Simple SB-301 mod

[Glen Zook]

Fortunately, since the SB-301 is a tube-type receiver,
you don't usually need a front-end attenuator like is
very necessary with the solid-state receivers.  I have
found that the SB-301 co-exists with nearby
high-powered stations without any problems at all.  By
nearby, I mean like 4 city blocks away or less
stations running full legal power.

A number of years ago, the Richardson Wireless Klub
(K5RWK station call) members were very active in
virtually every contest that happened and in the City
of Richardson there is at least one amateur every 3
blocks.  Those stations that were running the Collins
S-Lines, the Heath SB-Lines, and the various Drake
4-Lines, as well as other tube-type equipment, could
operate during the contests with very little problems
from front-end overload.  On the other hand, those
stations using the solid-state equipment had to either
crank in so much attenuation as to make their
receivers basically deaf, or else they couldn't
operate at all.

Having an attenuator won't hurt anything.  But, as
originally designed the Heath SB-Line tube-type
receivers are pretty darned good where things like
front-end overload are concerned.  Unfortunately, this
doesn't apply to the SB-303 and the other solid-state
receiver equipment made by Heath.  I owned an SB-303
for a while and, frankly, between the high ambient
noise level of the receiver and the tendency to
overload on even moderately strong signals, I
definitely did not like that receiver.  Traded it off
for an excellent Hammarlund HQ-140X to help recreate
my station that I used in college.

Glen, K9STH

--- Mark Graalman WB8JKR <wb8jkr at JUNO.COM> wrote:

This will give you a three position attenuator: HF
being 0 dB, VHF 2 will be about -10 dB and VHF 1 will
be about -20 dB.

=====
Glen, K9STH

Web sites

http://home.comcast.net/~k9sth
http://home.comcast.net/~zcomco

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