Heathkit HW8

As mentioned before, I recently bought a second-hand HW8. This product is often used for restoration and modification.

Heathkit QRP HW8 CW transceiver

You may recall I bought a much modified HW8  some weeks ago. If I could find my CW key I might use it on TX! 

This video is years old. In its day the HW8 was a very good rig. 

I bought one already made but later sold it back to the person I bought mine from. It worked plenty of DX despite 2W and low wire antennas.

Heathkit HW8 tested

"How the mighty are fallen". 

Years ago I was able to work on complex circuits and anything involving soldering was trivial. 

All I had to do today was solder 2 off 6.35mm mono plugs to allow me to test my HW8 bought recently. 

After about 15 minutes I was totally exhausted yesterday!

The good news is the HW8 appears to work on RX and TX.

Heathkit HW-8

These were very popular QRP CW transceivers some years ago. I owned a built one and had lots of fun with it. As I recall, I mostly used it on 15m CW and had plenty of DX QSOs despite it being just 2W.

Although I have yet to get it, I have just bought a much modified HW-8 ready built. Whether I use it depends on my ability to send CW!!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/heathkit-hw8

Restoring the Heathkit HW8 transceiver

 At one time the Heathkit HW8 QRP CW transceiver was very popular. This video is about restoring one.

Heathkit Twoer 2m AM transceiver

It is amazing how your wishes change! 

Back in the 1960s I really wanted a Heathkit Twoer transceiver. In those days most people on 2m used AM and the band was quiet. It used a sensitive super-regen RX, but these were broad. In their day they were fine. Looking back I am amazed how bad they were!

Versions were made for 10m 11m CB and 6m too.

To this day I still like the style. They were known as the "Benton Harbour Lunchboxes"  as they resembled a lunchbox.

In their day they were "state of the art".

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/vhfuhf-commercial-rigs/hw30

Classic QRP rig

The Heathkit HW8 was a classic HF transceiver. As I recall it was about 2W CW and covered 80m, 40m, 20m and 15m CW with a direct conversion RX. I owned one for a while and (I think) sold it back to the original owner. This was about 40 years ago, so my memory is not clear!

The image was found on the internet, but I cannot remember where!

A few years ago Heathkit tried to make a comeback. The original Heathkits were excellent, but later products were expensive and nothing exciting in my view.

See https://shop.heathkit.com/collections/products.

The advent of Japanese rigs led to there being no real advantage to building a kit.

Heathkits

In the past Heathkit produced some great QRP CW transceivers. 

The HW7 a QRP HF transceiver was produced first, then the HW8 (which I owned) and finally the HW9. 

Heathkit

In the late 1960s Heathkit made some great radios. Take, for example, the SB101. 

Then the Japanese started making transceivers that meant there was little difference in making a kit. Most bought a ready made transceiver instead. 

Heathkit HW8

For about a year I owned an HW8 2W CW transceiver. This transceiver covered 40-15m. It worked really well and made some great DX contacts. 

I think it was sold back to the original owner. I wish I still had it!

The image is copyrighted. It will be removed if using it is an issue, but the best site I have seen is at https://wd8rif.com/hw8.htm by William McFadden (who has the copyright), which is filled with useful information.

Heathkit shack

 This was spotted earlier. Heathkit are a shadow of their former self.

Heathkits

In my youth these were a way of getting on the air for less by making your own gear.  

They were famous for their step-be-step assembly instructions. These days it is less expensive to buy Japanese or Chinese made gear either new or second hand.

I thought Heathkit had died, then I saw a website which had a few products. Compared with Heathkits of old, these were very limited and very expensive. I thought this "rebirth" was doomed to failure. It would appear it still exists, much to my surprise.

Unless they increase their range and drop their prices I just can't see them surviving for long. They must have a very loyal group of supporters.

See https://shop.heathkit.com/ .

Heathkits

My whole career and amateur radio hobby really started with a Heathkit Electronics Workshop that my late dad bought for Christmas in 1961. Little did I know then what it would lead to. 

These days kits are often too expensive whereas in the 1950s and 1960s kits were often far less expensive and you had the satisfaction of saying, "I made that". Kits often made the hobby affordable.

You may be interested in this video about the company and its origins.

