From beartrax at mtaonline.net Wed May 4 17:41:29 2016 From: beartrax at mtaonline.net (Bill Bear) Date: Wed, 4 May 2016 13:41:29 -0800 Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... Message-ID: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net> Recently read comments about no 90 ma idle plate current as described in SB200 manual. Has this issue been resolved? I recently competed the Harbach upgrades to my SB200: soft start, soft key, and power supply. I also am having the same disrepancy: no idle plate current with linear on and xcvr key down in SSB mode. All other readings nomal, normal loading procedure, and 600-700 watts output using rtty mode signal. On air checks on 75 meters reports a 10-15 db improvement between linear on and off with 100 watts of drive. The linear seems to be working fine in spite of now ?idle current of 90 ma." Apparently with these three mods installed, the tube bias circuit is altered such that the idle plate current reading of 90 ma as described in the original manual is no longer valid. Can anyone else confirm this conclusion? 73 Bill From kgordon2006 at frontier.com Wed May 4 19:34:26 2016 From: kgordon2006 at frontier.com (Kenneth G. Gordon) Date: Wed, 04 May 2016 16:34:26 -0700 Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... In-Reply-To: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net> References: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net> Message-ID: <572A8702.10152.4E640DE@kgordon2006.frontier.com> On 4 May 2016 at 13:41, Bill Bear wrote: > Recently read comments about no 90 ma idle plate current as described > in SB200 manual. Has this issue been resolved? Yes. Replace C-19 2 MFD 150 VDC. Ken W7EKB From kgordon2006 at frontier.com Fri May 6 12:21:57 2016 From: kgordon2006 at frontier.com (Kenneth G. Gordon) Date: Fri, 06 May 2016 09:21:57 -0700 Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... In-Reply-To: <4AAC4560-C534-4A5C-BB73-AD86676E5247@mtaonline.net> References: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net>, <572A8702.10152.4E640DE@kgordon2006.frontier.com>, <4AAC4560-C534-4A5C-BB73-AD86676E5247@mtaonline.net> Message-ID: <572CC4A5.8375.1EAD172C@kgordon2006.frontier.com> On 6 May 2016 at 7:46, Bill Bear wrote: > Ken, > > One of the first things I did after an initial visual inspection was replace C19 > ( 2uF) and C3 (20 uF). They just looked too old and my experience with old > electrolytics is that they are no longer up to specs. So, I must have something > else to investigate. OK. Let me see if I can remember exactly what I ran into: for one thing, I began having that problem after I had installed a Harbach Soft-Key interface to help my more modern transceivers key the amp. It turned out that the high 60 Hz AC ripple in the DC to the grids was causing the Soft-Key to partially key on, increasing the bias voltage to below ("above" i.e. more negative) -2 volts. In order for the 572Bs to draw 90 mA of idle current, the grid bias must be -2VDC. If the voltage increases "above" that (becomes more negative), the idle current will drop, and the tubes will possibly be operating nearer a non-linear region of their operating curve. Secondly, there is also the fact that in order to read that 90 mA, the metering circuits have to be working properly. That 90 mA shows at the very bottom of the scale and in fact is very hard to read there, and is not very accurate. What one really should do is to add another section or rewire a seldom-used section, of the meter switch to read idle current at a point at least half-scale on the meter. Thirdly, idle current will also fall if plate voltage is not close to where it should be. I get 2150 VDC under load. > After you changed C19, did you get a nominal idle plate current reading near 90 > ma? Yes. > I am also wondering what resistance check results you had after the mods: > plate to gnd and tube pin 3 to gnd ? I have not checked those, but will as soon as I can. My most-used SB-200 has recently come up with a problem very similar to yours in that both idle current has pretty much disappeared, and it is requiring a lot more drive to get the grid current and power output to be where it should be. Tubes are brand-new RF Parts jobs too. And this problem suddenly occurred. This indicates to me that some component in the grid circuit has suddenly failed. Due to our youngest daughter's upcoming wedding, I have not been able to do much radio operating for the past several months, but hope to be able to get back to that after May 21. :-) Therefore, I have not been able to dig into the SB-200 vy 73 for now, Ken W7EKB From ac1wye at gmail.com Sat May 7 16:55:07 2016 From: ac1wye at gmail.com (Alexander N. Gerli) Date: Sat, 7 May 2016 16:55:07 -0400 Subject: [Heath] MT-1/MR-1 WANTED Message-ID: Hi, folks! I am looking for a working MT-1/MR-1 "Cheyenne-Comanche" pair. Decent shape OK, must be working. Thanks, everyone! 