d

in

a

two-tone

green

cabinet

with

dark

green

bezel

and

matches

the

H0-10,

TX-1,

et

al.

Quite

rare-especially

in

good

work-

in

g

condition.

Weight/Size:

12

lbs;

7.5"

wide

x 5.25"

high

x

10.5"

deep

H0-10, SB-620, HW-5404

115

::H:0-5404

rE=

~

f

HW?HHEI

Station

Monitor

Scope

tion

of

t he

band

from

plu

s

and

minus

20

kHz

or

plus

and

minus

100

(with

optional

panadapter)

Manufactured:

85-88

Price:

$249.95

(less

panadapter

module)

Comments:

This

was

Heath's

last

ham

Except

for

th

e CRT,

the

5404

is

a

full

y

s

olid

state

device,

and

combines

the

features

of

the

SB

-

610

and

SB-620

(see

listings),

both

of

which

had

been

discontinued

more

than

10

years

earlier.

Heath

al

so

added

a

little

more

in

the

way

of

general

purpose

scope

features.

Th

e

H0-

5404

displays

standard

AM

,

CW

,

SSE,

RTTY,

and

trapezoidal

patterns,

as

well

as

audio

sig-

nals

to

40

kHz

with

good

sync

capability.

RF

fre

-

quency

coverage

is

from

3.5

to

54

MHz.

Sensitiv-

ity

is

1/4

inch

vertical

deflection

from

10

watts

input

to

3/4

inch

deflection

from

100

watts

input.

Vertical

and

horizontal

amplifier

se

n

si

-

tivity

is

60

mV

per

1/4

inch

defl

ect

ion.

The

optional

panadapter

module

sold

for

$99.95

(though

many

catalog

"specia

ls"

threw

it

in

at

no

extra

charge

)

and

provides

a

vis

ual

representa-

116

kH

z.

These

views

are

a

bit

more

limiting

that

those

of

the

SB-620,

which

was

contin

uou

sly

variable.

Most

users

will

find

t

he

plus

and

minus

100

kHz

view

(200

kHz

total)

too

wide

to

be

of

any

use,

but

most

would

find

plus

and

minus

20

kHz

(40

kHz

total

view

)

to

be

a

lmo

st

id

ea

l

on

a

crowded

band

lik

e

20

meters.

Pan

a

dapt

er

use

requires

connect

ion

to

the

first

IF

stage

of

your

receiver

an

d

is

for

use

with

receivers

that

have

IF

frequencies

of

3395

kHz

(the

SB

and

HW

series

IF

)

or

8830

kHz

(

the

HW-

5400

IF

).

The

unit

is

enclosed

in

a

brown

cabinet

to

match

the

HW-5400,

et

al,

and

is

designed

for

120

VAC,

50/60

Hz

operation

.

Be

s

ure

to

ask

if

the

unit

you're

looking

at

has

the

panadapter

module

.

Although

it

worked

well

enough,

most

people

thought

the

price

tag

on

the

H0-5404

was

a

little

high,

and

Heath

probably

never

sold

very

many.

As a

result,

the

H0-5404

is

quite

rare.

Weight/

Size:

15

lbs;

size

not

available

H0-10, H0-13, SB-610, SB-620

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

rr§

~

1

u&&f

Ui*f'1

Power

Supplies

(AC

for

fixed-station

use)

Manufactured /

Price:

HP-23 63-68 $39.95

HP-23A 68-73 $59.50

HP-23B

73-77

$59.95

HP-23C 77-79 $62 .95

Comments:

These

power

supplies

were

designed

specifically

for

the

SB

and

HW

series

of

radios,

but

can

be

used

with

a

variety

of

other

commer-

cia

l

and

home

brew

equipment.

The

units

pro

-

vide

all

high,

low,

bias,

and

filament

voltages

needed.

Voltage

doubler

circuits

are

used

in

both

the

high

and

low

voltage

sections

.

The

four

ver-

sions

of

the

HP

-23

differ

only

in

small

ways-

their

basic

specifications

are

all

the

same.

Hi

gh

volta

ge

is

820

VDC

no

load

and

700 VDC

at

250

ma.

Capacitor

input

filter

ripple

is

less

than

1

percent

at

250

ma.

High

voltage

duty

cycle

is

100

percent

at

150

ma

and

50

percent

at

300

ma.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

:B:P-ES(.A)(:B)(C)

Low

volta

ge

is

350

VDC no l

oad,

300

VDC

at

150

ma

(high

tap

)

and

275

VDC

no

load,

250

VDC

at

100

ma

(low

tap).

Low

voltage

section

uses

a

capacitor

input

filter

with

6

HY

choke.

Ripple

is

l

ess

than

.05

percent

at

150

ma.

Low

voltage

duty

cycle

is

100

percent

at

175

ma.

Fixed

bi

as

voltage

is

-130

VDC

no

load,

-100

VDC

at

20

ma.

Ripple

is

.5

percent

at

20

ma.

Fixed

bias

duty

cycle

is

100

percent

at

20

ma.

Adjustab le

bi

as

volta

ge is

-40

to -80

VDC

at

1

ma

maximum.

Fila-

me

nt

voltages

are

6.3

VAC

at

11

amps

and

12.6

VAC

at

5.5

amps

.

All

units

are

fitted

with

an

11

"octal

style"

socket

power

connector.

NOTE:

You

may

encounter

some

units

improperly

assembled

with

plugs

and

sockets

switched

around.

The

connector

on

the

power

supply

should

al

ways

be

a

socket.

The

"rig

end"

of

the

cable

connecting

the

power

supp

ly

to

the

rig

may

be

an

11

or

an

8

socket

depending

on

the

model

of

the

radio

the

power

supp

ly

was

used

with.

(See

chart

117

f§

~

1

H¥Sf

¥'i*il

The

following

table

li

s

ts

power

supp

ly

outs

for

all

four

models

and

resistance

charts

to

help

you

field

check

the

supp

ly

for

integrity.

Resistance

s

are

with

r

es

pect

to

chassis

ground

.

Note:

All

filter

caps

have

bleeder

s.

It

is

probabl

y

safe

to

assume

they

are

di

sc

har

ged.

Al

so

note

th

at

the

tran

s

former

primary

win

din

g

cannot

be

resistance

check

ed

wit

hou

t

shorting

pins

9 a

nd

10.

Pin #

HP·23

&

23A

Field Check

HP-238

&

23C

Field Check

fix

ed

bias

22k

or higher fixed bias

22k

or higher

2 fil common infinity fil common infinity

3 low voltage

75k

or

higher low voltage

75k

or

higher

4 high voltage

75k

or

higher high voltage

75k

or

higher

5

NC

infinity

NC

infinity

6 1 2 V filament infinity 1 2 V filament infinity

7 ground 0 ohms ground 0 ohms

8 6 V filament infinity

NC

infinity

9

AC

switch infinity

AC

switch infinity

10

AC

Switch infinity

AC

switch infinity

11

adj

bias 1

Ok-20k NC infinity

HP-23

ha

s

on

/

off

toggl

e

switch

and

pilot

light

(sty

les

vary).

C

hoic

e

of

250

or

300

volt

(low

vo

lt

age)

B+

is

mad

e

by

wirin

g

option

durin

g

ass

embly.

Provides

both

fixed

and

adjustab

le

bia

s,

as

well

as

6

and

12

volt

filaments

.

Fused

120

VAC

plug.

No

240

VAC

operation.

HP-23A

ha

s

on/off

sw

itch

with

se

l

ecti

on

of

250

or

300

volt

B+.

No

pilot

li

g

ht

.

Pro

v

id

es

both

fixed a

nd

adjustable

bias,

as

well

as

6

and

12

vo

lt

filame

nt

s.

Circuit

breaker

re

pl

aces

fused

plug.

120

and

240

VAC

wiring

options.

HP-238

ha

s

on

/

off

sw

itch

with

se

lection

of

250

or

300

volt

B+

.

No

pilot

light

.

Provid

es

only

fixed

bia

s

and

only

12

volt

fila m e

nt.

No

adjustab

le

bi

as

or

6

volt

filament.

Circuit

breaker

operation.

120

and

240

VAC

wiri

ng

options.

HP-23C

has

no

on

/

off

sw

itch

,

or

sw

itch

selection

of

B+

.

Choice

of

250

or

3

00

volt

(low v

oltag

e) B+ is

made

by

wiring

option

during

assem

bly

.

No

pilot

light

.

Circuit

break

er

operation.

120

and

240

VAC

wiring

options.

Thes

e

power

s

uppli

es

are

very

well

design

ed a

nd

p

er

form

nicely

.

Th

e

HP-23A

is

probably

the

most

v

ersa

til

e

of

the

ser

i

es

.

They

are

sti

ll

rather

pl

en

tiful

at

fl

ea

markets

and

often

can

be

had

at

b

arga

in

pric

es

.

CAUT

ION:

Don

't

confus

e

th

ese

with

the

HP-24

.

Th

e

HP-24

lo

oks

th

e

same

but

is

designed

for

use

only

with

the

HA-14

"

Komp

ac

t

Kilowatt

."

Th

e

HP-23

series

is

SB

green

in

color

.

Weight/Size:

19

lbs;

9"

wide

x 6. 75"

high

x

4.

75"

deep

HP-13,

HP-14, HP-24

118

HEATHKIT

r8

~

f

UiSiHi*+il

H~-10(:8)

OH

AJI<\.

oo

"'"

"

<'••

••

<1

oe

.

·

·~

·

-

·

-

5

Band

AM/CW/SSB

Receiver

jacks

for

the

antenna

(50

-

75

ohms)

and

a

spea

k

er

(8

ohms)

.

Manufactured /Price:

HR-10

61-67 $82.95

HR-108

67-75 $75.00

Comments:

Designed

by

Heath

to

match

the

DX-

60

series

of

transmitters,

the

HR-10

and

HR-

lOB

(there

was

no A

version)

are

5-

band

,

80

-

10

meter

receivers

that

will

tune

SSE,

CW,

and

AM

signa

ls.

In

spite

of

the

ir

low

cost

and

slide

-

rule

dia

ls,

they

work

surpr

i

sing

ly

we

ll

.

The

HR

-

10

and

lOB

are

bu

ilt

around

7

tubes

(unlike

the

DX-

60

series,

t h e

power

supplies

are

not

solid

state

...

curious)

and

employ

a

genuine

crystal

lattice

fi

l

ter

in

th e

first

IF

(168

1

kHz)

.

This

fil-

ter

provides

a

selectivity

of

3 kH z

at

6 dB down.

Sensitivity

is

advertised

as

1 u

V.

Image

rejection

is

40

dB

or

better

.

The

coil/

bandswitch

unit

is

pre-assembled

and

tuning

is

fairly

smooth

with

tuning

dial

ratio

of

about

12:1.

The

units

take

at

least

30

minutes

to

stop

drifting,

although

drift

is

not

a

serious

problem.

Also,

the

units

are

not

prone

to

drift

due

to

mec

h

anica

l

vibration.

How-

ever,

there

is

no

voltage

regulation

in

the

power

supply

,

and

this

can

cause

some

sudden

drift

with

ch

anges

in

the

120

VAC

power

lines.

Front

panel

controls

include

po

wer

on/off,

AF

gain,

RF

gain

,

BFO

tune,

band

switch

,

main

tuning,

cali

-

brator

on

/off,

antenna

trimmer,

receiver

/

stand-

by,

BFO

on

/off, AVC

on/off,

and

ANL

on

/off.

There

is

also

a

headp

h

one

jack

on

the

front

panel.

Rear

pane

l

connections

include

phono

A

Guide

to

the

Amateu

r

Radio

Products

There

is

no

bui

lt-

in

speaker.

Th e

rear

pane

l also

contains

a

"meter

zero"

control

for

calibrat

i

ng

the

"S"

meter

and

an

octal

accessory

sock

et.

Th

is

socket

provides

on

ly

receiver

muting

and

is

for

use

in

conjunction

wit

h

the

DX-60

ser

i

es

trans-

mitters.

If

the

mating

plug

is

missing,

pins

1

and

6

of

t

hi

s

socket

must

be

shorted

together

for

nor-

ma

l

operation.

An

optional

crystal

ca

l

ibrator

(HRA

-

10-1)

pl

ugs

into

an

octa

l

socket

near

the

right

rear

corner

of

the

chassis.

Its

presence

can

be

determined

with

vi

sua

l

inspection

by

l

ooking

thro

ugh

the

rear

of

t he

cabinet.

Two-ton e

green

paint

matches

the

DX-60

ser

i

es.

The

r e

are

no

differences

between

the

HR

-

10

and

t he

lOB.

Only

t h e

paint

was

changed

.

Th

e

smooth

paint

of

the

HR

-10

was

changed

to

a

wrinkle

finish

on

the

lOB.

This

was

done

so

the

lOB

wou

ld

matc

h

the

DX-60B's

paint

job.

The

HR

-10

and

lOB

are

designed

for

120/240

VAC

,

50/60

Hz

op

eration.

These

receivers

are

fairly

common.

Weight/Size:

20

lbs;13.75"

wide

x 6.5"

high

x

11

.5"

deep

DX-60

series

, HG-10(8),

HRA-10-1

119

:B:R,-80

rr5=

~

fHidiHHfi

=

' I

1

~

SMU~~

~

C l

L!S#

'

iff

'

*"dEWI

5

Band

SSB/CW

Rece

iv

e r

ohm

speaker

and

500

ohm

headphones.

There

is

no

built-

in

speaker.

Manufa

ctured

: 62

-64

Pr

ic

e: $134.95

Comme

nt

s:

The

HR-20

and

HX-20

are

matching

rigs

designed

primarily

for

mobile

use

and

rep

-

r

ese

nt

a

general

refinement

of

the

MR-1

"C

omanch

e"

and

the

MT

-1 "

Chey

e

nne

,"

which

they

replaced.

Th

e

HR-20

receiver

is

an

8

tube

d

es

ign

covering

80-10

meters

. No

PC

board

s

are

used-all

wiring

is

point

to

point.

It

use

s a

her-

m e

ticall

y

sealed

crysta

l

filter

and

has

a

3000

kHz

first

IF.

Sensitivity

was

advertise

d

as

better

than

1

uV

on

all

bands.

Selectivity

is

3

kHz

at

6

dB

down,

10

kHz

at

60

dB

down

.

It

can

be

used

as

a

mobile

or

fixed

-

station

radio

with

the

appro

-

priate

power

supply.

I

MPORANT:

The

HR

-

20

ca n

be

used

only

in

vehicles

with

negative

ground.

There

is

no

internal

power

supp

l

y.

The

rig

must

be

used

with

either

th e

HP

-

10

or

HP-13

series

(for

mobile

use)

or

the

MP

-1,

HP-20

,

or

HP-23

series

(for

120

VAC

use

).

The

HR

-20

is

stabilized

with

ex

te

nsive

temperature

compen

-

sation,

plate

voltage

regulation

(

0A2

),

and

regu-

lation

of

the

filament

voltage

of

th

e

RF

amp

and

mixer

/osc

illator

with

a

transistor/zener

diode

combination

. A

product

detector

is

used

for

SSB,

CW,

and

AM

signa

ls.

The

BFO

is

crystal

con

-

trolled

and

provides

for

USB

and

LSB

tuning.

Features

includ

e

lig

h

ted

dia

l

and

meter

win

-

dows, a

built-in

series

ANL,

front

panel

sel

e

ction

of

fast

and

slow

AVC

action

, a nd

outputs

for a n 8

120

Front

panel

controls

include

USB

/

LSB

selector,

RF

gain,

AF

gain/power

on/off,

noise

limiter

,

AVC

selector,

main

tuning,

band

s

witch,

anten-

na

trimmer

,

and

SSB

/

CW

/

AM

se

lector

.

Rear

panel

connections

include

an

S0-239

for a

50

ohm

antenna

and

connectors

for

operating

and

control

voltages,

antenna

rela

y,

s

peak

er,

and

h

ea

dphones

.

Power

requir

e

ments:

275-300

VDC

at

120

ma

and

6

volts

at

4

amps

or

12

volts

at

2.5

amps

AC

or

DC.

The

dial

mechani

sm

ha

s a 30:1

tuning

ratio

and

incorporates

a

rotating

drum

.

The

drum

is

fragile

and

may

crack

easil

y.

The

condition

of

this

drum

(a

nd

the

integrity

of

the

band

switching

mechanism

)

should

be

checked

by

rotating

the

band

switch

through

all

posi-

tions.

The

band

switching

mechanism

is

a com-

plicated

scheme

of

springs,

gears,

and

pulleys;

beware

.

Note

that

the

matching

HX-20

does

not

use

a

rotating

drum.

The

HR-20

is

fitted

with

polished

Related Products: TX-1,

RX-1,

HX-10, HA-10

161

M:R--1

~

f

i'Pdii'HilJ

0

--~

-

~·,.;;;~-~~~

-

~,:..--<;-y:;ff'.'~,oJ<7o'''

~~

~

?.,.

$,,'),"£""

'

°"N

..

fLl...J..,L

COMANC

H E

5

Band

AM/CW/SSB

Receiver

dial

drum

as

are

u

sed

in

the

MT-1

(see

com-

ments

under

MT-1)

and

''

Coman

ch

e"

Manufactur

ed:

59-62

Price:

$119.95

Comments:

The

MR

-1

and

MT

-1

are

matching

rigs

designed

primarily

for

mobile

operation,

although

fixed

-

stat

i

on

use

is

possible

.

The

MR-1

receiver

is

an

8

tube,

sing

le-

conversion

super-

h

etero

d

yne

design

coveri

ng

80-10

meters

and

wi

ll

receive

AM, CW,

an

d

SSB

signa

ls. No

PC

boards

are

used-a

ll

wiring

is

point

to

point.

It

u

ses

a

crysta

l l

attice

filter

and

has

a

3000

kHz

I

F.

Sensitivity

was

advertised

as

better

than

1

uV

on

all

bands

.

Selectivity

is

3

kHz

at

6

dB

down,

10

kHz

at

60 dB

down

.

It

can

be

used

as

a

mobile

or

fixed

-

station

radio

with

the

appropri-

ate

power

supply

and

is

designed

for

use

with

either

the

HP

-

10

or

HP-13

series

(for

mobile

use)

or

the

MP-1

,

HP-20,

or

H

P-23

series

(

for

120

VAC

use).

Features

i

nclude

a

noise

limiter,

AVC,

voltage

regu

l

ation

,

and

an

illuminated

S-

meter

,

but

no

built

-

in

s

peaker.

Additional

features

include

a

built-in

series

ANL

,

front

panel

selec

-

tion

of

fast

and

slow

AVC

action,

and

outputs

for

an

8

ohm

speaker

and

500

ohm

headphones.

Two

di

fferent

detectors

are

used-a

conventional

d

iode

type

for AM

and

a

product

detector

for

CW

and

SSB.

The

MR-1

uses

the

same

gear

and

pu

l-

l

ey

tuning

mechan

i

sm

and

the

same

rotating

162

are

as

difficult

to

fix.

Check

the

dial

drum

for

cracks

before

you

buy.

Front

panel

controls

include

mode

se

lector

,

RF

gain,

AF

gain

/

power

on/off,

noise

limiter

on

/off, AVC

on/off

se

lector,

main

tuning,

band

switch,

BFO

tune,

and

anten-

na

trimm

er.

Rear

pan

el

connections

include

an

S0-239

for a

50

ohm

antenna,

a

pho

n o

jack

for

an

8

ohm

speaker

(

there

are

no

provisions

for

h

ea

dp

h

ones

),

and

a 6

power

connector.

If

desired

,

power

for

the

MR

-1

can

be

taken

from

a

loop-

throug

h

mating

connector

on

the

MT-1.

Power

requirements:

6

volts

at

4. 7

amps

or

12

volts

at

2.35

amps

AC

or

DC, -

125

VDC

at

20

ma,

300

VDC

at

100

ma,

and

500

-

600

VDC

at

1

50

ma.

In

1962

the

MR

-1

was

redesigned

to

better

accommodate

SSB

operation.

The

new

rig

was

desig

n

ated

the

HR-20

(no

In

d

ian

name

used

),

but

is

almost

identica

l

in

outward

appearance.

Take

car

e

not

to

confuse

them.

The

reader

is

referred

to

the

listing

for

the

M

T-

1 for

additional

information.

The

MR

-l 's

paint

color

is

Heath

's

standard

two-

tone

green.

Good

clean

units

are

rare

.

Weight/Size:

19

lbs;

12.25"

wide

x 6.25"

high

x

9.25"

deep

HX-20, HR-20,

MT-1

,

MP-1

,

HP-20, HP-23

series,

HP-10,

HP-13

series,

AK-7

HE

.AT

HK

IT

rE

~1ua+tnH;t

lVLT-1

vide

connection

to

the

-·I

5

Band

HF

Transmitter

power

supply

and

loop-

through

power

to

the

rece

iver.

There

are

also

two

S0-239s.

One

is

RF

out

for

a

50-75

ohm

antenna,

and

the

other

connects

to

the

receiv-

er.

In

addition

there

is

a

quarter

-in

ch

key

jack.

The

microphone

con-

nector

is

on

the

right

side

of

the

chassis

.

The

main

tuning

mecha-

ni

sm

involve

s a

verita-

ble

constellation

of

gears

and

pulleys

.

There

are

also

three

sets

of

right

angle

gears

in

the

tun-

in

g,

loading

,

and

band-

s

witch

circuits.

As

noted

elsewhere

in

this

book,

repair

of

these

mechanisms

pres

e

nts

a

"Cheyenne"

Manufactured: 59-62

Price:

$99.95

Comments:

The

MT-1

and

MR-1

were

He

a

th's

first

mobile

rig

s .

They

are

a

matched

set

designed

primarily

for

mobile

use,

though

fixed-

station

operation

is

possible

.

QST

reviewers

were

very

impressed

with

the

pair

.

They

noted

that

in

spite

of

their

many

features

the

Cheyenne

and

Comanche

combination

required

"a

mer

e

cubic

foot"

of

s

pace.

The

MT-1

transmit

-

ter

is

a

7-tube

design

(

including

a

6146

PA) cov-

ering

the

entire

80-10

m

ete

rs

bands.

No

PC

boards

are

used-all

wiring

is

point-to-point.

The

MT-1

will

op

era

te

AM

or

CW

(no

SSB)

with

an

input

power

of

90

watts

and

must

be

used

with

one

of

the

following

power

supplies:

the

HP-10

or

HP-13

series

(for

mobile

u

se)

or

the

MP-1

, HP, 20,

or

HP-23

series

(for

120

VAC

use

).

Featur

es

include

a

built-in

VFO

with

an

illumi-

nated

s

lide-rule

dial,

a

controlled

carrier

modu

-

lator,

four

RF

stages,

PTT

(

no

VOX)

operation,

and

a

spotting

function.

There

are

no

provi

s

ions

for

crystal

control.

The

front

panel

meter

reads

PA

grid

or

plate

current.

Front

pan

el

controls

include

main

tuning,

band

selector,

final

tune,

final

load

,

drive,

audio

level

,

mode

selector,

s

pot-

ting,

and

meter

function.

Rear

panel

connec-

tions

include

two

6-pin

connectors,

which

pro-

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

sobering

challenge.

Some

Heath

advertising

said

the

tuning

ratio

was

30: 1.

That

is

incorrect.

The

MT-1

(a

nd

MR-1

)

tuning

mechanism

is

smooth

but

rather

coarse-about

a

14:1

ratio.

That

works

out

to

about

35

kHz

per

turn.

Dial

markings

are

printing

on

a

translucent

plastic

drum

that

rotates

to

display

band

frequencies

as

the

bandswitch

is

turned.

This

drum

can

crack

if

the

unit

is

s

ubjected

to

rough

handling.

Check

it

carefully

before

you

buy.

It

would

be

very

diffi-

cult

(

but

not

impossible

)

to

make

a

new

one

if

a

salvaged

drum

could

not

b e

found.

Power

requirements:

6

volts

at

4.7

amps

or

12

volts

at

2.35

amps

AC

or

DC

, -125

VDC

at

20

ma,

300

VDC

at

100

ma

,

and

500-600

VDC

at

150

ma.

In

1962

the

MT

-1

was

completely

redesigned

to

include

SSB

operation

.

Th

e

new

rig

was

desig-

nated

the

HX-20

(

no

Indian

name

used),

but

is

almost

identical

to

the

MT-1

in

outward

appear

-

anc

e.

Take

ca

re

not

to

confuse

them

.

The

MT-1

is

dressed

in

Heath's

standard

two-tone

green

col-

ors

. Good

clean

units

are

medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 23

lbs;

12.25"

wide

x 6.25"

high

x

9.25"

deep

HX-20, HR-20,

MR-1,

MP-1,

HP-20, HP-23

series,

HP-10,

HP-13

series,

AK-7

163

PlVL-1

Field

Strength

Meter

Manufactured:

58-59

Price

: $12.95

Comments:

The

PM-1

is

a s

imple

,

sel

f-power

ed

field

strength

meter,

a

nd

its

d

es

ign

is

oddl

y

out

of

place

in

Heath

's

product

lin

e. By

the

time

it

was

released

in

1958

He

at

h w

as

firmly

commit-

ted

to

a d

esig

n

that

includ

ed b

ake

d en

ame

l

two-

tone

green

paint

and

met

al

cabinet

s. H

ere

then

is a s

mall

bla

ck B a

kelit

e

box

with

a s

hin

y

chrome

front

pan

el. H e

ath

had

u

se

d

sma

ll

Bak

e-

lite

bo

xes

befor

e

-but

not

in

it

s

amate

ur

product

line.

It

is

not

cl

ear

why

H

ea

th

c

ho

se

thi

s d

es

i

gn,

but

it

was

used

for

ju

st

under

two

years

before

be

in

g

repl

ac

in

g by

the

PM-2,

which

co

nform

ed

to

the

b

as

ic

amateur

p

ro

duct

s

de

s

ign

philo

sop

h

y.

It

is

also

th

e

only

He

at

h

product

to

use

the

oval

na m

ep

lat

e s

tick

er

see

n

on

th

e

front

pan

el.

Th

e

pan el

met

er

is

a

Simpson

unit

an

d

reads

re

lati

ve

power

on

a

0-10

s

cal

e

with

th

e H

ea

thkit

name.

Very

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 1

lb

; 6.25"

wide

x 3. 75" h

ig

h x 2" deep

:

PM

-2, HD-1426

164

l§:

~

'if

Mf

§f

i*fl

HEATHKIT

rE

~

·u+Si¥f

H+'J

Field

Strength

Meter

Manufactured: 60-75

Price:

$17.95

Comments:

The

PM

-2

is

a

simp

le,

self

-

powered

field

strength

meter.

It

features

a

magnet

ic

base

to

ho

ld

it

down

and

has

a

working

range

from

100

kHz

to

250

MHz

with

.3

volts

(not

micro-

volts)

RMS

se

n

sitivity.

It

was

sold

for

15

years

and

or

i

ginally

cost

$12.95.

Toward

t he en d

of

its

production

life,

it

seemed

increasingly

anachro-

nistic

.

For

example,

it

was

odd

to

see

it

being

sold

side

-

by-si

de

with

the

SB

-

104

.

Its

two-tone

green

design

and

sloping

cabinet

match

the

HD-

20

crystal

calibrator.

E

arly

units

used

metal

knobs

while

later

ones

u

sed

a

small

gray

pl

astic

knob

of

the

style

used

on

the

AC-1

(see

li

sting.)

Co

ll

ect

both

an

d h

ave

a nice

pair.

Rare.

Weight/Size: 1

lb;

2.5"

wide

x 4.25"

high

x 2.75"

deep

PM-1

, HD-20, HD-1426

A Guide to the

Amateu

r Radio Products

PlVL-8

165

QF'-1

Q

Multiplier

Ma

nu

fa

ctu

r

ed:

56-60

Price:

$9.95

TUN

IN

G

\ \

Commen

t

s:

The

QF-1

was

Heath

's

first

Q-multi-

plier

and

was

designed

for

use

with

the

"AR"

series

receivers

,

though

it

will

work

with

any

receiver

having

an

IF

between

450

and

460

kHz.

Designed

around

a

single

12AX7,

the

QF

-1

has

no

internal

power

supply

and

takes

its

power

from

the

receiver

to

which

it

is

connected

(or

some

other

external

power

source).

Nate

that

the

QF-1

will

not

work

with

AC/DC

type

(

trans-

formerless)

radios.

The

unit

uses

special

high

-Q

shielded

coils

to

achieve

an

effective

Q

of

about

4000.

Front

panel

controls

include

peak

,

null

,

mode

,

and

tuning.

The

tuning

control

has

a 14:1

turn

s

ratio

for

easy

adjustment.

The

QF-1

uses

the

same

dark

gray

knobs

used

on

the

DX-20,

35,

and

40.

Note

that

there

are

no

skirts

on

the

NULL

or

PEAK

knobs.

There

are

two

cables

coming

out

the

back

panel

of

the

QF-1.

One

is for

connection

to

the

receiver

IF

and

the

other

has

an

octal

plug

for

power

input

.

This

plug

is

com-

patible

with

octal

sockets

on

the

back

of

the

AR

166

®=

~

fHR&iHH+IJ

I / Q

MULTIPLIER

series

receivers,

but

it

would

be

worth

the

time

to

check

the

wiring

to

be

sure

before

you

plug

it

in

-

just

in

case

someone

has

done

a

modifica-

tion.

The

QF-1

was

on

the

market

for

about

four

years,

worked

very

well,

and

was

very

success-

ful.

Power

requirements:

150-250

VDC

at

2

ma

and

6.3

volts

AC

or

DC

at

300

ma.

In

1961

Heath

updated

the

QF-1

and

fitted

it

with

an

internal

power

supply.

The

new

unit

was

designated

as

the

HD-11

(see

listing

).

Still

later

the

HD-11

was

updated

and

became

the

GD-125

(see

listing)

.

Through

all

of

these

updates,

the

basic

circuit

never

changed.

The

QF

-1

uses

the

silver

and

gray

colors

of

the

DX-100,

et

al.

The

QF-1

is

still

fairly

common

at

flea

markets,

though

clean

units

in

good

condition

are

seen

a

bit

less

often.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

3

lbs

; 7.25"

wide

x

4.

75"

hi

gh x

4.25"

deep

HD-11

,

GD-125

,

AM

-2,

HD-19

,

etc.

HE

A..T

HK

IT

r@

~

u•@tUHEil

:R,X-1

,

-"

...

. ...

.

...

~

.

·

.·

.. .,

i

.,,

7

Band

SSB/AM/CW

Receiver

meters)

and

has

a

sep-

arate

band

position

"Mohawk"

Manufactured:

58-64

Price:

$274.95

Comments:

The

RX

-1

was

Heath's

first

"ham

band

o

nl

y"

rece

i

ver

and

was

one

of

the

very

first

kit

-

form

communications

receivers

on

th e

mar

-

ket.

The

RX-1 is

designed

as

a

companion

to

the

TX-1 (

Apache

)

transmitter

(see

l

isting),

and

at

first

gl

ance

the

two

units

are

almost

in

d

istin

-

guishab

le

from

each

ot

her.

These

two

rigs

were

the

first

Heathkits

to

wear

the

famous

green

col-

ors

- a

color

scheme

that

wou

ld

last

nearly

all

of

Heath

's

amateur

radio

life

.

The

RX-1

is

typical

of

equipment

designed

in

the

1950s

:

it

is

bui

lt

on

a

heavy

gauge

steel

chassis

and

has

a

heavy

alu-

minum

front

panel

and

a

heavy

stee

l

enclosure.

The

operative

word

here

is

"heavy."

It

we

i

ghs

52

pounds

on

the

bench.

The

unit

is

designed

aroun

d

15

tubes

and

wi

ll

receive

upper

and

lower

si

deband

as

well

as

AM

and

CW

.

It

covers

from

1

60

through

10

meters

(

includ

in

g

11

A Guide to the A

mateu

r R adio Products

and

dia

l

marki

n

gs

for 6

and

2

meter

coverage

(with

optional

converters)

.

Features

include

a

bu

il

t-in

power

su

pply,

5

switc

h

ab

le

selectivity

settings,

a

tunab

le

notch

filter,

a

bui

lt

-in

illumi

n

ated

S-

meter,

an

d a 100

kHz

crystal

calibrator.

The

receiver

is

a

double

convers

i

on

superhetero

d

yne

type

with

a

first

IF

of

1682

kHz

and

a

second

IF

of

50

kHz.

Th

e

front

end

section,

which

incl

u

des

the

bandswitching,

RF,

HF

oscillator,

and

mixer

stages,

was

pre-

assembled,

tested,

and

aligned

at

the

factory.

This

"sub

chassis"

is

simply

attache

d

to

the

main

ch

assis

with

a few

screws

and

connected

by

a few pl

ug-in

cables.

The

pre-assemb

l

ed

front-

end

greatly

simplified

construction

and

tune-up

.

In

fact,

the

tune

-

up

ca

n

be

done

with

nothing

more

than

the

RX-l's

S-meter

and

crysta

l cali-

brator.

Other

wiring

is

simplified

by

a

wiring

harness.

Sensitivity

is

better

t h

an

1 u

V.

Se

lec-

tivity

can

be

adjusted

in five

steps-5,

3, 2, 1,

and

.5

kHz.

The

notch

fi

lt

er

has

a

depth

of

50

dB.

Stabi

lit

y

was

never

specified

by

Heath,

but

has

been

found

experientia

lly

to

be

as

good

or

better

than

most

rigs

of

the

genre.

The

front

pa

n

el

pro-

167

vides

controls

for

RF,

IF

and

AF

gain

(with

power

switch),

notch

tuning,

notch

depth,

ANL,

AVC,

BFO,

and

the

bandswitch.

Additionally

there

are

controls

for

main

tuning,

calibrator

set,

calibrator

on

/

off,

antenna

trimmer,

receive

/

standby,

mode,

and

selectivity.

There

is

also

a

standard

quarter-inch

headphone

jack

on

the

front

panel.

The

rear

panel

has

an

S0

-

239

connector

for a

50-75

ohm

antenna

and

screw

terminals

for

50

-75

ohm

or

150

-

300

ohm

anten

-

na.

There

are

also

screw

terminals

for 8

ohm

and

500

ohm

audio

output.

CAUTION:

Do

not

oper-

ate

the

receiver

without

a

speaker

or

head-

phones

connected

.

An

octal

accessory

socket

pro-

vide

access

to

B+, 6.3 VAC, AVC,

and

receiver

muting.

In

addition

there

is

a

rear

panel

switched

120

VAC

receptacle

and

a

1.5

amp

car-

tridge

fuse.

The

dial

mechanism

is

another

of

Heath's

gear

and

pulley

assemblies

and

uses

a

rotating

drum

with

markings

for

each

band

.

This

drum

is

illuminated

and

rotates

as

the

bandswitch

is

turned.

The

drum

is

pl

astic

and

can

crack

with

rough

handling

.

Be

sure

to

check

it

before

you

buy.

The

RX-1

is

designed

for

120

VAC

,

50

/

60

Hz

operation

.

The

unit

has

a

two-

tone

green

front

panel

with

darker

green

copper

clad

cabinet

.

Early

RX-ls

were

shipped

with

satin

finish

aluminum

knobs,

while

later

ver-

sions

used

polished

knobs.

Heath

sold

the

RX-1

for

about

seven

years,

and

although

thousands

were

sold,

few

remain.

In

1963

the

RX

-1

was

replaced

by

the

sleek

SB

-

300

-

patterned

after

the

Collins

S

line

.

Heath

continued

to

sell

the

RX-1

until

supplies

ran

out

early

in

1964.

Clean

RX-ls

in

good

working

order

are

medium

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 66

lbs;

19.5"

wide

x

11.

75"

high

x

16

"

deep

s:

TX-1

,

HX-10

,

KL-1

,

HA-10

,

AK-5

168

~

fHWiHHFI

HE

.A..T

HK

IT

rE

~

'Hiif

UH+i

S.A-1480

the

HD-1481.

The

SA-

1480

can

be

used

with

Remote

Antenna

Switch

signals

to

150

MHz

and

with

50-70

ohm

lines.

Ins

ertio

n

loss

is

less

than

2 dB

at

100

MHz.

The

switch

is

rated

for "fu

ll

power"

operation.

Features

include

a

specia

l

s

hi

e

lded

,

weatherproof

switch

hou

sing

and

si

l-

ver

plated

switc

h

contacts.

In

1984

the

SA-1480

was

replaced

by

the

HD-1481,

but

the

two

units

were

sold

side

by

side

for a

short

time

.

This

is

a

well

mad

e

unit

and

it

is

still

in

high

demand.

As

a

result

they

doe

sn't

last

long

at

flea

mark

ets.

Medium

rare

as

most

are

still

in

use.

Manufactured:

79-84

Price:

$84.95

Comments:

This

was

the

first

of

two

remote

antenna

switches

made

by

Heath-and

probably

the

better

of

the

two

units.

The

SA-1480

will

remotely

switc

h

up

to

five

anten

na

e

from

a con-

trol

box

in

your

shack.

Th

e

act

ual

switch

box-

typically

tower

mounted-is

connected

to

the

control

box

via

a l

engt

h

of

8

conductor

cable.

A

rotary

switch

selects

which

antenna

will

be

placed

on-line,

and

five

LEDs

show

which

anten-

na

has

been

selected

.

The

8

conductor

cable

may

sound

lik

e a

disadvantage

compared

to

H

eath's

l

ater

version,

the

HD-1481

(see

li

sting),

which

sent

sw

itchin

g

signals

through

the

coax

line

,

but

the

separate

switching

cable

made

the

unit

immune

from

damage

by

high

SWR, EMP,

and

so

on. As a

result

the

SA-1480

is

more

coveted

than

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

Weight/Size: 8

lbs;

5.25"

wide

x 3.5"

high

x

5.25"

deep

HD-1481

169

S..A.-8040

Antenna

Tuner

Ma

nufac

t

ured:

79-83

Price:

$149.95

Commen

t

s:

The

SA-2040

was

the

second

in

a

series

of

antenna

tuners

but

was

the

first

in

a

very

long

time.

The

AC-1

was

actually

Heath's

first

antenna

tuner-made

from

1953

to

1956

and

deigned

for

use

with

the

AT-1.

See

listings

for AT-1

and

AC-1.

Heath

didn't

make

another

tuner

until

the

SA-2040

in

1979

.

It

is

not

clear

why

such

an

obvious

product

was

overlooked

for

so

many

years

.

At

any

rate

,

the

SA-2040

is

a

well

designed

tuner

and

was

very

popular

.

Like

most

tuners,

there

isn

't

much

inside

- a

couple

of

large

air

variables,

a

roller

inductor,

and

a

balun.

Features

include

continuous

tuning

from

3.5

to

30

MHz,

silver-plated

straps

and

roller

contact

s,

large

ceramic

feed-throughs,

bal

a

nced

and

unbalanced

output,

and

wide

range

output

impedance

.

Other

features

include

a

continuous-

ly

variable

roller

inductor

with

a

mechanica

l

turns

counter,

a 4:1

balun,

and

an

erasable

front

pane

l

on

which

you

can

write

notes

for

quick

adjustment

of

the

tuner

on

various

bands

.

The

170

r§:

~

f

U?&f

HH+iJ

SA-2040

is

ideal

for WARC

operation,

is

rated

for

2000

watts

PEP

and

1000

wa

tts

CW

input,

and

h

as

an

input

impedance

of

50

ohms.

Rear

panel

connections

include

S0-239

s for

RF

in

and

out

and

ceramic

standoffs

for

connection

to

bal-

anced

lines

or

a

random

wire

.

NOTE

:

When

adjusting

the

inductor

take

care

that

you

do

not

adjust

it

too

far

and

run

the

roller

off

the

end

of

the

coil-there

is

no

"stop"

to

prevent

this

.

This

is

not

fatal

but

is

very

inconvenient

.

The

SA

-

2040

is

built

on

a

copper

plated

steel

chassis

with

a

light

green

front

panel

and

the

black

cabi

-

net.

These

are

popular

and

many

are

still

in

use

.

Medium

rare.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

15lbs;14.75"

wide

x 5.75"

hi

gh x

14

"

deep

SA-2060(A), SA-2500

HE.A.TH

KIT

IT§

~

f

H@Sf

i'HiiJ

Antenna

Tuner

Manufactured/Price

SA-2060 81-83

SA-2060A 83-91 259.95

279.95

Comments:

The

SA-2060

and

SA-2060A

are

the

same

basic

tuners

as

the

SA-2040

(

there

was

no

SA-2050),

to

which

a

number

of

additional

fea

-

tures

have

been

added.

