New project - Heathkit SB-101

I've recently been presented with a Heathkit SB-101 transceiver, Heathkit SB-600 speaker and Heathkit HP-23A power supply courtesy of Philip KJ5OW of the Katy Amateur Radio Society.

The SB-101 is a hollow state rig, the only solid state components being a few diodes. It uses the well known, and fortunately fairly common, 6146 output tubes in the finals.

The manual is available here : Heathkit_SB101_Manual

Heathkit SB-101 Transceiver

There looks to be a little work required before this rig is put on the air, a few resistors have cracked for reasons unknown and the rubber belts need replacement in the load and tune controls. It is something worth taking time on as the SB-101 is a well regarded rig that is still a strong performer today. There have been some modifications made to support an external linear master oscillator (VFO) which will need to be looked at but are probably fine as they stand.

I pulled my Heathkit HD-1410 keyer out of storage and was pleased to find it was the same color and style, matching the SB-101.

Heathkit SB-101 transceiver, SB-600 speaker, HP-23A power supply and HD-1410 electronic keyer.

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1967-70 (Improved SB-100[1965-7])
Bands: 80 - 10 (500kc) (2 Mhz on 28-30 mhz)
Modes: CW & SSB
Power: 180W PEP SSB & 170 input CW - 6146 Output Tubes
Frequency Control: LMO- Linear Master Oscillator (Like PTO)
Selectivity: 6 Pole filter 2.1kc @ 6db down (Accessory CW filter 400hz)
Contstruction: Aluminum Chassis & Cabinet-Printed circuit board wiring
Keying: PTT and VOX voice operation, VOX with sidetone for CW
Power Supplies: AC or DC power supplies availiable
Microphone: High Impeadance Desk or Mobile Microphones availiable.
Frequency Control: Local LMO/Xtal, Remote VFO/SB-640 w/Mod

Accessories: SB-200 Linear Amplifier, SB-500 2mtr Xvtr, SB-600 Speaker, SB-610 Monitor Scope, SB-620 Panadapter, SB-630 Station Console, SB-640 Remote VFO & SB-650 Digital Read-out.

Features: Easy to operate, TX & RX circuits track, RX RF Preamp, Easy to calibrate and read dial calibration, Two-Tone Green wrinkle paint, Switched Metering, Construction Manual very comprehensive.

Heathkit Transceiver Resources:

• Heathkit HW & SB series parts : http://www.ultrawebb.com/OHP/index.htm
• Heathkit HW & SB series modifications : http://boatanchor.com/Heath/HW101MOD.PDF
• Digital Dials for Analog Rigs : http://www.aade.com/
• Dialcord replacement for o-ring drives : http://nrwilliamson.tripod.com/dialcord.jpg
• General HW & SB repair information : http://www.qsl.net/k5bcq/102/102.html