73, Sandy AC1Y -- Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ac1wye at gmail.com Wed May 11 11:29:01 2016 From: ac1wye at gmail.com (Alexander N. Gerli) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 11:29:01 -0400 Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Message-ID: Hi folks. I just acquired an odd SB-600. It has the same speaker, but the cabinet is only 8" wide, 8" deep and 6-1/2" tall, (not counting the front feet). The feet are the regular SB-style with the risers on the front. It's the right color, has the heath logo on the lower right corner of the grille, and the speaker mounting board is exactly like the one in the SB-600. This is just SMALLER; barely larger than the standard 5x7 inch speaker itself. It's in perfect shape too. Any gurus out there know what this is? 73, Sandy AC1Y -- Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mvjohn at sympatico.ca Wed May 11 13:05:06 2016 From: mvjohn at sympatico.ca (Mark V Johnson) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 13:05:06 -0400 Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <002701d1aba7$44a1d640$cde582c0$@ca> Hammond Manufacturing in Canada made Heath HS-34 speaker cabinets for Heath Canada. I have a couple of them here...Heathkit green, but with a smaller cabinet; as per your dimensions, and speaker and the Heathkit logo is a ?sticker.? Mark VE3LU From: Heath [mailto:heath-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Alexander N. Gerli Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 11:29 AM To: heath at puck.nether.net; heathkit at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Hi folks. I just acquired an odd SB-600. It has the same speaker, but the cabinet is only 8" wide, 8" deep and 6-1/2" tall, (not counting the front feet). The feet are the regular SB-style with the risers on the front. It's the right color, has the heath logo on the lower right corner of the grille, and the speaker mounting board is exactly like the one in the SB-600. This is just SMALLER; barely larger than the standard 5x7 inch speaker itself. It's in perfect shape too. Any gurus out there know what this is? 73, Sandy AC1Y -- Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From k8tp at comcast.net Wed May 11 13:25:25 2016 From: k8tp at comcast.net (k8tp at comcast.net) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 17:25:25 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Message-ID: <1296946290.26834232.1462987525036.JavaMail.zimbra@comcast.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From N4ch at aol.com Wed May 11 14:18:43 2016 From: N4ch at aol.com (N4ch at aol.com) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 14:18:43 -0400 Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Message-ID: <634d12.4c57975d.4464d183@aol.com> Without a picture, it's hard for me to even guess what it is. Heathkit also made a smaller-than-the-SB-600 "Heathkit green" speaker (too small to slide a power supply inside, but the speaker itself was 5 by 7 inches)......this was their model HS-1661, and was a closer appearance match for the HW-104 (less expensive and non-digital readout VFO version of the SB-104/A), and the HR-1680 / HX-1681 receiver and CW transmitter pair. The cabinet was a darker green.......close to the same colors as the front panels used in the "SB" gear, and the grille was a lighter color.......close to what Heath used in the SB cabinets. I'm guessing these were sold for a few years beginning in 1975 or maybe 1976. 