(

Refer

to

listing

for SA-

2040

for

basic

specifications.)

The

most

obvious

of

these

additional

features

is

the

dual

wattmeter

and

SWR

bridge

.

The

wattmeter

reads

0-200

and

0-2000

watts

forward

and

0-50

and

0-500

watts

reflected

with

5

percent

accura-

cy.

The

wattmeter

/

SWR

sensor

is

factory

assem-

bled

and

calibrated.

Other

added

features

include

an

extension

of

the

tuning

range-the

SA

-2

060

will

cover

down

to

1.8

MHz.

Front

panel

controls

include

transmitter

match,

induc-

tor,

antenna

matching,

SWR

sensitivity,

and

a

switch

to

select

one

of

two

coaxial

lines

or

a

bypass

(to a

dummy

load

or

resonant

antenna,

for

example).

Three

front

panel

push

buttons

control

the

operation

of

the

wattmeter.

Rear

panel

connections

include

an

80-239

input

con-

nector

and

three

80

-239

outputs

(coax 1, 2,

and

bypass

).

There

are

also

three

standoffs

for

use

with

a

balanced

line

or

random

wire

(

not

both).

The

major

difference

between

the

SA-2060

and

the

2060A

is

the

way

the

antennas

are

selected

.

When

you

use

the

SA

-2060

with

a

random

wire

or

balanced

line

you

must

have

an

open

output

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

S.A-8060

(.A)

at

one

of

the

two

coaxial

line

connectors.

Other-

wise

you

will

have

two

antennas

connected

at

once.

This

precaution

is

not

necessary

with

the

2060A.

The

styling

was

also

changed

in

the

A

version.

The

black

cabinet

and

light

green

front

panel

was

changed

to

a

two-tone

brown

to

match

the

SS-9000

transceiver.

SS-9000

style

knobs

also

replace

the

familiar

SB

sty

le

knobs

of

the

2060.

However

,

Heath

also

added

a

position

to

the

front

panel

antenna

selector

switch

to

enable

the

selection

of

a

longwire

or

balanced

line

as

well

as

the

coaxial

lines.

There

are

no

additional

connectors

on

the

rear

panel.

NOTE:

When

adjusting

the

inductor

take

care

that

you

do

not

adjust

it

too

far

and

run

the

roller

off

the

end

of

the

coil-there

is

no

"stop"

to

prevent

this.

This

is

not

fatal

but

is

very

inconvenient.

These

tuners

are

well

designed

and

do a

nice

job.

They

are

still

in

demand

and

sell

quickly

at

flea

mar-

kets.

As

a

result

of

their

demand

SA-2060s

(and

especially

2060As)

are

scarce.

Weight/Size: 15lbs;14.75"

wide

x 5.75"

high

x

14

"

deep

SA-2040, SA-2500

171

SA.-8500

ITf=

~

f

H@Siif

Hiil

Automatic

A

ntenna

T

une

r

nas

and

a

bypass

posi

-

tion

(

for

use

with

a

dummy

load

or

reso-

nant

antenna

).

Manual

operation

of

the

tuner

is

possible

with

thre

e

spring-return

lever

switches-one

for

each

el

em e

nt

in

th

e

tuner.

NOTE:

When

adjusting

th

e

inductor

t a

ke

car

e

that

y

ou

do not a

dju

st

it

too

far

a

nd

r

un

the

roll

er

off

the

e

nd

of

th

e

coil-ther

e

is

no

"

stop

"

t o p

re

vent

thi

s.

This

is

no

t

fatal

but

is

ver

y

inconveni

e

nt.

As

th

e

roll

er

on

the

inductor

tak

es

about

a

90

sec-

ond

s

to

make

the

trip

from

one

end

to

th

e

other,

18

pre

s

et

posi-

tion

s (2

for

each

of

9

Manufacture

d:

84-

87

Price

: $599.95

Comment

s:

The

SA-2500

contains

the

same

basic

tuner

design

found

in

the

SA

-

2040

and

SA-

2060(A)

(see

listings)

.

But

in

the

2500,

the

capacitors

and

the

inductor

are

motor

driven

and

are

controlled

by

an

electronics

package

(on

two

PC

boards

)

that

senses

minimum

SWR.

The

specifications

of

the

SA-2500

are

the

same

as

the

SA-2060(A)-it

tunes

from

1.8

to

30

MHz

and

has

a

dual

wattmeter

and

SWR

bridge

that

reads

from

0

to

200

or

0

to

2000

forward

and

0-

50

or

0-

500

reflected;

however,

in

the

2500

the

wattmeter

is

auto

-

ranging.

The

mechanical

turns

counter

of

the

2060

has

been

replaced

with

an

electronic

digital

readout

in

the

2500,

and

status

lights

have

been

added

to

indicated

what

el

ements

of

the

tuner

are

being

adjusted.

There

is

also

an

audio

warning

that

indicates

when

the

tuned

SWR

exceeds

a

user

preset

level.

The

4:1

balun

found

as

standard

equipment

in

the

SA

-

2040

and

2060

(A)

units

is

offered

in

the

2500

as

an

option

.

The

pres

e

nce

of

the

balun

can

be

determined

by

checking

the

back

panel

for

the

number

of

standoff

insulator

connections.

If

three

standoffs

are

seen,

the

ba

l

un

is

installed.

If

only

one

is

seen,

no

balun

is

pr

e

sent.

The

ba

l

un

is

really

a

must

for

the

serious

operator

and

is

required

for

use

with

balance

d

lines

. A

front

panel

switch

selects

between

three

anten-

172

bands

)

ar

e

provided

to

speed

the

tuning

process

.

These

preset

positions

are

user

selectable

and

can

be

reconfigured

at

any

time

.

Additionall

y,

you

can

assign

mor

e

than

two

presets

to

one

band

if

desired.

Front

panel

controls

include

power

on

/off,

SWR

sensitivity

adjust,

SWR

for-

ward/reverse

,

auto/manual

tune

,

SWR

alarm

on

/

off

,

linear

amp

on-line

/

off-line

,

and

manual

tuning

controls

.

There

are

also

controls

for

band,

band

high

/

low

preset

select

,

and

antenna

select.

Rear

panel

connections

include

an

80-

239

input

connector

and

three

80

-

239

outputs

(

coax

1, 2,

and

bypass

).

Standoff

feed-throughs

are

used

with

a

random

wire

and

balenced

lines

(if

the

balun

is

installed).

Other

rear

panel

con-

ne

ctors

include

12

VDC

power,

antenna

relay

(

to

disable

your

linear

when

tuning)

,

and

remote

bandswitching

(if

your

transmitter

can

support

it

).

Automatic

tuning

time

is

about

15

seconds.

The

auto-tuning

system

requires

a

minimum

of

35

watts

input

for

proper

SWR

set.

The

SA-2500

is

two-tone

brown

in

color

(to

match

the

88

-

9000).

Power

requirements:

120

VAC,

50

/60

Hz

,

or

12

VDC

at

1

amp

.

The

SA

-

2500

works

very

well,

but

sales

were

held

down

because

the

$600

price

tag

was

fairly

steep

for

many

operators.

As

a

result

you

rarely

see

these

at

flea

markets.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

26

lbs

; 14.5" wi

de

x 6.75"

high

x

20"

deep

SA-2040, SA-2060(A)

HE

.A..T

HK

IT

rE

~

1uw+ua+1

Antenna

Matcher

Manufactured:

86-88

Price:

$149.95

Comments:

It

is

important

to

note

that

the

SA

-

2550

is

not

a

"tuner."

It

is

a

"matcher"

designed

specifically

for

use

with

single

or

mu

l

ti-band

half-wave

dipo

l

es,

inverted

-

Vs,

and

quarter-

wave

vertical

antennas.

It

is

not

for

use

with

50

ohm

beams,

random

wires,

or

balanced

feed

line

antennas.

The

SA-2550

allows

you

to

effectively

double

the

bandwidth

of

your

dipole

so

you

can

work

the

phone

or

CW

end

of

the

band

from

a

single

antenna

while

maintaining

a

low

SWR.

The

unit

will

operate

with

antennas

from

1.8

to

30

MHz

and

is

rated

for

full

legal

power

.

To

use

the

SA-2550

to

its

fullest

requires

you

to

length-

en

your

existing

half-wave

dipoles,

inverted-V,

or

quarter

-

wave

vertical

by

5

to

15

percent,

depending

on

the

frequency.

The

control

unit

contains

a

simple

switching

circuit,

and

the

remote

unit

contains

a

motor-driven

high

volt

-

age

variable

capacitor.

The

SA

-

2550

is

designed

for

power

cube

operation

(15 VDC

at

1

amp

).

The

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

SA.-8550

remote

unit

takes

the

place

of

the

center

insula-

tor

in

your

dipole

or

inverted-V,

or

can

feed

the

base

of

your

quarter

-

wave

vertical.

The

remote

unit

can

be

controlled

either

through

the

coax

cable

or

from

a

two-wire

cable

connection.

The

SA-2550

has

no

bui

l

t-in

SWR

indicator

and

proper

operation

requires

an

external

dual

wattmeter

or

SWR

bridge.

The

2550's

brown

color

matches

the

"Little

Brown

Box"

series

.

Very

rare.

Weight/Size: 2

lb

s; 5.5

..

wide

x 2.5"

hi

gh x 4"

deep

(con

t

rol

unit)

Wei

ght/Size: 8

lbs

; 8"

wide

x 16.5"

hi

gh x 4"

deep

(remote

unit)

none

173

SA-5010(.A)

WT

Electronic

Keyer

"u

Matic"

Manufactured/Price:

SA-5010 81-85

$99.95

SA-5010A 85-91 $?

Comments:

Although

th

e

SA-5010

(A)

replaced

Heath's

older

(and

very

popular)

HD-1410

keyer

and

was

(a

nd

still

is)

very

popular

in

its

own

right,

the

two

key

ers

so

ld

side

by

side

for

about

3

years.

In

a

nutshell,

the

SA-5010

(A)

is

a

micro-

processor

controlled

key

er

with

ju

st

about

every

feature

you

might

imagine

.

One

rather

unusual

feat

ur

e

is

t

he

paddle

assembly.

Unlike

other

paddles

of

other

keyers,

the

paddles

of

the

SA-

5010(A)

do

not

move.

In

stea

d

they

use

touch

-

sens

iti

ve

el

ectronics

to

operate

the

keyer

c

ir-

174

®

~

1

U¥fhi*il1

cuits

.

For

many

ops

this

will

require

some

getting

used

to.

The

speed

is

user

se

l

ectable

from

1

to

99

WPM

,

and

the

keyer

is

iambic

in

operation.

Th

e

uMatic

(

pronounced

"micro

-

matic"

)

key

er

can

store

up

to

240

characters

in

up

to

10

CMOS

memo-

ries

.

Since

the

memories

are

"soft-

sectored"

the

operator

can

store

as

many

or

as

few

characters

in

each

memory

as

desired

without

wasting

space.

In

addition

to

sendable

char-

acters,

the

memories

can

also

hold

"

command

stri

ng

s."

These

may

be

used,

for

example,

to

insert

a

pause

into

which

the

op

can

manually

send

an

RST

,

to

tell

the

k

eye

r

to

change

speed,

or

to

link

two

or

more

memo-

ries

together,

to

name

only

a

few

applications.

In

addition,

each

mem-

ory

messag

e

can

automatically

be

sent

up

to

9

times.

The

keyer

is

a

lso

capable

of

inserting

seria

l

numbers

that

are

automatically

increm

e

nted.

A

clever

operator

could

program

the

SA-5010

(A)

in

such

a

way

that

an

entire

simp

le

QSO

could

be

made

s

impl

y

by

pu

s

hing

buttons.

The

SA-

5010

(A)

also

can

send

code

practice

sessions.

The

user

can

specify

le

tters

only

,

letters

and

numbers

,

or

l

etters,

numbers,

and

punctu

a

tion.

Groups

in

these

sessions

are

of

random

l

ength.

Over

6,000

practice

sequences

are

available,

so

you

don't

have

to

worry

about

memorizing

th

em,

but

they

are

repeatable

to

allow

for

checking

your

copy.

The

practic

e

sessions

operate

the

k

eye

r

output

so

they

could

be

transmitted

if

desired

.

When

not

connected

to

a

power

source

the

keyer

memories

are

retained

by

three

"watc

h"

type

batteries

(

Eveready

A 76

or

equivalent).

Typical

battery

life

is

one

year.

There

is no

battery

drain

unless

the

keyer

is

removed

from

its

power

source.

Vir

-

tually

a

ll

operating

parameters

can

be

changed

from

the

22

-

key

pad

.

When

turned

off

the

SA-

5010(A)

remembers

the

last

configuration

used.

A

diagno

s

tic

program

is

run

each

time

the

power

is

turned

on.

If

the

diagnostic

fails

, a

ll

the

LEDs

light

and

the

sidetone

sounds

continuously.

The

paddles,

which

can

be

reversed

(

from

the

key

-

pad

) for

left-hand

operation

,

are

detachable

and

can

be

store

d

in

a

drawer

on

the

underside

of

the

unit.

Although

basic

operation

of

the

uMatic

is

int

uitiv

e a

nd

simp

le

instructions

are

print

ed

on

HE

.AT

HK

IT

r@

~

f

b¥Sii'H+ii1

the

underside,

the

manual

will

be

essential

to

an

understanding

of

the

more

complex

operations.

Sidetone

volume

and

pitch

as

well

as

separate

right-and

l

eft-paddle

sensitivity

can

be

changed

from

access

holes

on

the

underside.

The

rear

panel

contains

two

keying

jacks.

One

is

for posi-

tive

keying

(250

volts

at

100

ma),

and

the

other

is

for

negative

keying

(-200

volts

at

40

ma).

These

jack

s

are

protected

and

will

key

the

trans-

mitter

continuously

if

the

wrong

one

is

u

sed.

NOTE:

Use

coaxial

cable

between

the

keyer

and

the

transmitter.

Th

ere

is

also

a

miniature

phon

e

jack

for

headphones

, a

4-pin

connector

for

an

external

paddle,

and

a

power

jack

.

The

SA-

5010(A)

has

a

built-in

full

wave

bridge

rectifier

allowi

ng

it

to

run

from

either

an

AC

or

DC

source.

Power

requirements:

11-16

VDC

at

200

ma

(

polarity

not

critical)

or

8.5

VAC

at

1

amp.

The

membrane

keypad

is

attac

h

ed

to

the

keyer

with

self

-

stick

backing

and,

over

time,

can

begin

to

peel

off

,

espec

i

ally

on

the

paddle

end

where

the

ribbon

connector

cable

is

attached.

This

con-

dition

is

fixable

with

the

careful

application

of

a

variety

of

adhesives

.

Because

the

uMatic

uses

CMOS

chips

it

is

subject

to

damage

by

static

electricity

-

static

sparks

from

your

fin

gers

touching

the

paddles,

for

examp

le.

Since

the

microprocessor

(a

3870)

is

custom

-m

ade

for

the

unit,

a

replacement

could

be

very

difficult

to

find.

Earl

y

versions

were

plagued

by

stat

ic

dam-

age

problems.

The

A

version

is

more

immune

but

both

should

be

treated

carefully

with

respect

to

static.

It

is

not

uncommon

to

find

these

keyers

with

factory

repair

label

s

on

the

bottom

.

The

SA-5010

h

ad

a

number

of

minor

glitches

includ-

ing

being

bothered

by

stray

RF

from

the

tr

ans

-

mitter.

Thi

s

could

cause

the

unit

to

send

random

dots

or

d

ashes

.

Most

of

these

probl

ems

were

cleaned

up

in

the

5010A.

Units

are

occasionally

seen

with

home

brew

paddles.

Th

e

paddles

are

removable

and

can

be

stored

in

a

draw

that

pulls

out

of

the

back.

The

SA-5010

has

a

beige

case.

The

A

version

is

gray.

Medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

4.25"

wide

x 1.75"

high

x

6"

deep

HD-10,

HD-1410,

HD-8999

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

175

SB-10

Sideband

Adaptor

Manu

fac

tured

:

59-64

Price:

$89.95

Comments:

The

ear

li

e

st

references

to

the

SE-10

can

be

found

in

so

me

DX-100

manuals

,

where

the

unit

is

referred

to

as

the

DX-10.

Th

e

unit

was

origin

a

lly

deigned

to

be

used

with

th

e DX-

100

but

becau

se

of

significant

del

ays

in

e

ngi-

n

ee

ring

the

DX-10,

it

wa

s

renamed

and

restyled

to

match

the

TX-1

when

work

on

that

tran

sm

it

-

ter

began.

As a r

es

ult

the

DX-10

nev

er

materi

al-

ized.

The

SE-10

is

a

phasing

type

SSE

generator

d

es

igned

to

work

with

the

TX-1,

but

with

a s

im-

pl

e

modification

of

the

transmitter

,

the

SE-10

can

be

u

se

d

with

the

DX

-

100

and

lOOE

and

a

lmost

any

other

similar

transmitter

.

The

SE-10

uses

nine

tubes

and

is

placed

in

the

transmit

-

t

er

's

RF

path

betwee

n

th

e

driver

a

nd

th

e

final

amplifier

.

It

requires

about

three

watts

of

dri

ve

,

de

livers

about

10

watts

of

output,

and

will

pro-

vide

USE,

LSE

,

or

DSE-all

with

or

without

car-

rier.

It

covers

80-10

meter

s

and

is

broadb

a

nd

in

design

so

that

onc

e

tuned

for

a g

iven

band

it

need

not

be

re-adjusted

after

norm

al

excursions

in

frequency

within

that

ba

nd

.

The

RF

phase

shifting

is

acc

omplished

by

a

se

t

of

precision

176

rE=

~

1ua+tna+1

capacitors

in

an RC

network

. A

se

pa-

rate

set

is

u

se

d for

eac

h

band.

The

a

udio

phase

s

hift

n

etwor

k is a

pre-

asse

mbl

ed

an

d

wired

,

sea

led

plug-in

unit

made

by

E & W. F

eatures

includ

e a

front

panel

meter

indicat

-

in

g rel

at

ive

power

output

and

is

used

both

in

tunin

g a

nd

carrie

r s

uppres-

sion.

Ther

e is also a

built-in

VOX

cir

-

cuit.

Front

panel

contro

ls

include

carrier

null

contro

l

s,

bandswitch,

mod

e

selec

to

r,

balanced

modul

a

tor

tunin

g,

RF

output

tuning,

au

dio

ga

in

,

and

VOX

/

stan

db

y/

manual

selector.

Th

ere

is

al

so a

front

panel

conn

ec

tor

for a

high

impedance

mic.

Controls

on

the

rear

panel

l

abe

led

"

transmitter

se

n

sitiv

i

ty"

and

"receiv

-

er

sens

itivit

y"

are

for VOX

sensitivi-

ty

a

nd

anti-trip.

Th

e

rea

r p

ane

l a

lso

ha

s

S0-239

connectors

for

RF

input

a

nd

output,

an

octal

so

cket

fo

r

power

input

,

and

screw

terminals

providing

connection

for

receiver

audio,

spea

k-

er, key, a

nd

a

ntenna

relay.

Sinc

e

the

SE

-

10

has

no

internal

power

s

upp

ly

a

ll

voltages

mu

st

be

d

er

ived

from

the

transmitter

to

which

it

is

conn

ect ed

or

s

ome

other

exter

nal

so

urce

.

Wh

en

us

ed

with

th

e TX-1

a

ll

ne

cessary

power

may

be

t a k en

from

the

transmitter's

accessory

socket .

Power

require-

me

nt

s:

35

0 VDC

at

140

ma

a

nd

6.3 VAC at

3.5

amps.

Th

e

SE-lO'

s

two-ton

e

green

paint

sc

heme

match

es

the

TX-1,

et

al.

Early

units

w

ere

sup-

plied

with

s

atin

finish

me

tal

knob

s

whil

e

later

versions

used

polished

knobs

.

The

SE

-

10

was

so

ld

fo

r a

bout

five

years

a

nd

works

prett

y well.

SE-lOs

ar e beco

ming

quite

rare

-es

peci

a

ll

y

in

good,

unmodifi

ed

condition.

Wei

ght/Si

ze:

12

lbs

; 6.75"

wide

x

10

"

hi

gh x

13

"

deep

Rela

t

ed

Products

:

TX-1

, DX-100(8}

HE.A.TH

KIT

:z:

"

"'

"

::;

..J

:::>

:.

..

0

z

0

....

~

..J

0

"

w

:z:

....

::;

0

"'

..

rr§

~

fH&iHHEil

SB-100

5

Band

SSB/CW

Transceiver

meter

bands

.

The

10

meter

band

is

covered

in

four

500

kHz

seg

-

Manufactured :

65-67

Pr

ice

: $360

Comments:

Introduced

for

Christmas

in

1965

,

the

SB-100

was

the

first

of

three

enormously

popular

transceivers

that

included

the

SB

-

101

and

SB-102

.

Patterned

after

the

Collins

KWM-

2,

the

SB

series

of

transceivers

were

among

the

most

popular

ever

made

by

any

manufacturer.

They

sold

so

fast

Heath

could

hardly

keep

up

with

demand.

Indeed,

for a

while

in

the

late

60s

it

seemed

as

though

every

other

person

you

worked

was

running

a "

Sugar

Baker"

series

rig.

The

following

is

both

a

specific

discussion

of

the

SB-100

and

a

general

discussion

of

the

SB-101

and

102-there

are

many

similarities.

For

a

spe-

cific

discussion

of

the

differences

in

the

101

and

102,

see

listings

for

those

products.

The

SB-100

uses

20

tubes

including

a

pair

of

6146s

in

the

final

amp

and

is

built

on

nine

PC

boards

includ-

ing

five

main

boards

and

four

smaller

"switch

-

boards

"

used

in

the

bandswitching

assembly.

The

SB

-

100

covers

500

kHz

portions

of

the

80-10

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

ments.

The

100

operates

USB,

LSB,

or

CW,

with

no

provision

for AM.

Transmitter

input

power

is

180

PEP

and

1

70

CW.

RF

output

power

is

around

100

watts

(a

bit

less

on

10

meters).

The

receiver

is

a

dual

conversion

superheterodyne

type

with

an

IF

of

3395

kHz

.

Both

transmitter

and

receiver

use

a 6

pole

crystal

lattice

filter.

Selectivity

is

2.1

kHz

at

6 dB

down.

There

is

no

provision

for a

CW

filter

(although

there

is

in

the

101and102)

.

Receiver

sensitivity

is

rated

at

1 u V

(better

in

the

101

and

102).

Drift

is

less

than

100

Hz

per

hour

after

a

20-minute

warm

-

up

.

The

SB-100

uses

a

type

ofVFO

Heath

called

the

"LMO"

or

Linear

Master

Oscillator

.

The

LMO

is

pre-assembled

and

aligned

and

housed

in

a

sealed

box,

and

came

with

a

stern

warning

not

to

open

it.

The

LMOs

were

made

for

Heath

by

several

subcontractors

including

TRW

and

were

both

complicated

and

expensive

to

produce

.

But

they

were

linear

from

one

end

of

the

band

to

the

other

and

were

cheaper

to

make

and

use

than

the

Permeability

Tuned

Oscillators

used

by

Collins

.

The

LMO

is

accurate

to

400

Hz

after

cal

-

177

ibration

from

the

nearest

100

kHz

point.

The

dia

l

drive

mechanism

is

relatively

simp

le,

has

a

good

feel

and

good

resetability,

and

is

reason-

ab

ly

free

from

backlash.

Basic

features

include

PTT

and

VOX

operation,

LMO

or

crystal

con-

trolled

transmit

or

transceiver

(one

crystal

posi-

tion),

built

-

in

TR

switching,

and

a

built-in

100

kHz

crystal

calibrator.

See

listing

for

SB-640

for

crystal

frequency

formula

for

crystal

contro

ll

ed

operation.

Front

pane

l

controls

include

main

tuning,

driver

tuning

and

preselector,

final

tun-

ing,

final

loading,

mic

and

CW

level,

mode,

band,

function,

frequency

control

(XTAL

or

LMO),

meter

function,

RF

gain,

AF

gain

,

and

a

dial

calibration

knob

.

The

illuminated

panel

meter

will

read

ALC/S-units

,

relative

power

,

high

voltage

,

grid

current,

and

plate

current.

Internal

controls

include

VOX

sensitivity

,

delay

and

anti-trip,

carrier

null

(

control

and

capaci-

tor),

meter

zero,

CW

sidetone

leve

l,

relative

power

meter

adjust

, PA

bias

,

headphone

gain

,

and

neutralizing.

Rear

pane

l

connections

include

quarter

-

inch

key

jack

and

phono

connec

-

tors

for

an

eight

ohm

speaker,

600

ohm

output,

phone

patch

input

, ALC

input

,

RF

output,

and

receiver

antenna

input.

There

is

also

an

11

"octal

style"

pl

ug

for

power

input

and

an

anten

-

na

selector

switch

to

select

separate

or

common

antennae

for

transmit

and

receive.

Many

of

these

rigs

have

been

modified

and

fitted

wit

h

an

S0-239

to

replace

the

phono

RF

output

connec-

tor.

Other

acceptable

modifications

include

the

installation

of

phono

jacks

needed to

operate

the

SB-

650

frequency

disp

l

ay

and

addition

(or

use)

of

spare

jacks

to

support

the

SB-610

and

/

or

SB

-

620.

The

SB-100, SB-101,

and

HW-100,

as

well

as

SB-102s

with

the

last

four

digits

of

the

serial

number

lower

than

5446,

have

a

minor

prob

l

em

with

the

driver

preselector

peaking

in

a

slightly

different

spot

for

transmit

and

receive.

To

make

them

peak

in

the

same

place

Heath

offered

a

simple

mod

(much

simpler

than

the

one

described

in

QST).

The

presence

of

this

mod

can

be

determined

by

checking

for a

three

l

ug

termi-

na

l

strip

soldered

to

one

of

the

shields

between

two

of

the

small

PC

boards

in

the

bandswitch

assembly.

It

shou

ld

be

noted

that

this

preselec

-

tor

prob

l

em

is

very

minor

and

most

ops

don't

bother

fixing

it.

Units

with

other

modifications

should

be

avoided

except

for

parts

.

NOTE:

Because

of

mechanical

changes

in

the

SB-

102's

solid

state

LMO,

it

is

not

possible

to

retrofit

an

SB-

100

or

101

with

an

LMO

from

a

102.

The

100

series

of

transceivers

has

no

built-in

power

sup-

ply

and

is

designed

for

use

with

the

HP-13

and

178

~

fHMii'Hil

HP

-

23

series

power

supplies

.

Power

require-

ments:

700-800

VDC

at

250

ma,

300

VDC

at

1509

ma,

-110

VDC

at

10

ma,

and

12

volts

AC

or

DC

at

4.76

amps.

The

SB

series

of

products

all

use

a

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint

scheme.

The

paint

color

and

texture

varied

from

batch

to

batch

and

from

year

to

year,

so

finding

two

SB

units

of

the

exact

same

paint

shade

and

texture

may

not

be

easy.

By

the

time

the

SB-102

was

released

in

1970,

Heath

had

developed

a

full

line

of

accessories

for

the

SB

line

,

and

no

SB

series

station

is

complete

without

all

of

them

.

These

include

the

SB

-2XX

series

of

amplifiers

and

the

SB-6XX

series

of

accessories

and

are

listed

else-

where

in

this

book

-

see

re

l

ated

products

below.

Together

with

the

SB

transceivers

they

created

a

high

performance

station

without

equal

in

the

hobby.

Once

common,

SB

-lOOs

are

now

quite

rare

-

especially

in

good

condition.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size

:

23lb

s;

1

5"

wi

de

x 6.75"

hi

gh x

14

"

deep

Rel

at

ed

Products:

SB-

1

01

,

SB-102

, SB-200(201),

SB-220(221), SB-300(301), SB-303,

SB-310

,

SB-313

, SB-400(401), SB-600,

SB-610

,

SB-620,SB-630 ,SB-640 ,SB-500 ,SB-650

HE.ATHKIT

rr§

~

f

i'iiif

Hi*fil

SB-101

other

things

it

requires

the

removal

of

a

rec-

tangular

knock-out

on

the

rear

of

the

enclo-

sure

(above

the

ground

post),

the

installation

of

a

connector

and

its

mounting

bracket

on

the

chassis

just

behind

the

knock-out,

and

some

wiring

changes.

Inspec-

tion

to

determine

the

presence

of

the

connec-

tor

is

the

easiest

way

to

see

if

the

rig

has

been

modified

for

use

with

the

SB-640.

NOTE:

The

modification

for

the

SB-102

is

slightly

dif-

ferent-see

listing

for

SB-102

for

details.

Also

see

the

listing

for

SB-

640 for additional details.

5

Band

SSB/CW

Transceiver

A

minor

change

to

the

SB-101

was

the

addition

of two "

spare"

phono

jacks

on

the

rear

panel.

These

jacks

can

be

used

for con-

nection

of

the

SB-610

or

SB-620.

After

the

release

of

the

SB-102

owners

of

the

SB-101

were

offered

an

upgrade

kit

(for

a

small

charge).

This

up-

grade

kit

addressed

only

one

of

the

improvements

found

in

the

SB-102-receiver

sensitivity.

The

kit

amounted

to

a

new

RF

amplifier

tube

(6HS6

replaces

a

6AU6)

and

a

couple

of

new

parts.

Checking

for

the

presence

of

this

mod

is

a

bit

tricky.

All

of

the

changes

made

are

made

to

the

component

side

of

the

RF

driver

circuit

board.

This

board

sits

directly

in

front

of

the

final

ampli

-

fier

cage.

Look

between

tubes

VlO

and

Vll

(these

are

the

tubes

on

the

right-hand

side

of

the

board)

for

the

addition

of

a

resistor

and

a

small

disk

capa-

citor

that

have

been

tack

soldered

between

other

existing

parts.

Also

look

for

the

space

left

by

a

disk

capacitor

clipped

out

near

VlO.

These

changes

indicate

that

the

mod

has

been

done.

Note

that

6HS6

tubes

are

very

rare

today

and

may

have

been

replaced

by

a

6AU6.

The

101

is

painted

with

the

classic

SB

two-tone

green

paint

.

For

additional

information

see

listing

for

SB-100.

Also

see

listed

under

SB-100. SB-

lOls

are

much

more

common

than

SB-lOOs

and

turn

up

at

flea

markets

with

some

regularity.

Manufactured: 67-70

Price:

$380

Comments:

In

1967

Heath

upgraded

the

popular

SB-100

transceiver

and

renamed

it

the

SB-101.

There

were

two

significant

improvements

in

the

SB-101.

The

first

was

the

addition

of

a

400

Hz

CW

filter

OPTION.

If

this

filter

was

installed

the

operator

could

select

either

the

SSB

or

CW

filter

from

a

switch

on

the

front

panel.

Heath

advertised

that

the

SB-101

was

"

the

first

trans-

ceiver

on

the

market

with

front

panel

selection

of

SSB

or

CW

filters."

The

filter

selector

switch

is

a

small

lever

switch

located

concentrically

under

the

RF

gain

control.

The

presence

of

the

CW fil-

ter

can

most

easily

be

determined

by

removing

the

SB-101

from

its

enclosure

.

The

SSB

and

CW

filters

are

mounted

on

a

metal

bracket

located

on

the

underside

of

the

chassis

at

the

front

of

transceiver.

Both

filters

are

small

black

rectan-

gu

l

ar

boxes

about

2.5

inches

wide

and

are

installed

side

by

side.

If

two

boxes

are

seen,

the

CW

filter

is

installed.

The

CW

filter

is

usually

clearly

marked

as

being

a

400

Hz

unit.

The

other

improvement

was

a

change

in

the

frequency

con-

trol

switch

permitting

the

use

of

an

external

LMO

(

VFO)

.

This

gave

the

operator

independent

control of

the

transmit

and

receive

frequencies.

Although

the

switch

position

is

provided

for,

actual

use

of

the

remote

LMO

(the

SB-640)

required

a

modification

of

the

transceiver.

Among

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

Weight/Size: 23

lbs;

15"

wide

x 6. 75"

high

x

14"

deep

:

see

listed

under

SB-100

179

s:s-1oa

If:

~

f

if

Mf

§f

i*fiJ

5

Band

SSB/CW

Transceiver

make

do.

The

third

improvement

was

the

addition

of

an

accesso-

Manufactured:

70-75

Price:

$380

Comments:

The

SB

-

102

was

the

most

successfu

l

of

the

SB

series

of

transceivers

and

was

the

last

of

Heath's

classic

vacuum

tube

rigs.

The

intro

-

duction

of

the

SB-102

in

1970

marked

the

peak

of

Heath's

success,

and

when

it

was

pulled

from

production

six

years

later

,

it

marked

the

closing

of

an

era

which

began

in

1963-the

solid

-

state

SB-

104

could

never

match

the

grandeur

of

the

elegant

and

venerable

102.

The

SB-

102

has

all

of

the

features

found

in

the

101

and

adds

three

major

improvements.

The

first

was

the

rep

lace-

ment

of

the

tube

-

type

LMO

with

a

solid

state

unit,

which

dramatically

improved

the

stability

of

the

rig.

This

meant

that

the

102

has

on

ly 19

tubes.

The

second

improvement

is

to

the

receiv

-

er's

sensitivity.

The

SB-100

and

101

have

a

sen

-

sitivity

of

about

1 uV.

The

SB-102

is

better

than

.35 u

V.

This

is

due

primarily

to

the

use

of

a

6HS6

in

the

RF

amplifier

instead

ofa

6AU6.

Note

that

6HS6

tubes

are

very

rare

today;

in

any

given

SB-

102

this

tube

may

have

been

replaced

with

a

6AU6

,

which

will

degrade

the

102's

sensitivity

.

But

unless

you

can

locate

a

6HS6

you'll

have

to

180

ry

jack

for

use

with

the

SB

-

500

transverter.

This

jack

is

installed,

wired

,

and

ready

for

use.

Like

the

101,

the

102

must

be

modified

for

use

with

the

SB

-

640

remote

LMO.

The

modification

is

the

same

as

on

the

101,

but

it

will

mean

placing

a

second

accessory

jack

below

the

existing

jack

used

by

the

SB-500

.

Look

for

the

knock-out

panel

on

the

rear

of

the

enclosure

(just

above

the

ground

post).

If

it

has

been

removed,

check

for

two

jacks

just

inside

the

opening.

If

two

are

pre-

sent,

the

mod

for

the

640

has

been

done

.

The

top

jack

is

for

the

SB-500

and

the

bottom

one

is for

the

SB-640.

SB-102s

with

serial

numbers

whose

last

four

digits

are

lower

than

5446

have

a

minor

problem

with

the

driver

preselector

.

See

listing

for

SB

-

100

for

details.

The

SB-102

was

one

of

Heath's

finest

products.

It

is

dressed

in

classic

two-tone

green.

SB-102s

are

sti

ll

fairly

common

at

flea

markets.

Weight/Size: 23

lbs

;

15

"

wide

x 6. 75"

high

x

14

"

deep

see

under

SB-100

HEATHKIT

l8

~

f

bi&f

HH+iil

S:S-104

(.A)

5

Band

SSB/CW

Transceiver

problems

were

solved

with

the

release

of

the

SB

-

104A

. A

modifica-

Manufactured/

Price:

SB-104

74-77

$699.95

SB-104A

77-82

$699.95

Comments:

The

SB

-

103

was

to

be

a

solid-state

version

of

the

SB

-102-solid

-

state

except

for

the

final

amplifier,

which

wo

ul

d

have

used

a

pair

of

6146s.

A

prototype

of

the

103

was

b

uil

t,

but

never

made

it

out

of

the

l

ab

when

it

was

decided

that

solid-state

finals

would

be

a

better

idea.

The

resu

lt

was

the

SB

-1

04

-

Heath's

first

solid-

state

HF

rig

and

its

first

real

disaster

.

The

SB-

104

uses

bot

h

digita

l

and

broadban

d

tech

-

niques-two

concepts

that

were

relative

ly

new

and

unfamiliar

to

Heat

h.

What

Heath

ended

up

with

was

a

radio

fraught

with

problems

.

The

receiver

was

fu

ll

of

bird

ies;

the

transm

i

tter

was

dirty;

the

fina

l t

ransistors

would

not

take

a

high

SWR,

not

even

briefly

; th e

CW

waveform

was

much

too

abrupt;

TR

switching

wasn

't

clean;

the

digita

l di

sp

l

ay

h

ad

the

ji

tters;

and

the

li

st

goes

on

and

on.

After

four

years

of

re

-

engineer

i

ng

and

many

modifications,

most

(but

not

a

ll

)

of

these

A Guide

to

the

Amateu

r R adio Products

tion

kit

was

offered

to

owners

of

the

104

to

upgrade

their

units

to

the

104A.

Most

of

the

changes

made

in

the

modification

kit

are

board

-

l

evel

parts

changes

a

nd

are

not

easily

detecte

d

with

casual

inspection.

The

upgrade

kit

includ

-

ed

a

new

front

pane

l

trim

strip

t h

at

was

screened

with

"SB

-

10

4A"

and

a

new

bl

ue

an

d

white

stick-on

seria

l

pl

ate

wit

h

the

new

mode

l

number.

These

make

it

difficu

lt

to

te

ll

a

modi

-

fied

104

from

a

genu

i

ne

104A-the

preferred

unit.

If

the

u

nit

you

are

looking

at

has

two

blue-

and-white

seria

l

plates,

it

is

an

upgraded

unit

.

In

l

ater

versions

of

t h e

104A,

H

eath

b

egan

to

ship

th e

transceiver

with

some

of

the

more

criti

-

ca

l

PC

boards

pre-assemb

l

ed

and

aligned.

The

104

and

1

04A

use

more

than

275

solid-state

devices

inclu

d

ing

31

ICs

and

was

the

first

radio

Heat

h

made

th

at

use

d a

built

-in

digita

l

frequen

-

cy

disp

lay. The

SB

-

104

covers

80-10

meters

(

no

WARC

bands)

plus

15

MHz

WWV

and

runs

about

1

00

watts

PE

P

and

CW

output.

The

104(A)

wi

ll

run

USB,

L

SB,

and

CW

an

d

is

bui

lt

on

15

PC

boards.

El

eve

n

of

these

plug

in

and

can

181

be

extended

for

ease

of

servicing

and

adjustment

while

the

transceiver

is

operating.

Features

include

a

broadband

no-tune

design,

built-in

CW

sidetone,

push-button

selection

of

most

func-

tions

including

meter

function,

VOX,

mode,

and

power

on

/off.

There

is

also

a

QRP

mode

that

yields

about

one

watt

of

output

power.

No

crys-

tal

calibrator

is

required

.

Receiver

sensitivity

is

less

than

1 u

V.

Selectivity

is

2 .1

kHz

at

6

dB

down

.

There

is

an

optional

400

Hz

CW

filter,

and

an

optional

noise

blanker.

Drift

is

less

than

100

Hz

per

hour

after

a

30-minute

warm

-u

p.

TR

switching

is

done

with

a

mechanical

relay,

so

true

QSK

is

not

possible.

Front

panel

controls

include

the

aforementioned

push

buttons

,

AF

and

RF

gain,

AGC fast/slow/off, VOX

gain

and

delay,

bandswitch

,

mic

/

CW

level

,

and

main

tun-

ing.

The

main

tuning

knob

is

a

"spinner"

type

and

slues

at

the

rate

of

30

kHz

per

revolution.

In

addition

to

the

digital

display

(seven

segment

neon

type),

the

front

panel

also

sports

a

meter

that

reads

both

S-units

and

relative

power

and

the

call

letters

of

the

station.

(The

clever

person

should

be

able

to

figure

out

a

way

to

replace

the

call

letters

with

his

or

her

own

.)

Rear

panel

con-

trols

include

VOX

anti

-trip

,

sidetone

level,

and

a

switch

for

selection

of

separate

or

common

antennas.

Rear

panel

connections

include

a

standard

quarter-inch

key

jack

and

phono

type

jacks

for

phone

patch

in

and

out,

linear

amp

ALC

input,

a

four

ohm

speaker,

receiver

audio

input,

VFO

input

and

output,

IF

output,

driver

output,

and

two

spares

.