Heathkit

Many old timers have fond memories of Heathkits.  Their kits were excellent with building manuals that step-by-step showed you how to build the item. 

Someone restarted the company some years ago, and I think this is still going. I won't say "strongly" as the last time I looked they had a very limited range at very high prices!  Sadly, it has a very limited range. I suspect they must have a very loyal customer base. By my judgment they would have closed several years ago. I wish them well, but they need far more kits at reasonable prices. The competition from the Far East must be crippling.

My introduction to radio was a Heathkit Electronics Workshop for Christmas 1961 bought for me by my dad. Little did he know it was the start of a career and hobby. Even now this hobby still gives me loads of fun.

I still like the form factor of the "Benton Harbour Lunchboxes".  These were a series of AM transceivers for 11m CB, 10m, 6m and 2m. At the time these were ideal, although their wide super-regen receivers would struggle today.

See https://shop.heathkit.com/ .

Changing times

Back in the 1960s, 2m was almost exclusively AM and 70cm was the frontier. These days many (probably most)  prefer digital modes like FT8. When first active in the late 1960s people used to come on just to chat. 

These days there are many other ways to do this not involving amateur radio or licences. Radio is no longer magic for most: video chats across the world for free on the internet are easy. My wife talks to a friend in Australia on video as if she is in the next room.

Back in the late 1960s I really wanted a Heathkit Twoer HW30 kit. This was a 5W AM transceiver with a super-regen RX. In those days of very low activity, this was probably all you needed. Selectivity was poor, not that it really mattered most of the time.

Heathkit HW family

An early Heathkit advert

As a teenager I always wanted a 2m HW30 kit. Goodness knows why, as by modern standards they were poor! 

Heathkit made a family of what became known as the Benton Harbor Lunchboxes. In many places they were the mainstay of VHF activity, way before FM, SSB and FT8.

They were valved and had a 5W AM TX and a super-regen RX. Most of the time this was fine for VHF at the time.

I cannot remember when they stopped being available, but I would guess mid 1970s.

At one time I had the manual, but never the rig.

The style I still like and in later years (before my stroke) fancied doing a modern equivalent for 10m with transistors and far smaller on a single PCB.

See http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/Surplus_Radioamateur/Heathkit_HW-30_review_QST_2013.pdf

How it all started

Way back in 1961, my dad bought me a Heathkit Electronics Workshop for Christmas. Little did I know then that this would later become my career and lifetime hobby.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/heathkit-electronics-workshop

Heathkits

When I was young (OK a long time ago!) Heathkits were popular. They sold some very good kits that made some classy pieces of equipment including VHF and HF transceivers.

In recent years, they tried to make a comeback, but their range was poor and overpriced.  Their website still exists,  although goodness knows how! They must have some very dedicated followers.   With low cost kits from China, making kits for radio amateurs must be very hard these days unless the kits are good and the price is very competitive.

As mentioned yesterday, I coveted the valved HW30 2m AM transceiver. I realised that my website did not have a page on this, so I have added one.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/vhfuhf-commercial-rigs/hw30 .

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathkit for the whole Heathkit story.

My whole professional career and hobby of 60 years owes a lot to Heathkit since my dad bought me a Heathkit Electronics Workhop for Christmas 1961.

Heathkit HW30 2m rig

When I was young I coveted a Benton Harbour Lunchbox. 

This was a 5W 2m AM transceiver. At the time, 2m was very quiet and a super-regen RX was fine. These receivers were sensitive, but lacked sharp selectivity.

Looking back these rigs were quite poor, although I always liked the ergonomics. Versions were made for 11m CB, 10m and 6m too. In their day, they served a purpose, but these would struggle these days. 

I once owned the manual, but never the rig.  These days all the functionality and far, far, more may be obtained in a tiny dual band VHF FM handheld.

Se

Heathkit HW8 QRP CW transceiver

 

A few days ago I posted that Heathkit is trying to make a comeback. So far, the kits are a poor imitation of the kits of old. These (to me) seem overpriced and poor. It is rumoured that some amateur band kits are planned.

Many years ago I owned an HW8 which was an HF QRP transceiver. I had great fun with mine. 

These days there is less CW activity, with FT8 better suited to QRP modes. However, FT8 needs a PC. With CW some very simple rigs can be made.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hw8 .