I picked up this 40+year old Heathkit SB-220 Amp several years ago in very good condition. It fired right up and performed to specs. The old filter caps were in good shape but they were OLD! Swapped them out for some computer grade caps along with an updated rectifier/metering board. The pair of vintage Eimac 3-500Z tubes glowing in the dark are a sight to see.
This amp was just the beginning of my goal to put together a classic all tube late 60's early 70's amateur radio station. It was soon followed by a SB-101 HF transceiver, a SB-110 6 meter rig, SB-610 monitor scope, SB-620 "Scanalyzer" IF Spectrum analyzer, SB-650 Frequency display with "working" Nixie tubes. and an HDP-21A HI-Z Mic, AKA an Electro Voice 638. Pics of the rest of the station to follow. The entire station pieces were all assembled between 1967-1969 except the SB-650 Freq display and the amp both from 1971 or 1972.
A look inside at the old caps.
New caps ready to install.
Old and new rectifier/meter board.
New caps installed.
Rectifier/meter board installed.
Overview.
3-500Z's glowing in the dark. 8)
In keeping with tradition the new boards were in "kit" form and assembled by me. They were called "Heathkits" for a reason. :) No magic smoke escaped after the minor upgrades and I'm almost certain no cartoon characters were harmed in the process.
Very Nice. I keep saying I want to acquire an old Radio set. I need to keep my eyes open. Where did you find the upgrade kit boars etc for this?
KB1UAS
wow, all of that seemed like yesterday. i knew some people that had much of this stuff, but i was into 11 meters at the time, which was far easier and cheaper to do as a young man. i have no doubt of the quality of these items, but i never understood why somebody paid big money to build it when they could buy assembled equipment from other manufacturers for about the same or a bit more. i also had run across a collins kwm2 in good shape in the late 80s and sold it after less than a year. i was more interested in going vhf/uhf and already had an hf rig with my then kenwood ts-430s. i'm currently bumming over my setbacks to staying active on the air, the latest of which is bad filters in my ts-2000x. from what i understand the problem is not limited to my radio or even kenwood as there has been an ongoing problem due to the filter manufacturer. one consolation of that heathkit stuff is that the radio problems being encountered today were nearly unheard of back then.
Quote from: Halfcrazy on February 25, 2012, 06:21:39 AM
Very Nice. I keep saying I want to acquire an old Radio set. I need to keep my eyes open. Where did you find the upgrade kit boars etc for this?
KB1UAS
http://www.harbachelectronics.com/main/page_home.html
Harbach has lots of goodies for older Heathkit, Collins, Drake etc.
I installed one of their "soft key" kits in the SB-220 amp so it can interface with my modern rigs safely. The amps keying relay is 120VDC and not friendly when using my Kenwood TS-440, circa 1983, hey that's "modern"! or Icom 706 Mark II G to drive it. The soft key is a low voltage amplifier, 0.7VDC at 1.5mA that protects the keying circuit in the newer rigs.
Obviously I like the old school tube gear but appreciate and use the new school gear too. The Icom 706 is a case in point. All mode HF, VHF & UHF in a small mobile package. The TS-440 is the daily driver and connected to my PC audio card for digital using HRD, Ham Radio Deluxe.
That being said there is nothing like the soft glow of tubes in the shack at night when working a distant station. ;D
Quote from: niel on February 25, 2012, 01:07:49 PM
i never understood why somebody paid big money to build it when they could buy assembled equipment from other manufacturers for about the same or a bit more.
From http://www.heathkit-museum.com/hvmhistory.shtml
"But it wasn't until shortly after World War II, that the character of the Heath Company changed. It was then that an ambitious engineer named Howard Anthony, who had purchased the Heath Company in 1935, took a calculated gamble. The ingenious Mr. Anthony bought a large stock of surplus wartime electronic parts, designed and "mail order marketed" an oscilloscope for $39.50.
Mr. Anthony based the success of his idea on the premise that anyone, regardless of technical knowledge or skills, could assemble a kit himself, and save up to 50% over comparable factory-built models. All that would be required were a few simple hand tools and some spare time.
Orders poured in for the oscilloscope kit and the foundation for the Heath Company as it exists today was established. Mr. Anthony expanded his test instrument line and soon added amateur radio and hi-fi component kits".
