[Heathkit] Heathkit SB Essay

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

I've used Heathkits since my first rig, a DX-35, in 1956, followed shortly 
thereafter by the AR-3.

I eventually bought a mostly finished SB-100 with PS and Speaker from 
a school-teacher who was leaving town for another job.

I modified and upgraded that one to what I euphemistically called an 
SB-101.5 and used it for a number of years to drive a much modified 
BC-610, setup as a linear amp, for AFMARS phone patching into 
Vietnam and other SEA in the 1960s.

A friend who lived on the other side of town especially bought a KWM-
2A for the same purpose.

Our antennas were similar, 3 element beams at about 100 feet. I could 
consistently run patches for up to an hour after he could no longer even 
hear SEA on the Collins.

We even operated them side-by-side on the same antenna, and the 
result was the same.

He sent his KWM-2A back to Collins for a complete tune up and check 
out, and when he got it back, the result was as before.

We finally determined that the main reason for the difference was that 
the SB-101.5 exhibited far lower internally generated noise than the 
Collins, and its true sensitivity was on the order of 0.25 microvolt.

At present, I use an electronically restored HW-101 and an SB-200 for 
all my HF hamming, for a couple of reasons: 1) the gear is far less 
expensive than any modern gear, 2) it is very easy to work on for me, 3) 
it is very reliable,  and 4) it has all of what I consider necessary for my 
kind of work.

I also own a complete SB-301/401 set, a very beat-up SB-102 which I 
think never worked before I got it, an HW-16/VF-1 combo, and a couple 
of DX-35s, VF-1s, and AR-3s awaiting restoration.

I also use the SB station control console, and recently bought an HM-
2140 PEP wattmeter which I use constantly.

The HM-2140 isn't particularly accurate at the moment, but I'll fix that as 
soon as I can get a round tuit. It provides me with most of the info I 
need anyway.

Of course, IMHO, the fellow who started this thread definitely has a 
point concerning the mechanicals around the dial mechanism for the 
SB rigs, but to me, that is half the fun of working on the gear. He made 
his smooth as silk, and I intend to do the same, when I get another 
round tuit. :-)

Ken Gordon W7EKB