There

is

also

a

ground

post

,

an

11-pin

"octal

style"

power

plug,

and

an

accessory

socket

(

which

includes

relay

output)

.

The

SB

-104

comes

with

both

an

assembly

and

an

operations

manual-try

to

get

them

both

.

Also

try

hard

to

get

the

card

extender

boards

that

came

with

the

radio.

They

are

a

virtual

necessi-

ty

for

working

on

the

rig.

Any

SB-104(A)

series

transceiver

should

be

regarded

as

having

one

or

more

problems

solvable

only

by

the

most

ski

ll

ed

technicians,

and

claims

of

their

being

in

good

182

li5

~fH@SiHH+I

working

order

should

be

regarded

with

a

degree

of

skepticism.

The

SB-104

(A)

was

an

expensive

endeavor

for

Heath

and

one

from

which

it

never

saw

a

profit

.

The

104(A)

is

designed

for

use

with

the

HP-1144

power

supply

.

Power

requirements:

12 VDC

at

20

amps

maximum

transmit

, 2

amps

receive.

The

SB-104

(A)

used

the

classic

SB

two-

tone

green

wrinkle

finish

and

SB

series

knobs.

Not

too

rare

.

Caveat

emptor!

Weight/Size: 31lbs;14.5"

wide

x 5.75"

high

x

14"

deep

SB-230, SB-604,

SB-614,

SB-

634, SB-644(A),

HP-1144

HE

.AT

HK

IT

[

~

f#

1

#¥iifl*f;i]

SB-110

6

Meter

SSB/CW

Transceiver

Selectivity

is

2 .1

kHz

at

6

db

down.

There

are

Manufactured/Price:

SB-110

65-69

$299

SB-110A

69-

71

$299

Comments:

Looking

very

much

a

lik

e a

mirror

image

of

the

SB-100

series

of

transceivers,

the

SB

-110

was

actua

lly

on

the

market

about

six

months

before

the

SB-100

.

The

SB-llO(A)

uses

the

same

(tube

type)

LMO

as

the

SB-100

(see

SB

-100

listing

for a

discussion

of

the

LMO

),

and

its

specification

are

also

similar.

The

SB-llO(A)

is

built

on

five

PC

boards

(six

if

you

count

the

tiny

ANL

board)

and

uses

17

tubes

including

a

pair

of

6146s

and

a

pair

of

6DS4

Nuvitors.

A

sin

-

gle

transistor

is

used

as

well-in

the

audio

amp.

The

SB-llO(A

)

will

tune

four

500

kHz

band

seg-

ments

between

49.5

to

54

MHz

and

comes

stan

-

dard

with

crystals

for

coverage

from

50

to

52

MHz-and

front

panel

control

legends

to

match.

The

receiver

section

is

a

triple

conversion

super-

het

using

Heath

standard

IF

frequencies.

Sec-

ond

IF

is

3395

kHz

.

Sensitivity

is

rated

as

.1

uV

for

a

15

db

signal

plus

noise-to-noise

ratio.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

provisions

for

only

one

filter.

Less

than

100

Hz

drift

after

a

20

minute

warm

up.

RF

power

output

is

rated

at

100

watts

PEP

,

an

d

90

watts

CW

.

Features

include

switch

selection

of

USB,

LSB

,

an

d CW,

as

well

as

PTT

and

VOX

operation.

In

addition

the

SB-110

(A)

features

ANL,

AGC,

a

built-in

sidetone,

and

a

built-in

100

kHz

crystal

calibrator.

Not

e

that

calibration

of

the

calibrator

is

critical

since

a 5

hz

error

at

100

kHz

will

translate

to

a 2.5

kHz

error

at

50

MHz.

Crysta

l

controlled

operation

is

provided

for

MARS

or

net

operation.

The

SB-

110(A)

can

transmit

on

the

crystal

frequency

while

the

LMO

tunes

the

receiver,

or

can

be

made

to

transceive

on

the

crystal

frequency

.

The

SB-110(A)

a

lso

has

cross-mode

capability

-

transmit

CW

and

receive

USB.

The

CW

is

VOX

operated

and

us

es

grid

block

keying.

Front

panel

controls

include

main

tuning,

zero

set

,

meter

function,

AF

gain

(pull

for ANL),

RF

gain,

prese-

lelector

,

band,

final

tune,

driver,

mod

e,

function,

oscillator

mode,

and

MIC

/

CW

l

eve

l.

The

mic

and

headphone

jacks

are

on

eit

h

er

side

of

the

main

tuning

control.

Internal

chassis

mounted

con-

183

trols

include

VOX

controls,

headphone

l

eve

l, S-

meter

zero

a

dju

st,

relative

power

meter

adju

st

,

sidetone

level,

driver

neutralizer,

carrier

null,

carrier

balance,

bias

adjust,

and

ALC

meter

adjust.

A

rear

panel

control

selects

between

sep

-

arate

or

common

antenna

inputs.

In

a

ddition

to

an

11

"octal

sty

le"

power

plug

,

rear

panel

connections

include

phone

j

acks

for

50

ohm

RF

output

,

receiver

input

, 8

ohm

speaker,

phone

patch,

ALC,

and

a

spare.

The

key

jack

is

a

stan-

d

ard

quarter-inch

connector.

There

is

no

built-in

speaker

or

power

supply.

Diff

ere

nc

es

in

the

llOA

include

improv

ements

in

b

ypass

in

g

and

filter-

ing

,

and

an

improved

(

but

still

tube-type

) LMO.

The

modifications

were

made

to

e

liminat

e a sig-

nal

being

radiated

by

the

h

eterdyne

oscillator-

present

even

in

the

rece

iv

e

mode

.

Thi

s

sig

nal

was

getting

into

TV

channel

6. Very few

original

SB-llOs

got

out

the

door

b

efore

the

FCC

came

calling

on

Heath

and

it

is

unlikely

that

you

will

find

one.

IMPORTANT:

It

is

difficult

to

tell

the

difference

between

the

110

and

the

llOA

as

most

ch

anges

are

at

the

PC

board

l

eve

l

and

are

not

easily

detected

wit

h

casual

inpection.

The

front

panel

of

both

the

SB-110

and

llOA

are

l

abe

led

s

imply

as

SB-110.

To

determine

if

the

unit

in

question

is

a

llOA

you

must

either

check

the

blue-and-white

serial

plate

usually

loc

ated

on

the

top

of

the

LMO

,

or

sometimes

on

the

rear

panel,

or

check

the

assembly

manual

cover. Also

not

e

that

when

the

SB-500

is

not

connecte

d

to

the

llO(A)

a

mating

plug

must

be

installed

on

the

rear

panel

connector

for

the

llO(A)

to

func-

tion

properly.

Th

e

SB

-llO

(A)

is

de

signed

for u

se

with

the

HP-23

an

d

HP-13

series

power

s

up-

pli

es

.

CAUTION:

Be

sure

to

use

the

+2

50

volt

tap

(

or

switch

position

)

on

the

HP-23

and

HP-13

series

power

su

pplies.

Using

the

300

volt

setti

ng

will

cause

erratic

operation

in

the

SB-

llO

(A).

Heath

(and

the

QST

rev

i

ewer)

not

ed

that

this

was

a

challenging

kit

recommended

for

those

with

t

building

experience.

Th

e

SB-110

and

llOA

are

sty

led

to

match

th

e

rest

of

the

SB

ser

ie

s

and

are

medium

rare

.

Weight/Size: 23lbs;15"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

14"

deep

SB

accessories

184

~fHiif§fi*EiJ

HE.A.TH

KIT

~

~1ua&tna11

HF

Linear

Amplifier

Manufactured/Price:

SB-200 64-78 $200.00

SB-201

78-83 $449.94

Comments:

The

SB-200

was

arguably

the

most

popular

linear

amplifier

ever

sold-kit

or

assem

-

bl

ed.

In

the

SB-200(201)'s

20-year

production

life

He

at

h

may

well

have

sold

more

of

them

than

all

other

manufacturers

'

amps

combin

ed. So

suc-

ce

ss

ful

were

the

SB-200

and

201

that

they

out-

lasted

all

of

the

other

SB

products

-e

ven

the

SB-104A.

The

success

of

the

200(201)

was

due

in

part

to

it

s

watts-per

-d

ollar

ratio.

But

it

also

suc-

cee

ded

becau

se

it

was

si

mply

a

great

a

mplifier.

It

was

well-engineered,

compact

,

lightw

e

ight

,

and

well-behaved.

It

co

uld

withstand

a

certain

amount

of

abuse

-

and

it

kicked

out

the

power

.

Th

e

SB-200

(

201)

is

r

ate

d

at

1200

watts

input

PEP

and

1000

watts

CW u s

ing

a

pair

of

in

s

tant-

on,

fan-cooled,

572B

(

T160L

)

tub

es

running

in

parallel.

It

operates

in

grounded

grid

cl

ass

B

and

requires

100

watts

(

nominal

)

of

driv

e.

Th

e

200

ha

s

an

input

impedanc

e

of

50

ohms.

Th

e

amp

fe

at

ur

es

a

built-in

,

solid-state

pow

er

supply

w

ith

a

circuit

breaker

(m

ounted

insid

e

the

cabi-

net

und

er

the

top

cover),

full

metering

, ALC

out-

put

, a

built-in

SWR

bridge

,

and

pre-tuned

cath-

ode

input

circuitry.

Th

e

only

diff

ere

nc

e

between

th

e

SB-200

an

d

the

SB-201

is

fr

eq

u

ency

co

ver-

age

.

Th

e

200

covers

80-10

meters.

Th

e

201

cov-

ers

only

80-15

meters.

This

change

wa

s

dictated

A

Guide

to

th

e

Amateur

Radio

Products

s:s-aoo/ao1

by

a

change

in

th

e

laws

governing

the

manufacture

of

linear

a

mplifier

s.

Front

panel

controls

include

a

rocker-typ

e

on/off

sw

itch

;

tune

, loa d , a

nd

band

sw

itch;

r e

lativ

e

power

se

n

sitiv

ity;

and

meter

function.

The

illu-

minat

ed m

eter

will

r

ea

d

grid

,

plate

,

relative

power,

SWR,

and

high

voltage.

Rear

pan

el con-

nec

tion

s

includ

e a

ground

post

,

phono

ja

c

ks

for

RF

input

,

an

tenna

relay,

ALC,

and

an

S0-239

RF

ou

t

put

connector

for a

50

ohm

antenna.

Th

e

SB-200

and

201

can

be

wir

ed for

either

120

VAC

(16

amp

max)

or

240

VAC

(8

amp

max

)

opera-

tion.

240

VAC

is

recommended.

The

SB

-200

and

201

are

styled

to

match

th

e

other

SB-seri

es

gear

and

w

ear

th

e

classic

two-tone

green

wrinkle

fin-

ish

paint.

The

SB-200

remains

as

good a

value

today

as

wh

en

it

was

last

so

ld

in

1983.

Th

e SB-

200

is

in

greater

d

ema

nd

by

virtue

of

its

10

me

ter

coverage.

SB-200s

and

201s

are

not

rare,

but

watch

for

modifications

.

Weight/Size: 41lbs;15"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

14"

deep

SB-220,

SB-221

,

see

listed

for

SB-100

185

s:s-220/221

HF

Linear

Amplifier

Manufactured/Price:

SB-220 70-78 $369.95

SB-221

78-83 $599.95

Comments:

The

SB-220

is

probably

the

second

most

popular

amplifier

on

the

planet,

right

behind

the

SB

-

200

and

201.

Larger

and

heavier

than

the

SB-200,

the

220

is

pretty

much

the

same

amplifier.

The

SB-220

(

221)

is

rated

at

2000

watts

input

PEP

and

1000

watts

CW

using

a

pair

offan

-

cooled,

instant

-on, 3-

500Z

tubes

running

in

par-

alle

l,

and

operated

close

to

ground

potential

in

class

B.

The

220(221

)

can

be

driven

with

as

little

as

65

watts,

but

to

realize

a full

1000

watts

of

output

power

requires

at

least

100

watts

of

drive.

A

double

shie

l

ded

RF

deck

keeps

the

TVI poten-

tia

l

to

an

min

i

mum.

The

amp

features

a

built

-

in,

solid-state

power

supp

ly

wit

h a

circuit

breaker

(on

the

rear

panel),

safety

interlocks

,

full

meter-

ing,

ALC

output,

pre

-tu

ned

broadband

Pi

-

input,

and

Zener

diode

regulated

bias

to

reduce

plate

idle

current

and

he

lp

reduce

operating

tempera

-

ture.

The

input

impedance

is

about

50

ohms.

There

is

no

built-in

SWR

bridge,

as

in

the

SB-

200.

The

only

difference

between

the

SB

-

220

and

the

SB

-221

is

frequency

coverage.

The

220

covers

80-10

meters.

The

221

covers

on

ly

80

-15

meters.

This

change

was

dictated

by

a

change

in

the

l

aws

governing

the

manufacture

of

linear

amplifiers.

Front

panel

contro

ls

include

rocker

type

switch-

es

for

main

power

and

mo

de

(SSB/CW);

tune,

186

rE=

~

tH?tS?UH+IJ

load,

and

bandswitch

controls;

relative

power

sensitivity;

and

meter

function

.

There

are

two

illuminated

meters.

One

reads

plate

current

and

the

other

can

be

switched

between

grid

current,

relative

power,

and

high

voltage.

Rear

panel

connections

in

-

clude a ground post, phono

jacks

for

antenna

relay,

ALC,

and

S0-239s

for

both

RF

input

and

out-

put.

The

SB-220

(221)

is

designed

for

use

with

50

ohm

loads.

The

220

is

not

quite

as

reliable

as

the

200(201

)

as

far

as

the

power

supply

is

con-

cerned-and

low

high-

voltage

due

to

blown

diodes

in

the

stack

are

com-

mon

. A

simp

le

test

:

when

run

from 240

VAC

in

the

SSB

mode,

the

SB-220

high-voltage

shou

ld

push

the

meter

right

up

to

the

end

of

the

sca

le

and

per

-

haps

right

to

the

peg

. A

reading

much

less

than

full

sca

le

may

indicate

one

or

more

bad

diodes

.

Also,

the

Zener

diode

regulating

the

bias

is

easy

to

blow

up

with

any

significant

arcing

in

an

d

around

the

coils

and

caps.

Plate

id

le

current

should

be

around

7 5

ma.

A

higher

reading

may

indicate

a

bad

Zener

.

The

220

was

prone

to

a l

ittle

arcing

,

and

Heath

eventually

came

out

with

a

modification

kit

to

fix

the

problem.

This

mod

is

hard

to

spot

but

is

most

obvious

in

the

loading

capacitor.

The

or

i

ginal

loading

cap

has

narrow

spacing

between

the

plates,

while

the

new

cap

has

a

much

wider

spacing.

The

power

supply

and

capacitor

prob

l

ems

have

been

fixed

in

the

221.

The

SB-220

and

221

can

be

wired

for

either

120

VAC (20

amp

max)

or

240

VAC (10

amp

max)

operation.

240

VAC

is

h

igh

ly

recommended.

The

SB-220

and

221

are

styled

to

match

the

other

SB-

series

gear

and

wear

the

classic

two

-

tone

green

wrinkle

finish

paint.

The

SB-220

remains

as

good a

value

today

as

when

it

was

last

sold

in

1983.

The

SB

-

220

is

in

greater

demand

by

virtue

of

its

10

meter

coverage.

SB

-

220s

and

22ls

are

not

rare,

but

watch

for

modifications

.

Wei

ght/Size: 50

lbs

;

15

"

wide

x 6. 75"

hi

gh x

14

"

deep

SB-200, SB-201,

see

listed

for

SB-100

HEATHKIT

HF

Linear

Amplifier

Manu

fac

ture

d:

7 4-78

Pr

ice:

$469.95

Comments

:

The

SB-230

was

one

of

a

family

of

new

products

released

in

the

Christmas

1974

catalog

and

is

designed

to

match

the

SB-104(A)

transceiver.

(See

listed

below

.)

The

SB-230

is

rated

at

1200

watts

input

PEP

and

1000

watts

CW,

which

translates

to

about

600

watts

output

or

about

400

watts

for

RTTY

or

SSTV.

It

us

es

a

single

(and

very

expensive)

Eimac

8873

tube,

which

is

convection

cooled

and

operated

in

grounded

grid

clas

s B.

Convection

cooling

means

the

SB-230

requires

no

fan,

and

that

means

very

quiet

operation.

The

amp

fea

-

tures

a

built-in

solid

-

state

power

supply

with

a

circuit

breaker

(

built

into

the

power

switch),

safety

interlocks,

full

metering,

and

ALC

output.

The

final

tube

cathode

is

fus

ed

to

protect

it

from

excessive

drive.

In

addition

the

amplifier

is

ther-

mally

protected

and

will

shut

down

if

the

final

tube

gets

too

hot.

A

time

delay

tube

provides

a

60-

to

90-second

start

-

up

delay

to

give

the

8873

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

s:s-aso

time

to

warm

up.

During

this

de

lay

the

amp

can-

not

be

operated,

except

in

the

bypass

mode.

There

is

no

built-in

SWR

bridge

as

in

the

SB-

200.

The

SB

-

230

covers

80-10

meters.

Front

panel

contro

ls

include

a

rocker

-

type

power

switch;

tune,

l

oad

,

and

bandswitch

controls;

rel-

ative

power

sensitivity;

and

a

combination

meter

and

function

control.

The

illuminated

meter

reads

pl

ate

current,

grid

current,

relative

power,

and

high

voltage

.

There

are

front

panel

indicators

for

hig

h

temperature,

delay

mode,

and

the

"exciter

on

ly"

mode.

In

the

"exciter

only"

mode

is

essentially

a

"standby"

mode

in

which

the

amplifier

remains

on

but

is

bypassed.

This

mode

is

provided

since

the

amp

is

not

an

"instant

on"

type

like

the

SB

-

200

and

220

.

Rear

panel

connections

include

a

ground

post,

phono

jacks

for

antenna

relay,

ALC

and

RF

input

,

and

an

S0

-

239

for

RF

output.

The

SB-230

is

designed

for

use

with

50

ohm

loads.

The

8873

cathode

fus

e

is

also

found

on

the

rear

panel.

It

is

a

3AG

.75

amp

fuse.

The

SB-230

can

be

wired

for

either

120

VAC

(14

amp

max)

or

240

VAC (7

amp

max)

operat

i

on.

240

VAC

is

recommended.

DANGER:

The

SB-230

cont

a

ins

a

block

of

Beryllium

Oxide. Dust

and

fumes from this material are

187

DEADLY

POISON!

The

Beryllium

Oxide

block

is

used

as

part

of

the

heat

sink

for

the

8873

and

is

located

in

a

rear

panel

cut-out

between

the

8873

and

the

large

finned

heat

sink

on

the

rear

panel.

DO

NOT

drill,

chip,

crush,

saw,

or

file

the

Beryl-

lium

block.

It

should

be

handled

only

with

pro-

tective

gloves

and

eye

wear

. Also

note

that

the

gooey

heat

sink

compound

is

dangerous.

Wash

your

hands

immediately

after

contact

with

the

Beryllium

block

or

the

heat

sink

compound.

The

Beryllium

and

the

heat

sink

compound

should

be

handled

with

the

utmost

care

and

treated

like

the

hazardous

materials

they

really

are.

Anoth-

er

minor

hazard

(but

one

to

watch

out

for)

is

the

temperature

of

the

large

heat

sink

on

the

rear

panel.

In

normal

operation

the

temperature

of

the

heat

sink

may

rise

to

as

high

as

7 5 0 F -

as

hot

as

the

tip

of

a

soldering

iron.

Keep

the

ampli-

fier

clear

of

combustible

materials

and

be

sure

to

provide

adequate

ventilation.

The

SB-230

is

a

good

basic

amplifier

and

will

perform

well

pro-

viding

it

is

not

pushed

too

hard.

It

is

well

pro

-

tected

from

a

variety

of

adverse

conditions

and

is

easy

to

operate.

The

SB-230

fell

victim

to

the

popularity

of

Heath's

older

SB-201

and

221

amplifiers,

which

continued

to

sell

well.

Poor

sales

caused

Heath

to

pull

the

230

off

the

mar-

ket

in

1978-several

years

before

the

rest

of

the

SB-104

family. No

doubt

the

toxicity

of

the

heat

sink

(and

its

potential

liability)

play

ed a

part

in

the

decision

to

discontinue

the

230

as

well.

It

is

interesting

to

note

that

Heath

continued

to

sell

both

the

SB-201

and

SB

-

221

until

1983-long

after

the

230

was

gone.

Finished

in

classic

two-

tone

SB

green.

SB-230s

are

medium

rare

.

Wei

g

ht

/

Si

ze: 50

lbs

;

15

"

wide

x 6.75"

hi

gh x

14

"

deep

see

oducts

under

SB-104(A)

188

lE

~

fHMiHHFIJ

HE

.A..T

HK

IT

~

0

z

0

t;

'"

_,

0

"

'"

"

....

:;;

0

"'

~

II§

~

1

¥'&fHi*fiJ

SB-300

5

Band

SSB/CW

Receiver

the

other,

provided

1

kHz

dial

markings

with

resetablility

to

Manufactured: 63-66

Price:

$264.95

Comments:

Although

the

SB-10

was

the

first

Heath

product

to

wear

the

SB

label

,

the

SB-300

was

r

ea

lly

the

first

product

in

the

classic

Heath

SB

series.

The

300's

companion

transmitter-

the

SB

-

400

-

would

not

appear

for

another

6

months.

The

SB

-

300

is

designed

around

10

tubes,

and

while

two

PC

boards

are

used

there

is

still

a

great

deal

of

point

-

to-point

wiring-much

of

it

with

a

wiring

harness.

The

SB-300

is

a

dual

conversion

superheterodyne

unit

with

a 33

95

kHz

IF

and

covers

500

kHz

portions

the

80-10

meter

ham

bands

.

The

10

meter

band

is

divided

into

four

separate

piece

s.

The

300

u

ses

a

crystal

controlled

front

end

with

tunable

inputs.

The

BFO

is

crystal

contro

ll

ed

as

well.

At

the

heart

of

the

300

is

a

pre-assembled

and

aligned

VFO

Heath

called

an

LMO

or

Linear

Master

Oscilla

-

tor.

The

LMO

was

a

remarkable

pi

ece

of

engi-

neering.

It

had

an

output

from

5

to

5.5

MHz

on

all

bands

,

was

linear

from

one

end

of

the

band

to

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

about

200

Hz

,

and

was

accurate

to

within

400

Hz

of

the

nearest

100

kHz

marker.

H

ea

th

used

the

LMO

in

all

but

the

last

of

the

SB

series

rigs.

The

300's

sensitivity

is

rated

at

better

than

1 u V for

15

db

signal

plus

noise-to-noi

se

ratio.

Selectivity

is

2.1

kHz

at

6

db

down

for

SSB

operation.

The

SSB

crystal

filter

was

supplied

with

the

300,

but

Heath

also

offered

an

optional

3.5

kc

AM

filter

,

and

an

optional

400

Hz

CW

filter

.

The

presence

of

these

filters

may

be

determined

easily

by

opening

the

top

cover.

The

filters

are

small,

bl

ack,

rectangular

modules

about

2.5

inches

wide

mounted

in

a

row

betw

ee

n

the

LMO

and

the

S-meter

and

are

(fr

om

front

to

back

) CW,

SSB

,

and

AM. A

total

of

three

filters

may

be

installed.

Without

the

proper

fil

ters

installed

,

the

SB-300

will

not

operate

with

the

mode

switch

in

the

AM

or

CW

po

s

ition

;

however

,

reception

of

these

signa

ls

is

still

possible

in

the

SSB

mode.

Stability

is

better

than

100

Hz

after

warm-up.

Features

of

the

SB-300

include

a

bu

ilt

-

in

solid

state

power

supply,

a

bui

lt -

in

100

kHz

crystal

calibrator

, a

lighted

S-

meter

and

189

tuning

dial

,

and

smooth

backlash

free

vernier

tuning

that

provides

nearly

5

feet

of

band

-

spread.

There

is

no

built-in

speaker

and

there

are

no

provisions

for

crystal

controlled

opera-

tion.

The

SB-

300

can

be

configured

to

work

sepa

-

rately

from

the

SB-400

or

to

transceive

with

it

.

In

the

transceive

mode,

the

SB

-

300

determines

the

operating

frequency.

Switching

from

sepa

-

rate

operation

to

transceive

requires

that

you

swap

a

couple

of

cables

inside

the

SB-400

.

This

clumsy

chore

was

streamlined

in

the

SB

-

401.

NOTE:

Do

not

attempt

to

transceive

using

the

SB-400

with

the

SB

-

300's

mode

switch

in

either

the

AM

or

CAL

positions

as

the

units

will

not

function

properly.

The

SB-300

has

provisions

for

two

plug-in

converters-the

SBA-300-3

for

6

meters,

and

the

SBA

-

300-4

for 2

meters.

These

converters

are

se

l

ected

from

a

switch

on

the

top

side

of

the

chassis

at

the

right

rear

corner

of

the

rig.

Without

the

converters

this

same

switch

cou

ld

be

used

to

select

one

of

three

different

antenna

inputs.

The

presence

of

the

converters

is

easy

to

check

for.

The

converters

are

built

into

small

metal

boxes

that

attach

externally

to

the

300's

rear

panel.

They

each

have

two

tubes

on

board.

Front

panel

controls

include

main

tuning,

function,

mode,

AGC

(fast/slow

/

off

),

band

,

AF

and

RF

gain,

and

preselector.

There

is

also a

190

IE=

~

fHiSf§fHil

~

0

z

0

,_

"

w

-'

0

"

w

"'

,_

:;

0

~

front

panel

headphone

jack.

Rear

panel

connec

-

tions

include

a

two

prong

plug

for a

"cheater"

type

power

cord,

an

octal

accessory

power

socket

for

the

VHF

converters,

and

phono

jacks

for

HF

antenna,

VHF

#1

antenna

,

VHF

#2

antenna,

mute,

anti-VOX,

8

ohm

speaker

out,

heterodyne

oscillator

out

,

LMO

out,

and

BFO,

as

well

as

two

spare

phono

jacks.

NOTE:

Heath

specifies

that

the

LMO,

BFO

,

and

HFO

interconnects

must

be

24

inch

lengths

ofRG-62

.

(It

takes

no

fewer

than

seven

coaxia

l

cab

l

es

to

connect

the

SB-300

to

the

SB

-

400.)

Simple

alignment

requires

only

a

VTVM.

The

SB

-

300

is

finished

in

the

classic

SB

two

-

tone

green

wrink

le

paint.

In

1967

the

SB-

300

was

replaced

by

the

SB-301

(see

listing).

SB-

300s

are

increasingly

rare

at

swap

meets.

We

ig

ht/Size: 23

lbs

;

15

"

wide

x 6. 75" h

ig

h x

14

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

HEA.THKIT

[§

8*

f

§ff

df

if

i*f

;i]

SE-301

5

Band

SSB/CW

Receiver

converters

has

been

simplified

on

the

301

by

the

addition

of

front

Manufactured: 66-70

Price:

$260.00

Comments:

While

the

basic

specifications

of

the

SB-301

are

the

same

as

for

the

SB-300

(see

list-

ing

for

details

),

the

301

represents

a s

ubstantial

refinement.

Improvem

e

nts

found

in

the

301

includ

e

the

addition

of

an

RTTY

position

on

the

mode

switch

.

When

activated,

a

carrier

at

3392.11

kHz

is

produced

that

causes

detected

sig

nals

at

2125

Hz

and

2975

Hz

(850

Hz

shift)

to

fall

within

the

SSB

filter's

bandpass.

170

Hz

RTTY

can

be

tuned

via

the

400

Hz

CW

filt

er

(

if

installed).

Another

handy

improvement

is

the

addition

of

a

15

to

15

.5

MHz

range

on

the

bandswitch

,

permitting

the

reception

of

WWV.

An

ANL

circuit

has

been

added

to

the

301

as

we

ll.

It

is

activated

by

pulling

out

the

audio

gain

control

knob.

The

ANL

operates

within

the

IF

stage

rather

than

the

audio

stage

and

uses

a

full

wave

shunt

across

the

second

IF

amplifier.

It

is

se

lf-b

iased

and

self-adjusts

to

the

level

of

the

incoming

signal.

Activation

of

the

optional

VHF

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

panel

control.

(On

the

300

it

was

necessary

to

reach

inside

the

unit

to

switch

the

converters.)

This

control

switches

b

etwee

n

the

HF

antenna

input

and

the

two

converter

s

and

is

mounted

concentric

a

lly

on

the

RF

gain

control.

The

char

-

acter

of

the

optional

CW

and

AM

filters

has

been

changed

a

little.

The

AM

filter

has

been

widened

from

3.5

kHz

to

3.75

kHz.

The

CW

filter

used

to

be

2.5

at

th

e -60

db

point;

it

has

been

narrowed

to

2

kHz.

A few

contro

ls

on

the

front

panel

have

been

re-labeled

to

reflect

these

various

changes.

The

rear

panel

is

essentially

the

same

although

two

more

"s

pare"

jacks

have

been

added.

SB-

301s

are

still

fairly

common

and

are

often

found

alongside

their

SB-401

mates

.

In

1970

the

SB-

301

was

replaced

by

the

solid

state

SB-303

(see

listing).

Finished

in

cl

ass

ic SB

two-tone

green

wrinkle.

SB-301s

are

not

rare.

Weight/Size: 23

lbs;

15"

wide

x 6. 75"

high

x

14

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

191

S:S-303

rF

~

fHWiUHEi

5

Band

SSB/CW

Receiver

less

than

10

Hz

per

hour

drift

after

a

20

Manufactured:

70-

76

Price:

$345

Comments:

The

SB-303

was

the

first

fully

solid

-

state

member

of

the

SB

series

and

was

extre

me-

ly

popular.

Using

27

silicon

transistors,

one

IC, a

handfu

l

of

diodes,

and

the

same

LMO

and

di

al

assembly

found

in

the

SB-102,

the

SB-303

is

built

on

nine

plug

-in

PC

boards

.

Its

basic

fea-

tures

and

specifications

are

very

much

like

the

SB-301.

It

also

looks

very

much

lik

e

the

301,

but

is

2. 75 i

nches

narrower.

The

conversion

scheme

a

nd

IF

frequencies

are

identical

to

the

300

a

nd

301,

an

d

like

the

301,

the

303

covers

500

kHz

portions

of

the

80

through

10

meter

hams

bands

,

as

well

as

15

to

15.5

MHz

for WWV

reception.

Th

e 10

meter

band

is

covered

in

four

segments.

Th

e

use

of

dual

gate

MOSFETs

in

the

RF

am

pli-

fier

,

mixer,

and

IF

amplifier

resu

lt

s

in

a

signifi-

cant

impro

vem

ent

in

sens

itivit

y

over

the

SB-300

a

nd

30

1.

The

303

is

rated

at

better

than

.25

uV

for

10

db

sig

n

al

plus

noise

-

to

-

noise

ratio.

Th

e

solid

state

LMO

has

improved

stability

as

we

ll-

192

minute

warm

-up

.

The

SB-303

also

features

an

improv

ed

crysta

l

cali

-

br

ator

.

In

additio

n

to

100

kHz

markers,

the

n

ew

calibrator

also

provides

switch

se

l

ection

of

25

kH

z

markers.

And

in

additio

n

to

the

stan

dard

RF

ga

in

control,

Heath

has

added

an

RF

attenu-

ator

control

with

a

40

db

range.

As

with

the

301,

the

303

can

be

used

to

transceive

with

the

SB

-

400

a

nd

401

and

has

provisions

for

two

VHF

con-

verters.

The

303

comes

standar

d

with

a 2.1

kHz

SSB

filter

a

nd

has

provisions

for

two

optional

filters-a

3.75

kHz

AM

filter

and

a

400

Hz

CW

filter

.

Th

ese

are

the

same

filters

used

in

the

SB-

300

and

301.

The

un

it

will

not

function

in

the

AM

or

CW

mod

e

unl

ess

the

a

pp

ropr

i

ate

fil

ters

h

ave

been

installed,

alt

h

ough

reception

of

AM

and

CW

is

sti

ll

possible

in

the

SSB

mode.

The

303

does

not

have

a

cabinet

with

the

hin

ged

top

to

permit

easy

access

to

the

inside

-

presumably

because

you wo

uld

not

be

changing

bad

tubes.

Th

erefore

the

only

way

to

chec

k for

the

presence

of

the

filters

is

to

ei

ther

remove

the

unit

from

its

case

(by

removing

the

r

ubb

er

feet

)

or

to

try

to

look

throug

h

the

cabinet

perforations

.

In

any

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

r8

~

f

H&f

Ui*FiJ

case,

the

filters

are

located

just

behind

the

power

transformer,

which

is

located

just

behind

the

S-meter.

There

is

room

for

three

filters

and

they

are

(from

l

eft

to

right

as

view

from

the

front)

SSE,

CW,

and

AM.

The

CW

and

AM

filters

may

or

may

not

be

labeled

as

such.

As

mentioned

earlier,

the

PC

board

may

be

unplugged

for

ser

-

vice.

But

to

unplug

some

of

them

requires

that

the

bandswitch

control

shaft

be

removed

first.

PC

board

extender

cards

were

originally

sup-

plied

with

the

SB-303

but

are

rarely

found

with

the

unit

at

flea

markets.

Front

panel

controls

include

function,

converter

(for

selection

of

HF

antenna

or

VHF

converters),

band

,

RF

attenua-

tor,

main

tuning,

zero

set,

AGC

(fast,

slow, off),

mode,

AF

gain/power

on

-off,

and

RF

gain

(

pull

to

disable

speaker)

.

There

is

no

ANL.

Internal

con-

trols

include

IF/Audio-bias

adjust,

meter

zero,

meter

full

scale,

BFO

power

supply

adjust,

100

kHz

adjust

,

RTTY

wide/narrow

shift,

and

CW

shift.

Rear

panel

connections

include

a

quarter-

inch

headphone

jack

and

phono

jacks

for

HF

input,

VHF

#1

input,

VHF

#2

input,

mute,

anti-

VOX, 8

ohm

speaker

(there

is

no

built-in

speak-

er)

,

HFO

out

,

BFO

out,

LMO

out,

and

CW

shift.

There

are

also

four

spare

jacks

as

well

as

an

"octa

l

sty

le"

accessory

socket

providing

power

for

the

optional

VHF

converters

and

input

for a

RTTY

keyboard

.

The

303's

built-in

power

supply

can

be

wired

for

120

or

240

VAC

50/60

Hz

opera-

tion

and

is

protected

with

a

rear

panel

circuit

breaker.

The

303

is

a

nice

receiver-even

by

today's

standards.

SB-303s

are

still

fairly

com-

mon

and

are

often

found

alongside

their

SB-401

mates

.

Painted

in

classic

SB

two-tone

green

wrinkle.

Weight/Size: 17lbs;12.25"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

14

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

193

"'

::

"

....

"

:r

....

~

:r

w

:r

....

::;

0

"'

~

S:S-810

rE=

3* f

HR&f

§f

HfiJ

International

Broadcast

Band

Receiver

the

11

meter

Citizens

Band

to

13

and

15

meter

shortwave

coverage.

The

conversion

is

easy

to

spot

since

it

included

a

new

dial

l

ege

nd

plate

on

the

band

switch.

The

310

will

tune

USB

,

LSB

, AM,

and

CW

but

came

standard

with

only

a 5

kHz

AM fil-

ter

. A

400

Hz

CW

and

a

2.1

kHz

SSB

filter

were

optional

,

and

the

310

will

not

function

in

th

ese

modes

unle

ss

the

appro-

pri

ate

filters

are

in

sta

lled.

The

filters

are

th

e

same

ones

u

se

d

in

the

SB-300

and

301.

The

fil-

ters

are

small

rectangu

-

lar

modules

locat

e d

betw

ee

n

the

LMO

and

the

S-met

e r

and

are

(from

front

to

back

)

CW

,

SSB,

and

AM

.

All

front

panel

controls

are

identical

to

Manufacture

d:

67-72

Pr

i

ce:

$267.95

Comments:

The

SB

-

310

was

released

for

Christ

-

mas

in

1967

and

is

an

SWL

version

of

the

SB

-

300.

It

took

very

little

re-engineering

to

convert

the

SB-300

to

an

SWL

unit,

enabling

Heath

to

tap

into

a

new

market

for

almost

nothing.

The

310's

basic

10

tube

de

s

ign

(incorrectly

stated

as

11

in

the

'67

Christmas

catalog)

and

specifica-

tions

are

the

same

as

the

SB-300,

and

physically

the

SB

-

310

is,

at

first

glance,

indistinguishable

from

the

SB-300

.

About

the

only

things

that

dif-

ferentiate

these

two

rigs

are

the

name

plates

and

the

markings

on

the

bandswitchs

.

For

a dis-

cussion

of

the

3 lO's

specifications

and

design

please

refer

to

the

listing

for

the

SB-300.

The

310

is

not

a

general

coverage

receiver.

It

is

designed

to

cover

th

e 16,

19,

25,

31

, 41 ,

and

49

meter

international

broadcast

bands;

the

80, 40, ·

and

20

meter

ham

bands;

and

the

11

meter

Citi-

zens

Band

.

Specific

frequency

coverage

is

as

fol-

lows: 3.5

to

4.0;

5.7

to

6.2; 7.0

to

7.5; 9.5

to

10.0;

11.5

to

12.0

;

14.0

to

14

.5; 15

to

15.5

;

17

.5

to

18.0;

and

26.9

to

27.4

MHz.

An

optional

kit

converted

194

the

SB-300.

Rear

panel

connections

include

phono

jacks

for

50

ohm

antenna

input,

mute,

500

ohm

audio

output

, 8

ohm

speaker,

hi-fi

out

-

put,

and

a

spare.

The

SB-310

is

finished

in

the

clas

sic

SB

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint.

In

1973

the

SB-310

was

replaced

by

the

solid

state

SB-

313

(s

ee

listing

).

The

SB-310

enjoyed

moderate

success

but

never

achieved

the

popularity

of

Heath

's

low-cost

,

general

coverage

"GR"

series

receivers.

It's

a

pity

Heath

never

made

a

full

general

coverage

SB

series

receiver-it

would

have

been

a

best

seller.

SB-310s

have

always

been

scarce

and

because

of

their

similarity

to

the

SB-300

and

301,

310s

are

easily

overlooked

at

swaps.

Wei

g

ht

/

Size:

17lb

s;

15

"

wide

x 6.75"

hi

gh x

14

"

deep

see

s

listed

under

SB-100

HE

.AT

HK

IT

~ ~

1

H+Sii'H+i

s:s-a1a

International

Broadcast

Band

Receiver

meter

internationa

l

broadcast

bands

and

the

80, 40,

and

20

meter

ham

bands.

Th

ere

are

Manufactured: 72-75

Price:

$339.95

Comments:

T

he

SB-3

13 is

the

solid

state

rep

l

ace

-

ment

for

the

SB

-310

SW

L

receiver.

Just

as

the

SB-

310

is

a

direct

copy

of

the

SB-300,

so

too

the

SB-

313

is

a

direct

copy

of

t he

SB

-

303.

It

is

cu

ri-

ous

therefore

that

Heat

h

waited

a

fu

ll

two

years

after

th e

introduction

of

the

303

to

introd

uce

the

313.

For

a

disc

u

ssion

of

t he

313's

basic

des

i

gn

and

specifications

the

reader

is

referred

to

the

list

i

ng

for

the

SB

-

303,

as

the

two

u n

its

are

essentia

ll

y i

dentica

l

except

for

freq

u

ency

cover

-

age.

Th

e 313's

freq

u

ency

coverage

is

the

same

as

the

SB-

310's

except

th

at

t he

26

.9

to

27.4

MHz

band

of

the

310

h

as

been

re

pl

aced

wit h

the

21.3

to

21.8

MHz

band.

L

ike

the

310,

the

313

is

not

a

gen

era

l

coverage

receiver

.

The

SB-313

's

cover-

age

includes

3.5

to

4.

0;

5.7

to

6.

2;

7.0

to

7.5;

9.5

to

10.0; 11.5

to

12.0; 14. 0

to

14

.5; 15

to

15.5; 17.5

to

18.0;

an

d

21.3

to

21.8

MHz.

Th

ese

frequenc

i

es

translate

t o

the

15,

16,

19,

25,

31,

41,

and

49

A Guide to the

Amateu

r

Radio

Pr

oducts

some

obvious

differences

b

etween

the

313

an

d

the

303

.