Above info from an early Heathkit catalog. All Heathkits were hand assembled by the owners. The pure satisfaction of "doing it yourself" and at an affordable cost was hard to beat during the Heatkit era. The SB series of Heath Ham radio gear is highly sought after today. The SB-220 Amp I have typically goes for between $600-$1000 on ebay these days. Found mine locally for a good price.
The quality of that particular series was excellent. The only shortcuts to keep the prices down were usually cosmetic, plastic knobs etc. The chassis and electrical/electronic components were very good as proof being that many are still in use today and only require minimal updates such as caps and maybe resistors that are no longer within tolerance to bring them up to alignment specs.
Since the kits came with "assembly" manuals, not repair manuals written as "guides" for experienced bench techs, the old heath's are easy to work on and repair. No microscopes or BIG magnifying glass required to SEE the components! :)
The Harbach mods/upgrades are very good. Harbach bought the name and designs from Peter Dahl (transformers).
The only real drawback of the SB-220, and its stable-mates, is the lack of coverage of 160 Meters. The design is very solid, have one here, and it still works fine, without any internal mods.
That cap board looks very well made .. may just have to snag one soon.
Thanks for posting. Half of my gear is tube-type. Am still a bit of an AMer. Do love the glow and aroma of old tube gear. Vic K6IC
Beautiful pix !!
A friend and I have a couple of tables at the local hamfest coming up in Puyallup, WA in a couple of weeks.
Getting in early is nice. I collect tubes of weird shapes when possible. I have a couple of S-38 receivers
which was my first SW radio when I was in 4th grade or so. I wish I hadn't gotten rid of my old radios
after Jr. high school. I would like to get some of those old tube radios again including the military
receivers I used to have. BC348 etc. One thing I'll never be able to get though is the programming
that was on the air back then. I was WN7IWN (Idiots With Nuts) back around 1966 and 1967 and
did a lot of CW. What a great time !
boB
drake had some nice stuff too.
nice novice call. i like your phonetics. my previous call had a suffix of syh. not much really stuck with that one, but one gal did give me smart, young, and handsome for it. don't know if she really thought that back then, but i know it taint so now. :'(
i forgot to ask what you are selling there as you can't buy when sitting there selling?
Quote from: niel on February 25, 2012, 10:12:17 PM
i forgot to ask what you are selling there as you can't buy when sitting there selling?
I get to get in early and there will be four of us minding the table. I will probably bring a few things and that will be about it.
I mainly go to visit with people and see what little inexpensive "things" I might like. I usually spend maybe 20 bucks or so.
boB
Quote from: boB on February 26, 2012, 02:59:48 AM
I get to get in early and there will be four of us minding the table. I will probably bring a few things and that will be about it.
I mainly go to visit with people and see what little inexpensive "things" I might like. I usually spend maybe 20 bucks or so.
boB
That's been my master plan for years now at Puyallup... :) Mike and Key club always put on a great meet. Are you upstairs or downstairs?
S-38, that's a late model! I've had my SX-16 now for about 30 years. All original caps, tubes etc. and it fires up and pulls in the signals just fine. Also have the matching R-12T speaker. Nice receiver circa 1937.
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A few more pics. Note: These pics of the SX-16 are not of my actual unit but the condition is comparable.
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onanparts,
you must have a place big enough to be a museum with all of that stuff. nice stuff too.
boB,
yes, that is what i usually do as i wind up getting connectors and odds and ends, but it always seems that if i go looking for something in particular that they never have it. sometimes i'll grab stuff people don't want to take back home. i got quite a few computer caps that way.
Quote from: niel on February 26, 2012, 04:58:40 AM
onanparts,
you must have a place big enough to be a museum with all of that stuff. nice stuff too.
Not museum size but I have collected a few things over the years. :)
This is an early pic of my SB station before adding the freq display and scanalyzer
SB-620 "Scanalyzer" IF spectrum analyzer.
SB-110 6 meter rig.