73, Herman, N4CH. In a message dated 5/11/2016 1:19:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, mvjohn at sympatico.ca writes: Hammond Manufacturing in Canada made Heath HS-34 speaker cabinets for Heath Canada. I have a couple of them here...Heathkit green, but with a smaller cabinet; as per your dimensions, and speaker and the Heathkit logo is a ? sticker.? Mark VE3LU From: Heath [mailto:heath-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Alexander N. Gerli Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 11:29 AM To: heath at puck.nether.net; heathkit at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Hi folks. I just acquired an odd SB-600. It has the same speaker, but the cabinet is only 8" wide, 8" deep and 6-1/2" tall, (not counting the front feet). The feet are the regular SB-style with the risers on the front. It's the right color, has the heath logo on the lower right corner of the grille, and the speaker mounting board is exactly like the one in the SB-600. This is just SMALLER; barely larger than the standard 5x7 inch speaker itself. It's in perfect shape too. Any gurus out there know what this is? 73, Sandy AC1Y -- Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile _______________________________________________ Heath mailing list Heath at puck.nether.net https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wa2lbi at gmail.com Wed May 11 14:31:58 2016 From: wa2lbi at gmail.com (Ken Winterling) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 14:31:58 -0400 Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: <1296946290.26834232.1462987525036.JavaMail.zimbra@comcast.net> References: <1296946290.26834232.1462987525036.JavaMail.zimbra@comcast.net> Message-ID: The HS-1661 measures: 9 x 6.625 x 5.625 inch / 229 x 168 x 143 mm. I believe it was sold as the companion to the HW-101, HW-104, and HR-1680. Did Heath make a HS-1660? Ken WA2LBI On Wed, May 11, 2016 at 1:25 PM, wrote: > Sounds like the HS-1660, made to March the HW-104. > > > Sent from XFINITY Connect Mobile App > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: ac1wye at gmail.com > To: heath at puck.nether.net,heathkit at mailman.qth.net > Cc: > Sent: 2016-05-11 9:46:24 AM > Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? > > Hi folks. I just acquired an odd SB-600. It has the same speaker, but the > cabinet is only 8" wide, 8" deep and 6-1/2" tall, (not counting the front > feet). The feet are the regular SB-style with the risers on the front. > > It's the right color, has the heath logo on the lower right corner of the > grille, and the speaker mounting board is exactly like the one in the > SB-600. This is just SMALLER; barely larger than the standard 5x7 inch > speaker itself. It's in perfect shape too. > > Any gurus out there know what this is? > > 73, Sandy AC1Y > > > -- > Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile > _______________________________________________ Heath mailing list > Heath at puck.nether.net https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Heath mailing list > Heath at puck.nether.net > https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gharmon at idworld.net Wed May 11 17:49:35 2016 From: gharmon at idworld.net (Gary H. Harmon, Jr.) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 16:49:35 -0500 Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: <002701d1aba7$44a1d640$cde582c0$@ca> References: <002701d1aba7$44a1d640$cde582c0$@ca> Message-ID: I would like to find one for the collection here. Gary H. Harmon, Jr. - K5JWK - HAM Radio and ATARI Archaeologist 6003 Archwood San Antonio, TX 78239-1504 210.657.1549 home 210.884.6926 cell and text 210.657.1549 fax (with prior notification) gharmon at idworld.net "Too many projects - Not enough time!" "Retirement = Every day is a Saturday except Sunday" http://www.grissomroadcoc.org From: Heath [mailto:heath-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Mark V Johnson Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 12:05 PM To: 'Alexander N. Gerli'; heath at puck.nether.net; heathkit at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Hammond Manufacturing in Canada made Heath HS-34 speaker cabinets for Heath Canada. I have a couple of them here...Heathkit green, but with a smaller cabinet; as per your dimensions, and speaker and the Heathkit logo is a ?sticker.? Mark VE3LU From: Heath [mailto:heath-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Alexander N. Gerli Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 11:29 AM To: heath at puck.nether.net; heathkit at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Hi