For

exam

pl

e,

the

313

h

as

no

pr

ovisions

for

external

VHF

converters

and

h

as

a

muc

h

si

mp

l

er

rear

panel.

Th

ere

are

on

ly

fo

ur ph ono

jacks

on

the

rear

p

ane

l-

antenna

inp

u

t,

8 ohm

sp

eaker

ou

tput,

mute,

and

a

spare.

Am

ong

the

items

missing

from

t h e

rear

p

ane

l

are

a

ll

the

oscillator

out

p

uts

nee

d

ed

for

u

se

wi

th

the

SB

-

650

di

gita

l

frequency

di

sp

l

ay

. T

he

313

is a

very

good

rece

i

ver

but

its

p

rice

tag

may

h

ave

been

a

litt

le

steep

for

a

ll

but t h e

most

h

ard

-

core

of

SWLers

. The

unit

was

pop

ul

ar

eno

u

gh

t o

keep

it

on th e

market

until

'75,

but

it

never

so

ld

very

well.

SB

-

313s

have

al

ways

b

een

scarce

and

beca

u

se

of

their

si

milarity

to

the

SB

-

303,

31

3s

are

easi

ly

overlooked

at

swaps.

Weight/Size: 17lbs;12.25"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

14

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

195

S:S-400

UNIT

SHOWN IS

SB-401.

E

~

fff*Sii'&iil

having

"break

-in"

CW,

it

isn't

QSK. In

fa

i

rness,

the

relay

operates

wi

th

great

speed,

and

most

ops

won

't

have

any

prob-

lem

with

it.

The

CW

works

by

keying

the

VOX

with

a

built-in

sidetone.

The

sidetone

is

also fed to

the

SB-300's

audio

line

where

it

is

u

se

d

to

monitor

send

-

ing.

The

SB-

400

can

be

configured to

work

sepa-

rately

from

the

SB-300

or

to

transceive

with

it.

In

th

e

transceive

mode,

th

e SB-

300

dete

rmines

th

e op

erati

ng

frequency.

Switching

from

se

pa-

5

Band

SSB/CWTransmitter

rat

e

operation

to

trans-

ceive

requires

that

you

swap

a couple

of

cab

l

es

Manufactured:

64-67

P

rice

: $325.00

Co

mment

s:

The

SB-400

transmitter

was

re

l

eased

about

six

month

s

after

the

SB-300 receiver;

it

was

designed

as

a

matching

unit

and

repres

e

nts

th

e

second

product

in

the

SB

series

.

The

SB-400

is

designed

around

13

tubes

(

including

a

pair

of

6146s

in

the

final

),

and

al

though

two

PC

boards

were

used

,

there

is

sti

ll

great

deal

of

point

-to-

point

wiring.

The

400 will

run

USB,

LSB,

and

CW,

with

no

provision

for AM;

emp

loys a 2.1

kHz

cr

ys

ta

l fil-

ter

;

and

covers

500

kHz

portions

of

th

e

80

through

10

meter

ham

bands.

Ten

meters

is

covered

in

four

segments.

Power

input

is

about

180

watts

PEP

SSB

and

about

170

watts

CW

.

Power

output

is

about

100

watts

from

80

through

15

meter

s

and

about 80

watts

on

10.

The

finals a

re

fully

neutr

al-

ized

and

are

run

in

class

ABl.

Fr

eque

ncy

st

ability

is

typical

of

the

e

ra-th

e

transmitter

drifts

l

ess

than

100 Hz

per

hour

after

a

20-minute

warm

up.

Features

include

PTT

or

VOX

operation,

break-in

CW,

a

bui

l

t-in

TR

relay

(

mechanical),

Heath's

stan-

dard

LMO, a

spotting

function,

and

a bu

ilt

-

in

so

lid

state

power

supply.

For

a

more

complete

discus-

sion

of

the

LMO,

please

refer

to

the

listing

for

the

SB-300

.

It

is

inter

est

ing

to

note

that

while

the

operator

can

al

ways

choose

to

key

the

transmitter

by pu

shing

the

PTT

bu

tton

on

the

mic,

the

VOX

ci

rcuit

is

always

active.

Ther

e is no

way

to

shut

off

the

VOX

short

of

turning

the

VOX

sensitivity

con-

trol

(inside

the

cabinet

)

all

the

way

down.

It

should

also

be

noted

that

whi

le

Heath

refers

to

the

400

as

196

inside

the

SB-400.

That

is

how

you

disabl

e

th

e

400's LMO.

This

clum

sy

chore

was

stream

lined

in

the

SB-401.

Th

e SB-400

is

s

upplied

with

all

need

-

ed

heterodyn

e

oscillator

cry

sta

ls so

it

can

be

used

with

any

other

make

or

model

of

receiver.

The

front

panel

is a

mirror

image

of

the

SB-300.

Th

e

panel

meter

is on

the

right,

and

the

pl

acement

of

the

controls

are

likewise

r e

versed

.

Front

panel

controls

include

driver

t u

ne,

loading,

function

,

main

tuning,

zer

o set ,

drive

/ALC level,

meter

func-

tion,

and

mode.

Internal

control

s

include

neutral-

izing,

relative

pow

er

adjust,

bias

adjust,

sideband

amplitude

balance,

carri

er

null,

ALC

adjust,

sidetone

output

l

eve

l,

and

VOX

controls.

Rear

pane

l

connections

include

a

quarter

inch

ke

y

jack

,

phono

jack

s for

receiver

audio

input

, 8

ohm

speak

-

er

output

, anti-VOX,

receiver

mute,

and

receiver

antenna

output

.

There

is also

an

S0-239

RF

con-

nector

for a 50-75

ohm

antenna,

a

ground

post

,

and

a 120

VAC

standard

two-bl

ade

receptacle

used

to

power

an

external

antenna

r elay.

Alignment

requires

a

dummy

load, a VTVM

with

an

RF

probe

,

and

a

CW

key. SB-400s sold

very

well

but

are

com-

paratively

rare.

They

are

of

ten

found

at

swap

meets

al

ongsid

e

their

companion

SB-300.

Becaus

e

the

400

and

401

are

identical

they

often

are

over-

looked.

Standard

SB two-

tone

green

wrink

le finish.

Wei

ght

/Size: 36lbs;

15

"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

14

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

HE..ATHKIT

K§

~

B

1

¥SiUHfiJ

S:S-401

5

Band

SSB/CWTransmitter

with

its

companion

301

receiver,

Heath

made

the

heterodyne

oscilla-

Manufactured:

66-75

Price:

$285.00

Comments:

The

SB

-

401

represents

a

general

refinement

of

the

SB

-400.

Please

see

the

li

s

ting

for

th

e

SB-400

for

a

discussion

of

the

basic

design

a

nd

s

pecifications.

Altho

u

gh

the

401

and

400

are

esse

ntially

identical,

Heath

made

a few

significant

improvements

in

t

he

40

1.

Most

no

tab

le

among

these

im

prov

ements

is a

front

pan

el

sw

itch

to

change

from

separate

operation

to

transceive

operation

.

In

the

400

it

was

neces-

sary

to

open

the

hood

and

swap

a

couple

of

cables.

Now,

on

the

401,

one

need

on

ly

flip

a

switch-a

major

improvement

to

overall

op

er

at-

ing

conveni

e

nc

e.

Other

changes

include

th

e

swapp

in

g

of

a 6BZ6 for

the

6AU6

in

the

LMO

and

the

addit

ion

of

a s

id

etone

level

control

,

which

is

mounted

on

the

chassis

.

The

120

VAC

two

-

blade,

external-ante

nn

a

re

l

ay

power

recep-

tacle

of

the

400

h

as

b

een

replaced

by

a

nine

-

molded

nylon

connector

on

the

401. L

astly,

figur-

ing

that

most

purchasers

would

be

using

th

e

401

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

tor

crystals

optional.

What

this

means

is

that

if

the

401

you're

thinking

about

buying

doesn

't

have

the

crystals

,

it

can't

be

used

as

a

transmit-

ter

except

with

the

301. D

ete

rmining

ifthe

crys-

tals

are

present

is

easy.

Open

the

top

of

the

cabi-

net

and

look

in

the

left

front

corner

of

the

chassis

directly

below

th

e

final

tuning

control

shaft.

There

will

be

either

a

row

of

eight

crystals

or

eight

crystal

sockets.

If

the

crysta

ls

are

installed,

all

is

well.

If

not

,

you

have

two

choic-

es

-find

some

cry

sta

ls,

or

find

an

SB-300

or

301

to

u

se

with

it.

The

301/401

combination

was

wi

ldl

y

popular

and

Heath

so

ld

zi

llion

s

of

them.

401s

are

still

fairly

common

at

swap

meets-

often

found

in

the

301/401

combination.

Don

't

confuse

the

401

and

the

400.

Like

all

other

SB

products

,

the

SB-401

is

finished

with

the

stan-

dard

SB

two

-

tone

green

wrink

le

paint

. .

Weight/Size: 36lbs;15"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

14

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

197

S:S-500

2

Meter

Transverter

Manufactured: 69-71

Price:

$195.00

Comments:

The

SB-500

is

de

signed

to

permit

two-meter

SSB

or

CW

operation

using

H

eath

SB

or

HW

series

HF

transceivers.

The

SB-500

is

designed

aro

und

10

tubes

including

a

pair

of

6DS4

Nuvistors

and

a

pair

of

6146

final

ampli-

fiers.

Only

two

small

PC

boards

are

u

sed;

the

bulk

of

the

wiring

is

point

to

point.

The

SB-500

can

be

wired

to

work

via

the

10-meter

band

or

via

the

six

-

meter

b

and-the

choice

is

made

dur-

ing

assembly.

The

receiver

section

sensitivity

is

.2 u V for 10

dB

signa

l

plus

noise

-

to

-

noise

ratio.

The

transmitter

section

will

deliver

about

140

watts

PEP

SSB

and

about

50

watts

CW

to

a

50

ohm

antenna

with

an

SWR

ofless

than

2:1.

Note

that

the

transmitter

duty

cycle

is

50

percent.

The

frequency

range

of

the

500

is

144

to

148

MHz

into

50-54

MHz

or

28-32

MHz.

D

etermin-

ing

which

frequency

option

was

chosen

for

the

unit

you

are

lookin

g

at

is

fairly

easy.

Check

the

PC

board

in

the

left

front

corner

of

the

unit.

On

the

end

of

the

PC

bo

ar

d

farthest

from

the

front

panel

there

is

space

for

two

metal

can-type

coils.

If

the

cans

are

present,

the

unit

ha

s

been

wired

for

operation

with

the

SB-110

and

llOA

six-

meter

transceiver.

If

the

cans

are

not

in

place,

the

unit

has

been

wired

for

operation

on

a

10

-

meter

band

with

the

SB-101or102,

the

HW-100

or

101,

or

the

SB

-

301/401

combination.

Opera-

198

l®

~

tH+SidHEI

tion

with

the

SB-102

or

HW

-

101

is

pretty

much

a

matter

of

plugging

the

units

together.

Use

with

the

SB-101,

HW-

100,

or

SB-301/401

requires

some

modifi-

cation

of

those

units.

Use

with

the

SB-100

or

SB-300

/

400

combina-

tion

is

possible

but

wi

ll

require

modification

of

the

transceiver,

and

the

SB

-

500

manual

does

not

cover

this

pro-

cedure

.

Use

with

other

makes

of

radios

is

also

possible

for

the

more

technically

inclined

operator.

Alignment

requires

your

HF

sta-

tion,

a

dumm

y

lo

ad,

and

a VTVM.

CAUTION:

While

the

SB-500

is

connected

to

your

HF

station,

a

full

800

vo

lt

s

is

applied

to

the

500's

final

tubes

even

when

the

SB-

500

is

off.

An

illuminated

front

panel

meter

reads

plate

current

or

relative

power.

Front

panel

controls

include

meter

function/calibrate

switch,

final

tuning

,

on

/

off

function,

preselector,

final

loading,

an

d

driver

tuning.

Interna

l con-

trols

include

relative

power

adjust

and

bias

a

dju

st.

Rear

panel

connections

includ

e

phono

jacks

for

RF

output,

ALC,

linear

r elay,

drive,

low

frequency

receiver

output,

and

low

frequency

RF

input.

Th

ere

is

also

an

octa

l

power

plug

to

pick

up

some

voltages

and

signals

not

provided

by

the

500's

built-in

supp

l

y.

The

SB-500

is

built

into

the

same

size

cabinet

as

the

SB-303

and

313

an

d

is

finished

in

the

sta

nd

ard

SB

two

-

tone

green

wrinkle

paint.

The

SB-500

is

medium

rare

and

is

often

found

alongside

the

radio

for

which

it

was

wired.

Ha

ving

the

manual

would

be

very

handy.

Weight/Size: 14lbs;12.25"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

13

"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

HE

A.TH

KIT

~

f¥

1

i3iif

Hf;iJ

Station

Speaker

Manufactured: 66-75

Price:

$17.95

Comments:

The

SB-600

station

speaker

was

introduc

ed

in

1966

as

the

first

of

a

lin

e

of

match-

ing

accessories

for

the

SB

(an

d

HW)

series

rigs.

Th

e

SB-600

contains

on

ly a

six

-by

-nin

e

-inch

, 8

ohm

speaker

.

Th

e

rest

of

the

cabinet

is

em

pt

y

but

is

designed

to

hold

the

HP-23

series

of

power

supplies

for

use

with

the

SB-100

series

of

trans-

ceivers

.

There

are

holes

in

the

bottom

of

the

cab-

inet

p

erm

itting

the

power

sup

pl

y

to

be

secured

with

screws.

Th

e

SB-600

is

finished

in

Heath's

standard

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint.

No

doubt

Heath

so

ld

billions

of

SB-600s.

SB-600s

are

very

common.

Weight/Size: 5lbs;10"

wide

x 6. 75"

high

x

11"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

SB-600

199

S:S-604

Station

Speaker

Manufactured: 74-82

Price:

$33.95

Comments:

The

SB

-

604

contains

only

a five-

by

-

seven

-inch

3.2

ohm

speaker

.

There

are

no

indica-

tors

or

displays

of

any

kind

behind

the

red

plas-

tic

window.

The

rest

of

the

cabinet

is

empty

but

is

designed

to

hold

the

HP-1144

power

supplies

for

use

with

the

SB-104(A)

transceiver.

There

are

holes

in

the

bottom

of

the

cabinet

permitting

the

power

supply

to

be

secured

with

screws.

The

604

is

finished

in

Heath's

standard

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint.

Curiously,

SB-604s

are

not

all

that

common.

Weight/Size: 10lbs;10.25"

wide

x 7.25"

high

x

15.25"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-104

200

r®~fHiSii'Hil

HEATHKIT

[@

~

1

#f?dfifi*f'J

SB-610

Station

Monitor

Scope

sen

option,

start

by

removing

the

610

from

its

cabinet.

While

view-

Manufactured: 66-75

Price:

$69.95

Comments:

The

SB-610

may

well

have

been

the

most

popular

of

the

SB

accessories-perhaps

even

more

popular

than

the

SB-600

station

speaker.

The

610

is

essentially

an

H0-10

(see

listing)

put

into

a

new

cabinet-but

there

were

a

few

differences

worth

noting.

The

610

uses

only

three

tubes

(excluding

the

CRT)

,

and

the

power

supply

is

solid

state

.

As

in

the

H0-10,

no

PC

boards

are

used-all

wiring

is

point

to

point.

But

unlike

the

H0-10,

Heath

provided

vertical

amplifier

wiring

options

to

accommodate

any

receiver

IF

from

455

kHz

to

6

MHz

in

addition

to

an

option

for 1

to

150

kHz

operation

for

RTTY

use-or

for

use

as

a

simple

oscilloscope.

Since

the

correct

parts

may

be

very

hard

to

find,

these

options

are

not

easy

to

change

after

the

fact

,

and

there

is

no

simple

field

check

to

determine

which

option

has

been

chosen.

However,

conversion

to

the

scope

/

RTTY

option

is

easy

since

it

requires

on

ly

the

removal

of

parts.

To

determine

the

cho-

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

ing

the

610

from

the

top

side

of

the

chassis,

locate

the

vacuum

tube

closest

to

the

front

panel

and

directly

below

the

pilot

light.

Just

behind

this

tube

is

a

metal-can

type

coil.

Check

the

part

number

of

this

coil.

If

the

part

number

is

40

-

748,

the

unit

has

been

wired

for

the

high

frequency

IFs

option

for

IFs

between

3000

and

6000

kHz.

If

not,

skip

to

"Low

frequency

IF"

below.

Complete

absence

(or

disconnection)

of

the

coil

means

the

unit

has

been

wired

for 1

to

150

kHz

RTTY

oper-

ation

.

To

find

the

exact

high

frequency

IF

that

has

been

chosen,

turn

the

unit

over

and

view

the

underside

of

the

chassis

with

the

front

panel

toward

you.

Using

the

vacuum

tube

you

located

as

a

reference,

locate

a coil

just

in

front

and

to

the

left

of

this

tube

socket.

Check

the

value

of

the

mica

capacitor

wired

across

this

coi

l:

4 70

pf

means

an

IF

of

3000

or

3055

kHz;

330

pf

means

an

IF

of

3395

(the

Heath

SB

/

HW

IF);

100

pf

means

an

IF

of

5000-6000

kHz.

Low

frequency

IF:

If

the

part

number

of

the

metal

can

is

40

-7

46,

the

IF

of

the

unit

is

455

kHz

.

If

the

part

number

is

40-7

4 7

check

the

value

of

the

capacitor

wired

201

across

the

bottom

of

the

IF:

200

pf

means

an

IF

of

1000

kHz;

100

pf

means

an

IF

of

1600

to

1680

kHz;

56

pf

means

an

IF

of

2075,

2215,

or

2475

kHz.

In

th

e

end

all

this

may

be

a

moot

point

since

critical

analysis

of

incoming

signals

dis-

played

on

the

610

isn't

really

po

ss

ibl

e

in

th

e

first

place

-t

h

ere

are

just

t

oo

many

variab

le

that

can

effect

the

waveforms

shown

.

The

SB-610

's

grea

t-

es

t

strength,

however,

is

in

the

moniotring

of

transmitted

energy.

The

610

will

work

on

any

frequency

from

160

to

6

meters.

And

there

is

a

low

power

option

for

use

with

QRP

and

CB

rigs.

(N

ormally

the

610

requires

a

minimum

of

15

watts

of

drive.

)

The

low

power

wiring

option

is

easy

to

spot.

On

th

e

undersid

e

of

the

chassis

look

for a

tunable

type

coil

wired

in

and

"float-

ing

"

between

the

S0-239

jack

s

and

the

attenua-

tor

switch

on

th

e

rear

panel.

The

frequencies

of

the

two-tone

generator

have

been

changed

to

1500

and

1950

Hz.

You

can

choose

a

si

ngl

e

tone

output

(

1500

Hz)

or

the

two

-

ton

e

signal.

Because

they

are

subjected

to

high

voltages,

resistors

in

the

int

en s

ity,

focus

,

horizontal,

and

vertical

position

circuits

will

degrade

over

time

,

usually

drifting

up

in

value.

The

result

will

be

an

inabil-

ity

to

effecti

vel

y

control

one

or

more

of

th

ese

functions.

This

is a co

mmon

ailment

in

SB-620s

but

one

that

is

easy

to

cure.

Th

e

tubes

are

also

s

ubjected

to

voltages

that

will

cause

them

to

fade

faster

that

one

might

expect.

Rear

pan

el

connections

includ

e a

pair

of

loop-

through

S0-

239s

for

RF

input

an

d

output,

a

pair

of

loop-

through

phono

jack

s (

exciter

input

for

lin

earity

checks

),

a

phono

jack

for

tone

output,

a

nd

phono

jack

s for

vertical

and

hori

zo

ntal

input

(

fo

r

RTTY

of

scope

u

se)

.

Ultim

a

tely,

the

SB

-

610

is

mo

st

u

seful

in

monitoring

transmitted

RF

or

for

RTTY.

The

610

is

finished

in

Heath's

standard

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint

and

matches

the

rest

of

the

SB

lin

e.

Heath

sold

tens

of

thou

sands

of

SB-610

s.

Th

ey

are

not

rare,

a

nd

they

turn

up

frequently

at

swap

meets.

Weight/Size: 10lbs;10"

wide

x 6.75"

high

x

11"

deep

H0-10, H0-5404;

SB-614;

see

listed

under

SB-100

202

l®

~

fHR&fi'HEiJ

HE.A.TH

KIT

[[

~

1

H&if'Hfil

SE-614

be

used

wit

h CB

or

QR

P

equ

i

pment

.

In

add

i

tio

n

Station

Monitor

Scope

the

614

is

advertised

as

covering

on

ly

80

to

six

-

meters

-

no

1

60

meter

coverage

as

wit

h

the

H0 -

10

and

SB-610. Also

miss

-

i

ng

from

t h e 6 14

is

the

two

-

tone

test

generator.

IMPORTAN

T: Wh

en

changing

transm

i

tter

power

l

evels

care

mu

st

be

taken

to

kee

p th e

ve

r

tica

l

height

of

t h e

disp

l

ay

within

the

boun

ds of

the

graticule

(

the

marki

ng

on

the

screen

).

Fai

lu

re

to

do

so

may

result

in

the

over

-

heating

an

d/

or

d

estruc

-

tion

of

a

res

i

stor

(R

201)

and

a coil (L201). To

com

-

plicate

m

atters

t he po

ten-

tia

l

for

damage

to

th

ese

Manufactured: 74-82

Price:

$199.95

Comments:

The

SB-614

is

the

solid

state

(ex

cept

for

the

CRT)

replaceme

nt

fo

r

the

H0

-10

and

SB

-

610

(s

ee

listings

),

provides

their

same

basic

fea

-

tures,

serves

the

same

basic

purpose

-

to

moni

-

tor

transmitted

RF

energy-and

is

sty

led

to

match

the

SB-104

transceiver.

The

SB

-

614

is

bui

lt

on

two

PC

boards

and

uses

26

transistors

and

a

handful

of

diodes. No

ICs

are

used

.

The

major

differ

e

nce

in

the

614

is

that

Heath

h

as

given

up

the

notion

of

being

able

to

mon

i

tor

incoming

si

gna

ls. The H

0-10

and

SB-610

could

be

tapped

into

the

rece

i

ver

IF

to

provide

a l

ook

at

the

other

fe

ll

ow's

signal.

This

idea

is

intrinsi

-

ca

ll

y

flawed

,

however,

as

there

are

too

many

things

that

can

effect

the

waveforms

you

see

di

s-

pl

ayed

-

including

QRM,

atmosp

h

eric

noise,

AGC

and

any

problems

or

shortcomings

your

receiver

might

h

ave.

In

the

614

Heath

still

sug-

gests

th

is

can

be

done

, but th e

connection

used

to

do

it

is

to

the

station

speaker

.

Thus

the

d

isp

l

ay

seen

on

the

scope

may

be

interesting

to

look

at

but

is

useless

for

any

practica

l pu

rpose.

The

614

can,

h

owever,

be

usefu

l for

RTT

Y work

and

as

a sim-

ple

osci

ll

oscope.

As

an

oscilloscope

the

614's

ver

-

tica

l

frequency

res

p

onse

is

from

10

Hz

to

abo

ut

50

kHz,

with

reasonab

le

sync

capab

il

ity. To

mon

-

itor

transmitted

RF

energy

the

614

requires

a

mi

n

imum

of

10

watts

of

dr

i

ve

.

Since

th

ere

is

no

low

power

option

as

in

the

610,

the

614

cannot

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio Products

components

exists

even

wh

en

the

614

is

tu

rne

d

off.

It

wo

ul

d

be

prudent

,

therefore,

to

kee

p

the

verti

c

al

gain

contro

l

in

its

fu

ll

counter

-cl

ockwise

pos

it

i

on

un

l

ess

the

614

is

on

and

the

trace

can

be

seen

.

One

more

caution

:

Use

of

the

614 on

six

-

meters

may

pres

e

nt

a

high

SWR

(as

h

igh

as

6:1)

to

your

transmitter

.

Front

panel

controls include power

on

/

off

/

intensity,

mode,

focus,

ver

ti

ca

l

pos

i

tion

and

gain,

horizontal

position

a n d

gain,

and

swee

p

speed

(and

vernier

ad

just)

. I

ndicator

li

ghts

behin

d the

red

wi

ndow

indicate

SSB,

TRAP,

or

CR

OSS

(RTTY)

mode.

Interna

l con

tro

ls

in

cl

ude

vertical

and

horizonta

l

ba

l

ance

.

Rear

pane

l con-

tro

ls

include

astigmatism

and

a

two

-

pos

i

tio

n

atten

u

ato

r.

Rear

pane

l

connections

incl

ud

e a

pai

r

ofloop-throug

h

S0-239s

for

RF

i

nput

an

d ou

tp

u

t,

a

pair

ofloop

-th

rough

phono

jacks

(exciter

inp

ut for

linear

i

ty

checks

),

and

phono

jacks

for

vertica

l

an

d

h

orizonta

l

in

p

ut

(

for

RTTY

of

scope

u

se).

The

missing

features

combined

wit

h

the

price

tag

an

d

prob

l

ems

with

the

SB-104 (for which

the

614

was

designed)

h eld

sales

down,

and

th e 614

never

ac

h

ieved

the

popu

l

arity

of

its

predecessors.

St

ill

,

H

eat

h so

ld

the

614 for

nine

years,

and

t he u

nits

st

ill show

up

at

swap

meets.

Th e 614

is

fin

i

she

d

in

the

sta

n

dard

two

-

to

ne

green

wri

n

kle

pai

nt.

Weight/Size: 10lbs;10.25"

wide

x 7.25"

high

x

15.25"

deep

H0-10,

SB-610;

see

ucts

listed

under

SB-104

203

s:s-sao

Pan

adapter

"Scanalyzer"

Manufactured:

66-76

Price:

$119.95

Comments:

Easy

to

spot

at

a di

sta

nc

e

because

of

its

bright

ye

llow

CRT

,

the

SB-620

is

an

updated

and

refined

version

of

the

H0

-13

(see

listing)

and

has

alw

ays

been

one

of

the

a

uth

or's

favorite

Heathkits

.

Like

the

H0-13,

the

SB-620

is

d

esigned

to

provide

a

visual

presentation

of

the

band

you

are

tuned

to

.

The

620

will

pr

e

sent

a

portion

of

the

band

as

wide

as

500

kHz

to

as

nar-

row

as

10

kHz,

depending

to

some

extent

on

the

IF

frequency

for

which

it

has

been

wir

ed.

The

presentation

is

centered

on

the

frequency

your

receiver

is

tuned

to

and

allows

you

to

"see"

up

and

do

wn

the

band.

Signals

a

pp

ear

a

lon

g a

ca

li-

br

ated

line

as

"pi

ps"

on

a

hi

gh

persistence

CRT.

Th

e

SB

-

620

is

particularly

u

sefu

l

in

spotting

band

openings

and

for

finding

clear

spots

in

a

crowded

band.

With

some

practice

the

user

can

det

ermine

not

only

the

frequency

of

signa

ls

else-

204

l®~fif¥SiUHfi

where

on

the

band

but

their

strength

and

em

is-

sion

type

as

well.

The

620

also

can

be

used

as

a

spectr

um

analyzer,

but

this

use

will

not

be

described

here.

Th

e

620

is

built

around

six

tubes

(ex

cluding

the

CRT

),

and

has

a

built

-

in

so

lid

state

power

supply.

All wi

ring

is

point

to

point-

no

PC

boards

are

used.

The

key

thing

to

know

when

considering

the

purchas

e

of

a

620

is

the

IF

frequency

for

which

it

has

been

wired.

Unless

the

right

parts

can

be

found

, ch

anging

the

IF

may

be

possible

only

by

the

most

technica

ll

y

inclined.

The

kit

was

originally

s

upplied

with

all

the

parts

needed

for

all

the

optional

wiring

schemes.

Be

sure

to

ask

if

the

unused

parts

are

still

around

.

NOTE:

If

you

are

going

to

change

the

IF

you

will

need

the

manual.

He

ath

designed

the

SB-620

for

use

with

more

than

a

dozen

com-

mon

receiver

IFs

and

there

is

no s

imple

field

check

to

determine

the

IF

of

the

unit

at

which

you

are

lookin

g, so

unless

the

se

ll

er

knows

for

sure

(a

nd

it

may

be

unwise

to

trust

his/her

mem-

ory

)

you'll

have

to

take

it

out

of

the

cabinet

a

nd

do

some

digging.

You

will

need

to

determine

the

part

number

for coil L3.

Remove

the

620

from

its

cabinet

and

position

it

so

you

can

exam

in

e

the

underside

of

the

chassis

and

so

the

front

pane

l

is

HE.A.THKIT

~

f

§f

Mf

Hi*fil

facing

to

your

right.

With

the

unit

so

pos

i

tioned,

the

area

to

examine

is

in

the

l

ower

right

corner

of

the

unit.

In

this

corner

l

ocate

two

tube

sock

-

ets

.

To

locate

coil L3 look

to

the

2 o'clock

position

from

the

upper

tube

sock

et.

Use

t h e

fo

ll

owing

chart

to

determine

th e IF.

L3

Part#

40-774

40-775

40-808

40-776

40-807

40-776

IF

Frequency

455

kHz

1000

kHz

1600-2245

kHz

*

3000

or

3055

kHz

*

5200

or

6000

kHz

*

3395

kHz

(Heath

SB

and

HW

series)

'!'

To

make

a

precise

determination

will

require

the

manual.

Also

note

that

to

re-establish

the

Heath

3395

kHz

I F

it

will

be

necessary

to

change

another

coil (L2)

from

part

number

40-

590

to

part

number

52-

101.

For

a

ll

IF

changes

the

values

of

a few

resistors

and

capacitors

will

need

to

be

changed

as

we

ll

.

Because

they

are

subjected

to

high

voltages,

resistors

in

the

intensity,

focus,

horizontal,

and

vertical

position

circuits

will

degrade

over

time

,

usua

lly

drifting

up

in

va

l

ue.

The

result

will

be

an

inability

to

effectively

control

one

or

more

of

these

functions.

This

is

a

common

ailment

in

SB

-

620s

but

one

that

is

easy

to

cure.

The

tubes

are

also

subjected

to

voltages

that

will

cause

them

to

fade

faster

that

one

might

expect.

And,

by

the

way,

there

is

no

functiona

l

reason

that

the

3RP7

CRT

can

't

be

replaced

wi

th

a

standard

persis

-

tence

3RP1

(

as

foun d

in

the

SB

-610

and

614

).

The

620

uses

a

pair

of

not

-

so-easy

-

to

-

find

NE

-

83

neon

lamps.

Note

t h

at

an

NE -2

or

other

neon

bulb

will

not

suffice

as

a

replacement.

One

is

used

in

the

sweep

generator

and

the

other

is

used

as

a vol

tage

regulator

that

doubles

as

the

pi

l

ot

light.

The

alignment

procedure

is

not

too

complicated

but

does

req

u

ire

a

hig

h

-qua

l

ity

RF

generator

and

an

accurate

aud

io

generator

.

Con

-

nection

to

the

receiver

is

done

via

the

pl

ate

of

A

Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

the

mixe

r

just

preceding

the

first

IF

amp

li

fier

and

will

require

you

to

tweak

up

your

receiver

a

bit

to

compe

n

sate

for the

additiona

l

load.

The

manual

contai

n s

exact

hook

up

instructions

for

many

com

mo

n

ra

dios

includ

i

ng

Coll

ins,

Drake,

Eico,

Ha

ll

icra

f

ters,

Nationa

l,

RME,

and

Swan.

Heath

discont

i

nue

d

the

620

in

1976

and

it

was

-

n't

unti

l 1

988

that

another

panada

p

ter

was

re

l

ease

d-

the

H0

-

5404

monitor

scope

(the

panadap

t

er

mo

dule

was

optional)

. T

he

SB

-

620

is

finished

in

Heath

's

two

-

tone

green

wrinkle

paint

an

d

ma

t

ches

the

rest

of

the

SB

line.

It

is

designed

for 1

20

/

240

VAC,

50

/

60

Hz

operation.

The

S

B-

620

actua

ll

y

works

very

we

ll

and

enjoyed

moderate

success.

620s

used

to

be

very

common

at

flea

markets

but

have

become

much

more

scarce

in

recent

years.

Weight/Size: 10lbs;

10

"

wide

x 6.75"

hi

gh x

11'

'

deep

H0-13, H0-5404,

see

listed

under

SB-100

205

S:S-630

Station

Console

Manufactured: 66-74

Price:

$101.95

Comments:

The

SB

-

630

wa

s a

very

popular

acces

-

sory

containing

a

24-hour

(mechanical)

digital

clock,

an

SWR

meter,

a

hybrid

phone

patch,

and

10-minut

e

timer

,

and

mad

e

an

attractive

addi-

tion

to

any

station

.

It's

hard

to

believe

a

gizmo

like

this

wou

ld

have

tubes

in

it,

but

it

do

es-two

of

them-an

OA2

voltage

regular

an

d a

6EW8

re

la

y

contro

l,

both

used

in

the

10-minute

timer

circuit.

The

timer

circuit

consists

of

an

RC

net-

work

that

charges

very

slow

ly

and

fires

a

neon

l

amp

.

The

l

amp

in

turn

shoots

a p

ul

se

to

the

grid

of

the

6EW8

,

which

then

conducts

an

d

closes

a

relay.

D

epending

on

the

setting

of

the

timer

function

switch,

the

re

l

ay

will

activate

a l

amp

an

d/

or

a

buzzer.

Calibrating

the

timer

to

operate

at

10-minut

e

intervals

is

accomplished

by

the

trial-and-

e

rror

a

dju

st

ment

to

two

potentiome

-

ters

- a

coarse

a

dju

st

and

a

fine

adjust.

A

front

panel

reset

button

restarts

the

timing

sequence

each

time

it

is

pushed

.

Th

e

duration

of

the

li

g

ht

an

d

buzzer

is

about

one

second.

Th

e

phone

patch

section

is

based

on

the

HD-19

,

et

al

(see

li

sting

for

details

).

The

SWR

meter

is

based

on

the

HM-

15

(see

li

sting

for

deta

il

s).

Th

e clock is a

stan

-

dard

Numechron

movement

and

there

is no

con

-

venient

way

to

set

it

.

You

have

to

reach

in

through

the

open

back

of

the

cabinet

and

do

the

b

es

t

you

can.

After

a few

years

of

op

era

tion

the

se

206

lE=

~

f

hfif§fHfi

units

often

start

mak

-

ing

a

lot

of

noise

but

will

genera

lly

continue

to

work

for

many

more

years-it

just

depends

on

how

long

you

want

to

put

up

with

it.

The

industrious

person

should

be

ab

le

to

find

a

new

(

or

at

lea

st

quiet)

motor

as

a

replace

-

ment,

and

entire

clock

movements

can

some-

times

be

found

at

swap

fests

.

SB-630s

are

sometimes

found

with

e

le

ctronic

digital

clocks

installed

- a

most

unfortunate

mod-

ification

-

often

with

equa

ll

y

unfortunate

front

panel

hole

s

added

with

which

to

set

them.

The

best

advice

to

keep

the

clock s

il

ent

is

to

only

run

it

when

you

have

guests

in

the

s

hack.

The

phone

patch

and

SWR

meter

will

continue

to

work

without

the

unit

being

plugged

in.

Front

panel

controls

include

SWR

sensitivity

and

forward/reverse,

time

reset,

timer

function

,

mode

(

SWR

or

phone

patch),

and

phone

patch

receiver

an

d

transmit

gain

.

The

front

pane

l

meter

is

not

illumin

ate

d

a

nd

reads

SWR

or

phone

patch

audio

level.

There

is a

lso

a

pilot

light

that

indicates

when

the

timer

is

on.

Rear

panel

controls

include

phone

patch

null

adjust

, a

monitor

/

null

switch

,

an

d

timer

adjustment

controls.

Rear

pane

l con-

nections

include

S0

-

239s

for

RF

connection

to

the

SWR

meter,

phono

jacks

for Hi-Z

or

600

ohm

phone

patch

output

to

the

transmitter,

loop-

through

receiver

audio,

and

screw

termina

ls for

co

nn

ect

ion

to

t h e

phone

lin

e (pol

arity

is

not

important).

The

SB-

630

sold

very

well

and

sti

ll

can

be

found

with

some

regularity.

Standard

two-tone

green

wrinkle.

Weight/Size:

10

lbs;

10

"

wide

x 6. 75"

high

x ff'

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

HEA.THKIT

rE

~

f

§f

Rdf

#fi*f

il

Station

Console

Manufactured:

74-83

Price:

$199.95

Comments:

The

SB-634

is

a

solid

state

SB-630

(see

li

sting).

It

provides

the

same

basic

features,

serves

the

same

basic

purpose,

and

is

designed

to

match

the

SB-104

transceiver.

The

SB-634

is

built

on

three

PC

boards

and

is

really

just

a col-

lection

of

existing

Heath

product

s

put

into

a s

in-

gle

box.

The

634

contains

a

six-digit,

24-hour

clock b

ased

on

the

GC-

1005

(se

e

listing

),

a

phone

patch

based

on

the

old

(but

reliable)

technology

of

the

HD-19

(s

ee

listing),

a

10-minute

digital

ID

timer,

and

a

power/SWR

meter

based

on

the

HM-2140

(see

listing

).

The

power

meter

is

a fea-

ture

not

found

in

the

SB-630,

which

had

only

an

SWR

meter.

Overall

the

634

is

a

very

useful

accessory

and

represents

a

substantial

improve-

ment

over

the

SB

-

630.

The

634

has

a

built-in

power

sup

pl

y,

but

the

only

features

that

use

it

are

the

clock

and

the

10-mi

nute

time.

The

rest

of

the

functions

are

se

lf

powered

and

can

run

with

the

634

unplugged.

The

10-minute

identifier

time

appears

alongside

the

main

time

readout

and

is

displayed

in

sma

ll

er

numbers.

The

counter

starts

at

0:00,

co

unt

s

to

9:59,

and

resets

to

zero.

Then-depending

in

the

setting

of

the

timer

function

switch-a

light

will

light,

or

light

will

light

and

an

a

larm

will

sound

for a

bout

one

second.

The

timer

can

be

reset

at

any

point

in

the

cycle

by

means

of

a

front

panel

button

and

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

SB-634

can

be

disabled

if

de

sire

d.

When

first

activated,

the

tim

er

will

indicate

a

random

time

and

may

di

s

play

some

non-numeric

characters

until

reset.

The

power/SWR

met

er

h

as

a

range

of

1.8

to

30

MHz

and

will

read

to

2000

watts

in

two

sca

l

es

or

0-200

and

0-2000

watts.

With

a

simple

front

panel

adjustment,

power

readings

of

1-20

watts

may

also

be

made.

SWR

sensitivity

is

less

than

10

watts

.

CAU

TION:

A lo

ad

must

be

con-

nected

to

the

output

connector

on

th

e

power

/

SWR

meter

.

In

sert

ion

lo

ss

is

negligib

le.

Front

panel

controls

include

a

row

of

push

but-

tons

for

control

of

the

power

/

SWR

meter

and

controls

for

timer

function

,

phone

patch

trans-

mit

and

receive

ga

in

,

an

d

SWR

sensitivity.

Rear

panel

controls

include

phone

patch

null

adjust,

a

monitor

/

null

switch,

and

three

sw

itches

to

set

the

clock.

Rear

panel

connections

include

S0-

239s

for

RF

conn

e

ction

to

the

SWR

meter,

phono

j

acks

for

Hi

-Z

or

600

ohm

phone

patch

output

to

the

transmitter

and

loop

-

through

receiver

audio,

and

screw

terminals

for

connection

to

the

phone

line

(

polarity

is

not

important

).

Standard

SB

two-tone

green

wrinkle

paint

.

The

SB-634

is

fairly

common.

Weight/Size: 10lbs;10.25"

wide

x 7.25"

high

x

15.25"

deep

SB-604, SB-614, SB-630,

SB-

644(A)

207

S:S-640

RemoteVFO

Man

ufac

tur

ed:

67-70

Pr

i

ce

: $99

Comments:

Heath

referred

to

the

VFO

used

in

the

SB

series

as

a

Line

a r M

as

ter

Oscillator

(

LMO

).