WOW! Onan .. , you DO have quite a collection, and some things that seem a bit rare to me. Nice stuff, thanks for the trip back a few decades. Vic
Hi Vic,
As far as the "rare" stuff concerning Heathkit the SB-110 6 Meter rig was not easy to find. Even on ebay they only turn up once in awhile. The SB-620 scanalyzer was hard to find when I started looking but they pop up fairly regular now on ebay and on some of the ham related classified sites. A truly rare item is the SB-640 remote VFO/LMO. Still on the hunt for one of those to round out the station.
Although not an"SB" series piece of gear I did snag a very nice condition HM-2103 Dry dummy load wattmeter not long ago. It fits the SB "look" but was made around 1974-1975. Falls into the rare category as they don't turn up too often. The infamous Cantenna's, a 100 watt resister in a 1 gallon paint can filled with oil are a dime a dozen.
The nice thing about these Heathkits is the vast majority were assembled by Hams typically working in the electronics field. Design engineers, repair techs etc. These kits were not slapped together in a day or two but instead assembled with great care, patience and attention to detail over a period of weeks or months as time allowed.
Small 175 watt 50 Ohm resistor inside. :) Respectable derating curve for a dry dummy load.
Had a good time at the largest Hamfest in the NorthWest last weekend and snagged a couple of goodies to add to the Heathkit family. I knew boB was going to be there with some friends at a sellers table but we never did nail down our table numbers prior to getting there.
Sellers get in as early as 5:30AM but the general public can't get in until 9AM so having 2-3 hours to wander around without the large crowds and get first or second looks at everything is a big plus! After my first sweep through I headed back to our table with the great deal on a Heathkit SB-600 speaker with the PS built in.
Never having met boB all I had to go on was a few seconds of him in one of the MN powertime vids. I spot somebody with a shirt that had " Yes I Know What all The Knobs Do" or close to that anyway on the back. As I got closer he turned my way and I knew it was boB. Before introducing myself I asked him first when the MidniteSolar pre-amplified planter box was going to be released. "Inside joke". :)
He asked where our table was? Well boB, looks like we are neighbors since I'm right next to you! The pain and suffering of having to put up with him and his buddies for nearly 8 hours was almost unbearable! :)
Not buying that are you? OK, actually between the Heathkit radios I scored and boB right next door off the clock on a Saturday and in full casual mode it was probably the best Hamfest I've been to in years. We swapped lots of lies off and on during the day and it turns out he has some "unobtainium" parts I need to repair a minor problem with a 30+ year old piece of Hi Fi stereo gear made by Spectro Acoustics, a company Robin started back in the early 70's and boB was involved in. :)
Dang! Talk about product support!
boB is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and he designs some really kool stuff! + he's a Ham and no dang Iphoney for him! Android for those of us who know better.... ;D
Ok, that's it for flowers boB! It's time for Heathkit pics!!!!
First up is an SB-102 HF rig I scored at the fest. Assembled in 1972 and being sold by a friend of the silent key that put it together. Looks good and works just fine. Clearly a well maintained rig considering it's 40 years old!
O-ring belt drives and a good look at the final section with a pair of 6146's.
Next up was the deal of the day. An SB-110 six meter rig that looked like it had been sitting in somebody's basement the last 30 years! Asking price? $40 I offered $30 as it was most likely going to be a spare parts rig. He said SOLD! Well dang it all if I didn't put it on the bench just for the heck of it and see if the magic smoke was still inside.
It lights up! Within a minute or so I'm pulling in some CW and have not even touched the VFO! Well shoot! Give it an hour to settle in and hook up the dummy load. No 6 meter ant at this time. Hey Mr. Wizard it tunes up and puts out full rated output. :) The SB-110 is a bit of a rare beast and non working models go for $150+ on epay if and when they show up.
Before and after pics here. I spent maybe 15 minutes giving it a quick cleaning up. The results are amazing.
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And now the after pics.
Not bad for a quick dusting off.
talk about feeling like a leprechaun as i'm turning a bit green with envy. nice find.
Quote from: niel on March 16, 2012, 01:41:32 PM
talk about feeling like a leprechaun as i'm turning a bit green with envy. nice find.
Tomorrow will be a good day for some green. :)
Looking forward to playing on the "magic band". 6 meters can be interesting just about anytime. This is what I use for audio input with the Heathkits, Electro Voice model 638.
