Heathkit SB104 and SB104A

[Jim Lowman]

>Hello fellow Heathkit'eers:
>
>I am the proud owner/user/maintainer/griefkit'eer of the matchless
>SB104A. I have been hamming as such since 1978 after cutting my teeth on
>the DX60B, HR-10B, and a right handed knife switch. Anyone else care to
>admit to owning the SB104?
>
>I would be happy to exchange stories (and lies) about great DX
>achievements and the near impossible task of taking this rig MOBILE. Yes,
>I use it mobile! Do you dare?

I can remember getting the 104 when I was stationed in Japan with the Air
Force.
I had sold a Yaesu FT-101 to get the money to buy it.  Back then, we could buy
Japanese ham gear very cheaply, as compared with hams in the USA.  As I
recall,
I sold the rig for more than the original purchase price, plus *registered*
mail
shipping cost (only way one could ship something of that value, and have it
insured,
at that time) and the recipient in the states still saved money over the US
price.

By the way of introduction, I really loved assembling Heathkits.  My
collection
includes quite a bit of test equipment: VTVM, transistor tester, RF signal
generator.
The SB-104 was the first piece of ham gear, ironically, although I have
been a ham
since 1965.  Oh, well...I didn't drive a Volksvagen in college,
either...missed a
couple of life's great experiences.  :-)

Most of the 104 is still in boxes, as I assembled all of the circuit cards,
but never
got around to doing all of the point-to-point wiring on the backplane.  No,
I don't
want to sell it, at this point.  :-)

I'm surprised that this rig never seemed to become the classic that some
Heathkit ham
gear came to be.  Could have been the price.  After all, the 104 was the
first *totally*
solid-state ham transceiver (including the finals) that I remember.  As a
kit, it seemed
well ahead of its time.

I do recall that there was an upgrade kit available, to correct some of the
early problems
with the 104.  Don't recall the deatils, but am looking forward to getting
the CD-ROM
version of the 1970-74 QST Magazines, as I quit ARRL right after the
Incentive Licensing
fiasco deprived me of frequencies that I had earned already.

I would appreciate hearing of anyone's experience with this line of
Heathkit ham gear.

73 de Jim - KF6CR