folks. I just acquired an odd SB-600. It has the same speaker, but the cabinet is only 8" wide, 8" deep and 6-1/2" tall, (not counting the front feet). The feet are the regular SB-style with the risers on the front. It's the right color, has the heath logo on the lower right corner of the grille, and the speaker mounting board is exactly like the one in the SB-600. This is just SMALLER; barely larger than the standard 5x7 inch speaker itself. It's in perfect shape too. Any gurus out there know what this is? 73, Sandy AC1Y -- Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From navy.radio at gmail.com Wed May 11 18:15:20 2016 From: navy.radio at gmail.com (Nick England) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 18:15:20 -0400 Subject: [Heath] [Heathkit] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I have posted Sandy''s photos here - thanks, Sandy http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/hs34-0602.JPG http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/hs34-0603.JPG My main speaker page is at http://www.virhistory.com/ham/speakers.htm Cheers, Nick England K4NYW www.navy-radio.com On Wed, May 11, 2016 at 11:29 AM, Alexander N. Gerli wrote: > Hi folks. I just acquired an odd SB-600. It has the same speaker, but the > cabinet is only 8" wide, 8" deep and 6-1/2" tall, (not counting the front > feet). The feet are the regular SB-style with the risers on the front. > > It's the right color, has the heath logo on the lower right corner of the > grille, and the speaker mounting board is exactly like the one in the > SB-600. This is just SMALLER; barely larger than the standard 5x7 inch > speaker itself. It's in perfect shape too. > > Any gurus out there know what this is? > > 73, Sandy AC1Y > > > -- > Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile > ______________________________________________________________ > Heathkit mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/heathkit > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Heathkit at mailman.qth.net > > List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF > ** For Assistance: dfischer at usol.com ** > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From navy.radio at gmail.com Wed May 11 22:19:45 2016 From: navy.radio at gmail.com (Nick England) Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 22:19:45 -0400 Subject: [Heath] [Heathkit] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: <191D6BE9-7DFE-4E69-8C8E-9509B658A126@gmail.com> References: <012001d1abe8$d2054c60$760fe520$@comcast.net> <191D6BE9-7DFE-4E69-8C8E-9509B658A126@gmail.com> Message-ID: An old post says it was shown in the mid-1966 Canadian catalog for use with the SB-300. https://puck.nether.net/pipermail/heath/1998-November/031810.html On Wednesday, May 11, 2016, wa7zze at gmail.com wrote: > Doug's comments prompted me to recall noting that the speaker in mine has > a Canadian manufacturers name on it. > -- Nick England K4NYW www.navy-radio.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gzook at yahoo.com Thu May 12 14:44:33 2016 From: gzook at yahoo.com (Glen Zook) Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 18:44:33 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: <1296946290.26834232.1462987525036.JavaMail.zimbra@comcast.net> References: <1296946290.26834232.1462987525036.JavaMail.zimbra@comcast.net> Message-ID: <1421766945.1365842.1463078673090.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> The matching speaker for the HW-104 was the HS-1661 and was 8.75-inches wide, 5.5-inches tall, and 5.5-inches deep. ?Glen, K9STH? Website: http://k9sth.net From: "k8tp at comcast.net" To: heathkit at mailman.qth.net; heath at puck.nether.net; ac1wye at gmail.com Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 12:25 PM Subject: Re: [Heath] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? Sounds like the HS-1660, made to March the HW-104. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gzook at yahoo.com Thu May 12 14:49:09 2016 From: gzook at yahoo.com (Glen Zook) Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 18:49:09 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Heath] [Heathkit] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <234118228.1355732.1463078949481.