[Heathkit] High Voltage Wires for New Wiring Harness

[Phil Lefever]

Lee,

Check out McMaster Carr

www.mcmaster.com

Page 802 lists a few of their options. Not a lot of choices in color for 
the HV stuff but they do sell by the foot with no minimum quantities.

If you are doing a chassis up restoration I would bet there are a few other 
things McMaster could supply. I bought all new hardware for my HW-101 from 
them. They are a great source for bits and pieces!

73

Phil, KB0NES
Burnsville, MN

At 09:55 PM 1/18/2012, L L bahr wrote:

>Maybe someone on here has a few ideas to solve my problem.
>
>I am re-kitting a really rough Heathkit DX-100.  Presently,  I have it all 
>torn down to parts and am having the chassis re-plated.  Then I plan to 
>rebuild it like a new kit with new resistors, caps, hardware etc.  (I have 
>almost all the new parts I need ready to be used).  I also have to make up 
>a new wiring harness as the old one is now cut out short plus the plastic 
>has hardened over the years from age and heat.  My plans called for making 
>the harness up with colored Teflon wire I have in the shack.
>
>However, that said, I have a BIG problem with a couple of the wires within 
>the wiring harness.  There are a few RED and one YELLOW wires carrying 
>high voltage.  With modulation the voltage could reach almost 1500 volts 
>on peak  (750 volts static).  Heathkit used the same gauge wire on these 
>lines but the insulation is much thicker on them.  I'm guessing the wire 
>gauge on all the wires is around a number 18 or 20 gauge wire.  I'd guess 
>the insulation on the existing higher voltage wires brings the outside 
>wire diameter with insulation to around 1/8th inch.
>
>Here is the question, where can I obtain some RED and some Yellow 18 or 20 
>gauge wire with insulation good for 1500 volts I can buy in small 
>quantities? I'm guessing I need around 12 foot of Red and maybe 3 foot of 
>Yellow.  I'd have to really check to see if my lengths are correct, but as 
>you can see,  I need very little wire.  If this doesn't work, where could 
>I buy the needed wire in any other color including clear?
>
>I thought of the center conductor of RG-58A/U coax cable but when I looked 
>up the Beldon spec I was shocked to see it is only rated at around 300 
>volts.  I got the idea knowing Drake used the center conductor of RG-8U 
>for their high voltage leads in the L4 and L-7 amps.  (RG-8/U center 
>conductor would just be too large in diameter for my needs.
>
>Anyone on here with ideas I could use for my project?  (I know it would be 
>cheaper to buy another transmitter in better shape, but that is not the 
>direction or path I am taking.)
>
>Thanks,
>
>Lee Bahr, w0vt
>Kingwood, Texas