The

SB

-

640

was

made

for

only

a

short

time

a

nd

has

become

the

rarest

and

most

elusive

of

the

SB

series

product

line.

It

prov

ed

to

be

less

popular

that

H

ea

th

had

anticipated

and

was

di

s-

continued

after

only

four

years

of

production

.

Discontinuing

the

640

may

have

been

a

mistake

si

nce

the

SB-

102

(

released

in

1970

)

proved

to

be

eve

n

more

popular

that

its

predec

essors

and

would

no

doubt

have

boos

ted

sales

of

the

640.

The

SB

-

640

is

designed

to

permit

split

frequency

operation

with

the

SB-101

and

102

transceivers

.

With

the

combination

of

the

101

or

102

and

the

640,

five

modes

of

operation

are

possible;

(1)

transceiving

from

the

101

or

102; (2)

transceiv

-

ing

on

the

640; (3)

transceiving

on

the

640

crys

-

tals;

(4)

transmitting

on

the

640

LMO

and

receiving

on

the

101

or

102

LMO;

and

(5)

trans

-

mitting

on

the

640

crystals

and

receiving

on

the

101or102

LMO.

The

SB-640

is

larg

e

ly

an

empty

cabinet.

Inside

is

a

standard

tube

type

LMO-

the

same

one

found

in

the

SB-100

and

101

(see

listing

for

the

SB

-

100

for

a

discussion

of

the

LMO

).

The

640

has

two

tubes

in

s

ide,

one

of

which

is

on

the

LMO

itself.

All

wiring

is

point

to

point

,

and

there

is

no

internal

power

supply

.

All

power

is

derived

from

the

transceiver.

Note

that

208

lt=

~

fHMfUHEI

because

of

subtle

mechanical

differences

between

them,

it

is

not

possible

to

replace

the

640's

tube

type

LMO

with

the

s

olid

state

ve

r-

sion

found

in

the

SB

-

102.

Also

note

that

the

SB-640

is

not

designed

for

use

with

the

SB-

100

-

or

more

pr

eci

se

ly

,

the

SB-100

i s

not

designed

for

u

se

with

the

SB-640.

Thi

s

is

because

SB-100 does

not

have

any

of

the

required

sw

itching

circuits,

though

a

modification

would

b e

possible

by

the

mor

e

technically

inclined

operator.

A

simple

modification

is

required

eve

n

on

the

SB-

101

and

102,

but

the

640's

manual

covers

this

in

detail.

The

modifica

-

tion

involv

es

the

in

sta

llation

of

a

nine-pin

con-

nector

on

the

rear

panel

of

the

transceiver

through

which

the

640

is

connect

ed.

IMPOR

-

TANT: You

will

need

the

manual

to

do

the

instal

-

lation.

Front

panel

controls

include

main

tun

-

ing,

zero

set,

LMO/XTAL,

and

XTAL 1/XTAL 2.

When

connected

to

the

101

or

102

,

the

640's

dia

l

light

comes

on

when

the

transceiver

is

switched

on,

but

a

red

light

on

the

640

lights

only

when

the

640

has

been

selected.

The

only

rear

pane

l

controls

are

two

trimmer

caps-one

for

each

crystal.

The

only

rear

panel

connection

is

a

nine

-

plug

for

connection

to

the

tran

sce

iver.

Stan-

dard

SB

two

-

tone

green

wrinkle

pa

int.

SB

-

640s

are

very

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 5

lbs

;

10

"

wide

x 6. 75"

hi

gh x

11"

deep

ts

: SB-600,

SB-610

, SB-620,

SB-

630, SB-650

HE.A.THKIT

fE

~

1

HSf

§f

i*fiJ

RemoteVFO

Manufactured/Price:

SB-644 74-79 $134.95

SB-644A 79-84 $134.95

Comments:

Just

as

the

SB-640

permitted

split

frequency

operation

with

the

SB-101and102,

so

too

the

SB-644(A)

permits

split

frequency

opera-

tion

with

the

SB-104(A).

And

like

the

640,

the

644(A)

provides

the

same

kinds

of

operating

modes.

You

may

transceive

from

either

the

104

or

the

644.

Unlike

the

640,

the

644(A)

allows

you

to

control

either

the

transmit

or

receive

frequen-

cy

from

the

644

with

the

104

controlling

the

other.

The

644(A)

also

permits

operation

on

one

of

two

crystal

frequencies.

The

644(A)

uses

an

illuminated

slide

rule

dial

as

a

general

frequen-

cy

indicator,

but

whenever

it

has

been

selected

the

644(A)'s

exact

frequency

is

displayed

on

the

104's

readout.

When

operating

split

frequency,

the

104's

display

will

change

when

you

transmit.

Other

than

the

main

tuning

knob

the

only

other

controls

are

two

rows

of

front

panel

push

but-

tons

allow

you

to

se

lect

the

mode

of

operation.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

SE-644

(.A)

Status

lights

behind

the

red

window

indicate

in

what

mode

the

644(A)

is

operating.

There

is

no

internal

power

supply

. All

needed

voltages

are

derived

from

the

SB-104(A).

Rear

panel

connec-

tion

include

two

phono

jacks

labeled

"in"

and

"out

."

These

match

up

with

jacks

on

the

104(A).

In

1979

the

SB-104

was

given

a

major

ov

er

haul

to

fix a

variety

of

problems-among

these

were

some

minor

problems

with

the

VFO.

The

104A's

new

VFO

was

incorporated

into

the

644

and

the

unit

was

renamed

the

644A.

The

unit

is

finished

in

the

standard

two-two

green

wrinkle.

The

SB-

644

and

644A

are

medium

rare.

Weight/Size:

10

lbs;

10.25"

wide

x 7.25"

high

x

15.25"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-104

209

S:S-650

w=~

tH&ii'Hii

Digital

Frequency

Display

RTTY

mod

e s

ince

the

BFO

sign al

is

not

pr

e-

sent

in

those

modes.

Wh

en

op

era

t

ing

CW,

the

640

will

rea

d

the

receive

freq

u

ency

but

will

indic

ate

the

1 k

Hz

BFO

offset

upon

key

down

.

Attempting

to

use

the

650 w

ith

other

makes

of

eq

uipm

ent

is

not

recomme

nd

ed.

Th

e

only

front

panel c

ont

ro

l

is

a n

on/off

r

ock

er

sw

itch.

There

are

fo

ur

int

erna

l

controls.

Thr

ee

of

these

are

pot

s u

se

d

to

se

t

th

e l

eve

ls

of

the

Man

u

fa

ctur

ed:

72-75

Price

: $

199

.95

Comment

s:

The

SB-650

w

as

another

very

popul

ar

ac

ce

sso

ry

for

th

e

SB

a

nd

HW

ser

i

es

of

receivers

and

transceivers

and

cau

se

d

quite

a

stir

wh

en

first

released.

It

was,

how

ever,

released

fairly

la

te

in

the

life

of

th

e

SB-102

and

was

ma de

only

until

the

release

of

th

e

di

g

ital

readout

SB

-

104

in

1975.

The

resulting

s

hort

production

li

fe

of

the

650

ha

s

made

it

a

very

rare

and

hi

g

hl

y soug

ht-

after

piec

e.

Th

e

SB-650

is

a

full

y s

olid

state

device (well,

OK

,

th

e

readout

tubes

aren't so

lid

sta

te

) a

nd

is

built

on

one

la

rg

e

doubl

e-

sided

PC

board

.

It

u

ses

36

IC

s,

six

tr

a

nsi

sto

r

s,

a

nd

a

handful

of

diod

es.

The

displ

ay

us

es

six

Nixi

e

ne

on

discharge

tub

es

and

provide

s a

re

a

dout

to

100

H

z.

Th

e

SB-650

does

not

read

the

op

era

ting

frequency

directly

but

in

s

tead

derive

s

the

fre-

quency

from

three

s

ignals

picked

off

of

th

e

receiv

er

or

tran

s

ceiv

er.

The

se

si

gna

ls

are

th

e

BFO

,

the

LMO

, a

nd

the

HFO

,

and

ge

ttin

g

them

out

of

the

SB

or

HW

tran

s

ceiv

ers

a

nd

rec

eiv

ers

requires

a

modification

to

th

e

units

including

the

drillin

g

of

up

to

three

rear

panel

hol

es

for

th

e

installation

of

up

to

three

phono

jacks

and

s

om

e

attendant

internal

wiring

.

Not

e

th

at

wh

en u

se

d

in

combination

with

the

SB-400

or

401

tr

ans

mit-

ter,

th

e

transmitt

er re

quire

s

the

a

ddition

of

a

small

chok

e.

The

650

's

manual

is v

ery

cl

ear

about

the

proc

e

dure

for

all

of

th

e

SB

a

nd

HW

family.

IMPORTANT

: You

will

n

ee

d

the

ma

nu

al

to

do

the

in

s

tallation.

Sinc

e

th

e

640

depends

on

thr

ee

s

ignal

s,

the

unit

will

not

read

properl

y

und

er

certain

conditions.

For

ex

a

mple

,

when

us

ed

with

the

SB-300

,

301

,

or

303,

the

640

will

not

r

ea

d

correctly

if

the

receiver

is

plac

ed

in

th

e AM

or

210

BFO

,

LMO

,

an

d

HFO

sig

nal

s.

Th

e

fourth

is a

trimmer

ca

p u

se

d

to

calibrate

th

e

unit.

Calibra-

tion

is

very

si

mpl

e.

Ju

st

tun

e

the

receiver

to

CHU

(7.3

35

0

MHz

)

or

WWV

(a

t 15.

0000

MHz

)

a

nd

a

dju

st

th

e

trimmer

for

the

corr

ect

rea

din

g.

Th

e

only

rear

panel

co

nn

ect

ion

s

are

thr

ee

phono

sockets-o

n e

for

eac

h s

ign

al.

Int

er

connecting

cables

should

be m a de

from

RG58A/U

or

e

qui

va

-

le

nt

a

nd

s

hould

be

no

long

er

th

an 18

inches.

Whil

e a

rea

dout

to

100

Hz

is

s

uppo

se

d

to

be

pos

-

s

ibl

e,

mo

st

unit

s s

uff

er a

littl

e

from

jitt

er

in

the

right-mo

st

digit

,

but

thi

s

is

not

a ma

jor

probl

em .

Ma

x

imum

st a

bilit

y

requires

at

lea

st a

10-

minute

warm-up

.

If

the

unit

you

bought

do

es

n't

work

right,

th

e

fir

st

co

ur

se

of

ac

tion

s

hould

be

to

re

-

seat

the

ICs.

With

tim

e,

th

e

/s

ock

et

junc

-

tions

may

oxidize

,

ca

u s

in

g

errat

ic

operation,

a

nd

re-seating

th

e

chips

is

a s

impl

e fix .

Th

e

SB-650

m

an

ual

is

full

of

troubl

e-s

hootin

g

tips

a

nd

ha

s

do

zens

of

voltage

a

nd

wave

form

ch

ar

ts

to

a

ss

ist

you. Most

of

the

IC

s ar e

common

TTL

d

ev

ic

es

a

nd

s

hould

be

relatively

s

impl

e

to

find

should

any

need

to

be

replaced.

Th

e

Nixie

displ

ay

tub

es

are

National

NL-1220

or

Burrou

g

hs

B-

5859A

miniatur

es

with

w

ir

e b

ases

-not

th

e plu g

-in

type.

Th

ese

tub

es will

be

a

bit

ha

rd

to find

but

often

can

be

scro

un

ge

d

from

various

pi

eces

of

"

boat

a

nchor

"

test

e

quipm

en

t (

and

old desk

calculators

)

found

at

swa

p m

ee

ts.

CAUTION:

Th

e

SB-650

re

qui

res

pl

e

nt

y

of

ventilation

a

nd

s

hould

not

be

plac

ed

dir

ec

tly

on

top

of

heat

-

producin

g

equip-

ment.

Th

e

unit

is finished

in

th

e s

tanda

rd

SB

two-

ton

e

green

wrink

le.

Th

e SB-

650

is

fa

irl

y

rare.

Wei

ght/Size: 5

lbs

;

10

"

wide

x 6"

high

x 10.25"

deep

see

listed

under

SB-100

HE.A.TH

KIT

[§

~

f

i'?f#f

Hi*f

iJ

HF

Linear

Amplifier

Manufactur

ed:

87-92

Pr

i

ce:

$739.95

Comments:

In

spite

of

its

SB

name,

the

SB-1000

is

not

a

true

Heath

product.

It

is

an

Ameritron

amplifier

repackaged

in

kit

form

by

Heath-and

no

one

was

ever

really

fooled.

Still,

the

SB-1000

was

reasonably

attractive

from

both

a

buyer's

and

a

seller's

perspective

since

it

could

be

sold

for

less

than

many

commercial

amps

on

the

mar-

ket.

Thus

Heath

was

able

to

revive,

albeit

briefly,

the

dynamic

that

gave

it

its

start

.

The

SB-1000

runs

about

1000

watts

PEP

SSB

output

and

about

850

watts

CW

.

It

uses

a

single

3-500Z

in

class

AB2

grounded

grid

service.

It

will

dissi-

pate

about

500

watts

in

continuous

duty

for

about

30

minutes

and

requires

about

85

watts

of

drive

for

full

power

output.

Maximum

permissi-

ble

drive

is

100

watts.

The

power

supply

uses

a

22

pound

hypersil

steel

E-I

core

transformer

and

runs

about

3000

volts

no

load

and

2700

volts

full

load

at

about

.45

amps.

Unlike

the

SB

-

200

series

of

amps,

the

SB-1000

is

not

"instant

on"

and

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

SE-1000

requires

a 10

second

warm-up.

Out

of

the

box

and

as

assembled,

the

frequency

coverage

is

from

160

to

15

meters-including

WARC

bands.

However,

the

SB-1000

will

cover

10

meters

as

well.

All

the

parts

for

10

meter

operation

are

included

and

are

put

in

place

during

assemb

l

y-

incl

uding

an

unlabeled

position

on

the

bandswitch.

To

enable

10

meter

operation

requires

only

the

snipping

of

a

black

wire

that

exits

the

input-network

enclosure

and

is

attached

to

the

ground

lug

secured

to

the

plate

tuning

capacitor

reduction

-

drive

mounting

screw.

(See

page

38

of

the

SB-1000

illustration

book.)

When

operating

on

10

meters

be

sure

to

turn

the

bandswitch

past

the

15

meter

setting.

The

WARC

bands

are

not

labeled

on

the

front

panel

bandswitch.

To

operate

the

SB-1000

on

a

WARC

band,

set

the

bandswitch

to

the

nearest

band

position.

For

example,

to

operate

on

12

meters,

set

the

bandswitch

to

10

meters.

For

17

meter

operation,

set

the

bandswitch

to

15

meters.

Note

that

there

are

no

input

network

coils

specifically

for WARC

bands

and

that

the

output

network

is

not

tapped

for

these

bands.

As

a

resu

l

t,

operation

on

WARC

bands

will

result

in

about

80

percent

of

rated

power.

The

SB

-

1000

211

features

a

variable

ALC

providing

a

negative-

going

ALC

voltage

from

0-20

volts

.

True

QSK

operation

is

possible

with

the

optional

QSK

board.

The

QSK

board

mounts

a

lmo

st

directly

above

the

power

transfomer.

Unless

you

can

remove

the

unit

from

its

cabinet,

the

best

way

to

check

for

the

presence

of

the

QSK

board

is

to

look for a

rear

panel

screw

that

had

to

be

added

to

mount

the

board

.

This

screw

is

locat

ed

just

above

and

to

the

right

of

the

S0-239

RF

output

connector

.

There

are

two

large

illuminated

panel

meters.

One

is

dedicated

to

grid

current

and

the

other

will

monitor

plate

current,

plate

voltage,

ALC,

and

power

output.

Front

panel

controls

include

plate

tune,

load

,

band,

meter

function,

main

power,

and

operate/standby.

The

only

rear

panel

control

is

the

ALC

output

adjustment.

Rear

panel

connections

include

S0-239

RF

input

and

output

connectors

and

phono

jacks

for

TR

relay,

ALC

out,

and

-12 vo

lt

s

(also

for

TR

relay)

.

Th

ere

is

also

a

ground

post.

Although

the

SB-

1000

can

be

wired

for

either

120

or

240

VAC

operation,

on

ly a

120

VAC

line

cord

and

plug

were

sup

pli

ed.

If

you

want

to

change

to

240

VAC

operation

(

preferred

)

you'll

have

to

find

the

cor

-

rect

plug,

do a

bit

of

re-wiring,

and

install

the

correct

fuses.

The

SB-1000

was

the

l

ast

amp

H

eat

h

ever

sold,

but

because

it

is

not

a

genuine

Heath

product,

it

is

not,

in

the

author's

opinion,

much

of

a

collector's

piece.

It

is,

however,

a

reli-

able,

well-designed

product

and

should

be

con-

sidered

by

anyone

in

the

market

for

a

good

amplifier.

Toward

the

end,

He

at

h

blew

out

its

remaining

stock

of

SB-lOOOs

with

s

ub

stantia

l

discounts.

Finished

in

two-tone

gray

with

red

dial

pointers.

Medium

rare.

Weight/Size: 48

lbs;

14.5"

wide

x 8.25"

high

x

14

"

deep

SB-200,

SB-201,

SB-220,

SB-

221,

SB-230, HL-2200

212

f®~'§f

iSii'Hil

HEATHKIT

l@

~

f

U?&iHH+i

SSB/CW

Transceiver

Manufactured: 88-91

Price:

$799.95

Comments:

The

SB-1400

is

not

a

Heath

product

and

was

never

offered

in

kit

form.

It

was

made

for

Heath

by

Yaesu

and

was

patterned

after

Yaesu's

FT-747GX

.

Because

it

was

neither

a

Heath

product

nor

a

kit,

it

will

not

be

discussed

further.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

S:S-1400

213

SS-9000

f=

~

fHffiif§fH+il

ity

with

the

SA-1480

Remote

Coax

Switch,

PTTNOX,

RIT,

adjust-

able

speech

processing,

bandpass

shift,

a

noise

blanker,

Fast

/

Slow

/

Off

ACG,

400

and

200

Hz

CW

filters

,

and

a four-

function

meter.

Rear

panel

connectors

and

controls

include

an

S0-239

RF

antenna

connector,

linear

ALC

in

,

linear

ALC

adjust,

low

power

enable,

five

"'

::

spares,

DC

power

in,

;:

9

Band

SSB/CW

Tran

sce

i

ver

CW

key

jack,

external

~

transmit

audio in, speak- 3

er

,

external

receiver

~

audio,

T/R

in,

T/R

out,

;

mute

,

mute

inverted

,

~

external

relay

(for

a

linear

),

and

an

RS-232

port.

The

SS-9000

Manufactured:

82-84

Pr

i

ce:

$2795

Comments:

The

SS

-

9000,

a

fully

assembled

prod

-

uct

,

actually

beg

an

life

as

the

SS-8000,

a

kit-form

product.

Development

of

the

SS-8000

began

in

the

mid

70s

but

in

1980

,

on

the

verge

of

shipping,

it

was

cl

ear

that

the

rig

was

way

too

complicated

for

the

average

ham

to

assemble

and

align

.

Heath

decided

to

redesign

the

SS

-

8000

for

sale

as

a

fully

assemb

l

ed

and

tested

product,

a

proc

ess

that

took

another

three

years

.

The

SS

-

9000

fina

ll

y

shipped

in

1982.

The

com-

puter-controllable

rig

performed

well

and

was

loaded

with

just

abo

ut

every

be

ll

and

whistle

imaginab

le

at

the

time.

It

was

advertised

as

"a

transceiver

so

feature-conscious,

it

has

no

options

."

The

micro-processor

contro

ll

ed

9000

features

coverage

from

16

0

to

10-

meters

includ

-

ing

the

WARC

bands

and

WWV

at

15

MHz.

The

rig

runs

about

100

watts

SS

E

PEP,

about

100

watts

CW

and

RTTY,

and

tunes

in

100

Hz

steps

(5

kHz

per

dial

revolution).

Operation

includes

split

transmit/receive

or

tra

n

sce

i

ve

from

two

VFOs,

each

wit

h

its

own

display.

Stabi

li

ty

is

about

3

ppm

from

a cold

start

.

Other

features

include

full

SWR

protection

,

27

frequency

mem-

ories

(3

per

band),

a b

ui

lt-

in

term

i

nal

interface

(D

TE)

for

fu

ll

control

from

a

termina

l or com

put-

er

,

remote

contro

l

via

mo

d

em,

pus

h

-button

fre

-

quency

sl

ewi

ng (16

se

l

ecta

bl

e

rates),

compatibi

l-

214

requires

11

to

16

VDC

(13.8

nominal)

with

a

maximum

current

of

25

amps

at

100

watts

CW

output.

Receive

current

is

about

2

amps

.

The

PS-9000

power

supply

was

list

ed

separately

but

was

almost

always

offered

with

the

transceiver

in

a

package

deal.

The

pow

er

supply

features

a

speaker

and

a

digita

l

clock

with

two

readouts

(for

GMT

and

local

, for

example).

The

SS-8000

/

9000

project

cost

Heath

in

excess

of

$3,000

,

000

and

in

th

e

end

the

rig

was

way

too

expensive

.

Although

the

rig

worked

well,

its

high

price

tag

combined

with

savage

competition

drove

it

off

the

market

in

less

than

two

years.

Heath

cut

its

l

osses

and

blew

out

its

remaining

stock

at

huge

discounts.

Only

about

2000

were

ever

sold.

The

SS-9000

and

its

"l

ow

end"

companion

,

the

HW

-

5400,

were

the

last

big

rigs

Heath

ever

made.

Get

the

book-you

'

ll

need

it

.

Weight/Size: 35

lbs

;

14

"

wide

x 6"

hi

gh x

13.

75"

deep

none

HEATHKIT

f8

~

f

Hi5¥¥f

i*+

i

s~-717

HFfli.ii"'

General

Coverage

Receiver

will

receive

AM

,

CW

,

and

SSB

signals

but

does

not

have

a

se

lec-

Manufactured: 71-82

Price:

$139.95

Comments:

The

SW

-

717

is

essentially

a

solid

state

version

of

the

GR

-

64

(see

li

sti

ng)

,

which

it

replaced

in

1971.

The

717

was

the

last

of

the

slide-rule

dial

SWL

receivers,

but

it

was

not

the

first

fully

solid

state

SWL

receiver

He

a

th

made

.

That

title

belongs

to

the

GC-

l(A)

(s

ee

listing)

-

built

in

1960

-a

nd

it

makes

you

wonder

why,

having

built

a

very

good

solid

state

receiver

way

back

then,

H

ea

th

would

have

clung

to

the

tube-

tube

type

receivers

of

the

GR

family

as

long

as

it

did.

The

SW-717

us

es

nine

transistors

and

is

built

on

a

single

PC

board.

It

cove

rs

from

550

kHz

to

30

MHz

in

four

bands

and

features

an

illuminated

dial

,

electrical

bandspread

,

BFO

control,

a

signal

strength

meter,

ANL

(

the

sw

itch

is

on

the

rear

panel)

,

built-in

speaker,

a

headphone

jack

, a

nd

a

built-in

ferrite

rod

anten-

na

for

broadcast

band

reception.

In

addition,

there

is

a

rear

panel

sc

rew

terminal

connection

for

an

external

antenna

and

ground.

The

717

A Guide to the

Amat

eur

Radio

Products

tor

for

separate

USB

and

LSB

as

is

found

on

the

GR-54

.

Because

it

is

a

solid

state

design

the

717,

is

considerably

more

stable

than

its

predecessor.

It

is

not,

however,

considerably

more

sensitive

or

selective.

Heath

does

not

specify

the

sensitivi

-

ty

of

the

unit.

Suffice

it

to

say

that

th

e

sensitivi

-

ty

is

typical

of

the

genre.

The

71 7

can

be

aligned

without

instruments

and

is

designed

for

120

/240VAC,

50

/60

Hz

operation

.

It

is

housed

in

a

gray

cabinet

and

has

white

and

green

band

markings.

Good

condition

SW-717s

are

becom-

ing

hard

to

find

.

Wei

ght/Size:

10

lbs;

14.5"

wide

x 5.25"

hi

gh x 8"

deep

AR-1

,

AR-2

,

AR-3

, GC-l(A),

GR

-

64,

GR-78

,

GR-81

,

GR-91

, SW-7800

215

s~-7eoo

~

~f

U¥iiiHil

General

Coverage

Receiver

transmitter

.

Selectivi-

ty

is

2.5

kHz

for

SSB

,

CW,

and

AM

nar

row,

Manufactured: 84-90

Price:

$349.95

Comments:

There

was

a

two-year

gap

between

the

end

of

the

SW-717

and

the

introduction

of

the

SW-7800.

The

7800

is

built

on

three

main

PC

boards

plus

a

small

board

for

the

display.

The

unit's

design

includes

a

broadband,

up-convert-

ing,

double-conversion

mixer,

and

covers

from

150

kHz

to

30

MHz

in

30

overlapping

bands.

Features

includ

e

fast

and

slow

AGC,

a

"local/DX"

switch,

a

telescoping

whip

antenna,

and

a

front

panel

output

(miniature

phone

jack)

for

tape

recorder.

This

output

is

unaffected

by

the

volume

control.

Other

features

include

a

five-digit

digital

display

that

resolves

to

1

kHz,

switch

selection

of

USB/CW,

LSB,

or

wide

or

narrow

AM.

There

are

also

a

built-in

speaker,

a

standard

quarter

inch

he

adphone

jack

(mono-

phonic),

an

S0-239

antenna

connector

for

a

50

ohm

antenna,

a

screw

terminal

for a

hi-Z

anten-

na

(norma

lly

connected

to

the

on-board

whip

antenna),

and

a

muting

output

for

use

with

a

216

and

5.5

kHz

for

AM

wide.

The

manual

does

not

refer

to

the

stability

of

the

SW-7800.

Since

the

radio

is

fully

synthesized

and

uses

PLL

circuits,

one

could

conclude

that

the

stability

should

be

reasonable,

though

the

unit

owned

by

the

author

does

not

seem

to

support

that

conclusion.

Only

a

VTVM

is

required

for

alignment.

The

unit

will

run

from

120

VAC

or

from

11-15 VDC

(750

ma).

The

SW-

7800

enjoyed

only

moderate

success.

It

was

seen

as

expensive

and

featureless

compared

to

other

ready-made

shortwave

receivers

on

the

market

and

was

eventually

pulled

as

part

of

Heath's

decision

to

exit

the

kit

market

altogeth-

er.

Not

too

rare.

Weight/Size: 7

lbs;

11.5"

wide

x

5"

high

x

11"

deep

AR-1,

AR-2, AR-3, GC-l(A),

GR-64, GR-78,

GR-81,

GR-91,

SW-717

HE

AT

HK

IT

~

~f§fifSiffiiffl

TX-1

5

Band

AM/CW

Transmitter

slug-tuned

coil

forms.

The

Apache

covers

from

80-10

meters,

and

"Apache"

Manufactured:

58-64

Price:

$252.50

Comments:

The

TX-1

and

its

companion,

the

RX-

1 (

see

listing

),

were

released

as

a

pair

in

1958

and

were

the

first

Heath

amateur

products

to

wear

the

now

famous

two-tone

green

paint

.

With

a

shipping

weight

of

107

pounds,

the

TX-1

was

typical

of

transmitters

of

the

day.

"Big

and

heavy"

was

interpreted

by

most

hams

as

"good

and

stab

le."

More

than

just

a DX-100

in

a

new

box, t he TX-1

was

a

substantia

l

improvement

over

the

100

and

was

marketed

as

a

step

up

.

The

TX-1 is

designed

around

19

tub

es

including

a

pair

of

6146

finals.

Some

of

the

biggest

improve-

ments

were

in

the

VFO

, a

Clapp

oscillator

(a

series

tuned

Colpitts

)

in

which

the

6AU6

fila-

ment

was

left

on

a

ll

the

time.

The

tube

was

mounted

outside

the

VFO

housing,

and

liberal

use

was

made

of

temperature

compensation

components

including

heavily

doped

ceramic

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

11

meters

with

crystal

operation.

Th

e TX-1

will

not

operate

160

meters,

which

is

curious

since

the

matching

receiver

(t

he RX-1) will.

The

TX-1

has

a

rated

input

power

of

150

watts

AM

and

180

watts

CW,

and

its

Pi-Network

output

circuit

will

match

from

50-72

ohms.

The

unit

features

a

built-in

power

supp

ly

(with

a

so

lid

state

bias

sup

ply

),

adjustable

low-l

eve

l

speech

clipping,

"time

sequence"

keying

for

"chirp

le

ss

break-in"

CW,

heavy

shielding,

provisions

for

one

crystal

frequency,

and

fan

cooled

finals.

There

is

also a

front

panel

selector

switch

to

route

the

signal

to

a

rear

panel

connector

for

use

with

the

SB-10

SSE

adapter

unit

(see

li

sting).

An

illuminated

panel

meter

reads

dri

ve

plate

current

,

final

grid

current

,

final

plate

current

,

final

pl

ate

voltage,

and

modulator

plate

current

.

There

are

a

full

range

of

front

panel

controls.

These

include

the

band

switc

h ,

VFO

main

tuning,

final

amp

tun-

ing

,

driver

tuning,

frequency

control

(VFO

or

crystal),

mode,

plate

high

voltage

on/off,

audio

gain,

main

power,

tune

/

operate,

meter

fun

ction,

antenna

loading

,

final

amp

drive

l

eve

l,

an

d a

217

spotting

switch.

The

main

modulation

level

con-

trol

is

adjusted

with

a

screwdriver

by

reaching

in

through

the

key

jack.

In

addition

to

the

vari-

ous

controls,

there

is

also

a

high

voltage

indica-

tor

light.

On

the

rear

panel

is

an

octal

accessory

socket

that

provides

an

external

duplication

of

the

plate

switch

and

120

VAC for

use

with

an

antenna

relay

and/or

receiver

muting.

Also

available

on

this

socket

is

350

VDC

at

85

ma

and

6.3 VAC

at

3.5

amps

.

These

voltages

are

primar-

ily

for

use

with

the

SB-10

SSB

adapter

. A

pair

of

screw

terminal

contacts

near

the

center

of

the

rear

panel

provide

a

general

purpose

contact

clo-

sure.

Th

ere

are

two

closely

spaced

S0-239

con-

nectors

on

the

rear

panel.

These

are

for

use

with

the

SB-10

SSB

adapter.

As

viewed

from

the

rear,

the

left

connector

provides

RF

to

the

SB-10

.

The

right

connector

provides

input

to

the

final

amp.

Since

the

RX-1

receiver

had

been

designed

and

prototyped

before

the

TX-1,

and

since

the

two

units

had

to

match,

some

tricky

engineering

was

needed

to

fit

the

TX-1

into

the the

RX-l's

box.

Among

other

things,

this

required

some

compli-

cated

mechanical

linkages

that

ended

up

work-

ing

pretty

well-

even

if

they

did

look

a

little

strange.

The

nick

name

"scratchy

Apache

"

(not

really

heard

much

until

recent

years)

refers

to

the

TX-l's

audio

quality

and

is

probably

unde-

served.

The

TX-l's

audio

response

is

about

300-

3000

Hz

and

is

really

very

clean.

Any

"

scratchi-

ness"

heard

may

be

the

result

of

component

failure

or

drift

due

to

age

or

operator

error.

As

in

the

RX-1,

the

plastic

dial

drum

is

fragile

and

can

crack

with

rough

handling.

Be

sure

to

check

it

before

you

buy.

For

120

VAC

50/60

Hz

operation.

Two-tone

green

finish

with

darker

green

cabi-

net.

Early

units

were

shipped

with

satin

finish

metal

knobs

while

later

versions

used

polished

knobs.

The

RX-1/TX-l

pair

were

the

last

big/heavy

radios

Heath

made

and

were

replaced

by

the

SB

series-a

low

cost

(relatively

speak-

ing)

series

of

products

designed

to

appeal

to

those

who

wanted,

but

could

not

afford,

Collins

equipment.

The

TX-1/RX-l

pair

were

very

suc-

cessful

and

Heath

sold

thousands

of

them.

In

spite

of

this,

relatively

few

remain

in

good

condi-

tion.

Clean

TX-ls

in

good

working

order

are

becoming

quite

rare

.

Weight/Size: 107lbs;19.5"

wide

x

11.5"

high

x

16"

deep

RX-1,

SB-10,

KL-1,

HA-10

218

rE=

~

1

u&&f

Ui*il

HE

A..T

HK

IT

f8

~

f

#f

?f

iHHEiJ

External

VFO

Manufactured: 52-61

Price:

$19.50

Comments:

The

VF-1

was

He

a

th's

first

extern

al

VFO

and

was

released

in

1952

as

a

companion

unit

for

the

AT-1.

The

unit

outlasted

the

AT-1

and

later

was

sold

for

use

with

the

DX-20,

35,

and

40,

although

it

could

be

used

with

the

DX-60

series

and

others.

The

VF-1

is

the

same

VFO

design

used

later

in

the

DX-100

.

It

covers

160-10

meters

(

including

11

meters

)

with

three

basic

output

frequency

ranges

and

provides

about

10

vo

lt

s

of

RF

drive.

It

uses

two

tubes:

an

OA2

and

a

6AU6.

The

oscillator

is

an

electron-coup

l

ed

Clapp

type

(a

series

tuned

Colpitts).

Featur

es

include

an

illuminated

dial,

copper

plated

chas-

sis,

aluminum

case

, "

profuse

shielding,''

ceramic

coil

forms,

switch

wafers,

and

tuning

capacitor

insulation

.

The

tuning

vernier

reduction

drive

provides

about

two

feet

of

bandspread

.

Th

ere

is

A Guide to the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Produ

cts

VF'-1

no

built

-in

power

supply

.

The

VF-1

is

designed

to

take

its

power

from

the

transmitter

and

r e

quires

250

VDC

at

15-20

ma

and

6.3

VAC

at

.45

amps.

Although

th

e

VF-1

employed

some

basic

temper

-

ature

compensation

techniques,

many

users

minimized

drift

by

building

a

power

supp

ly

that

would

keep

the

VF

-1

powered

up

all

the

time.

Front

panel

controls

include

main

tuning

,

band

switch,

and

off-standby-on.

There

are

two

cables

on

the

rear

panel:

power

in

and

RF

out.

The

VF-

1

is

painted

in

a

two

ton

e

gray

to

match

the

AT-1.

Th

e

knobs

are

gray

and

are

the

same

style

used

on

the

DX-20,

et

al.

The

VF-1

shows

up

with

sur

-

prising

regularity,

though

often

in

poor

condition.

Weight/Size: 7

lbs;

6.5

..

wide

x

T'

high

x

T'

deep

AT-1,

DX

series

transmitters

219

VF'-8081

Catryl11

1

case

and

ext

erul

11

i

ke

a

re

ha

ndy

accessories

r=

~

'i'5Sf

¥f

HEI

Yo

ur

VF-

2G3

1'

s

alWays

rtadf

witlt

•

°'°'""'

Charpr &

rec

harp-

ab

lt

batteries

Ootioul

Auto

htch

Eneodtr

lets

JO•

•akl

phone

ca

lls

tltNH

IP

rtpottn

eqalpptd

With

atltt-Jatclt

mptlb.

2

Meter

Hand-Held

Transceiver

M

anu

fa

ctured:

79-83

Pri

c

e:

$199.95

Comments:

The

VF-2031

replaced

Heath's

origi-

nal

HT

(the

HW-2021)

in

1978.

The

new

unit

fea-

tures

several

significant

improvements.

First,

it

has

twice

the

output

power-2

watts

.

Second

,

it

provides

switch

selection

of

simplex,

plus

600,

or

minus

600

kHz

operation

.

Third,

it

provides

three

additional

channels

for a

total

of

8.

The

VF

-

2031's

total

frequency

coverage

is

from

143.5

to

148.5

MHz,

but

in

practice

the

8

crystal

fre-

quencies

all

must

fall

within

a

single

2

MHz

sec-

tion

of

the

total

range.

As

with

its

predecessor

,

Heath

cautioned

that

the

VF-2031

was

not

for

beginning

kit

builders.

The

2031

uses

a

10.7

MHz

IF

and

has

a

rated

sensitivity

is

.5

uV

or

less

for

20

db

quieting

.

Crystal

formula

:

Receive

crystal

frequency

= (

operating

frequency

-10. 7) I

9.

Top

mounted

contro

l s

include

volume,

220

squelch

,

channel

selector

,

and

a

three

position

simpl

e

x/offset

switch.

Another

switch

controls

the

optional

sub-audible

continuous

tone

encod

e

r.

There

is

also

a

connector

for

an

optional

speaker

/mic.

Other

optional

equipment

includes

a

touch

tone

pad

and

a

leath

er

case

.

The

VF-

2031

apparently

did

not

incorporate

the

battery

saver

circuit

employed

in

the

2021.

Still,

the

10

AA

NiCads

(solder

lead

type)

will

provide

about

10

hours

of

"

normal"

operation.

The

2031

is

built

into

a

black

plastic

case

with

a

liner

of

metal

foil

cover

ed

paper

and

was

supplied

with

a

drop

-

in

charg

er.

The

2031

sold

fairly

well

but

suffered

from

a

variety

of

problems

mostly

dif-

ficulty

in

assembly.

Tiny

parts

in

tiny

spaces

we

re

more

than

many

ops

could

take

on.

The

VF

-

2031

requires

on

ly a

VTVM

for

alignment

.

Rare

.

Wei

g

ht

/

Si

z

e:

2

lbs

; 3.25"

wide

x 9"

hi

gh x 2"

deep

HA-20

1,

VF

-

2021

, HW-6502

HE.ATHKIT

[§

~fh&iUHEiJ

VF'-7401

2

Meter

FM

Transceiver

In

both

cases

the

unit

will

only

scan

1

MHz

Manufactured: 80-83

Price:

$369.95

Comments:

The

VF

-

7401

was

Heath's

last

kit-

type

two-meter

transceiver.

It

was

a

very

nice

rig

with

lots

of

power

and

features,

but

it

had

cost

the

company

a

bundle

to

develop,

and

by

this

time

Heath

was

coming

under

heavy

pres-

sure

from

competition.

Sales

were

never

as

high

as

Heath

had

hoped

for,

and

it

is

likely

that

Heath

lost

money

on

the

7401.

It

was

the

last

of

the

line

that

began

with

the

HW-202

(see

list-

ing).

The

VF-7401

is

a

scanning

rig

but

that

l

abel

is

a

little

misleading.

The

7401

has

no

"memory

channels"

as

we

have

come

to

under-

stand

them

today

.

It

scanned

standard

channel

spacings.

Heath

advertised

that

it

has

"800

channel

capacity."

Again

this

is

somewhat

mis-

l

eading.

What

Heath

meant

was

that

while

scanning

in

5

kHz

steps

,

it

would

scan

the

800

standard

channel

allocations

between

144

and

148

MHz.

There

are

two

basic

scanning

modes.

In

one

mode

the

rig

will

scan

until

it

comes

upon

a

signal,

at

which

point

it

will

stop

until

told

to

continue.

In

the

other

mode

it

will

stop

and

then

resume

scanning

at

the

end

of

the

transmission.

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio

Products

portions

of

the

band.

Three

front

panel

push

buttons

allow

you

to

enter

any

frequency

you

want,

and

the

unit

can

be

wired

to

"power

up"

on

a

pre-programmed

fre-

quency

of

your

choice

.

This

frequency

is

chosen

during

assembly

and

can

be

rewired

later.

There

is

also

a

front

panel

switch

to

select

an

offset

of+

or

-

600

kHz,+

1

MHz,

or

simplex.

The

7401

will

scan

a

full

4

MHz

portion

of

the

band

between

143.5

and

148.5

MHz-the

entire

band-with

a

rated

power

output

of

15

watts.

Power

output

is

continuously

variable.

The

7

401

is

built

on

six

PC

boards

and

borrows

heavily

from

its

prede-

cessor,

the

HW-2036.

The

receiver

features

a

double

tuned

front

end

with

an

RF

amp,

dual-

conversion,

an

8-pole

crystal

IF

filter,

IC

limit-

ing,

and

Quad

detection.

Receiver

sensitivity

is

better

than

.5 uV.

Bandwidth

is

6 dB

down

at

15

kHz.

All

birdies

are

less

than

1

uV

equivalent.