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> The speaker may be from Heath's product lines for the general public and not for the amateur radio market. ?Glen, K9STH ebsite: http://k9sth.net From: Nick England To: Alexander N. Gerli Cc: HeathKit ; Heathkit Reflector Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 5:15 PM Subject: Re: [Heathkit] Strange-looking SB-600 spkr? I have posted Sandy''s photos here - thanks, Sandy http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/hs34-0602.JPG http://www.virhistory.com/ham/spkrs/hs34-0603.JPG My main speaker page is at http://www.virhistory.com/ham/speakers.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rgroh at swbell.net Thu May 12 17:30:30 2016 From: rgroh at swbell.net (rgroh at swbell.net) Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 21:30:30 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Heath] FS: Heathkit IM-105 VOM with manual and probes and includes shipping $50 References: <248133921.1528597.1463088630547.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <248133921.1528597.1463088630547.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Continuing to 'rationalize' my ham shack and after cleaning up my IM-104 and IM-105, I (reluctantly) have decided to offer my IM-105 for sale.? I built this in the late 1970s while working at Heathkit as a design engineer in the Ham Radio group - in fact, this VOM still has a sticker on the top signed by one of the Heathkit bosses saying that the IM-105 was personal property.? I have checked the? it out and it seems to be working great. The original manual and a set of test probe's are also included. Batteries are NOT included - for resistance readings, you will need a D-cell for lower R ranges and a rather expensive Eveready 411 (or equivalent) for the Rx10K scale - please note that you do NOT need batteries for the voltage or current scales. I personally have just decided to skip the 15V battery!? I have a VTVM and a DVM for the higher R scales. I have a pictures and will be glad to send them (or a link to an web album) who anyone who wants them. The IM-105 (and it's brothers) are nice meters - good spec's, great meter movements (taut band, etc) - rugged and reliable. You can find full details on the web.? A nice addition to your 'Heathkit' workbench. Price (which includes shipping in the US): $50.? PayPal preferred but a personal check is ok (but will take longer). Contact me directly for more details. 73 Bob Groh, WA2CKY -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From beartrax at mtaonline.net Thu May 19 22:59:49 2016 From: beartrax at mtaonline.net (Bill Bear) Date: Thu, 19 May 2016 18:59:49 -0800 Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... In-Reply-To: <572CC4A5.8375.1EAD172C@kgordon2006.frontier.com> References: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net>, <572A8702.10152.4E640DE@kgordon2006.frontier.com>, <4AAC4560-C534-4A5C-BB73-AD86676E5247@mtaonline.net> <572CC4A5.8375.1EAD172C@kgordon2006.frontier.com> Message-ID: Ken, I?m embarrassed to tell you how I solved the ?no idle plate current? problem. Nothing wrong with the SB200. All mods wired correctly and nothing else wrong. It was the ?operator??.. I was trying to read idle plate current with the meter switch in the ?grid? position. Made all the difference in the world when I realized my mistake and switched to the ?plate? position? 90 mils as advertised ! But I?m sure I have not been the only one to do that. 73 Bill, KL7YB On May 6, 2016, at 8:21, Kenneth G. Gordon wrote: > On 6 May 2016 at 7:46, Bill Bear wrote: > >> Ken, >> >> One of the first things I did after an initial visual inspection was replace C19 >> ( 2uF) and C3 (20 uF). They just looked too old and my experience with old >> electrolytics is that they are no longer up to specs. So, I must have something >> else to investigate. > > OK. Let me see if I can remember exactly what I ran into: for one thing, I > began having that problem after I had installed a Harbach Soft-Key interface > to help my more modern transceivers key the amp. > > It turned out that the high 60 Hz AC ripple in the DC to the grids was causing > the Soft-Key to partially key on, increasing the bias voltage to below ("above" > i.e. more negative) -2 volts. > > In order for the 572Bs to draw 90 mA of idle current, the grid bias must be > -2VDC. If the voltage increases "above" that (becomes more negative), the > idle current will drop, and the tubes will possibly be operating nearer a > non-linear region of their operating curve. > > Secondly, there is also the fact that in order to read that 90 mA, the metering > circuits have to be working properly. That 90 mA shows at the very bottom of > the scale and in fact is very hard to read there, and is not very accurate. > > What one really should do is to add another section or rewire a seldom-used > section, of the meter switch to read idle current at a point at least half-scale > on the meter. > > Thirdly, idle current will also fall if plate voltage is not close to where it should > be. I get 2150 VDC under load. > >> After you changed C19, did you get a nominal idle plate current reading near 90 >> ma? > > Yes. > >> I am also wondering what resistance check results you had after the mods: >> plate to gnd and tube pin 3 to gnd ? > > I have not checked those, but will as soon as I can. > > My most-used SB-200 has recently come up with a problem very similar to > yours in that both idle current has pretty much disappeared, and it is requiring > a lot more drive to get the grid current and power output to be where it should > be. > > Tubes are brand-new RF Parts jobs too. And this problem suddenly occurred. > This indicates to me that some component in the grid circuit has suddenly > failed. > > Due to our youngest daughter's upcoming wedding, I have not been able to > do much radio operating for the past several months, but hope to be able to > get back to that after May 21. :-) > > Therefore, I have not been able to dig into the SB-200 > > vy 73 for now, > > Ken W7EKB > From wrcromwell at gmail.com Fri May 20 17:30:23 2016 From: wrcromwell at gmail.com (Bill Cromwell) Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 17:30:23 -0400 Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... In-Reply-To: References: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net> <572A8702.10152.4E640DE@kgordon2006.frontier.com> <4AAC4560-C534-4A5C-BB73-AD86676E5247@mtaonline.net> <572CC4A5.8375.1EAD172C@kgordon2006.frontier.com> Message-ID: <573F81EF.1000608@gmail.com> Hi Bill, I cannot believe you would do something so utterly stooopid. I think you are just saying this to make people like me feel better when we do things like this. I do appreciate the thought even though I know you didn't really do that. 73, Bill KU8H On 05/19/2016 10:59 PM, Bill Bear wrote: > Ken, > > I?m embarrassed to tell you how I solved the ?no idle plate current? problem. Nothing wrong with the SB200. All mods wired correctly and nothing else wrong. It was the ?operator??.. I was trying to read idle plate current with the meter switch in the ?grid? position. Made all the difference in the world when I realized my mistake and switched to the ?plate? position? 90 mils as advertised ! > > But I?m sure I have not been the only one to do that. > > 73 > > Bill, KL7YB > > > On May 6, 2016, at 8:21, Kenneth G. Gordon wrote: > >> On 6 May 2016 at 7:46, Bill Bear wrote: >> >>> Ken, >>> >>> One of the first things I did after an initial visual inspection was replace C19 >>> ( 2uF) and C3 (20 uF). They just looked too old and my experience with old >>> electrolytics is that they are no longer up to specs. So, I must have something >>> else to investigate. >> OK. Let me see if I can remember exactly what I ran into: for one thing, I >> began having that problem after I had installed a Harbach Soft-Key interface >> to help my more modern transceivers key the amp. >> >> It turned out that the high 60 Hz AC ripple in the DC to the grids was causing >> the Soft-Key to partially key on, increasing the bias voltage to below ("above" >> i.e. more negative) -2 volts. >> >> In order for the 572Bs to draw 90 mA of idle current, the grid bias must be >> -2VDC. If the voltage increases "above" that (becomes more negative), the >> idle current will drop, and the tubes will possibly be operating nearer a >> non-linear region of their operating curve. >> >> Secondly, there is also the fact that in order to read that 90 mA, the metering >> circuits have to be working properly. That 90 mA shows at the very bottom of >> the scale and in fact is very hard to read there, and is not very accurate. >> >> What one really should do is to add another section or rewire