HW-101 Tubes

[Steve & Anne Ray]

I want to pass on my experience with the El Menko tubes in the HW-101,
SB-100 series rigs.  Heath 20+ years ago started getting a brand called El
Menko.  Hopefully your rig does not have them.  The 6AU6 had 5 volt
filaments so the VFO would drift excessively, also the 6AU6 used in the S
meter circuitry would pin the needle.   I recently ran into problems with
my sidetone oscillator being RF sensitive. Each time you held the key down
the rig would transmit for .5 seconds or so and then the VOX would cut off.
 In addition the sidetone was terrible.  Thought it was a bypassing problem
till I changed the 6EA8 at V15,  I still had the original 6EA8 made by El
Menko in the rig.  Just for the heck of it I tried a old 6EA8 I had
replaced with a 6CQ8 at V1.  This 6EA8  was also made by El Menko, but only
in the rig a couple of years.  Needless to say it acted up also.  Finally I
put in a Sylvania 6EA8 and the problem was solved.  I would advise all
HW-101/SB-100 series users to check their tubes and replace any El Menko
Brand.  I have completely retubed my HW-101 with tubes found at a Hamfest.


By the way don't worry about the finals Heath did not use El Menko brand
for the 6146s.

73

Steve Ray    K4JPN   ex K1VKW   HW-101, HW-8, SWL 30-40 and NC 38S Heath
Kit fan