Heath

advertised

that

the

synthesizer

had

been

substantially

improved

and

no

longer

required

a

front

panel

indicator

to

tell

you

it's

l

ocked

on

fre-

quency

.

Heath

did,

however,

put

a

PLL

lock

indi-

cator

light

inside-just

in

case.

The

transmitter

is

protected

from

high

SWR

and

has

a

100

per-

cent

duty

cycle.

Deviation

is

adjustable

from

0-7

kHz.

Mobile

users

may

wis

h

to

note

that

the

221

operating

temperature

range

is

from

+15

to

+125

F.

Depending

on

where

you

live,

these

lim-

its

could

easily

be

exceeded

in

your

car

.

The

7401

features

a

CTCSS

CPL)

tone

encoder.

The

user

can

choose

from

three

tones

via

a

front

panel

switch.

Tone

frequencies

are

selected

during

assembly.

Front

panel

controls

include

volume,

squelch,

offset

,

tone

,

scan

mode,

scan/manual,

display

brightness,

a 5

kHz

select,

and

three

tuning

buttons

- 1

MHz,

100

kHz,

and

10

kHz.

The

front

panel

also

features

a

red

LED

indicat-

ing

5

kHz

selection,

a

green

LED

indicating

a

unsquelched

or

"channel

busy"

condition,

and

a

three

digit

LED

frequency

display.

Unlike

the

HW-2036,

the

mic

on

the

VF-7401

is

detachable.

The

mic

connector

is

a

standard

4-pin

DIN

con-

nector.

Rear

panel

includes

power

amp

tuning,

power

level

controls,

a

12

VDC

power

connector,

an

external

speaker

jack,

and

an

80-239

anten-

na

connector.

The

7401

requires

12.6

to

16

VDC

(13.8

nominal)

and

is

polarity

protected.

Receive

current

consumption

is

550

ma

(squelched),

750

ma

maximum

.

On

transmit

the

current

con-

sumption

is

4

amps

maximum.

Heath

packaged

the

7401

in

a

black

cabinet

with

a

light

blue

front

panel

,

and

this

was

the

only

Heath

radio

product

to

use

this

color

scheme

besides

the

rig's

matching

power

supply.

The

VF-7401

is

among

the

rarest

of

Heath

products

and

is

seldom

seen

at

swap

meets.

Weight/Size:

12

lbs;

8.25"

wide

x

2.

75"

high

x

10"

deep

HW-202, HW-2026,

HW-2036(A), HWA-202-1, HA-202, HM-2102

222

rE=

~

f

UMfifiif

IJ

HE.A.TH

KIT

l8

~

fH&SiUH+iJ

•

6

and

2

Meter

AM/CW

Transmitter

"Seneca"

Manufactured: 58-62

Price:

$159.95

Comments:

Rel

eased

about

the

same

time

as

the

TX

-1,

and

l

ooking

very

much

like

a

miniature

version

of

it,

the

Seneca

was

Heath's

first

serious

piece

of

VHF

gear.

The

Se

n

eca

covers

from

50-

54

MHz

and

from

1

44

-148.3

MHz

and

will

operate

AM

or

CW.

The

rig

is

bu ilt

around

11

tubes

including

a

pair

of

6146

fina

ls

and

h

as

a

rated

power

i

nput

on

six-meters

of

140

CW

and

120

AM.

On

two

-

meters

the

i

np

ut

power

rating

is

110

watts

CW

and

95

watts

AM.

Feat

u

res

include

car

-

rier

controlled

AM

operation

and

frequency

con-

trol

from

the

built-in

VFO

or

one

of

fo

ur

crystal.

Al

though

Heath

advertise

d

that

the

rig

included

"two

power

supp

l

ies"

on

ly

one

transformer

is

used

,

and

it

supplies

both

high

and

low

voltage

.

The

VFO

used

is

the

same

one

used

in

the

TX-l-

a

6AU6

running

as

a

Clapp

oscillator

(a

series

tuned

Colpitts

).

The

output

is

from

8.

000

to

8.222

MHz

on

two-meters

and

8.

333

to

9.000

on

six

-

meters.

On

six-meters

the

crystal

frequency

times

6

equals

the

operating

frequency,

and

ontwo-meters

the

mu

l

tip

l

ier

is

18. Obviously,

on

two-

meters

any

drift

in

the

VFO

is

going

to

show

up

in

a

hurry.

A

QST

rev

i

ewer

note

d

that

when

A

Guide

to the

Amateur

Radio Products

using

the

Seneca

for

two

-

meter

CW,

"you'd

better

use

a

crystal

if

you

want

other

CW

men

to

think

high

ly

of

you."

The

VFO

dia

l

drive

mechanism

and

the

bandswitch

linkages

are

frightening

but

actu

-

a

ll

y

work

quite

we

ll-

t h

ough

trying

to

repair

them

may

lead

to

an

as

yet

unnumbered

Exce

d

rin

headache

.

Neutralization

of

the

6146s

is

accom

-

plished

with

a

pair

of

wires

running

al

ong

the

outside

each

of

the

tube.

During

initial

tune-up

these

wires

are

bent

and

moved

to

a

position

that

yie

l

ds

t he l

owest

reading

on

a

grip

dip

meter

.

Th

e

sch

eme

works

quite

we

ll

.

Front

panel

contro

ls

include

freq

u

ency

control

,

meter

function,

buffer

tune,

final

tan

k co

upli

ng,

mu

l

tiplier

(tunes

m

ul

ti-

plier

pl

ate

cir

cu

it

to

2

times

input

freq

u

ency

for

si

x-meters,

3

times

for

two-meters),

l

oadi

ng,

drive

tune,

fina

l

tune,

functio

n (off,

CW,

standby,

AM),

bandswitch,

main

tuning,

and

"spot."

The

illuminated

front

pane

l

meter

reads

multiplier

grid

current

,

driver

grid

current

,

final

grid

cur-

rent,

fina

l

plate

current,

and

fina

l pl

ate

voltage

.

Rear

pane

l

co

n

nections

include

a mic

connector,

S0

-

239

antenna

connector

, a

standard

quarter

inc

h

key

jack,

and

a

ground

post.

Th

ere

is

also a

rear

p

ane

l

octal

accessory

socket.

This

socket

pro

-

vides

a

remote

means

of

keying

the

transmitter,

a

120

VAC

outp

ut for

an

antenna

re

lay,

and

con-

tacts

for

receiver

mu

ting

(wired

normally

closed).

The

Seneca

is

painted

with

the

same

two-

tone

gree

n

as

the

TX-1

and

is

ho

u

sed

in

a

one

-piece

copper

-

clad

steel

enclosure.

The

knobs

are

satin

finish

alumin

um

as

opposed

to

the

polished

alu-

minum

knobs

u

sed

later

on

the

HX-30. The VH

F-

1 is d

esigned

for

120

VAC

,

50

/60

Hz

operation

.

In

spite

of

the

fact

that

Heath

kept

it

on

t he

market

for al

most

five

years,

interest

in

the

VHF-1

was

never

very

h

igh

and

comparatively

few

were

sold.

Senecas

are

quite

rare

in

good

condition.

Weight/Size: 59

lbs;

16.5"

wide

x

10

"

high

x

10

"

deep

HX-30, HA-20

223

-V-L..-1180

~

fi'MiH&+I

2

Meter

Mobile

Linear

Amplifier

re

la

y

chatter

on

SSE

or

a

one-second

TR

drop-

out

delay

on

FM.

The

technically

inclined

op

co

uld

install

an

exter

-

Manufactured: 81-83

Price:

$139.95

Comments:

This

is

the

mobile

version

of

the

VL-

2280

75-watt,

all

-

mod

e

lin

ear

amplifier

(see

li

st

-

ing).

The

two

units

are

essentia

ll

y

identical

in

terms

of

the

amplifier

electronics

.

The

differ-

ence

is

that

the

1180

has

no

built

-

in

pow

er

sup-

ply

and

no

met

er

in

g

circuits.

With

these

two

items

removed,

the

weight

and

physical

size

of

the

amp

shrink

considerab

ly

.

The

1180

requires

12 VDC

(nomina

l)

at

11

am

ps.

With

a

suitably

h

ef

ty

power

supp

ly

the

1180

can

be

u

se

d for b

ase

station

as

well

as

mobile

operation.

Unlike

the

base

station

version,

which

features

switch

sel

ection

of

an

SSE

TR

relay

drop

-

out

de

lay, a

re

l

ay

drop

-

out

delay

(or l

ack

thereof)

in

the

1180

must

be

chosen

during

assembly

by

means

of

a

jump

er

wire.

Thi

s i

sn't

a

big

problem

if

you

oper-

ate

only

one

mod

e,

but

if

you

switch

between

FM

an

d

SSE,

you

have

to

put

up

wit

h e

ith

er

some

224

nal

switch

to

make

se

l

ection

of

the

del

ay

possi-

ble.

In

spite

of

the

fact

that

the

amp

worked

very

well,

got

great

reviews

,

and

had

respectab

le

sa

l

es,

Heath

sold

the

unit

for

only

three

years.

For

a

detailed

discussion

of

the

amplifier

,

please

refer

to

the

li

sting

for

the

VL-2280.

The

VL-1180

was

a

bargain

in

1981

and

is

eve

n

more

of

a

bar

-

gain

today

.

The

uni

ts

are

very

rare

and

se

ldom

show

up

at

swap

m

eets.

Weight/Size: 5

lbs;

4.75"

wide

x 2.5"

high

x

10.5"

deep

VL-2280, HA-202(A), HA-201(A)

H

El

.AT

HK

IT

~

f

i'?&f

Ui*f'J

2

Meter

All-Mode

Linear

Amplifier

Manufactured: 81-83

Price:

$279.95

Comments:

This

big

box

o'

watts

was

a

truly

great

product:

a 75

watt

2-meter

all-mode

base

station

linear

amplifier

for

under

$300.

It

got

rave

reviews

and

worked

extremely

well.

Heath

dis-

continued

the

unit

s

as

part

of

a

long-term

deci

-

sion

to

phase

out

its

amateur

product

line.

Heath

also

sold

a

mobile

version

of

this

amplifi

-

er-the

VL-1180

(

see

listing).

The

VL-2280

cov-

ers

144-148

MHz

and

requires

from

1to10

watts

of

drive

.

It

will

operate

FM,

SSB,

and

CW

pro-

viding

a

nominal

75

watts

out

with

10

watts

in-

and

will

do so

from

one

end

of

the

band

to

the

other

without

retuning.

One

watt

of

drive

will

yield

near

ly

20

watts

of

output.

The

2280

has

a

well

regulated

power

supply

and

is

built

on

three

PC

boards.

The

RF

board

uses

a

single

MRF247

power

transistor

and

incorporates

"strip-line"

construction

as

well

as

air-wound

inductors.

Large

heat

sinks

allow

the

amp

to

run

with

a

50

percent

duty

cycle-

10

minutes

on, 10

minutes

off.

These

same

heat

sinks

eliminate

the

need

for

SWR

protection

circuits.

The

unit

will

withstand

a

30:1

SWR

at

full

power.

CAU

-

TION:

Do

not

exceed

drive

or

duty

cycle

specifi-

cations.

The

illuminated

front

panel

meter

reads

drive

power,

power

output,

and

DC

voltage.

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

vi..-aaao

Front

panel

controls

include

main

power,

mode,

standby,

and

meter

function

.

The

mode

switch

selects

between

SSB

and

FM

and

simply

adds

a

TR

relay

drop-out

delay

to

prevent

relay

chatter

in

the

SSB

mode

. Two

front

panel

LEDs

(green)

indicate

"power

on"

and

"

amplifier

on

"

status.

Rear

panel

con-

nections

include

two

80-239

RF

connectors

,

a

connector

for

supply-

ing

12

VDC

at

up

to

4

amps

to

an

external

device

(

an

exciter

for

example),

and

an

accessory

socket

for

remote

keying

of

the

amp.

There

are

a l

so

two

standard

cartridge

fuse

holders

on

the

rear

panel.

One

of

these

is

for

the

120

VAC

input

and

the

other

for

the

12

VDC

supply

.

The

amp

may

be

keyed

remotely

or

by

RF

sensing

and

has

a

built-in

TR

relay.

RF

is

bypassed

around

the

amp

when

it

is

off

or

in

the

standby

mode

.

Inser-

tion

loss

is

about

.6

db

.

The

2280

requires

either

120

VAC

at

4

amps

or

240

VAC

at

2

amps

and

also

can

run

from

an

external

12 VDC

source

. 12

volt

current

consumption

is

11

amps.

Tune

-

up

requires

only

an

exciter

and

a

wattmeter

.

The

VL-2280

was

a

very

popular

amp

and

sold

well.

Today

they

are

virtually

impossible

to

find

and

are

a l

most

never

seen

at

flea

markets

.

Most

units

probably

are

still

in

service.

Wei

ght/Size: 30

lbs

; 13.5"

wide

x 5.5"

hi

gh x

12.75"

deep

Rel

a

ted

Products:

VL-1180

, HA-202(

A)

, HA-201(A)

225

-V-X-1

~fhffiff§'Hfil

~

ELECTRONIC

VOICE

CONTROL

TIME DELAY

STAND-BY

MANUAL

I

MODEL VX-1

Electronic

Voice

Control

painted

in

a

silver

and

gray

style

to

match

the

(VOX)

Manufactured: 58-60

Price:

$23.95

Comments:

The

VX-1

is

one

of

a

series

of

small

accessories

Heath

made

to

go

along

with

the

TX-

1, RX-1 ,

et

al.

It

is

built

into

the

same

box

as

the

AM-2,

the

CA-1,

and

others.

Although

we

now

take

VOX for

granted,

in

its

day

the

VX-1

was

regard

ed

as

something

of

a

luxury.

Connection

and

operation

of

the

unit

is

simple.

The

s

tation

mic

connects

to

the

VX-1

via

a

front

panel

con-

nector

. A

terminal

st

rip

on

the

rear

panel

pro-

vides

connections

to

the

receiver,

speaker,

trans-

mitter

mic

input,

and

a

120

volt

TR

relay

.

Front

panel

controls

include

power

on

/off,

receive

a

nd

transmit

sensitivity,

and

delay

.

The

VX

-1

is

226

DX-100,

AM-2,

and

others.

Th

e

top

and

sides

of

the

cabinet

are

per-

forated

to

provide

ventilation.

The

VX-1

is

one

of

the

rarest

H

eat

h

products

ever

made

and

find-

ing

one

will

require

a

special

effort.

Weight/Size: 3

lbs;

7.25"

wide

x 4.75"

high

x

4.25"

deep

AM-1,

CA-1,

QF-1

HEATHKIT

[

~fb#fSiHHEiJ

MODEL #

AC-1

AK

-5

AK-6

AK-7

AM-1

AM-2

APACHE

AR

-1

AR-2

AR

-3

AT-1

B-1

CA

- 1

CANTENNA

CB

- 1

CHEYENNE

CHIPPEWA

C0-1

COMANCHE

CROSSFIRE

DX

-

20

DX

-

35

DX-

40

DX-60

DX

-

60A

D

X-60B

D

X-

100

DX

- 1

OOB

EK-2

GC

- 1

GC

-1A

GC-1000

GC-1005

GC

-

1107

GC-1094

GC-1108

GCW-1001

GCW

-

1001

- 1

GD-1

GD-1A

GD-lB

GD-125

GH-12

GH-12A

GP-11

Heath

Master

Product

Index

by Model

NOTES / FIR

ST

YEAR FIRST CATALOG

TYPE SPEC IFICATIONS

MA

DE

APPEARANCE*

Antenna Coupler

53

WI

Speaker For

RX-1

58

Misc Mobile Mounting kit

for

MT-1

and

M R-1

59

Speaker Mobile for MR-1 and

HR

-

20

59

1

Impedance Meter

52

FA

SWR Meter

HF

57

FA

Tr

ansmitter See

TX-1

Re

ce

iver

SWL

550kHz

-

20MHz

49

Receiver

SWL

535kHz-35MH

z

52

FA

Receiver

SWL

550kHz-30MHz

56

Tr

ansmitter

80/40/20/

15/11I10

CW

52

FA

Balun

Coil

80

- 1 0 meter

200w

57

FA

CONELRAD

Alarm

57

FA

See

HN

-3 1

Transceiver

"CB"

"Lunch Box"

59

6

Transmitter See MT-1

Am

plifier S

ee

KL

- 1

Code Practice Os

ci

ll

ator

59

6

Re

ce

iver See MR-1

RTTY Tuning

In

dicator See

HD

-

3006

Transmitter

80

-

10

meter

50w

CW

57

Tr

ansmitter

80

-

10

meter

75w

AM /

CW

56

Tr

ansmitter

80

-

10

meter

75w

AM/CW

58

Tr

ansmitter

80-10

meter

75w

AM /

CW

61

5

Transmitter

80-10

meter

75w

AM

/CW

65

1

Tr

ansmitter

80

-

10

meter

75w

AM /

CW

67

6

Tr

ansmitter

80

-

10

meter

100

Watt

AM

/C

W

55

SP

Tr

ansmitter

HF

80-10

AM

CW

58

Receiver

SWL

educa

ti

onal super regen

61

5

Re

ceiver Solid-state

SWL

550kHz

-

32M

Hz "Mohican"

60

6

Receiver Solid-state

SWL

550kHz

-

32MH

z "Mohican"

62

6

Clock "Most Accurate

Clo

ck"

83

XM

Clock 6 dig it 7

se

gment n

eo

n

73

SU

Clock 4 digit fluorescent

77

Clock Same

as

GC-1005

Clock Replaces

GC-1107

84

Clock "Most Accurate Clock

II

" - assembled

92

Clock Slave clock

for

use

with

GCW

-

1001

92

Grid Dip Meter

52

Grid

Dip Meter

53

SP

Grid Dip Meter

53

SP

0 Multiplier "Low boy" styling

66

3

Microphone PTT mobile

66

3

Microphone PTT mobile -new color/dark green

69

FW

Power Supply 1 2

VDC

for

Lu

nch

B

ox

mobile

63

3

LAST LA

ST

YEAR

SOLO FOR

MAD

E

14

.50

56

9.

95

60

4.95

63

5.

95

63

19

.50

60

15

.95

62

23

.

50

51

25

.

50

55

27

.95

61

29.50

56

8.95

63

13

.

95

60

42.95

62

7.95

67

35

.

95

60

56

.95

57

64

.

95

60

82.95

64

79

.

95

67

79

.95

76

189.50

57

189

.

95

60

19.95

67

99

.

50

62

89

.

50

68

249

.95

92

77

29

.

50

84

24

.9 5 9 1

349.95

92

149.

95

92

1

9.50

52

19

.

50

53

19.50

60

14

.95

71

6.95

66

6.9 5

79

16

.

88

69

*First

catalog appearance by season

(W

l=

winter,

SP=

spr

in

g,

SU

= summer,

FW=fa

ll/w

inter,

XM=Christmas)

or

month ( 1 = J

an

uary,

2=

February, etc.).

A

Guid

e to the

Amat

eur

Radio

Products

227

...I

LI.I

c

0

:?!

><

LI.I

c

z

c

1'11

><

s

0

c

1'11

r-

HE.A.TH

])l.[.ASTER.

PRODUCT

INDEX

BY

])l.[ODEL

MODEL

II

TYPE

GR

-54 Receiver

GR

-64 Receiver

GR

-

78

Receiver

GR

-81 Receiver

GR-88

Receiver

GR-91

Receiver

GR

-98

Receiver

GR

-

110

Scanner

GR

-

740

Scanner

GR-1131

Scanner

GR

-

1132

Scanner

GR

-

1133

Scanner

GW-30

Transceiver

HA

-

10

Ampl

ifier

HA

-

14

Amplifier

HA

-

20

Amplifier

HA

-20

1 Amplifier

HA

-20

1 A Amplifier

HA

-

202

Amplifier

HA-

202A

Amplifier

HA-2

513

Antenna

HD

-

10

Keyer

HD

-

11

0 Multiplier

HD

-

15

Phone Patch

HD

-

16

Code

Practi

ce

Oscillator

HD-19

Phone Patch

HD

-

20

Crystal Calib

ra

tor

HD-1234

Coaxial Switch

HD

-

1250

Grid

Dip meter

HD

-

1410

Keyer

HD

-

1416

Code

Practice Oscillator

HD-1416A

Code Practice Oscillator

HD-1416H

Code

Practice Oscillator

HD-1418

Audio Filter

HD

-

1420

Converter

HD

-

1422

Antenna Noise Bridge

HD

-

1422A

Antenna Noise Bridge

HD

-

1424

Antenna

HD

-

1424A

Antenna

HD-1426

Field Strength Meter

HD

-

1481

An

ten

na

Switch

HD

-

1515

Phone Patch

HD

-

1530

Tou

ch-

Ton

e Decoder

HD

-

1780

Antenna Rotor

HD

-

1982

Microphone

HD

-

1984

Microphone

HD

-

19

86

Microphone P

re

-amp

HD-3006

RTTY Tuning Indicator

HD

-3

030

RTTY Terminal Unit

HD

-

4040

TNC

HD

-

8999

Keyer

HDP-21

Microphone

HDP

-12

1 Microphone

HDP

-121 A Microphone

HDP

-242

Microphone

HDP

-

444

Microphone

HDP

-

1228

Speaker

HDP

-

1340

Microphone

HFT

-9 Antenna Tuner

HFT

-

9A

Antenna Tuner

HG-10

VFO

HG

-

10B

VFO

228

NOTES

/

SPECIFICATIONS

SWL

550kHz-30MHz

delu

xe

SWL

550kHz

-

30MHz

Solid-state

SWL

1

90kHz

-

30M

Hz portable

SWL

140kHz-1

BM Hz super regen

VHF

152

-

174MHz

FM tunable

SWL

superhet

550kHz

-

30MHz

VHF

Aircraft band tunable

8

ch

VHF

highband -digital readout

40

ch

prog - A Bearcat kit w/Heath name

8

ch

VHF

highband 8

8

ch

LO/HI

/

UHF

8

ch

aircraft band

10

meter

or

CB

Walkie-Talkie -can be either

FIRST YEAR

MADE

65

64

69

61

69

61

69

73

84

76

77

60

HF

KW

amp Replaces KL-1 -has internal power supply

61

KW

Kompact linear

80-1

0 meter

65

6 meter

70

watts

PEP

62

VHF(143-149MHz

10

w)

74

VHF

(improved

HA

-

201)

78

VHF

(143-149MHz

40

w)

73

VHF

(improved

HA

-

202)

78

Discone - 2 5-1

300M

Hz

87

65

Improved OF-1

61

"low boy" styling

66

Replaces

C0

-1

67

Phone Patch

60

100

kHz sta

nd

alone general purpose

60

73

Replaces GD-1 B

75

Replaces H D-1 0

75

Replaces H D-1 6

75

Replaces H D-1

41

6 8 5

Replaces H D-1

41

6A

88

Active audio filter

83

VLF to

HF

86

85

89

Active Antenna 8 5

Acti ve Antenn a Replaces H D-

1424

89

Repl aces PM-2

77

4 position -Replaces SA-1

480

84

Phone Patch

85

Tou

ch-

Ton

e

Decoder

85

"lntelliRotor"

90

"

Micoder

" touch-tone mike

77

"Micoder"

Replaces

HD

-

1982

78

"Microlizer"

84

"Crossfi

re

"

84

8 4

85

CW

Keyboard ("

Ul

traPro")

83

Base type

for

SB/HW

series

62

B

ase

type

for

SB

/

HW

-Replaces

HDP

-2 1

76

Base type

for

SB

/

HW

-Repl aces

HDP

- 1

21

78

Base type

SB/HW

Replaces

HDP

- 1

21

A

82

Base type new design

for

SB

/

HW

87

port

ab

le

for

use

77

PTT

mobile

80

1.8

-

30MHz

50w

with 4 : 1 balun

83

Replaces

HFT

-9

87

8

0-2

meter matches DX

-60

61

80 -2 meter matches DX

-60

67

r@~fUiSii'&+i

FIRST

CATALOG

APPEARANCE

*

6

XM

FW

11

SU

SP

XM

6

5

10

XM

FA

SP

FA

SP

XM

11

3

6

XM

SU

WI

XM

SP

FA

XM

SP

FA

SP

XM

10

SP

FA

XM

SP

11

6

LAST LAST YEAR

SOLD FOR MADE

84.95

71

39.95

71

141.95

76

24.95

72

54.95

77

39.95

64

54.95

76

129

.95

76

249.95

84

89.95

78

269.95

79

Never Released

32.95

62

229.95

65

99.95

68

99.95

64

29.95

77

39.95

83

64.95

77

79.95

84

79.95

87

39.95

74

14

.95

64

24.95

83

8.95

74

34.95

65

14.95

75

11

.95

91

69.95

91

59.95

84

12.95

8 4

24.95

90

19.95

91

129.95

91

49.95

91

49

.95

89

49.95

91

49

.95

89

59.95

91

12.95

8 0

89.95

91

49.95

87

79.95

90

279.95

92

54.95

77

39.95

83

39.95

87

59.95

86

249.95

87

199

.95

87

249.95

88

29.40

66

44

.95

77

44

.9 5

81

49.95

82

59.95

90

9.95

79

15

.95 81

54.95

91

4

9.95

90

34.95

66

37

.95

76

HE

AT

HK

IT

~

~f#'Mfffi*+'J

HEATH

:r.l.I:ASTER

PRODUCT

INDEX

BY

:r.1.I:ODEL

MOD

EL#

TY

PE

HK

-2 1

TNC

H

K-232

TNC

HK

-

232

A

TNC

HL

-2200

Amplifier

HM

-9 Wattmeter

HM

-10

Tunnel-Dipper

HM

-

10A

Tunnel-Dipper

HM-11 SWR Meter

HM

-

15

SWR Meter

HM

-

10

2 Wattmeter

HM

-

2102

Wattmeter

HM-

2103

Du

mmy Load I Wattmeter

HM

-

2140

Wattmeter

HM

-

2140A

Wattmeter

HM

-2 141 Wattmeter

HN-3 1 Dummy load

HN

-3 1A Dummy Load

H0

-

10

Scope

H0

- 13 Panadapter

H0-5404

Scope

HOA

-5404-

1 Panadapter Module

HP

-10

Power Supply

HP

- 13 Power Supply

HP

- 13A Power Supply

HP

- 13 B Powe r Supply

HP

-

14

Power Supply

HP

-

20

Power Supply

HP

-

23

Power Supply

HP

-

23

A Power Supply

HP

-

23

B Power Supply

HP

-23

C Power Supply

HP

-

24

Power Supply

HP

-

1144

Power Supply

HP

-

1175

Power Supply

HR-

10

Receiver

HR-

10B

Receiver

HR-

20

Receiver

HR- 1

680

Receiver

HRA

-101 Crystal Calibrator

HS-

24

Speaker

HS

- 1661 Speaker

HW

-7

Tr

ansceiver

HW

-8

Transcei

ve

r

HW

-9

Tr

ansceiver

HW

-

10

Tr

ansceiver

HW-12

Transcei

ve

r

HW

- 12A

Tr

ansceiver

HW-1 6 Transceiver

HW-17

Tr

ansceive r

HW

- 17A Transceiver

HW

-18-1 Transceiver

HW

-

18-2

Transceiver

HW

- 1

8-3

Transceiver

HW

- 19

Tr

anscei

ve

r

HW

-20

Transceiver

HW

-

22

Transceiver

HW

-

22

A Transcei

ve

r

HW

-

29

Transceiver

HW

-29

A Transceiver

HW-30

Transceiver

HW

-

32

Transceiver

HW

-

32A

T

ra

nsceiver

NOTES /

SPECIFICATIONS

FIRST

YEAR

MADE

"pocket packet"

88

mu~

-

mode

87

mu~-mode

88

HF

(2kw

linear matches

SS

-9

000

Repl aces

SB-221)

83

50w

HF

OR

6 meter

OR

2 meter

-c

hoose one

83

61

62

HF

62

1.8-

54M

Hz - "low bo

y"

styling

66

3.

5-30

MHz

2000w

w/SWR bridge

70

50-160

MHz

250w

73

1

.8-3

0 MHz 1

OOOw

air cooled

73

1.

8-30

MHz

2000w

dual reading

79

HM-2140

with new paint

84

50

- 1 7 5 MHz

30

0w dual read ing

79

0-

450

MHz

2000w

"Cantenn

a"

61

Re

-designed H N-3 1

83

Station monitor for TX- 1 etc

62

P

an

adapter for

RX-1

etc

64

Station Monitor -see

HOA

-

5404

- 1 8 5

Panadapter Module

for

H0

-

5404

85

Mobile supply for various

60

Mobil e for

SB

series

63

Mob

il

e

for

SB

series

70

Mob

il

e for

SB

se

ries

73

Mobile for

HA-14

65

Replaces UT- 1

61

120

VAC

for

SB

series

63

1

20

VAC

for

SB

series

68

1

20

VAC

for

SB

series

73

1

20

VAC

for

SB

series

78

120VACfor

HA-14

65

For

SB

-

104

&

HW-104

74

F

or

HW

-

2036A

&

HA-202A

78

80

- 1 0 meter I matches

DX

-60

61

80-

1 0 meter I matches D

X-60

67

SSB

AM

CW

mobile replaces MR- 1

62

80-

1 0 meter I

re

places H R- 1

OB

76

1

OOk

Hz

fo r

HR-10

67

Mobile for

HW

series incl. Singlebanders

64

For

HW

-

104

75

40/20/15

meters

CW

QRP

72

80

/

40

/

20

/

15

meters

ORP-

improved

HW

-7

76

80/

40

/

20/

1 5 meters

QPR

-improved

HW

-8

84

6 meter mobile "Shawnee"

61

80

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

"Singlebander"

63

80

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

Replaces

HW

-

12

66

80

/

40

/ 1 5 meters

CW

67

2 meter

AM

68

2 meter AM

69

4450

-

4650kHz

200w

SSB

Civil Air Patrol

68

MARS

SSB

68

1

60

meter

SSB

68

1 0 meter

5w

AM

"Tener" - "Lunch Box"

60

2 meter mobile "Pawnee"

61

40

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

"Singlebander"

63

40

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

Replaces

HW

-22

66

6 meter

5w

AM "Sixer" - "Lunch Box"

60

6 meter

5w

AM "Sixer" - "Lunch Box"

61

2 meter

5w

AM "Twoer" - "Lunch B

ox

"

60

20

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

"Singlebander"

63

20

meter

200

w

PEP

SSB

R

ep

laces

HW

-32

66

A Guide

to

the

Amateur

Radio Products

FIRST

CA

TA L

OG

APP

E

ARANCE

*

SP

FA

XM

SP

XM

11

10

XM

SP

XM

SP

7

6

7

SP

XM

5

XM

SP

5

XM

SU

11

6

3

FA

7

XM

FA

SP

5

10

6

5

FW

3

5

7

10

5

6

7

10

LAST

SOLD

FOR

2 1

9.95

279.9

5

279

.95

849

.9 5

49.95

34.95

34.9

5

15

.9 5

14.95

34.95

3 4 .9 5

69

.

95

74

.

95

99

.

95

79

.95

9.95

24

.95

59

.9 5

79.00

249.95

99.9

5

44

.

95

59.95

78.95

89.95

29.95

39

.95

59

.

50

59.95

62.95

49.95

99.95

64

.95

82.95

75.00

134

.

95

239

.

95

8.95

7.00

22

.

95

79

.

95

1

39

.

95

249.95

1

99.95

11

9.

95

99.95

99

.

50

129.95

12

9.95

11

9.

95

10

9.95

109.95

39.95

1

99.95

11

9.95

104

.9 5

39.95

44

.9 5

44

.95

11

9.9

5

104.

95

LA

ST

YE

AR

MADE

9 1

91

90

84

91

62

70

65

70

8 1

75

83

91

83

91

66

88

86

63

70

73

79

68

63

68

73

77

79

68

78

79

67

75

64

82

73

78

82

75

83

9 1

65

66

74

76

69

70

72

69

6 2

65

66

74

60

71

66

74

229

...J

LLI

c

0

2:

z

c

ITI

x

-

:s:

0

c

ITI

r-

HE.A.TH

JY.[.ASTER

PRODUCT

INDEX

:SY

JY.[QDEL

l@

~

fHPdi#i&il

NOTES I FIRST

YEAR

FIRST CATALOG LAST LAST

YEA

R

MODEL

# SPECIFICATIONS MADE APPEARANCE* SOLD FOR

MADE

HW

-9 9

Tr

anscei

ve

r

50

watt

HF

CW

85

299.95

87

HW

-

10

0

Tr

ansceiver 80-1 0 meter

180w

PEP

SSB

/

CW

HF

68

3

250.00

70

HW

-101 Transcei

ve

r 8 0 -

10

meter 18 0w

PEP

S

SB

/C

W

HF

70

XM

399.95

8 3

HW

- 10 4 Tra nsceiver Solid-state

80

- 1 0 meter 1 O

Ow

PEP

SSB/CW H) 7 5 XM

569

.

95

77

HW

-202

Tr

anscei

ve

r 2 meter 6 ch

10

w FM base/mobile

73

SP

1

89

.

95

77

HW

-202

1

Tr

ansceiver 2 meter HT 1

wa

tt

75

XM 1

79

.

95

77

HW

-2026

Transceiver 2 meter 1

Ow

sy

nth base/mobile

75

XM

299.95

76

HW-

2036

T

ra

ns

ce

i

ve

r improved

HW

-20

26

76

XM

269

.

95

77

HW

-

2036

A Transceiver improv

ed

HW

-2036

78

SP

297

.

95

79

HW

-

54

00

T

ra

nsceiver

HF

syth w/WARC r

ep

laces

SB

- 1

04

83

WI

699

.

95

8 4

H

W-6502

Tr

ansceiver 2 meter HT w/

th

umb wheels -

as

sembl

ed

8 5 19 9.

95

86

HWA

-9 Ba

nd

Pack WARC crsytal pack for

HW

-9 8 4

SP

39.95

9 1

HWA- 17- 1 Power Sup

pl

y Mob

il

e for

HW

- 1 7

68

5

29

.

95

69

HWA

- 17-2 FM Adapter For u

se

wi

th

HW

-17

69

FW

2 1

.50

69

HWA-

202-

1 Power Supply For

HW

-20 2 73

34.95

77

HWA

-202

-2 Tone Burst

En

coder F

or

HW

-2

02

73

29.95

77

HWA

-203

6-3 Power Supply

120

VAC

for

HW

-

203

6A

78

SP

39.95

79

HWA

-5400-

1 Power Supply 1 20 VAC for

HW

-

540

0 w/speaker & clock

83

WI 1

99

.

95

84

HWA-

5400-3

Frequency

En

try Keypad Frequency Entry Keypad

for

HW

-5400

83

WI 5

9.9

5 8 4

HWA-65

02

-1

Am

p

li

fier Ampli

fi

er

(25

watt 2 meter - assembled)

85

49

.

95

86

HWA

-650

2-2 Misc Mobile Console for

HW

-

6502

HT

8 5

89.95

86

HX-10 Transmitter 80 -

10

meter S

SB

/AM /CW

62

334.95

65

H

X-

11

Tran

sm

itter

80-

1 0 meter

50

watt novice 6 1 11 43. 50

63

H

X-

20 Tran

sm

itter

SSB

80-1 0 mobile re

pl

aces Cheye

nn

e

62

3 1

99

.

95

64

HX-

30

Tr

ansmitter 6 meter SSB

AM

CW 10 watt

PEP

62

10 1

89

.

95

65

H

X-

1

68

1 Transmitter

HF

/O

SK

matches

HR

- 1

680

79

SU

239.95

82

10

-

13

90

Th

ermometer Digital thermometer - 7 segment n

eo

n r

ea

dout

73

XM

64

.

95

77

ID-1

390

A Thermometer Digital thermometer - 7 segment neon

re

adout

77

XM

64.95

8 1

ID- 1

390

B

Th

ermometer Di gital thermometer - 7 segment neon r

ea

d

ou

t

82

SP

79.95

92

ll

M-

4180

FM Deviati

on

Meter

79

WI

169

.

95

8 7

IM-4 1

90

Wattmeter Bi-di rec

ti

onal

78

SP

11

4.95

8 1

KL- 1 Amplifier

HF

KW -requires KS- 1 power supply

59

6

399

.

95

60

KS- 1 Power Supply

for

KL- 1

59

6 1

69.95

60

LUNCH

BO

X

Tr

ansceiver See

HW

- 19 ,

HW

-

29

,

HW

-3

0, C B- 1

MARAUDER

Transmitter S

ee

H

X-

10

MI CROLIZER Microphone P

re

-amp See

HD

- 1

986

M

OHAW

K Receiver See RX- 1

MOHI

CAN Receiver See GC

-1

and G C- 1 A

MP

- 1 Power Supply Mob

il

e for MT-1 / M R-1

60

4 4 .

95

60

MP

- 10

In

verter 1 2 VDC to 1 15 VAC inverter

60

6

29.95

68

MR-1 Receiver "C omanche" mobi le

80

- 10

AM

/

CW

/SSB

59

119

.

95

62

MR-

11

34

Scanner 8

ch

VHF

marin e band 1

56-

1

63

MH

z

76

XM 99 .

95

77

MT- 1 Trans

mi

tter "Cheye

nn

e" mob

il

e 8 0 -10 meter

90w

AM

59

99.95

62

PAWNEE Tra nsceiver See

HW

-

20

PM- 1

Fi

eld Strength Meter

58

1

2.95

59

PM-2 Field Strength Meter

59

12.95

75

PS-

23

Power Supply same

as

HP

-2 3C

69.96

83

PS-

1144

Power Supply 1 20 VAC for SB- 10

4A

78

sp

·

99.9

5

82

PS-

11

75 Power Supply 1

20

VAC for 2 meter gear 74 .

95

83

PS-

9000

Power Supply 1 20 VAC for SS-

90

00

82

XM

295

.

00

83

PSA-9 Power Supply 1

20

V

AC

for

HW

-9 8 4

SP

39

.

95

9 1

QF- 1 Q Multiplier

56

9.

95

60

RM

- 1 Ante

nn

a

HF

mob

il

e

60

3

36

.

95

60

RX-1 Receiver 1

60-

1 0 meter "Mohawk"

58

27

4.95

64

SA-

14

80

Anten

na

Switch 5 position remote

79

FA

84.95

84

SA

-20

4 0 Ante

nn

a

Tun

er 8 0 - 1 0 meter 2kw

79

XM 1

49

.

95

8 3

SA-

2060

Ante

nn

a

Tu

ne

r 1

60

- 1 0 meter deluxe w/watt & SWR meter 8 1 SU

259

.

95

83

SA-2

06

0A

Antenn a Tuner 1

6

0-

1 0 meter 1 kw re

pl

aces SA-

206

0

83

SP

279.95

9 1

SA-2

50

0 Ante

nn

a

Tu

ner 1 60-1 0 meter 1 kw automa

ti

c

84

FA

599.95

87

SA-

2550

Antenna Matc

he

r 1 6

0-

1 0 meter 1

500

PEP

8 5

149

.

95

88

SA-5 0 10 Keyer "

uM

atic" 8 1

FA

99

.

95

??

SA-5 0 1 OA Keye r

Re

places SA-5

01

0

85

99.95

g 1

SB-

10

Sideband Adapter

Fo

r u

se

wi

th

T

X-

1 etc

59

89

.

95

64

230

HE.ATHKIT

g

~fU@iHi*ii

HEATH

:r..l.I:ASTE:R

PRODUCT

INDEX

BY

:r..1.I:ODE:L

MO

DEL#

NOTES I FIRST YEAR FIRST

CAT

A

LOG

SPECIFIC

ATI

ONS MADE APP

EA

R

AN

CE*

rYPE LAST

LA

ST

YEAR

SOLO FOR

MA

DE

SB

-

100

Transceiver

80

- 1 0 meter 180

PEP

SSB

/

CW

65

XM

360

.

00

67

SB

-101

Tr

ansceiver 8 0 -

10

meter 18 0

PEP

SSB

/

CW

67

3

360

.

00

70

SB

-

102

Tr

ansceiver

80-

10

meter

180

PEP

SSB

/C

W

70

SP

380.00

75

SB-104

Tr

ansceiver

80

-

10

meter 1

OOw

SSB

/

CW

solid-state

74

XM

699

.9 5

77

SB

-

104A

Tr

ansceiver Replac

es

SB

-

104

77

SU 6

99.9

5

82

SB

-

110

Tr

anscei

ve

r 6 meter

65

6

320

.

