Hello All,

I'm looking for an AM/CW rig in the 100 watt class, and may have a choice between a Heath DX-100 and a Heath Apache. In looking at the specs I could find on the two, the Apache looks like the better choice. What do you think?

Cheers,

Brian Ex: W5BRO, K6UCD

Brian Burns wrote:

I'm looking for an AM/CW rig in the 100 watt class, and may have a choice between a Heath DX-100 and a Heath Apache. In looking at the specs I could find on the two, the Apache looks like the better choice. What do you think?

Well, the Apache will send SSB, which is a good feature to have, whereas
the DX-100 won't. On the other hand, the DX-100 is much simpler, as a result.

But I would pick whichever of the two is factory-wired. If they were both
built as kits, I'd pick the one that has the best-looking solder joints.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Brian Burns wrote:

I'm looking for an AM/CW rig in the 100 watt class, and
may have a choice between a Heath DX-100 and a Heath
Apache. In looking at the specs I could find on the two,
the Apache looks like the better choice. What do you
think?

Well, the Apache will send SSB, which is a good feature to
have, whereas
the DX-100 won't. On the other hand, the DX-100 is much
simpler, as a result.

But I would pick whichever of the two is factory-wired.
If they were both
built as kits, I'd pick the one that has the best-looking
solder joints.
--scott

Good advice but if the rig is primarily for AM I would
check the manuals to see how its generated. The DX-100 is
plate modulated but most SSB rigs do AM by either injecting
carrier on one sideband or with controlled carrier or some
other scheme that will work with a linear amplifier.


--

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL

On Wed, 1 May 2013 10:54:24 -0700 (PDT), Brian Burns
wrote:

Hello All,

I'm looking for an AM/CW rig in the 100 watt class, and may have a choice between a Heath DX-100 and a Heath Apache. In looking at the specs I could find on the two, the Apache looks like the better choice. What do you think?

Cheers,

Brian Ex: W5BRO, K6UCD

The B&W 5100B is better than both except it does not have 160. B&W's
sound great on AM and work fine on CW too.

Dan
N9JBF

Hello All,

Thanks for all the quick replies and good advice! I should know in a few days about the availability of the rigs.

The B&W 5100 looks like a great rig, but I don't recall ever seeing one for sale. Were there only a few made? Or does everybody want to keep theirs?

Cheers,

Brian

"Richard Knoppow" wrote in message
m...

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Brian Burns wrote:

Disregard my post. The Apache does have plate modulation,
I was confusing it with another transmitter.


--

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL

On Wed, 1 May 2013 17:33:26 -0700 (PDT), Brian Burns
wrote:

Hello All,

Thanks for all the quick replies and good advice! I should know in a few days about the availability of the rigs.

The B&W 5100 looks like a great rig, but I don't recall ever seeing one for sale. Were there only a few made? Or does everybody want to keep theirs?

Cheers,

Brian


I think it's a combination of few made and the owners don't want to
get rid of them. They have great audio. I have had several and was
always happy with performance. Also like the low pass filter that was
built in. What price range are you looking at? My email addy is
danl4NOster@gmail without the NO, if you would rather not say online.

N9JBF
Dan

On Wed, 1 May 2013 10:54:24 -0700 (PDT), Brian Burns
wrote:

Hello All,

I'm looking for an AM/CW rig in the 100 watt class, and may have a choice between a Heath DX-100 and a Heath Apache. In looking at the specs I could find on the two, the Apache looks like the better choice. What do you think?

Cheers,

Brian Ex: W5BRO, K6UCD

Brian Burns, what is your current callsign?

Roger wrote:
Another possible choice is the Johnson Viking I and II. Both 100 watt
rigs that cover 160m but require an external VFO.

There are literally hundreds of different transmitters out there that will
fit the bill, and to be honest a lot of them are much better made than the
Heathkits which always seemed kind of marginal to me.

Everybody from Hallicrafters and Globe King on up to Collins made something
like that.

I have to say, though, that the Vikings are really hard to beat. They are
steady as a rock, the power supply is seriously overdesigned, and they are
well-cooled. There are hundreds of small shortwave broadcasters in South
America using the things with the key down 24 hours a day with no rest, and
they just run and run. Audio quality is superb. You can add a modern
synthesized VFO or the original Johnson VFO (which is pretty stable) or
a crystal.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Wed, 1 May 2013, Richard Knoppow wrote:


"Richard Knoppow" wrote in message
m...

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Brian Burns wrote:

Disregard my post. The Apache does have plate modulation,
I was confusing it with another transmitter.

But it was a valid point to check. Most SSB transmitters used low level
modulation for AM, so the Apache then becomes a relatively uncommon item,
an SSB rig that does plate modulation for AM. That tends to make it a
better choice, since it does SSB too.

Michael VE2BVW