Still looking for the missing pics from this thread.....In the meantime I finally got started today rebuilding one of my Heath power supplies. A fairly simple updated board to replace the old caps, resistors etc. Nice big wide open spaces...no magnifying glass required! :) Even tired old eyes can slap this together.
About 15-20 minutes tops. Hey, there was a few emails to check too! I think I remember how to solder stuff.....Ok boB, I'll use less next time.....
Hamsters got this thing about putting their call signs on pc boards. :) The fun part is next. Removing the old guts from the base. The old external caps will go. Some like to leave them so the supply "looks" original but this one fits inside the SB-600 speaker case and you really don't see them anyway. New board with caps will fit inside the base and not be seen.
Bottom side. Last step is yank the guts out and install new board. That might take a bit longer than 15-20 minutes...:)
Quote from: onanparts on August 29, 2012, 01:04:13 AM
About 15-20 minutes tops. Hey, there was a few emails to check too! I think I remember how to solder stuff.....Ok boB, I'll use less next time.....
Looks like a perfect joint to me !!
Great to see you on !
boB
Quote from: boB on August 29, 2012, 01:46:13 AM
Quote from: onanparts on August 29, 2012, 01:04:13 AM
About 15-20 minutes tops. Hey, there was a few emails to check too! I think I remember how to solder stuff.....Ok boB, I'll use less next time.....
Looks like a perfect joint to me !!
Great to see you on !
Howdy boB! Busy summer but this afternoon I had a short break and noticed the box with the ps kit had a March 2011 postage date! Needed to take a "time out" from the world even if it was brief so I attacked the kit. The original ps is working fine but them thar caps etc. be getting on 42+ years now.......:)
boB
Hey boB, do ya think I need a bigger iron? This one seems a little small for my current project......
Quote from: onanparts on August 30, 2012, 01:30:05 AM
Hey boB, do ya think I need a bigger iron? This one seems a little small for my current project......
Nope ! Perfect ! We have one or two of those American Beauty's here at MidNite, too.
I have bought a few larger irons at the Puyallup hamfest for a few dollars each.
That AB is much better than the big old ones though.
boB
Those biG irons are great for getting the BBQ going too!
Had time yesterday for some more R n R and for the most part the updated supply is done. Need to tidy up the wiring etc. but no magic smoke escaped...:)
The five 100K resistors dissipate lots of heat and the early aftermarket design called for mounting them 1/8 off the board. Later instructions now say 1/4 due to some boards getting burnt etc. Parts list indicates they are 3 watt metal oxide but most I've seen are typically blue, boB? Anyway I watered them with some miracle grow and dang the next day they turned from brown to blue and grew much larger!
Actually I stopped by the local rat shack and right next to the cell phones and RC toys they had lots of 100K 3 watt metal oxide resistors overflowing from the bin! Nice big ones and since there is enough room in the supply chassis to park a large truck I went with the fatties. They are about 1 inch off the board with plenty of room to shed the heat.
First two pics old parts gutted.
New board installed and wired up. No load voltage is right at specs of 350VDC +.
Later I may put the old caps back in place just for original appearance but the kit comes with a cover plate I'll use for now.
The supply models over the years were HP-23, HP-23A, HP-23B & HP23C. The aftermarket kit is referred to as an HP23-D.
This is where to get the kit: http://www.ultrawebb.com/OHP/
You have many options here. Fully assembled, boring! Kit form, better. Or just get the PC board only and use your own goodies from your spare parts pile, best! All the parts in the kit are available individually. Next on the list is new power cables. I have some NOS 11 pin connectors I found on epay along with some fresh cable. Some of the old cables are in sad shape after 40+ years and due for retirement.
so hows the 6 mtr rig running now? having much fun with it?
Quote from: niel on September 01, 2012, 02:21:13 AM
so hows the 6 mtr rig running now? having much fun with it?
It's been on the back burner until one of the power supplies was updated. 1 down 1 more to go. Taking some time off this month so the Heath's will be getting some more much needed attention including including a bit of on the air time!
First one done and mounted inside the SB-600 speaker. These PS's were used stand alone with a cage or installed inside the speaker as seen here. This supply is the "newest" part of the station. Was looking through the original manual that came with it tonight and the receipt from 1975 fell out...:)