00

69

SB-1

lOA

Tr

ansceiver 6 meter replaces

SB-11

0 6 9

299.00

71

SB

-

200

Amplifier

HF

lin

ea

r 1

200

PEP

64

7 3

89.9

5

78

SB

-

20

1 Amplifier R

ep

laces

SB-200

-no

10

meter

78

XM

44

9.9

4

83

SB

-

220

Amplifier

HF

lin ear 2kw

PEP

70

SP

36

9.95

78

SB

-

22

1 Amplifier Replaces

SB-2

20

-no

10

meter

78

XM 5

99

.

95

83

SB

-

230

Amplifier HF lin ear

1200

PEP

74

XM

46

9.95

78

SB

-3

00

Receiver 8 0 -

10

meter

SSB

/

CW

optional AM

63

1 0

264

.9 5

66

SB

-

30

1 Receiver

80-

10

meter

SSB

/

CW

optional

AM

66

10

260.00

70

SB

-

303

Recei

ve

r

80-

10

meter sol

id

state

SSB

/

CW

70

XM

345

.

00

76

SB

-3

10

Receiver

SWL

4 9/

41

/

31

/

25

/

19

/

16m

+ 8 0 /

40

/

20

/

11

m

67

XM

249.00

72

SB

-3

13

Receiver

SWL

solid state ver of

SB-310

72

XM

339.95

75

SB

-

400

Tr

ansmitter

80

- 1 0 meter 18 0

PEP

SSB

/

CW

64

7

325

.

00

66

SB-

40

1

Tr

ansmitter

80

-

10

meter 180

PEP

SSB

/C

W

66

10

285.00

75

SB

-

500

Tr

ansverter For 2 meters for u

se

wi

th

SB

-se

ries

69

FW

195

.

00

71

SB-600

Speaker Matches SB-1

00

et

al

66

3

17

.

95

75

SB

-

604

Speaker Matches

SB

-

104

74

XM

33

.95

82

SB

-6 10 Sco

pe

Station monitor matches

SB-100

et

al

66

7

99

.9 5

75

SB

-6

14

Scope Station monitor matches

SB-104

et al

74

XM 19

9.95

82

SB

-

620

Panadap

te

r "Scanalyzer"

pa

nadapter matches

SB

-

100

et al

66

10

159 .

95

76

SB-630

St

at

ion Console Matches S B-1

00

et al

66

10

74.9

5

74

SB

-

634

Station Console Matches

SB-104

et al

74

XM

1

99

.9 5

83

SB-640

VFO Remote for

SB-101

/

102

67

6

99.0

0

70

SB

-

644

VFO Remote

for

S B- 1

04

74

XM

134

.9 5 78

SB-644A

VFO Replaces

SB-644

79

WI

134

.95

83

SB

-

650

Freq Di splay For SB-1

00

et al

72

SP

1

99.9

5

75

SB-1000

Amplifier

HF

lin

ea

r

1000

PEP

87

FA

73

9.

95

92

SB

-

1400

Tr

ansceiver Not a H

ea

th

product or kit

88

799.95

91

SBA

-

100

- 1

Mi

sc Mobil e Mounting braket

for

SB

seri

es

68

14

.95

73

SBA-401-1

Mi

sc Crystal Pack for

SB

-

401

67

29

.95

SCANALYZER Panadapter See

SB

-

620

SENECA

Tr

ansmitter

SeeVHF-1

SHAWNEE

T

ra

nsceiver See

HW

-

10

SI

XER

Tr

ansceiver S

ee

HW

-

29

a

nd

HW

-

29

A

SP

-

99

Speaker Matches

HW

-

99

I

HW

-9

29

.9 5

91

SS-9

000

Tr

ansceiver

WARC

1

OOw

SSB

/

CW

assembled

82

XM

2795.00

84

SW-717

Re

ceiver Solid-state

SWL

550kHz-30MHz

71

XM

139

.95

82

SW-

7800

Receiver Solid-state

SWL

550

k

Hz-30MHz

digital readout

84

FA

349

.9 5

90

TENER

Tran

sceiver See

HW

-

19

TWO

ER T

ra

nsceiver S

ee

HW

-

30

TX- 1

Tr

ansmitter

80-1

0 meter 1

50w

AM /

CW

"Apache"

58

6

229

.

50

64

ULTRAPRO

Ke

ye

r See

HD-8999

UT- 1 Power Supply 1

20

VAC

for

MT-1

/MR- 1

60

28

.95

60

VF- 1 VFO VFO

(80

- 1 0 meter for use with DX

se

rie

s)

52

FA

19.

50

61

VF

-203

1

Tr

ansceiver 2 meter HT 2 watt 8

ch

79

XM

199.95

83

VF-7

401

Tr

ansceiver 2 meter scanning replaces

HW

-2

036A

80

SP

369

.

95

8 3

VFA-

7401-1

Power Supply 1

20

VAC for

VF

-7

401

80

XM

44

.

95

82

VHF

- 1 T

ra

nsmitter 6 & 2 mete r "Seneca"

58

159

.

95

62

VL-

1180

Amplifier 2 meter

75

watt mobile

81

SU

139

.

95

8 3

A

Guid

e to

th

e

Amat

eur

Radio

Produ

cts

231

..J

I.LI

c

0

:E

--

~

~f

U¥Sf

Hi*+il

Heath

Master

Product

Index

by Type

UJ

a.

NOTES /

FIRST

YEAR FIRST

CATALO

G l.AST LAST YEAR >

MODEL#

TYPE SPE

CIFIC

ATIONS MADE APPEARANCE*

SOLO

FOR

MADE

CHIPPEWA

Amplifier See KL-1

I-

HA-

10

Amplifier

HF

KW

amp replaces KL- 1 -

ha

s internal power supply

-.....:

61

5

229.95

65

><

HA-14

Amplifier

KW

Kompact linear

80-1

0 meter

65

5

99.95

68

UJ

HA-20

Amplifier 6 meter

70

watts

PEP

62

10

99

.9 5

64

c

HA

-201 Amplifier

VHF(143-149MHz

10

w)

74

XM

29

.9 5

77

z

HA-2

01

A Amplifier

VHF

(improved HA-

20

1)

78

FA

39.95

83

HA-

202

Amplifier

VHF

(

143

-

149MHz

40w)

73

SP

64

.

95

77

HA

-202

A Amplifier

VHF

(improved

HA

-

202)

78

FA

79.95

84

HL

-

2200

Amplifier

HF

(2kw

linear matches SS-9

000

replaces

SB-221)

83

SP

849.95

84

HWA

-6502-1

Amplifier Amplifier

(25

watt 2 meter -assembled)

85

49

.95

86

KL-1 Amplifier

HF

KW

-requires

KS-1

power supply

59

6

399.95

60

SB-200

Amplifier

HF

linear

1200

PEP

64

7

389

.9 5

78

SB-201

Amplifier Replaces

SB

-

200

-no 1 0 meter

78

XM

449

.

94

83

SB-220

Amplifier

HF

linear 2kw

PEP

70

SP

369

.

95

78

SB-221

Amplifier Replaces

SB

-2

20

-no

10

meter

78

XM

599.95

83

SB

-230

Amplifier

HF

linear

1200

PEP

74

XM

469.95

78

SB

-

1000

Amplifier

HF

linear

1000

PEP

87

FA

739.9

5

92

VL-1180

Amplifier 2 meter 7 5 watt mobile

81

SU

13

9.

95

83

VL-

2280

Am

plifier 2 meter

75

watt base station 8 1 SU

279

.9 5

84

HA

-

2513

Antenna Discone -

25

-

1300MH

z

87

SP

79

.

95

87

HD-1424

Ant

en

na Active Antenna

85

49.95

89

HD

-

14

24

A Antenna Active Antenna replaces

HD

-

14

24)

89

SP

59

.

95

9 1

RM

- 1 Antenna

HF

mobile

60

3

36.95

60

AC-1 Antenna Coupler

53

WI

14

.

50

56

SA-

2550

Antenna Matcher

160

- 10 meter

1500

PEP

85

149

.9 5

88

HD

-

1422

Antenna Noise Bridge

85

49

.95

89

HD

-

14

22A

Antenna Noise Bridge

89

SP

49.95

9 1

HD-17

80

Antenna Rotor "lntelli Rotor"

90

XM

279.95

92

HD

-

14

81

Antenna Switch 4 position -replaces SA-1

480

84

FA

89.9

5

91

SA-

1480

Antenna Switch 5 position remote

79

FA

84.95

84

HFT

-9 Antenna

Tun

er 1.8-

30MHz

50w

with 4 : 1 balun

83

XM

54.95

91

HFT

-9A

Antenna Tuner Replaces H FT-9

87

SP

49

.

95

90

SA-

2040

Antenna

Tun

er

80

-

10

meter 2kw

79

XM

149

.

95

83

SA-2060

Antenna Tuner 1

60-1

0 meter delu

xe

w/watt &

SWR

meter 8 1 SU

259

.95

83

SA-2060

A Antenna

Tun

er 1

60-

1 0 meter 1 kw replaces SA-

2060

83

SP

279.95

9 1

SA-

2500

An

ten na Tuner 1

60-10

meter 1 kw automatic

84

FA

599

.95

87

HD

-1418

Audio Filter Active audio filter

83

XM

12

9.95

91

B- 1 Balun

Coil

80-1 0 meter

200w

57

FA

8.95

63

HWA-9

Ba

nd

Pack

WARC

crsytal pack

for

HW

-9

84

SP

39

.95 9 1

GC-1000

Clock "Most Accurate Clock"

83

XM

249

.

95

92

GC-1005

Clock 6 digit 7 segment neon)

73

SU

77

GC-1094

Clock Same

as

GC-1

005

GC-1108

Clock Replaces

GC-1107

84

24.95

9 1

GCW-1001

Clock "Most Accurate Clock

11

" - assembled"

92

349

.95

92

*First

Cata

log App

ea

rance

by

seaso

n

(W

l

=w

int

er

,

SP=

spring, SU= summer, FW=fall/winter, XM=Christmas)

or

month ( 1 =J anua

ry

, 2= February,

etc

.

).

A Guide to the

Amat

eur

Radio

Produ

cts

233

-

z

c

m

><

.....

-<

.,,

m

HE.A.TH

:r..1.1:.ASTER

PRODUCT

INDEX

BY

TYPE

[[$=

~1

nest

HH+IJ

MODEL#

TYP

E

GCW

-100

1-1

Clock

HD

-

1234

Coaxial Switch

C0

- 1 Code Practice Oscillator

HD16

Code Practice Osci

ll

ator

HD

-141 6 Code Practice Oscillator

HD-1416A

Code Practice Oscillator

HD

-

1416H

Code Practice Osci llat

or

CA

- 1

CONELRAD

Alarm

HD

-

1420

Converter

XC

-2

Converter

XC

-6 Converter

HD

-20

Crystal Calibrator

HRA

-101 Crystal Calibrator

HN-

31

Dummy load

HN-3 1A Dummy

Lo

ad

HM-2103

Dummy Load I Wattmeter

HD

-

14

26

Fi

e

ld

Strength Meter

PM-1 Field Strength Meter

PM-2 Field Strength Meter

HWA- 17-2 FM Adapter

IM-4180

FM

Deviation Meter

SB-650

Freq Displ

ay

HWA-5400-3

Frequency Entry Keypad

GD-1A

Grid Dip Meter

GD-1B

Grid Dip Meter

HD

-

1250

Grid Dip meter

AM

- 1 Impedance Meter

MP

-

10

In

verter

HD-10

Keyer

HD

-

1410

Keyer

HD

-

8999

Key

er

SA-

5010

Key

er

SA-

501

OA

Key

er

ULTRAPRO Keyer

GH-12A

Microphone

HD-1982

Microphone

HD-1984

Microphone

HDP

-

21

Microphone

HDP

- 1

21

Microphone

HDP

- 1

21A

Microphone

HDP

-242

Microphone

HDP

-

444

Microphone

HDP

-

1340

Microphone

GH

- 12 Microphone

HD

-

19

86

Microphone Pre-amp

MICROLIZER

Microphone Pre-amp

AK

-6 Misc

HWA-9 Misc

HWA

-5400

-3 Misc

HWA

-6502-2

Misc

HWA

-

6502-2

Misc

SBA

-

100

- 1 Misc

SBA

-

401-1

Misc

H0

-

13

Panadapter

SB

-

620

Panadapter

SCANALYZER Panadapter

HOA

-

5404-1

Panadapter Module

HD

-

15

Ph

one Patch

HD

-

19

Ph

one Patch

HD

-

1515

Phone Patch

GP-11

Power Supply

HP

-10

Power Supply

234

NOTES /

SPECIFICA

TI

ONS

Slave clock for use with

GCW-1001

Replaces

C0

-1

Replaces H

D-1

6

Replaces H D-1

41

6

Replaces H

D-141

6A

VLF to

HF

2 meter

for

M R- 1

6 meter for M

R-1

1

00

kHz stand alone general purpose

1

OOkHz for HR

-10

0-450

MHz

2000w

"Cantenna"

Re-designed

HN

-

31

1.8-30

MHz 1

OOOw

air cooled

Replaces PM-2

For use with HW-1 7

For

SB

- 1

00

et

al

For

use

with

HW-5400

Replaces GD-1 B

1 2

VDC

to 1 15 VAC inverter

Replaces H

D-1

0

CW

Keyboard

("

Ul

traPro")

"

uMatic

11

Replaces SA-

5010)

See

HD

-8999

PTT mobile - new color/dark green

"Micoder" touch-tone mike

"Micoder" replaces H D-

1982

Base type for

SB

/

HW

series

Base type for

SB

/

HW

-replaces H DP-21

B

ase

type for

SB

/

HW

-replaces

HD

P-1

21

Base type

SB

/

HW

replaces H

DP

-1

21

A

Base type new design for

SB

/

HW

PTT mobile

11

Microli

z

er

11

See

HD

- 1

986

Mobile Mounting kit for MT-1

and

MR- 1

WARC

crystal pack

for

HW

-9

Frequency Entry Keypad for

HW

-

5400

Mobile Console for HW-

6502

HT

Mobile Console for

HW

-

6502

HT

Mobile Mounting brake!

for

SB

series

Crystal Pack for

SB-40

1

Panadapter

for

RX-1

etc

"Scanalyzer" panadapter matches SB-1

00

et

al

See

SB-620

Pan

adapter Module

for

H0

-

5404

"low boy" styling

Phone Patch

1 2

VDC

for

Lun

ch

Box mobile

Mobile supply for

va

rious

FIRST

YEAR

FIRST CATALOG LAST LAST

YEAR

MADE APPEARANCE*

SOL

O

FOR

MADE

92

149

.95

92

73

XM

11.95

9 1

59

6 7.95

67

3

8.95

74

75

12.95

84

85

24.95

90

88

WI

19.95

91

57

FA

13.95

60

86

49

.

95

91

60

36.95

60

59

3

26.95

60

6 14.

95

75

67

8.95

73

61

9.95

83

SP

24.95

91

73

69.95

75

77

SP

12.95

80

58

12

.95

59

12.95

75

69

FW

21.50

69

79

WI

16

9.

95

87

72

SP

199.95

75

83

WI

59.95

84

53

SP

19

.50

53

SP

19.50

60

75

69.95

9 1

52

FA

19.5

60

6

29.95

68

65

XM

39.95

74

75

SU

59.95

8 4

83

XM

249.95

88

81

FA

99.95

??

85

99.95

9 1

69

FW

6.95

79

77

SP

54.95

77

78

SP

39.95

83

62

10

29.40

66

76

SP

44.95

77

78

SP

44.95

8 1

82

SP

49.95

82

87

SP

59.95

90

80

XM

15.95

8 1

66

3

6.95

66

84

FA

39

.

95

87

59

4.95

63

84

SP

39.95

91

83

WI

59.95

84

85

89.95

86

85

89.95

86

68

14

.95

73

67

29.95

64

7

79.00

66

10

15

9.

95

76

85

99.95

86

66

24.95

83

60

34.95

65

85

49.95

87

63

3 16.

88

69

60

6

44.95

63

HEATHKIT

l@

~

f

Hi&ii'i*Eil

HEATH

;r.,1,IASTER

PRODUCT

INDEX

BY

TYPE

MODE

L#

TY

PE

HP-13

Power Supply

HP-13A

Power Supply

HP

-

13B

Power Supply

HP-14

Power Supply

HP-20

Power Supply

HP-23

Power Supply

HP

-

23A

Power Supply

HP

-2

3B

Power Supply

HP-23C

Power Supply

HP

-

24

Power Supply

HP

-

1144

Power Supply

HP-1175

Power Supply

HWA-17-1 Power Supply

HWA-202

- 1 Power Supply

HWA-2036

-3 Power Supply

HWA-

5400-1

Power Supply

KS-1

Power Supply

MP-1 Power Supply

MP-10

Power Supply

PS-23

Power Supply

PS-1144

Power Supply

PS-

1175

Power Supply

PS-9000

Power Supply

PSA-9 Power Supply

UT-1

Power Supply

VFA-7401 - 1 Power Supply

GD-125

Q Multiplier

HD-11 Q Multiplier

QF-1 Q Multiplier

AR

- 1 Receiver

AR-2 Receiver

AR

-3

Re

ceiver

COMANCHE

Receiver

EK-2

Re

ce

iver

GC-1 Receiver

GC-lA

Receiver

GR-54

Receiver

GR-64

Receiver

GR-

78

Re

ceiver

GR-81 Receiver

GR-88

Receiver

GR-91 Receiver

GR-98

R

ec

eiver

HR-

10

Receiver

HR-10B

Re

ceiver

HR-20

Receiver

HR-1680

Recei

ve

r

MOHAWK

Receiver

MOHICAN

Re

cei

ve

r

M

R-1

Receiver

RX-1

Receiver

SB-300

Receiver

SB-301

Receiver

SB-303

Receiver

SB-31 0 Receiver

SB-313

Rece

iv

er

SW-71 7 Receiver

SW-7800

R

ec

eiver

H

D-3030

RTTY Terminal Unit

CROSSFIRE

RTTY Tuning Indicator

H D-

3006

RTTY Tuning Indicator

G

R-1

1 0 Scanner

NOT

ES

/

SPECI

FI

CATIONS

Mobile for

SB

series

Mobile for

SB

series

Mobile for

SB

series

Mobile

for

HA-

14

Replaces UT- 1

120

VAC

for

SB

series

1

20

VAC for

SB

series

120

VAC

for

SB

series

1

20

VAC

for

SB

series

120

VAC

for

HA-14

For

SB

-

104

& HW-1

04

For

HW-2036A

&

HA

-

202A

Mobile for

HW

- 1 7

For

HW

-

202

1

20

VAC for

HW

-

2036A

1

20

VAC

for

HW-5400

w/s

pe

aker & clock

for KL- 1

Mobile

for

MT-1

/M

R-1

1 2

VDC

to 1 1 5 VAC inverter

same

as

HP-23C

1

20

VAC for

SB-104A

120

VAC for 2 meter gea

r)

120

VAC for SS-9

000

120

VAC

for

HW-9

120

VAC

for

MT-1

/MR-1

120

VAC

for

VF-

7401)

"Low boy" styling)

Improved

QF

- 1

SWL

550kHz-20MHz

SWL

535kHz

-

35MHz

SWL

550kHz-30MHz

See

MR

- 1

SWL

educational super regen

Solid-state

SWL

550kHz-32MHz

"Mohican"

Solid-state

SWL

550kHz

-

32MHz

"Mohican"

SWL

550kHz-30MHz

delu

xe

SWL

550kHz

-

30MHz

Solid-state

SWL

1

90kHz

-

30M

Hz

portable

SWL

140kHz-18M

Hz

super regen

VHF

152-174MHz

FM tunable

SWL

superhet

550kHz-30MHz

VHF

Aircraft band tunable

80-1 0 meter I matches

DX-60

80-1 0 meter I matches

DX

-

60

SSB

AM

CW

mobile replaces MR- 1

80-1 0 meter I replaces H R- 1

OB

See

RX

- 1

See

GC

- 1

and

GC

- 1 A

"Comanche" mobile 80-1 0

AM

/

CW

/

SSB

160-10

meter ""Mohawk"

80-1 0 meter

SSB

/

CW

optional AM

80 - 1 0 meter

SSB

/

CW

optional AM

80

- 1 0 meter

so

lid state

SSB

/

CW

SWL

49

/

41

/

31

/

25

/

19

/ 1 6m +

80

/

40

/

20

/

11

m

SWL

solid sta

te

ver of

SB

-

310

Solid-state

SWL

550kHz

-

30MHz

Solid-state

SWL

550kHz

-

30MHz

digital readout

See

HD

-

3006

11

Crossfire"

8

ch

VHF

highband -digital readout)

A

Guid

e to the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Products

FI

RS

T

YEA

R FIRST CATALOG

LA

ST LAST Y

EAR

MADE APPEARANCE* SOLD

FO

R MADE

63

7

59

.9 5

70

SP

78.9

5

73

XM

78.95

79

65

5

89.9

5

68

61

5

29.95

63

5

39

.

95

68

5

59.50

73

XM

59

.

95

77

78

SP

62

.9 5 79

65

5

49.95

68

74

XM

99

.

95

78

SU

64

.

95

79

68

5

29.95

69

73

34

.

95

77

78

SP

39

.9 5 79

83 WI

199

.

95

84

59

6

169

.

95

60

44

.

95

60

6

29

.

95

68

69.96

83

78

SP

99

.

95

82

74

.

95

83

82

XM

295

.

00

83

84

SP

39

.

95

91

60

28.95

60

80

XM

44

.

95

82

66

3

14.95

71

61

11

14

.

95

64

56

9.

95

60

49

23

.

50

51

52

FA

25

.

50

55

56

27

.

95

61

5

19

.

95

67

60

99

.

50

62

63

6

89

.

50

68

65

6

84

.

95

71

64

XM

39

.

95

71

69

FW

141 .

95

76

61

11

24

.

95

72

69

54

.95 77

61

11

39

.

95

64

69

54

.

95

76

61

11

82

.

95

67

6

75

.

00

75

62

3

134.95

64

76

FA

239.95

82

59

119.95

62

58

274

.

95

64

63

10

264

.

95

66

10

260

.

00

70

XM

345

.

00

76

67

XM

249

.

00

72

XM

339

.

95

75

71

XM

139

.

95

82

84

FA

349

.

95

90

84

SP

249

.

95

87

84

FA

59

.

95

86

73

SU

129.95

76

235

-

--

HEA..TH

~A..STER

PRODUCT

INDEX

BY

TYPE

rE=~fh@ih&il

MODEL#

TYPE

GR

-

740

Scanner

GR

-

1131

Scanner

GR-1132

Scanner

GR

-

1133

Scanner

MR-1134

Scanner

H0

-

10

Scope

H0-13

Scope

H0

-5404

Scope

SB

-

610

Scope

SB

-

614

Scope

SB

-

620

Scope

SB

-

10

Sideband

Ad

apter

AK

-5 Speaker

AK-7 Speaker

HDP

-

122

8 Speaker

HS

-24

Speaker

HS-

1661

Speaker

SB-600

Speaker

SB

-

604

Speaker

SP-99

Speaker

SB-630

Station Console

SB-634

Station Con

so

le

AM

-2

SWR

Meter

HM

-

11

SWR Meter

HM-15

SWR Meter

ID-1390

Thermometer

ID-1390A

Thermometer

ID-

1390B

Thermometer

HD-4040

TNC

HK

-

21

TNC

HK

-

232

TNC

HK-232A

TNC

HWA-

202

-2

Ton

e

Bur

st

En

coder

HD

-

1530

Touch-Tone

De

coder

CB-1 Tran sceiver

GW

-

30

Transceiver

HW-7

Transceiver

HW

-8 Transcei

ve

r

HW

-9 Transceiver

HW-10

Tr

ansceiver

HW

-12 Tran sceiver

HW

-

12A

Transceiver

HW

-

16

Transceiver

HW

-17

Tr

ansceiver

HW-17A

Transceiver

HW

-18-1

Tr

ansceiver

HW-18

-2 Tran sceiver

HW

-

18-3

Tr

ansceiver

HW-19

Transceiver

HW

-

20

Transceiver

HW

-

22

Transceiver

HW

-

22A

Tr

ansceiver

HW-29

Transceiver

HW

-

29A

Transcei

ve

r

HW-30

Transceiver

HW

-

32

Transcei

ve

r

HW-32A

Transceiver

HW

-

99

Tr

ansceiver

HW-100

Tran

sceiver

HW

-101

Tr

ansceiver

HW

-

104

Tran

sceiver

HW

-

202

Transceiver

HW-2021

Tran

sceiver

HW-2026

Tr

ansceiver

236

NOTES /

SP

ECIFICATIONS

FIRST

YEAR

FIRST CATALOG

MADE APPEARANCE*

40

ch

prog - A Bearcat kit w/Heath name

84

SP

8 ch

VHF

highband 8

76

XM

8

ch

LO

/HI/

UHF

8

76

XM

8

ch

aircraft band

77

XM

8

ch

VHF

marine band 1 5 6-1

63

MHz

76

XM

Station monitor

for

TX- 1 etc

62

7

Panadapter for

RX

-1

etc

64

7

Station Monitor -see

HOA

-

5404-1

85

Station monitor matches SB-1

00

et

al

66

7

Station monitor matches SB-1

04

et al

74

XM

"Scanalyzer" panadapter matches SB-1

00

et

al

66

10

For

use

with T

X-

1 etc

59

For

RX

- 1

58

Mobile for M

R-1

a

nd

H

R-20

59

portable for

use

77

FA

Mobile

for

HW

series incl. Sing lebanders

64

7

For

HW

-

104

75

XM

Matches

SB

-

100

et al

66

3

Match

es

S B- 1

04

74

XM

Matches

HW

-

99

I

HW-9

Match

es

SB-100

et

al

66

10

Matches

SB

-

104

et

al

74

XM

HF

57

FA

HF

62

1 .8-

54M

Hz

- "low boy" styling

66

digital thermometer - 7 segment

ne

on readout

73

XM

digital thermometer - 7 seg ment neon

re

ado

ut

77

XM

digital

th

ermometer - 7 segment neon reado

ut

82

SP

85

"pocket packet"

88

SP

multi-mode

87

FA

multi-mode

88

XM

For

HW

-

202

73

Tou

ch

-

Ton

e Decoder

85

CB

"Lunch Bo

x"

59

6

1 0 meter or

CB

Walkie-Talkie -

can

be

either

60

6

40/20/15

meters

CW

QRP

72

FA

80/40/20

/ 1 5 meters QR P - improved

HW

-7

76

SP

80/40/

20

/ 1 5 meters

QPR

-improv

ed

HW-8

84

SP

6 meter mobile "Shawnee" 6 1 5

80

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

"Singlebander"

63

5

80

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

r

ep

laces HW-1 2

66

10

80/40/

15

meters

CW

67

6

2 meter

AM

68

5

2 meter

AM

69

FW

4450

-

4650kHz

200w

SSB

Civil Air Patrol

68

3

MARS

SSB

68

3

1

60

meter

SSB

68

3

1 0 meter

5w

AM

"

Ten

er" - "Lunch Box"

60

2 meter mob

il

e "Pawnee"

61

5

40

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

"Singlebander"

63

7

40

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

replaces

HW

-

22

66

10

6 meter

5w

AM "Sixer" - "Lun

ch

Box"

60

6 meter 5w AM "Sixer" - "Lun

ch

B

ox

"

61

5

2 meter 5w AM "Twoer" - "Lunch Bo

x"

60

6

20

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

"Singlebander"

63

7

20

meter

200w

PEP

SSB

replaces

HW

-

32

66

10

50

watt

HF

CW

85

80 -

10

meter

180w

PEP

SSB

/

CW

HF

68

3

80-10

meter

180

w

PEP

SSB

/

CW

HF

70

XM

Solid-state

80-

10

meter 1

OOw

PEP

SSB

/

CW

HF)

75

XM

2 meter 6

ch

1 0 w FM base/mobile

73

SP

2 meter HT 1 watt

75

XM

2 meter 1

Ow

sy

nth base/mobile

75

XM

LAST

YEAR

SOLD FOR MADE

249.95

84

89.95

78

269

.

95

79

Never Released

99.95

77

5

9.95

66

79.00

66

249.95

88

99.95

75

1

99.95

82

159

.95

76

89.95

64

9.95

60

5.95

63

9.95

79

7.

00

78

22.95

82

17.95

75

33.95

82

29.95

91

74

.

95

74

1

99.95

83

15.95

62

15

.95

65

14.95

70

64.95

77

64.95

81

79.95

92

199

.95

87

219.95

91

279.95

91

279.95

90

29.95

77

79.9

5

90

42

.95

62

32

.

95

62

79.95

75

139.95

83

249.95

9 1

199

.95

65

119

.95

66

99.95

74

99

.50

76

129.95

69

129

.95

70

119.95

72

109

.95

69

109

.95

69

39.95

62

199

.95

65

119

.95

66

104

.95

74

39.95

60

44.95

7 1

44.95

71

119

.95

66

104

.9 5

74

299.95

87

250.00

70

399.95

83

569.95

77

189.95

77

179.95

77

299.95

76

HEATHKIT

r8

2*

1

§f¥5¥Hi*+i

HEATH

MASTER

PRODUCT

INDEX

E-Y

T"YFE

NOTES / FIR

ST

YEAR

FI

RST

CATALOG

MADE APPEARANCE*

MODEL#

TYPE

SPECIFICATIONS LAST LAST YEAR

SOLD FOR MADE

HW

-

2036

Transceiver improved

HW

-2026

76

XM

269.95

77

HW

-

2036

A T

ra

nsceiver improved

HW-2036

78

SP

297

.9 5

79

HW

-5400

Tr

anscei

ve

r

HF

syth w/

WARC

replaces

SB

-

104

83

WI

699.95

84

HW-

6502

Tr

ansceiver 2 meter

HT

w/thumb wheels - assem

bl

ed

85

1

99.9

5

86

LUNCH

BOX

Tr

ansceiver See

HW

-

19

,

HW

-

29

,

HW-30

,

CB

- 1

PAWNEE

Tr

anscei

ve

r See

HW-

20

S B-1

00

Tr

ansceiver

80-

10

meter

180

PEP

SSB

/

CW

65

XM

360.00

67

S B-1

01

Tr

ansceiver

80

-

10

meter 1

80

PEP

SSB

/

CW

67

3

360

.

00

70

SB

- 1

02

Tr

ansceiver

80

-

10

meter 1

80

PEP

SSB

/

CW

70

SP

380

.

00

75

SB-104

Tr

ansceiver

80-

1 0 meter 1

OOw

SSB/CW

solid

-s

tate

74

XM

699

.9 5 77

SB-

104A

Tr

ansceiver Replaces S B- 1

04

77

SU

699.95

82

SB

-

110

Tr

ansceiver 6 meter

65

6

320

.

00

69

SB-1

lOA

Transcei

ve

r 6 meter

69

299

.0

0 7 1

SHAWNEE

Transcei

ve

r See

HW

-

10

SI

XE

R Transceiver See

HW

-29

and

HW

-

29A

SS-

9000

Tr

ansceiver

WARC

1

OO

w

SSB

/

CW

assembl

ed

82

XM

2795

.

00

84

TENER

Tr

ansceiver See

HW-19

TWO

ER

Tr

ansceiver See

HW

-

30

VF

-

2031

Tr

ansceiver 2 meter HT 2 watt 8 ch

79

XM 1

99.95

83

VF

-

740

1

Tr

anscei

ve

r 2 meter scanning replaces

HW

-2036

A

80

SP

369

.95

83

APACHE

Transmitter See TX-1

AT

- 1 Transmitter

80/

40

/20/

15

/

11

I 1 0

CW

52

FA

29.50

56

CHEYENNE

Tr

ansmitter See MT-1

D

X-20

Transmitter

80-

1 0 meter

50w

CW

57

3 5.95

60

D

X-35

Transmitter 80-1 0 meter 7

5w

AM/

CW

56

.

95

57

DX-

40

Transmitter

80-10

meter

75w

AM

/

CW

5 8

64

.9 5

60

D

X-60A

Transmitter

80-

10

meter

75w

AM /

CW

65

79

.9 5

67

D

X-60

B Transmitter

80-1

0 meter 7 5w AM /

CW

67

6

79

.

95

76

DX-

60

Tr

ansm itter

80-

10

meter

75w

AM /

CW

61

5

82.9

5

64

D

X-

100

Tr

ansmitter

80-

1 0 meter 1

00

Watt AM /

CW

55

SP

1

89.50

5 7

DX-1

OOB

Transmitter HF

80-1

0 AM

CW

58

1

89.9

5

60

HX-

10

Tr

an

sm

itter

80-

10

meter

SSB

/AM /

CW

62

334

.9 5

65

H

X-

11

Tr

an

sm

itter

80-

1 0 meter

50

watt novice

61

11

43

.

50

63

H

X-20

Tr

ansmitter SS B

80-

10

mobi

le

replaces Cheyenne

62

3

19

9.95

64

HX-

30

Tr

ansmitter 6 meter SSB AM

CW

10

watt

PEP

62

10

189

.9 5

65

HX

-1

68

1 Transm itter

HF

/OSK

matches

HR-1680

79

SU

239.95

82

MARAUDER

Transmitter See HX-

10

MT-1

Tr

ansmitter "Cheyenne" mobile

80

- 1 0 meter

90w

AM

59

99.95

62

SB

-

400

Transmitter

80-

10

meter 1

80

PEP

SSB

/

CW

64

7

325

.

00

66

SB-401

Tr

ansmitter 80-

10

meter 1

80

PEP

SSB

/

CW

66

10

285

.

00

75

SENECA

Tr

ansmitter See VHF-1

T

X-

1

Tr

ansmitter

80-

10

meter 1

50w

AM /

CW

"Apache"

58

6

229

.

50

64

VHF

- 1

Tr

ansmitter 6 & 2 meter "Seneca" 5 8 159 .

95

62

SB-500

Transverter For 2 meters for

us

e with

SB

-series

69

FW

195

.

00

71

HM

-

10

Tunnel-Dipper

61

11

34

.95

62

HM

-10

A Tunnel -Dipper

62

10

34.95

70

HG

-

10

VFO 80-2 meter matc

he

s DX-

60

61

11

34

.9 5

66

HG-10B

VFO

80-

2 meter matches

DX-60

67

6

37.9

5

76

SB

-

640

VFO Remote for

SB-101

I 1

02

67

6

99.00

70

SB-644

VFO Remote for

SB

- 1

04

74

XM

1

34.95

78

SB

-

644

A VFO replaces

SB-644

79

WI 1

34.9

5

83

VF- 1 VFO

VF

O

(80-

1 0 meter

for

use

wi

th

DX series)

52

FA

1

9.50

61

VX

- 1 vox

58

23.9

5

60

HM

-9 Wattmeter

50w

HF

OR

6 meter

OR

2 meter-choose one

83

XM

49

.

95

91

HM

-

102

Wattmeter 3.5-

30

MHz

2000w

w/SWR bridge

70

XM

34

.9 5 8 1

HM

-2

10

2 Wattmeter

50

-

160

MHz

250w

73

SP

34.95

81

HM-2140

Wattmeter 1.

8-30

MH

z

2000w

du

al reading

79

SP

74

.

95

83

A

Guid

e to the

Amateur

Rad

io

Products

237

LIJ

0..

>

I-

--

IE

~fU@SiiBifi

Product

References

T

his

list

contains

references

to

H

eat

h

products

as

found

in

two

popul

ar h

obby

magazines;

QST

an

d CQ.

These

references

include

ev

e

ryt

hin

g

from

product

reviews

an

d

articles

about

m

odifications

,

to

new

product

announcem

e

nts

and

brief

mentions.

Every

rea

-

sonab

le

effort

has

be

en

made

to

ens

ur

e

the

accu-

DATE PUB. PAGE MODEL

Oc

t-5

9

ca

52

AK

-6

O

ct-59

ca

52

AK-7

Mar-

59

OST

54

AM-2

Jan-66

OST

20

AM-2

J

an-60

ca

47

AR-1

Apr-

60

ca

11

AR-1

Jun-

61

ca

41

AR-3

Jul-

61

ca

20

AR-3

May-62

ca

76

AR

-3

Jun-56

OST

70

AT

- 1

Nov-5 6

OST

36

AT

-1

May-57

OST

22

AT-1

Dec-

57

OST

65

AT

- 1

J

un

-

59

OST

62

AT-1

Aug -

60

ca

78

CB-1

Au

g-

69

ca

53

CB

- 1

O

ct-69

ca

73

CB-1

Jul

-59

ca

83

C0-1

Jan-

60

ca

80

C0

- 1

J

an

-

86

OST

49

D

X-20

Arp-57

ca

96

D

X-20

Sep-56

OST

28

DX-

35

Jun-

58

OST

71

DX-

35

J

an

-59

ca

4 8 DX-

35

D

ec-60

ca

5 2 D

X-40

Apr-

61

ca

78

DX-

40

Jul-

61

ca

77

DX-

40

Jul-61

ca

76

D

X-

40

Au

g-61

ca

96

DX-

40

Jan

-62

ca

74

D

X-40

F

eb-62

ca

83

DX-

40

Jun-

62

ca

32

DX-

40

Jun-62

ca

32

D

X-

40

D

ec-62

ca

65

D

X-40

SUBJECT

In

c

id

ental info

In

cidental info

U

se

as

a modulation

m

on

itor

Modification

Sta

bi

li

zing

Stabilizing (Correction)

Im

provements

Correction

Bandspread improvement

Use on 1

60

meters

Modu lato r for

U

se

on

6 meters

Modifi cation -

ve

ry brief -

no detail

U

se

VF-1

to drive

on

1 5

meters

Ad

d

in

g squel

ch

Convert to 6 meters

Use

on

1 0 meters

Review

Use

as

keying monitor

U

se

on

30

meters with VF- 1

Review

Improvemen

ts

Improvements

Plate modulation

for

AF distortion

AF gain

TVI precautions

Final modification

U

se

on 6 meters

Plate modulation

for

Use

on

6 meters

Use

on

6 mete

rs

Modification

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

racy

of

these

li

stings

,

but

some

errors

and

om

is-

s

ion

s

have

no d

oubt

crept

into

the

process.

This

list

is

by

no

means

exhaustive,

as

it

references

on

ly

two

of

many

possib

le

sources.

The

r

eader

is

invited

to

sen

d

additions

and

correctio

n s

to

the

author

,

whose

address

can

be

fou

nd

in

the

front

of

this

book.

DATE

PUB

. PAGE MODEL

Jan-

63

ca

74

DX

-

40

Fe

b-

65

ca

87

D

X-40

Mar

-65

ca

67

D

X-

40

Sep-66

ca

90 DX-

40

D

ec-66

ca

78

DX-

40

Feb-

71

ca

64 D

X-40

Oct-

72

ca

12 D

X-40

Jan-68

ca

117

DX-

60A

Oct

-70

ca

77

DX-

60B

Oct-7 1

ca

79

D

X-60

B

Apr-

72

ca

10

D

X-60

B

Sep-

87

OST

43

DX-

60B

Sep-88

OST

48

D

X-60B

Jul-6 1

OST

42

DX-

60

Apr-61

ca

80

D

X-60

Jul-

62

ca

80

D

X-60

Sep-62

ca

68

D

X-

60

Oct-

62

ca

65

DX-

60

Oct-

62

ca

65

DX-

60

Oct-

62

ca

65

DX

-

60

Oct-

62

ca

65

D

X-60

Oct-

62

ca

65

D

X-60

Jan

-63

ca

74

DX

-

60

Feb-

63

ca

82

D

X-60

Jul

-63

ca

57

D

X-60

De

c-6 4

ca

1

01

D

X-60

Sep-

65

ca

51

D

X-60

Sep-66

ca

88

D

X-60

Sep-66

ca

90

D

X-60

J

an-69

ca

85

D

X-60

Mar-

85

ca

90

DX

-60

Mar-

61

ca

36

D

X-

100B

SUBJECT

Modulation problems

Use on 6 meters

Intermittent operation

(brief)

Output drops

off

after

1 min

key

down

Blows

fu

ses

Spurious signals

RFI

on

standby

PTT wi

th

H0

-

170A

PTT for

U

se

wi

th

SB-640

U

se

wth Allied A-251 6

Recei

ve

r

Bandswitch r

ep

la

ce

ment

More switch replacement

info

Review

New product

announcement

Modulati

on

problems

Erratic keying

Audio

hu

m

Distortion

Drive/tune peaking on 80

Fu

se blowing problems

Only loads on

40

U

se

wi

th

SB-10

Hints

PTT

for

Plate modulation tip

Key

clic

ks

fix

Burned out meter

U

se

with tuner (very brief)

Straight-through VFO

operation

U

se

on

30

meters

Review

239

Cl)

LIJ

(.)

z

LIJ

0:::

LIJ

LL.

