Hi Gang,
This is probabaly a dumb question, but is the Heath HW-101
and SB-101 basically the same? The reason I'm asking is that
I already have a decent HW-101, and I was just offered an
SB-101 for a very reasonable price. If the SB-101 is a much
better rig, I may buy the SB and sell the HW.

TIA.

Steve W6SSP

"Steve" ) writes:
Hi Gang,
This is probabaly a dumb question, but is the Heath HW-101
and SB-101 basically the same? The reason I'm asking is that
I already have a decent HW-101, and I was just offered an
SB-101 for a very reasonable price. If the SB-101 is a much
better rig, I may buy the SB and sell the HW.

From memory, they are pretty much the same, with the HW being
the economy model. The dial is supposed to be better on the SB,
and I think there's a few extra features on it, but the circuit is
basically common to both.

Michael VE2BVW

In article ,
says...
Hi Gang,
This is probabaly a dumb question, but is the Heath HW-101
and SB-101 basically the same? The reason I'm asking is that
I already have a decent HW-101, and I was just offered an
SB-101 for a very reasonable price. If the SB-101 is a much
better rig, I may buy the SB and sell the HW.

TIA.

Steve W6SSP



They were very similar. I'd buy the SB-101 and keep the HW for
parts.

On Fri, 4 Mar 2005 15:59:56 UTC, "Steve" wrote:

Hi Gang,
This is probabaly a dumb question, but is the Heath HW-101
and SB-101 basically the same? The reason I'm asking is that
I already have a decent HW-101, and I was just offered an
SB-101 for a very reasonable price. If the SB-101 is a much
better rig, I may buy the SB and sell the HW.


Get the SB-101 unless you really love the HW-101.

The SB-101 has the tube version of the LMO, 1 kHz frequency
readout, compare to the, what, 5 kHz dial on the HW-101. The SB-101
is more stable too.

A little discussed feature. The HW-100 has a broad slope SSB
filter. I don't know if the HW-101 uses that or the 6 pole SB
filter. If it has the HW-100's filter, which I believe is a 4 pole,
then, for that reason alone, the SB-101 is a better choice.

Either way, though. Both are good radios and plenty good enough.

Why not get the SB-101, run your own comparison for 6 months or a
year, then keep one and sell the other.

de ah6gi/4

I've owned and restored literally dozens of the
HW-100/101 and SB-100/101/102 rigs over the years.

To build on what AH6GI has correctly stated...

The HW-100/101 have a traditional VFO, while the
SB-100/101/102 have an LMO (linearized master
oscillator) which is much more stable. The '102
has a solid-state LMO, while its predecessors have
tube-type LMO's. The HW-100/101 VFO is tube-type.
As AH6GI stated, the SB-line rigs have a better
VFO frequency dial arrangement.

The HW-101 and SB-102 use the same SSB filter, and
it's very selective. Both can handle the optional
400 Hz CW filter, which is VERY selective.

As a side note, you can use the Heath filters in
a Kenwood TS-520/520S/520SE and vice-versa, since
both use a 3395 KHz i-f!

There are other minor circuit differences between
the Heath rigs, and some physical differences too.
The SB rigs have the VOX controls inside the rig,
up on top, accessible through the hinged lid, while
the HW-101 has them on the lower side of the cabinet,
harder to get to. The SB-102 has more metering
functions than the HW-101, although the meter itself
uses the same movement. The SB-102 has capability
to use an optional (somewhat scarce) remote VFO,
and the HW-101 does not have this capability.

The SB-102 is a better rig from a stability and
user-friendliness standpoint. Performance-wise,
they're a dead heat. The lion's share of the
circuitry is virtually identical.

If you have your choice for about the same cost,
buy the SB-102.

73,
Dean K5DH



In article 0QMXZWh9EdSr-pn2-Ir1HbPlU7zrN@localhost, says...

On Fri, 4 Mar 2005 15:59:56 UTC, "Steve" wrote:

Hi Gang,
This is probabaly a dumb question, but is the Heath HW-101
and SB-101 basically the same? The reason I'm asking is that
I already have a decent HW-101, and I was just offered an
SB-101 for a very reasonable price. If the SB-101 is a much
better rig, I may buy the SB and sell the HW.


Get the SB-101 unless you really love the HW-101.

The SB-101 has the tube version of the LMO, 1 kHz frequency
readout, compare to the, what, 5 kHz dial on the HW-101. The SB-101
is more stable too.

A little discussed feature. The HW-100 has a broad slope SSB
filter. I don't know if the HW-101 uses that or the 6 pole SB
filter. If it has the HW-100's filter, which I believe is a 4 pole,
then, for that reason alone, the SB-101 is a better choice.

Either way, though. Both are good radios and plenty good enough.

Why not get the SB-101, run your own comparison for 6 months or a
year, then keep one and sell the other.

de ah6gi/4

I have an HW-101 and its VFO oscillator is solid-state (FET).