LIJ

cc:

::a

ITI

.,,

ITI

::a

ITI

z

(')

ITI

en

PRODUCT

REFERENCES

DATE P

UB

PAGE MODEL SUBJECT

Dec-

55

OST

49

Jun-56

OST

76

Aug-56

OST

34

Aug-

59

OST

53

Feb-57 OST

59

Feb-

58

OST

69

Apr-59

OST

35

Jun-

59

OST

62

Nov-59

OST

55

Feb-60

OST

50

Aug-

62

OST

56

Sep-

62

OST

34

F

eb-59

ca

44

Apr

-59

ca

46

Jul-64

OST

80

Aug -

60

ca

54

O

ct-60

ca

26

Jan

-61

ca

71

Jan-

61

ca

71

Feb-

61

ca

68

Aug-61

ca

96

Aug

-62

ca

95

Jul-

63

ca

58

Nov-

64

ca

113

Mar-65

ca

67

May-69

ca

83

May-

70

ca

80

Jun-

72

ca

12

Aug-

77

OST

49

Sep-77 OST

51

De

c-

60

OST

32

Jul-62

OST

53

Ma

y-

62

ca

44

Aug-69

CO

79

Mar-

60

ca

61

Jan-61

ca

72

J

an-86

OST

46

Dec-

73

OST

43

Jan-82

OST

49

Ju

l-56

OST

152

De

c-

57

OST

71

Sep-

77

ca

27

Oct

-70

OST

48

A

ug-73

OST

5 8

Mar-72

ca

57

Jan-

85

OST

36

Dec-

82

OST

46

Nov

-62

CO

72

Nov-

60

OST

46

Feb-6 1

OST

48

Dec-6 1

ca

75

Jun-61

OST

44

De

c-6 1

OST

62

Feb-

62

OST

38

Oct-

61

CO

100

Nov-6 1

ca

99

F

eb-62

ca

84

240

DX-100

DX

-

100

DX-100

DX

-

100

DX-100

DX

-

100

DX-100

D

X-

100

DX-100

DX-

10

0

DX-100

DX

-

100

DX-

100

D

X-

100

DX

-

100

DX-100

DX

-

100

GC-lA

GC-1A

GC-1

GC-1000

GC-1005

GC

-1

10

7

GD-18

Review

Notes

Improved keying

SB

-

10

modification

for

Mor

e keying hints

Keying

Diode time-sequence

keying

Correcting grid current

Audio circuit change

Improved keying

and

drive

Hi

gh

modulator stand -

by

current

Modification

SSB

for

Improved keying

Fi

xing HV rectifier arcing

Adding VOX

Adding VOX (correction)

Tips

Modification references

Final modification

FSK for -reference only

RF

output indicator

Fu

se

blowing problems

Rectifier replacement (brief)

Use with Johnson

6N2

TVI problems

Improved stability for RTTY

Keying modification

Review

Improved noise limiter

Review

U

se

with wide band pre-amp

New product announcement

Converter

for

2 meters

Review

Setting the seconds

U

se

as

a 1

44

MH

z

transmitter

Use

as

a

CONELRAD

monitor

GH-17A

Review

GR

-

78

Review

GR

-

110

Review

GR-371

MX

Re

view

GR-740

Review

GU

- 1

820

Review

GW

-2 1 U

se

on

10

meters

GW-30

Review

GW

-

30

Notes (by Heath's

Al

Robertson!)

GW-30

Very brief

HA

- 1 0 Review

HA

- 1 0 Improved bias circuit

HA

- 1 0 M

od

ification

HA-1 0 Better bias filter

HA

- 1 0 Recifier noise

HA-1 0 Bi

as

improvement

rE=~fH&ih&+I

DATE PUB. PAGE

MODEL

SUBJEC

T

Jul-

62

ca

80

Sep-

62

ca

67

Feb-

66

ca

76

Nov-

65

OST

89

F

eb

-

66

ca

52

Jul-67

ca

68

Jul-

78

OST

32

Nov-

78

OST

32

Jul-

75

ca

51

Aug-73 OST

52

Jul-75

ca

51

Ja

n-67

OST

45

Jan-67

OST

45

Feb-68

OST

56

Sep-

68

OST

51

Jun-

69

OST

50

A

ug-69

OST

34

Aug-72

OST

52

Feb-

74

OST

41

Jan-

71

ca

18

Jul-78

OST

34

Au

g-

78

OST

31

A

pr-83

OST

38

Jun-66

ca

84

Jan

-76

OST

38

O

ct-78

OST

37

M

ay

-

79

OST

48

D

ec-75

ca

46

F

eb

-8 1

OST

37

Ju

l-8 1

CO

16

Mar-78

OST

38

Nov-

79

OST

57

O

ct-80

OST

25

Dec-80

OST

52

Sep-

77

ca

58

Mar-

84

OST

42

Nov

-8

6 OST

40

N

ov-86

OST

40

Nov-

76

OST

37

Feb-

85

OST

38

N

ov-84

CO

60

Nov-85

OST

54

Apr-84

OST

46

Jul-84

OST

41

Jun-

70

ca

57

Jun -

70

ca

76

O

ct-63

OST

54

Jan-68

ca

1

03

Jul-

76

OST

42

Nov-

88

ca

48

J

an

-

88

OST

43

Sep-63

OST

61

F

eb

-

63

ca

36

N

ov-66

OST

44

Dec-71 OST

44

Nov-

71

ca

45

Dec-

76

OST

30

F

eb

-

77

OST

43

May-78

OST

38

HA

-10

HA

-

10

HA

-

10

HA

-

14

HA

-

14

HA

-

14

HA

-201

HA

-

20

1

HA

-2

01

HA-202

HA

-

202

HD

-

10

HD

- 10

HD

-

10

HD

-10

HD

-10

HD

- 10

HD

-

10

HD

- 10

HD-1 0

HD

-

10

HD

-

10

HD

-

10

HD

- 19

HD

- 1

250

HD-1250

HD

- 1

250

HD

- 1

250

HD

- 1

250

HD

-

1250

HD

-14

10

HD

-

1410

HD

-

1410

HD

-14

10

HD

-

1416

HD

-141 8

HD

-1420

HD

-

1422

HD

- 1

982

HD

-3030

HD

-

3030

HD

-

4040

HD

-

8999

HF

-T9

HG

-

108

HG

-108

HG

-

10

HG

- 10

HG-10

HK

-232

HK

-232

HM

-

10A

HM

-10A

HM

-

15

HM

-

102

HM

-

10

2

HM-102

HM

- 1

02

HM

-

10

2

U

se

wi

th

T

X-

1 /

SB

-

1 O/phone patch

Impul

se

interference fix

U

se

on

6 meters

Review (Incorrectly

ca

ll

ed

HW-1 4

in

review)

Review

Improvements

COR

Review

Re

view

Review

Improved performance

Use with externa l paddle

Protecting from RF

Modification

Speaker

cha

ng

e

Modification

OSK

mod

for

SB

-series

Positive key lin e

Squeeze paddle

U

se

with

so

lid state rigs

General information

Review

Carrying case

Improved response

Review

Add-on for greater

versatility

Rev

ie

w

Id

eas for

External paddles

for

Th

oughts

on

Review

Re

view

Review

Rev

ie

w

Review

Rev

ie

w

Review

Use

on

MARS 3.2 MHz

Review

Use with Globe Scout

680

VFO output

Review

Modific

at

ion

Added switch

Extra meters for

HEATHKIT

rr§

~

1

H?dff'i*fi1

DATE

Sep-73

Feb-91

Feb-80

Sep-80

May-8 4

M

ar-66

Aug-

70

Dec-63

Ju

n-64

Nov-64

Sep-

65

Jan

-

87

Mar-

64

Dec-69

Oct-

81

Mar

-73

Feb-66

May-66

May

-74

Oct-

77

Sep-69

May-70

Jul-63

Mar-

63

Jun-

66

Jan-77

Oct-76

Nov-82

Apr-80

O

ct-88

Jan-77

Jan-

73

Dec-73

Jan

-74

Jul-75

Dec-75

Jul-76

Nov-76

Apr-

73

Dec-75

Apr-76

Jul-77

Nov-77

Jan-78

Mar-78

Oct-78

Dec-78

Apr-79

Jun-79

Nov-79

Jan-81

May-81

May-77

Aug

-77

Oct-77

May-84

Jan-8 1

May-81

May-

82

PU B PAGE MODEL SUBJECT

OST

46

OST

35

OST

40

OST

41

OST

42

OST

79

OST

53

OST

58

ca

37

OST

54

ca

57

OST

30

OST

61

OST

51

ca

70

OST

57

OST

72

OST

75

OST

49

OST

46

ca

53

ca

81

OST

48

OST

58

OST

74

OST

35

ca

43

OST

22

ca

89

OST

39

OST

35

OST

48

OST

23

OST

35

OST

38

OST

45

OST

42

OST

41

ca

60

OST

45

OST

31

OST

22

OST

20

OST

40

OST

36

OST

20

OST

38

OST

47

OST

18

OST

57

OST

45

OST

46

ca

32

ca

48

ca

62

OST

44

ca

48

ca

52

ca

98

HM

-2

103

Re

view

H M-2

140A

Comparisons

H M-

2140

Review

HM

-2141

HN-3 1A

HN-

31

HN-3 1

H0-10

H0

-10

H0

-

13

H0

-

13

H0

-

5404

HP

-

13

HP-13

HP

-

13

HP-23A

HP

-

23

HP-23

HP

-24

HR

-

10B

HR-10

HR

-20

HR

-20

HR

-

1680

HR-

1680

HR-

16

80

HR-

1680

HR-

1680

HS

-166

1

HW

-7

HW-7

HW

-7

HW

-7

HW

-7

HW-7

HW

-7

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW-8

HW

-8

HW-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW-8

HW

-8

HW-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

HW

-8

Re

view

Review

U

se

as

an

RF Wattmeter

Oil for

Review

Re

view

Re

view

Re

view

Re

view

Review

Modification

Cooling

117

/

230

vo

lt

sw

itch for

Review

U

se

with HW-1 2

and

SB

-

100

Improved grounding

Low low-voltage fix

Modification for use with

screen-grid tubes

Won 't work

on

10/1

5/20

meters

Review

Re

view

Dial pointer

Re

view

Review

Modifi

ca

tion

New product announcement

Us

e

as

a

CW

monitor

Re

view

Review

New front

end

for

Modification

RIT for

A sma

ll

amp

for

Hum reduction

Sidetone level control

Re

vi

ew

A small amp for

Review

Full break-in

and

RIT

Full break-in a

nd

RIT

RITfor

Not

es

2 5 kHz calibrator

RIT for

"Boots"

for

"Boots"

for

S-meter for

Ide

as

for

U

se

with "Accu-keyer"

Review

Contest Machine Part 1

Contest Machine Part 2

U

se

on

30

meters

Modifi

ca

tion

Adds speaker/amplifier

RIT board

A Guide to the

Amateur

Radio

Products

DATE

Jun-82

Oct-

82

Jul-85

Apr

-88

Oct-88

Dec-

88

Mar-90

Sep-62

Oct-62

Mar-6 5

Feb-66

Jan-67

Jan-

64

May-

66

Dec-66

Jun-68

Sep-68

May

-69

Jan-66

Ma

r-66

Feb-

67

Jul-71

Sep-77

Jan-68

Dec

-67

Aug

-72

Nov-68

Feb

-

69

Nov-74

Oct-71

Nov-75

Dec-

71

May-77

May-78

Aug-

79

Feb

-76

May-76

Apr-69

Jul-69

Apr-70

Feb-72

Dec

-68

Dec-68

Dec-

68

Nov-

60

Aug-65

Jan

-62

Aug-64

Oct-62

Nov-62

Jan

-67

Jun-81

Jan

-79

Jan

-64

Jun-68

Jan-66

Mar-

66

PRODUCT

REFERENCES

PAGE MODEL

ca

46

HW

-8

ca

50

HW-8

OST

37

HW-9

OST

26

HW

-9

OST

43

HW

-9

OST

32

HW

-9

OST

43

HW

-9

OST

62

HW

-

10

ca

98

HW

-

10

ca

67

HW

-

10

ca

76

HW-10

ca

86

HW

-12

A

OST

48

HW

-

12

OST

75

HW-12

OST

49

HW

-

12

OST

49

HW

-

12

OST

36

HW

-12

OST

51

HW-12

OST

53

HW

-

12

ca

70

HW

-

12

ca

48

HW

-

12

ca

36

HW-12

ca

18

HW

-12

OST

45

HW-12

OST

53

HW-16

ca

18

HW

-

16

OST

51

HW

-

16

ca

117

HW-16

ca

84

HW

-

16

OST

20

HW

-16

ca

96

HW-16

OST

35

HW

-

16

ca

72

HW

-

16

OST

48

HW-16

OST

29

HW

-

16

OST

50

HW-16

ca

43

HW-16

ca

35

HW-16

OST

49

HW

-17A

OST

49

HW-17A

OST

38

HW

-

17A

ca

14

HW-17A

ca

14

HW-17

ca

25

HW

-181

ca

25

HW

-

182

ca

25

HW-18

3

ca

153

HW-19

OST

71

HW-19

OST

50

HW

-20

OST

64

HW-20

ca

98

HW

-

20

ca

37

HW

-

20

ca

86

HW-22A

OST

37

HW-22A

ca

65

HW-22A

OST

48

HW-22

OST

36

HW-22

ca

70

HW-22

ca

48

HW-22

SUBJECT

Bandswitch lights

Modification

Review

Improvements

Tips

AGC

threshold controler

Increasing spotting signal

Alignment problems

Squelch trouble (brief)

RF output indicator

New product announcement

Review

Use with

HP-23

Fi

xing a rattle

Low voltage equalization

Dial modification

Carrier null

ad

justment

New gain control

Adding bands (reference

only)

Power supply

for

CW

modification

CW

coverage with

U

se

as

ORP

Review

Re

view

U

se

on

20

meters

Use

on

20

meters

U

se

with

SB-200

Ad

apting VFOs for

Use

on

20

meters (brief)

U

se

on

20

meters

Use

on

20

meters (more)

Sidetone level adjust

Improvements

Help

for

Calibration control for

Use

on

20

meters

Re

view

Review

Rel

ay

switching for

in

cr.

sens.

and

output

Modification

for

FM

Modification for FM

Review

Fin al tuning tip

Re

view

Notes

Alignment problems

Review

New product announcement

Extended coverage

Review

Dial modification

Adding bands (reference

only)

Power supply

for

241

Cl)

I.LI

(,)

z

I.LI

ci:::

I.LI

.

LL.

1

~

"'

'"

"Tl

ITI

"'

ITI

z

(")

ITI

en

PRODUCT

REFERENCES

DATE

PUB

. PAGE MODEL

Feb-

67

ca

36

HW

-22

Oct-74

OST

3g

HW

-

22

Jul-7 1

ca

18

HW

-

22

Oct

-60

OST

50

HW

-

29

Apr-

63

OST

48

HW

-

29

Nov-

60

co

153

HW

-

29

Au

g-65

OST

71

HW

-

29

Jan-67

OST

50

HW

-29

Apr-

63

co

67

HW

-

29

Sep-63

co

34

HW

-2 9

Ma

y-68

OST

28

HW

-

29

Apr

-63

OST

48

HW

-

30

Mar-61

co

52

HW

-30

Aug-

65

OST

71

HW

-

30

Aug-6 1

ca

99

HW

-

30

Oct-

63

ca

34

HW

-

30

May-

68

OST

28

HW

-

30

F

eb-69

OST

41

HW

-30

Mar-65

co

35

HW

-

30

J

an-67

ca

86

HW-32A

Dec-

70

ca

76

HW

-32

A

Jan-64

OST

48

HW

-

32

May-

66

OST

74

HW

-

32

Jun-

68

OST

36

HW

-

32

De

c-

65

co

75

HW

-32

D

ec-65

co

75

HW

-

32

Jan-

66

ca

70

HW

-

32

M

ar-66

ca

48

HW

-32

Feb-

67

co

36

HW

-

32

Jul-

71

ca

18

HW

-32

Jul-

89

OST

41

HW

-

99

Jan-69

OST

51

HW

-

100

Nov-

71

OST

20

HW-100

Aug-

68

co

45

HW

-

100

O

ct-68

co

108

HW-100

Mar-

69

co

47

HW

-100

Jul-

69

co

86

HW

-

10

0

Jan-74

OST

44

HW

-1

00

F

eb-70

co

89

HW

-

100

F

eb-70

co

88

HW

-

100

May-

70

ca

32

HW

-

100

Jun-70

co

33

HW

- 1

00

Jun-

71

co

87

HW

-

100

Aug -

72

co

16

HW

-

100

Mar-7 3

ca

12

HW

-

100

Apr-

79

OST

44

HW

-

100

Mar-84

co

22

HW-100

Jan-

72

OST

59

HW

-101

Sep-

72

OST

53

HW

-101

Oct-

74

OST

38

HW

-101

Mar-

75

OST

19

HW

-101

Aug-75

OST

49

HW

-101

Apr-

72

co

12

HW

-101

Aug-7 2

co

16

HW

-101

Jan

-77

OST

44

HW

-101

242

SUBJECT

CW

modification

Extended coverage

CW

coverage with

Modification

Motor tunin g to "scan"

the band

Review

Final tuning tip

Add a final tun ing knob

DSB

for

Modification

Some usefu l modifications

Motor tuning to "scan"

the band

Review

Final tuning tip

Hum fix

Modification

Some useful modifications

More changes

Improvements

New product a

nn

ounceme

nt

Use

in

the

CW

band

Review

Alignment

Di

al

modification

Modification to final

0 Multiplier

for

Adding bands (reference

on

l

y)

Power supply for

CW

modifi

ca

tion

CW

coverage with

Curing thermal drift

Review

Improved

se

lectivity

Review

Review correction refer to

8168

Di

al

modificati

on

Incremental tuning for

Deactivated XOV for

CW

operation

Better connection to

SB

-

620

Drift and mic gain problems

Split frequency operation

Variable AF bandwidth

U

se

with Ameco model

PCL

RF pre-amp

In

creasi

ng

capabilities of

Hum

fi

x

Holding

th

e relay

Modification

Review

Tone oscillator repair

RIT for

Off

set tuning and

keying mods

Modification

Sidetone ga

in

control

In

creasing capabiliti

es

of

VOX relay respon

se

in

CW

operation

DATE

Jan-73

Feb-77

Aug-

77

Sep-77

Mar-78

Apr-79

Aug-79

Mar-76

Feb-81

F

eb

-

83

Mar-

83

F

eb-83

M

ar-88

M

ar-84

No

v-

90

De

c-76

Ja

n-80

Jan-

80

Ma

r-80

Jul-

74

Au

g-75

Sep-75

Jan-76

Oct-

76

Jun -

74

Ju

l-

75

Jan-78

Apr-

78

Apr-79

Jan-77

Jun-

76

Oc

t-77

Au

g-

79

Mar-

78

Oct-

84

D

ec-87

Sep-88

Jul-

90

Mar-

87

Sep-76

Mar-

76

Mar-

87

Sep-88

Oct-

62

Sep-

62

M

ay-

63

M

ay-

63

M

ay-

80

Mar-

63

Mar-

66

Ap

r-66

Jun-

66

Dec-

63

May-

65

Oc

t-

68

M

ay

-

63

Mar-8 1

l®~fHP&fHHEiJ

PUB

. PAGE MODEL SUBJECT

ca

90

OST

43

OST

49

OST

51

OST

41

OST

44

OST

50

ca

43

OST

47

OST

54

OST

42

ca

31

OST

41

ca

22

OST

38

OST

37

OST

54

OST

16

OST

49

OST

40

OST

49

OST

45

OST

43

OST

40

ca

25

ca

24

OST

39

OST

27

OST

44

OST

36

co

22

OST

46

OST

51

co

51

OST

34

co

18

OST

43

OST

42

OST

37

co

46

OST

39

co

26

ca

46

OST

48

OST

55

co

68

co

71

co

94

OST

41

OST

59

OST

44

OST

44

OST

74

ca

60

co

75

co

48

OST

51

OST

48

HW

-101

HW-101

HW

-101

HW

-101

HW

-101

HW

-101

HW-101

HW

-101

HW

-101

HW-101

HW

-10

1

HW

-101

HW-101

HW

-101

HW-104

HW

-

104

HW

-

202

HW-20

2

HW-202

HW

-202

HW

-

202

HW

-

202

HW-

202

HW-1

g32

HW-1982

HW

-1

982

HW-2

021

HW-2021

HW-2036

HW

-

2036

HW

-2

036

HW-5400

Sidetone

ga

in

control

Better

lo

oking dial

WWVm

od

WWVm

od

CW

modification

Holding

th

e relay

Elimin

at

in

g TVI

Improvements

Modification

for

zero-

beating

Troubleshoot

in

g chart

Osci

ll

ation problem

Modification

for

30

meters

Dri

ve

dial slippage fi x

Modification

U

se

wi

th

W 6

0WP

keying

interface

Re

view

Modification

PC

board

etching pattern

RIT for

Review

Protecting transistors

Antenna plug cautionary

note

Tone

pad

connections

Remote control

Review

Modification

Micoder

"Mycoder" better design

Better battery

Re

view

Review

Modificati

on

Channel switch visibility

Re

v

ie

w

Re

view

HW

-5400

Review

HW

-5400

Frequency slewing speedup

HW

-5400

Improved RIT a

nd

split-fr

eq

HW

-

5400

Battery backup for

HW

-6502

Review

HW

-series VFO slippg

ae

and backlash

HW

-series A receiver pre

-a

mp for

HW-A6502

-2 Review

HW

-

S24

New product announcement

H

X-10

H

X-10

HX- 10

H

X-10

H

X-10

H

X-20

HX-

20

H

X-20

H

X-20

HX-20

HX-

20

H

X-20

H

X-30

HX

-

16

8 1

Re

view

Normal grid current

FSK for

Key

click filter

Spurious radiation from

mi

sa

lign

ed

traps

Review

Modification

Improved

CW

operation

Dial pointer

Nulling carrier

Use

of

6146B

(brief)

Improv

ed

carrier supression

Review

Re

view

HE.ATHKIT

®

~1ue+tnH11

DATE

PUB

PAGE MODEL

Apr-

80

CO

89

HX-1 681

Dec-85 OST

50

HX-1681

Jul

-60

OST

42

KL-1

Jul-60

OST

42

KS-1

Dec-

55

OST

29

LG-1

Dec-55 OST

29

LS-1

Apr-

60

OST

41

MP-1

Oct-59

CO

52

MP-1

Apr

-60

OST

41

MR-1

Oct-59

CO

52

MR-1

Jan-6 1

CO

67

MR-1

Oct-

61

CO

83

MR- 1

Jun

-

64

CO

55

MR-1

Mar-

65

CO

67

MR-1

Apr-

67

CO

86

MR-1

Apr-

60

OST

41

MT-1

Oct-60

OST

51

MT-1

Oct

-59

CO

52

MT-1

Mar-60

CO

58

MT-1

Aug-60

CO

79

MT-1

Apr-

61

CO

112

MT-1

Mar-

66

CO

65

MT- 1

Dec-

66

CO

79

MT-1

Nov-68

CO

115

MT-1

Feb-76

CO

29

MT-1

Apr-56

OST

39

OF-1

May-58

OST 77 OF-1

Jan-64

OST

62

OF

- 1

Jan-60

co

61

RF-1

Dec-

58

OST

41

RX-1

De

c-

60

co

53

RX-1

De

c-

64

co

101

RX-1

Apr-

69

OST

38

RX-1

Jul

-8

0 OST

43

SA-14

80

Jul-

80

OST

43

SA-1480

Jan

-

83

OST

46

SA-

1480

Mar-83

OST

41

SA-1480

Oct-

80

co

69

SA-

1480

No

v-80 OST

49

SA-2040

Jul

-80

co

52

SA-2040

Jul-

82

OST

40

SA-

2060

Mar-

85

OST

39

SA-2500

Jun-8 5

co

18

SA-

2500

Aug-88 OST

43

SA-2550

May-

82

OST

41

SA-5010

Jun-84

OST

41

SA-5010

Sep-

89

OST

37

SA-5010

Aug-80

OST

45

SA-7010

Aug-

56

OST

53

SB

-

10

Jul

-59

OST

61

SB-10

Aug

-

59

OST

45

SB

-

10

Aug-60

OST 4 8

SB-10

Aug-60

OST

48

SB-10

Aug-

62

OST 12

SB

-

10

Feb-60

co

48

SB-10

Feb

-6

0

co

30

SB-10

SUBJE

CT

New product

announcement

Alignment

Review

Modifi

ca

tion for antenna

measurements

Modification for antenna

measurements

Review

Power supply for

Tips

Upgrading

Intermittent

BFO

(brief)

Drift problems

Re

view

Modification

Incidental info

Review

Crystal control

Reduce heating

Use

on

6 meters

Modulation problems

Crystal control

Use on 1

60

meters

Review

Variable bandwidth for

Extending rang e

New product

announcement

Review

1

0 kHz markers for

Fuse blowing problems

Amplifi

ed

AGC

for

Revi

ew

Review

Incre

ase

d control vo

lt

age

for

Lubrication

for

sticky relays

Re

view

Review

Re

v

ie

w

Review

Shorting fi x

Avoiding static dam

age

Re

view

Modifi

ca

tion

for

DX-1

00

Extra VOX sesitivity for

Review

Audio filter for

Use with Johnson Viking

Valliant

Make it a complete

transmitter

Audio peak limiting

Use with John

so

n Viking

II

A

Guid

e to the

Amat

e

ur

Radio

Products

DATE

Mar-61

Aug-

61

Oct-

61

Jun-62

Jul-62

Ja

n-63

Nov-63

May-

64

Oct-

64

No

v-

64

Mar-

65

Jul-

69

M

ay-

70

Apr-73

Ma

y-

66

Sep-

66

Dec-

66

M

ay-

67

Nov-67

M

ay

-

68

Sep-

64

Dec-64

Apr-69

Oct

-

70

No

v-

69

Jun-

71

Aug -

68

Nov-

73

Jun-80

Jun-

68

Oct-

68

Oc

t-

68

No

v-

68

Mar-

69

Feb-

70

Jan-75

Feb-

75

Apr-

71

Apr-71

Aug-72

Feb

-

77

Feb

-

77

Sep-77

Dec-

80

Feb-71

Aug

-

71

Aug-72

Sep-

72

Feb

-77

Apr-73

Apr-

73

Jun-

77

Jul-73

Aug-79

Sep-

79

PRODUCT

REFERENCES

PUB

PAGE MODEL

co

67

SB

-

10

co

96

SB

-

10

co

83

SB-10

co

35

SB-10

co

80

SB

-

10

co

74

SB

-

10

co

97

SB-10

co

41

SB-10

co

80

SB

-

10

CO

114

SB

-

10

CO

65

SB-10

CO

86

SB-10

CO

22

SB

-

10

CO

16

SB-10

OST 75

SB-100

OST

45

SB-100

OST

49

SB-100

OST

49

SB-100

OST

40

SB

-

100

OST

53

SB

-

100

CO

40

SB-100

CO

54

SB-100

OST

47

SB

-

100

OST

42

SB

-

100

CO

90

SB-100

OST

40

SB

-

100

co

73

SB

-

100

co

10

SB-100

OST

48

SB-1011

OST

38

SB-101

OST

44

SB-101

OST

45

SB-101

OST

50

SB-101

OST 4 6

SB-101

co

89

SB

-101

OST

44

SB-101

OST

46

SB

-101

co

72

SB-101

co

72

SB-101

co

16

SB

-101

OST

43

SB-101

OST

44

SB-101

OST

44

SB-101

OST

53

SB-101

OST

48

SB

-

102

OST

43

SB-102

co

16

SB-102

co

48

SB-102

OST

44

SB-102

co

51

SB-102

co

50

SB-102

OST

47

SB-102

co

35

SB-102

OST

28

SB

-

104A

OST

23

SB-104A

SUBJECT

Use with Johnson Viking

Ranger

Filter modification

Distortion

Use

on

6 meters

Use with

TX-1

/HA-

1 O/phone patch

Use with

DX

-

60

Use

on

6 meters

Use with Johnson Ranger

Trouble spots

Drive problems with

TX-1

Lots

of

general information

Useon44675kHzCAP

freq

Upgrading

Problems (brief)

Use with

HP-23

Re

vi

ew

Low voltage equalization

Incremental tuning

for

Modificat

io

n

Improvements

Review

Revi

ew

WWVmod

External VFO

for

Hum fi x

Fixing audio hum

Upgrading

Improved AVC

For

th

e

75S-3

CW

sidetone pitch mod

FMing fix

Us

e with

SB

-

640

and

not

lo

se

XTAL control

Improvements

Receiver only tuning

modification

Better

co

nnection to

SB

-

620

Use

as

a separate reciever

OSCAR

reception

MARS operation with

Use with

6146B

Incr

eas

ing capabilities of

Faster relay response

Perking

up

Hints

for

owners

Low

se

nsitivity

and

RF

drive fi x

Review

Fi

xing VOX

and

ALC

problems

Incre

asi

ng

capabilities of

External VFO

for

Eliminating

AC

buzz

Hum reduction

Receiver only tuning

modifi

ca

tion

Birdies

Improved

CW

break-in

Improvements

243

z

La.I

0:::

La.I

LL

La.I

0:::

PRODUCT

REFERENCES

D

ATE

PUB PAGE MODEL

May

-80

OST

41

SB-104A

Ma

r-80

ca

20

SB-104A

Oct

-75

OST

43

SB

-

104

Dec

-77

OST

45

SB-104

Aug-

75

ca

28

SB-104

Jan-80

OST

54

SB-104

J

an-80

OST

16

SB-104

M

ar-80

OST

49

SB-104

Dec-80

OST

53

SB

-

104

Mar-

82

OST

20

SB

-

104

May-82 OST

43

SB-104

Feb-66 OST

72

SB-110

Feb-66 OST

72

SB

-

110

M

ay-66

ca

59

SB

-

110

Nov

-66

ca

10

SB

-

110

Aug-67

ca

75

SB-110

M

ay

-

65

OST

89

SB-200

Aug

-67

OST

40

SB

-

200

J

an-69

OST

44

SB-200

F

eb-69

ca

84

SB-200

Jun

-69

ca

62

SB

-

200

D

ec-69

ca

76

SB-200

Dec-

70

ca

75

SB-200

D

ec-70

ca

75

SB

-

200

Nov

-73

ca

10

SB-200

Mar-8 1

OST

52

SB-200

Dec-

86

OST

45

SB-200

Nov-

87

OST

32

SB-200

Jun-84

ca

51

SB

-

200

Sep-88

OST

45

SB-200

D

ec-88

OST

44

SB-200

M

ay-89

OST

48

SB-200

Jan-91

OST

37

SB

-

200

May-87

ca

4 8

SB-200

F

eb-83

ca

36

SB-201

Jun

-84

ca

51

SB-201

Aug-

70

OST

45

SB

-

220

Mar-

70

ca

29

SB

-

220

D

ec-74

OST

47

SB

-

220

Jul

-72

ca

12

SB-220

Nov-

78

OST

40

SB-220

N

ov-79

OST

56

SB-220

J

an

-

80

OST

25

SB-220

Feb-

80

OST

44

SB-220

Fe

b-69

ca

46

SB-220

Aug

-86

OST

38

SB-220

Aug

-86

OST

37

SB

-

220

J

an-88

OST

45

SB-220

Sep-88

OST

45

SB-220

Feb-89

OST

42

SB

-

220

Feb-91

OST

3 8

SB-220

M

ay

-

87

ca

48

SB

-

220

Mar-

80

OST

43

SB-221

F

eb-83

ca

36

SB-221

Feb-76

OST

42

SB

-

230

Jan

-80

OST

51

SB-230

Apr-7 7

ca

33

SB-230

Jul

-64

OST

82

SB-300

D

ec-66

OST

21

SB-300

244

SUBJECT

Improvements

Review

Relay hangs up

Review

Modification

PC

board

etching pattern

RIT for

Improvements

Refinements

Review

Modifi

ca

tion

for

AM

operation

Review

Tips

Use

on

6 meters

U

se

with

HW

- 1 6

Review

Grid current problems

Adjust

ab

le

ALC threshold

Us

e

wi

th

32S-3

Intermittent output

In

stant break-in

for

Balanced grid circuit for

U

se

on

1

60

meters

1

60

meter mod

"No holes" STBY

swi

t

ch

mod

Panel labeling idea

Use with solid state XCVRs

U

se

with solid state XCVRs

Power supply modifications

Review

1

60

meter mod

Re

v

ie

w

Review

U

se

on

6 meters

U

se

with S

wa

n

500

Modification

Upgrading

Solid-state

OSK

for

Comments

on

modification

Adding 1

60

meters

Balanced grid circuit for

Tips

U

se

with solid state XCVRs

"No

hol

es

" STBY

sw

it

ch

mod

Improvements

Panel light problems with

1

60

meter mods

Power supply modifications

Review

Revi

ew

Review

Tuning a

id

and

protective

circuits

Re

v

ie

w

M

od

ificati

on

DATE

De

c-64

Ja

n-69

Sep-65

Apr

-66

De

c-66

Apr

-68

Jul

-68

Jan-

69

Jun

-69

N

ov-75

Mar-

67

Jan-69

Jan-70

Sep-

70

Jan

-69

Jun

-69

Au

g-

69

Mar-7 1

Ju

l-79

Jul-71

Jul-

72

May-

73

Apr-

71

Oct-7 1

May-79

Jul-

79

Sep-79

Jan

-65

Jan

-65

Dec-

66

Nov-

68

De

c-64

Oct-

65

Jan

-69

Mar-

67

Jan-

69

Jan-70

Sep-

70

Sep-70

De

c-

71

Jan-69

M

ay

-

79

Jul-79

Jun-8 1

Sep-70

Sep-69

Sep-

66

Jul-72

Dec-72

Oct-

69

Jun-76

Aug-76

Jan-82

Apr-

68

Feb-68

J

an

-

73

Oct-

69

Feb-70

PUB PAGE MODEL

ca

1o1

sB-300

OST

16

SB-300

ca

84

SB

-30

0

ca

79

s B

-300

ca

79

sB

-

300

ca

61

SB-300

ca

1 1 2

sB-300

CO

96

SB

-300

ca

79

SB

-

300

OST

37

SB

-

300

OST

43

SB

-

30

1

OST

16

SB-301

OST

28

SB-301

OST

50

SB-301

ca

96

SB

-

30

1

ca

79

SB-301

ca

95

SB-

30

1

ca

108

s

B-301

OST

4 9

SB

-

30

1

OST

48

SB-

303

OST

2 1 SB

-303

OST

39

SB-

303

ca

43

s B-

303

ca

79

SB

-

303

OST

45

SB

-

303

OST

49

SB-303

OST

45

SB

-

303

OST

SB

-

400

OST

54

SB

-

400

OST

2 1

SB

-

400

OST

51

SB-

400

ca

54

s B-

400

ca

74

SB-

400

ca

96

SB-

400

OST

42

SB

-

401

OST

16

SB

-

401

OST

28

SB-

401

OST

50

SB-401

OST

53

SB

-40

1

OST

40

SB

-

401

ca

96

SB

-40

1

OST

45

SB

-

401

OST

49

SB-

401

OST

35

SB-401

OST

43

SB-500

ca

59

SB

-

500

OST

49

SB

-

600

OST

49

SB

-

610

OST

46

SB

-6

10

ca

74

SB

-

610

OST

37

SB

-6

14

ca

40

SB

-614

OST

36

SB-614

OST

50

SB

-620

ca

26

SB-620

OST

52

SB-620

ca

72

SB

-620

ca

89

SB-620

lE=~fH@f§'EiiJ

SUBJECT

AGC

trouble

Notes

60

Hz hum

Improvem

en

ts (very brief)

Increase

BFO

output (brief)

Front panel con

ve

rter

sw

itch

MARS reception

on

Operation outside the ham

bands

Improved AM

Improved stab

il

ity

Re

view

Notes

In

stant frequency change

Du

al frequency operation

Op

eration o

ut

s

id

e

th

e ham

bands

Improved

AM

Noise blanker info (brief)

Apparent sensitivity

Sidetone

for

Review

Improved

CW

reception

Improv

ed

CW

reception

Review

Internal noise fix

Sidetone a

nd

AGC

mods

Sidetone

for

Noi

se

blanker for

Review

Modification

Improved spott

in

g

No

LSB

(brief)

Oper

at

ion o

ut

s

id

e the

ham

bands

Re

view

Not

es

In

stant frequency change

Dual frequency operation

Foot switch operation

VOX

ad

justment

Ope

ra

tion outside the h

am

bands

Sidetone a

nd

AGC

mods

Sidetone

for

High plate current fix

Rev

ie

w

Re

view

Review

Reducing baseline ripple

U

se

wi

th

S

X-

101 A

Rev

ie

w

Re

view

E

xte

nd

the versitility

Review

Re

view

Use with other recei

ve

rs

Info on sensitivity fi x

Better connection

to

SB-101

/

HW-100

HE

.AT

HK

IT

l&

~fH¥SiHH+@

DATE

PUB. PAGE MODEL

Ju

n-70

ca

88

SB

-

620

D

ec-76

OST

42

SB

-

630

O

ct-68

OST

45

SB

-

640

Oct-

71

ca

79

SB

-

640

Au

g-79

OST

28

SB-644A

Sep-79

OST

23

SB

-

644A

M

ay-80

OST

41

SB

-

644A

Au

g-

72

OST

56

SB-650

Oct-

72

ca

58

SB-650

Mar-

77

OST

24

SB-650

Sep-78

OST

37

SB-650

F

eb-88

OST

33

SB

- 1

000

Jul

-88

OST

4 7

SB

- 1

00

0

Oct-

89

OS

T

34

SB-1400

Jul-

65

CO

25

SB-series

Jan-7 1

ca

18

SB

-seri

es

Jan-7 1

ca

16 SB-series

Sep-76

OST

39

SB-series

Jul

-73

ca

35

SB-ser

i

es

Jun

-78

OST

44

SB-series

Oct-78

OST

14

SB

-series

F

eb-80

OST

44

SB-ser

ies

Mar-76

ca

26

SB

-series

Aug-77

OST

33

SB-A1041

A

ug

-

77

OST

33

SB

-A

1041

Aug-67 OST

52

SB-A

100

-2

Apr-

79

OST

47

SB-A101-1

D

ec

-

79

OST

57

SB-A101

- 1

Fe

b-84

OST

41

SS-9000

F

eb-84

ca

18

SS-9000

Apr-85

OST

45

SW-7800

May-85

OST

47

SW

-

7800

Mar-

59

OST

44

TX- 1

Jun-

59

OST

62

T

X-1

D

ec-59

OST

52

T

X-

1

Mar-60

OST

48

T

X-1

Nov-

60

OST

54

TX- 1

Aug-

59

ca

55

TX-1

Mar-6 1

ca

66

T

X-

1

Mar-61

ca

66

TX-1

Jul-6 1

ca

76

TX- 1

May-

62

ca

76

TX- 1

Jun

-62

ca

35

T

X-

1

Jul-

62

ca

80

TX- 1

SUBJECT

U

se

as

an RF monitor

Digital clock modification

U

se

with S B-101 a

nd

not

lose XTAL control

U

se

with D

X-60

B

Improvements

Impr

ovements

Improvements

R

ev

iew

Review

Use with FT-101

U

se

with AX-1

90

Review

Comments

on

Review

Ad provides a look

in

side

SB

tube-type

LMO

OSK

mod

for

SB-series

OSK

Mods

VFO slippg

ae

a

nd

b

ack

lash

Improved

CW

Break- In for

Better s/n a

nd

ga

in

Better s/n a

nd

gain

Dial zero modification

A receiver pre-amp for

Modification

U

se

with

HW

- 10 1

Xtal filter mod kit

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