It is surpring how well that rig performs compared to today rigs.

Tony, I0JX

"=3DK=3D5=3DD=3DH=3D" ha scritto nel messaggio =
...
I've owned and restored literally dozens of the
HW-100/101 and SB-100/101/102 rigs over the years.
=20
To build on what AH6GI has correctly stated...
=20
The HW-100/101 have a traditional VFO, while the
SB-100/101/102 have an LMO (linearized master
oscillator) which is much more stable. The '102
has a solid-state LMO, while its predecessors have
tube-type LMO's. The HW-100/101 VFO is tube-type.
As AH6GI stated, the SB-line rigs have a better
VFO frequency dial arrangement.
=20
The HW-101 and SB-102 use the same SSB filter, and
it's very selective. Both can handle the optional
400 Hz CW filter, which is VERY selective.
=20
As a side note, you can use the Heath filters in
a Kenwood TS-520/520S/520SE and vice-versa, since
both use a 3395 KHz i-f!
=20
There are other minor circuit differences between
the Heath rigs, and some physical differences too.
The SB rigs have the VOX controls inside the rig,
up on top, accessible through the hinged lid, while
the HW-101 has them on the lower side of the cabinet,
harder to get to. The SB-102 has more metering
functions than the HW-101, although the meter itself
uses the same movement. The SB-102 has capability
to use an optional (somewhat scarce) remote VFO,
and the HW-101 does not have this capability.
=20
The SB-102 is a better rig from a stability and
user-friendliness standpoint. Performance-wise,
they're a dead heat. The lion's share of the
circuitry is virtually identical.
=20
If you have your choice for about the same cost,
buy the SB-102.
=20
73,
Dean K5DH
=20
=20
=20
In article 0QMXZWh9EdSr-pn2-Ir1HbPlU7zrN@localhost, =
says...

On Fri, 4 Mar 2005 15:59:56 UTC, "Steve" wrote:

Hi Gang,
This is probabaly a dumb question, but is the Heath HW-101
and SB-101 basically the same? The reason I'm asking is that
I already have a decent HW-101, and I was just offered an
SB-101 for a very reasonable price. If the SB-101 is a much
better rig, I may buy the SB and sell the HW.
=20

Get the SB-101 unless you really love the HW-101.

The SB-101 has the tube version of the LMO, 1 kHz frequency=20
readout, compare to the, what, 5 kHz dial on the HW-101. The SB-101
is more stable too.

A little discussed feature. The HW-100 has a broad slope SSB=20
filter. I don't know if the HW-101 uses that or the 6 pole SB=20
filter. If it has the HW-100's filter, which I believe is a 4 pole,
then, for that reason alone, the SB-101 is a better choice.

Either way, though. Both are good radios and plenty good enough. =20

Why not get the SB-101, run your own comparison for 6 months or a=20
year, then keep one and sell the other. =20

de ah6gi/4 =20

The VFO's on the HW-100 and 101 were terribly unstable, no matter how well
you built-rebuilt them. To many structural stress points that changed with
temprature, defective coils, a transistor junction as a VR, improper drive
coupling

The SB-101 used a brick solid temprature compensated factory built TRW LMO
on a pinch drive that could expand and contract with temprature.

For the SB-102 Heathkit dropped the good TRW's and went back to a cheap
flimsy thing marketed as the "New and improved FET LMO".
Most of these LMO's aligned with the tuning capacitor trimmer screws all the
way out so if you put you coffie or D-104 down to hard the set would jump a
couple hundred Hz.

Keep the SB-101, Id say its the best HF tranceiver kit they put out
-Joe

Well The LMO (tube type) in my SB-101 was made by TRW(stamped on the
case) , and so is the solid state LMO in my SB-102. The solid state
unit doesn't have any FETs in in just 2N706 transistors with a single
RCA 40080 output transistor.
It was also made by TRW. (the schematic for the solid state LMO is
available at bama.sbc.edu and it's mirror site).

Does anyone have the schematic of the Tube LMO?

According to Penson's book on Heathkit amateur radios, the initial
design for the LMO was done by Shafer, and was built by Elrad Engineering.
As the SB rigs became more popular, Heath got other unnamed manufacturers
to make the LMO, I think mostly to keep Elrad honest. In the end,
TRW made the bulk of the LMOs used in the SB series.

The VFO in the HW100, and HW101 was always solidstate.

-Chuck

Jim wrote:
Well The LMO (tube type) in my SB-101 was made by TRW(stamped on the
case) , and so is the solid state LMO in my SB-102. The solid state
unit doesn't have any FETs in in just 2N706 transistors with a single
RCA 40080 output transistor.
It was also made by TRW. (the schematic for the solid state LMO is
available at bama.sbc.edu and it's mirror site).

Does anyone have the schematic of the Tube LMO?