a seldom-used >> section, of the meter switch to read idle current at a point at least half-scale >> on the meter. >> >> Thirdly, idle current will also fall if plate voltage is not close to where it should >> be. I get 2150 VDC under load. >> >>> After you changed C19, did you get a nominal idle plate current reading near 90 >>> ma? >> Yes. >> >>> I am also wondering what resistance check results you had after the mods: >>> plate to gnd and tube pin 3 to gnd ? >> I have not checked those, but will as soon as I can. >> >> My most-used SB-200 has recently come up with a problem very similar to >> yours in that both idle current has pretty much disappeared, and it is requiring >> a lot more drive to get the grid current and power output to be where it should >> be. >> >> Tubes are brand-new RF Parts jobs too. And this problem suddenly occurred. >> This indicates to me that some component in the grid circuit has suddenly >> failed. >> >> Due to our youngest daughter's upcoming wedding, I have not been able to >> do much radio operating for the past several months, but hope to be able to >> get back to that after May 21. :-) >> >> Therefore, I have not been able to dig into the SB-200 >> >> vy 73 for now, >> >> Ken W7EKB >> > > _______________________________________________ > Heath mailing list > Heath at puck.nether.net > https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath > -- "Intelligence from the internet is unreliable because we cannot verify it's accuracy nor the author's credentials." - Julius Caesar From beartrax at mtaonline.net Fri May 20 18:18:34 2016 From: beartrax at mtaonline.net (Bill Bear) Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 14:18:34 -0800 Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... In-Reply-To: <573F81EF.1000608@gmail.com> References: <54FF61B3-31FE-499A-B45C-79B025E9D3BA@mtaonline.net> <572A8702.10152.4E640DE@kgordon2006.frontier.com> <4AAC4560-C534-4A5C-BB73-AD86676E5247@mtaonline.net> <572CC4A5.8375.1EAD172C@kgordon2006.frontier.com> <573F81EF.1000608@gmail.com> Message-ID: <30D5409A-CA9F-406F-A3A7-9AB96E77384E@mtaonline.net> Hi Bill, Yup?. really did it. Glad it was a ?simple fix?; I wasn?t looking forward to removing the chassis again to figure out what might be wrong with the bias supply. 73, Bill KL7YB On May 20, 2016, at 13:30, Bill Cromwell wrote: > Hi Bill, > > I cannot believe you would do something so utterly stooopid. I think you are just saying this to make people like me feel better when we do things like this. I do appreciate the thought even though I know you didn't really do that. > > 73, > > Bill KU8H > > On 05/19/2016 10:59 PM, Bill Bear wrote: >> Ken, >> >> I?m embarrassed to tell you how I solved the ?no idle plate current? problem. Nothing wrong with the SB200. All mods wired correctly and nothing else wrong. It was the ?operator??.. I was trying to read idle plate current with the meter switch in the ?grid? position. Made all the difference in the world when I realized my mistake and switched to the ?plate? position? 90 mils as advertised ! >> >> But I?m sure I have not been the only one to do that. >> >> 73 >> >> Bill, KL7YB >> >> >> On May 6, 2016, at 8:21, Kenneth G. Gordon wrote: >> >>> On 6 May 2016 at 7:46, Bill Bear wrote: >>> >>>> Ken, >>>> >>>> One of the first things I did after an initial visual inspection was replace C19 >>>> ( 2uF) and C3 (20 uF). They just looked too old and my experience with old >>>> electrolytics is that they are no longer up to specs. So, I must have something >>>> else to investigate. >>> OK. Let me see if I can remember exactly what I ran into: for one thing, I >>> began having that problem after I had installed a Harbach Soft-Key interface >>> to help my more modern transceivers key the amp. >>> >>> It turned out that the high 60 Hz AC ripple in the DC to the grids was causing >>> the Soft-Key to partially key on, increasing the bias voltage to below ("above" >>> i.e. more negative) -2 volts. >>> >>> In order for the 572Bs to draw 90 mA of idle current, the grid bias must be >>> -2VDC. If the voltage increases "above" that (becomes more negative), the >>> idle current will drop, and the tubes will possibly be operating nearer a >>> non-linear region of their operating curve. >>> >>> Secondly, there is also the fact that in order to read that 90 mA, the metering >>> circuits have to be working properly. That 90 mA shows at the very bottom of >>> the scale and in fact is very hard to read there, and is not very accurate. >>> >>> What one really should do is to add another section or rewire a seldom-used >>> section, of the meter switch to read idle current at a point at least half-scale >>> on the meter. >>> >>> Thirdly, idle current will also fall if plate voltage is not close to where it should >>> be. I get 2150 VDC under load. >>> >>>> After you changed C19, did you get a nominal idle plate current reading near 90 >>>> ma? >>> Yes. >>> >>>> I am also wondering what resistance check results you had after the mods: >>>> plate to gnd and tube pin 3 to gnd ? >>> I have not checked those, but will as soon as I can. >>> >>> My most-used SB-200 has recently come up with a problem very similar to >>> yours in that both idle current has pretty much disappeared, and it is requiring >>> a lot more drive to get the grid current and power output to be where it should >>> be. >>> >>> Tubes are brand-new RF Parts jobs too. And this problem suddenly occurred. >>> This indicates to me that some component in the grid circuit has suddenly >>> failed. >>> >>> Due to our youngest daughter's upcoming wedding, I have not been able to >>> do much radio operating for the past several months, but hope to be able to >>> get back to that after May 21. :-) >>> >>> Therefore, I have not been able to dig into the SB-200 >>> >>> vy 73 for now, >>> >>> Ken W7EKB >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Heath mailing list >> Heath at puck.nether.net >> https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath >> > > -- > "Intelligence from the internet is unreliable because we cannot verify it's accuracy nor the author's credentials." > > - Julius Caesar > > _______________________________________________ > Heath mailing list > Heath at puck.nether.net > https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath > From ac1wye at gmail.com Fri May 20 19:32:38 2016 From: ac1wye at gmail.com (Alexander N. Gerli) Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 19:32:38 -0400 Subject: [Heath] AK-7 SPKR WANTED Message-ID: Hi, folks, like to find an AK-7 for the MT-1/MR-1 pair I'm getting. Any of these out there? 73, Sandy AC1Y -- Sent from Sandy'sGmail Mobile -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wittfa19 at earthlink.net Sun May 22 11:53:54 2016 From: wittfa19 at earthlink.net (wittfa19 at earthlink.net) Date: Sun, 22 May 2016 08:53:54 -0700 (GMT-07:00) Subject: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... Message-ID: <14246918.1463932434528.JavaMail.wam@wamui-junio.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Bill, my story: In my reckless youth (the 1970's), I was an electronics tech in Silicon Valley. Like any respectable tech, I HAD to have a high-end stereo system, including a SOTA $200+ phono cartridge. The system sounded great, but I wasn't getting much volume from the cartridge. After weeks of tweaking and diddling with no success, I decided to take the effing thing back to the store. Fire in my eyes, lawyer's card in my pocket, right? Well, I take it in, the kid behind the counter looks at it, pushes the needle the rest of the way in, everything works fine! Stooopid... So don't feel bad. BTW, kudos for having the courage to admit it. -----Original Message----- >From: Bill Cromwell >Sent: May 20, 2016 2:30 PM >To: heath at puck.nether.net >Subject: Re: [Heath] SB-200 problems...again... > >Hi Bill, > >I cannot believe you would do something so utterly stooopid. I think you >are just saying this to make people like me feel better when we do >things like this. I do appreciate the thought even though I know you >didn't really do that. > >73, > >Bill KU8H > >On 05/19/2016 10:59 PM, Bill Bear wrote: >> Ken, >> >> I?m embarrassed to tell you how I solved the ?no idle plate current? problem. Nothing wrong with the SB200. All mods wired correctly and nothing else wrong. It was the ?operator??.. I was trying to read idle plate current with the meter switch in the ?grid? position. Made all the difference in the world when I realized my mistake and switched to the ?plate? position? 90 mils as advertised ! >> >> But I?m sure I have not been the only one to do that. >> >> 73 >> >> Bill, KL7YB >> >> >> On May 6, 2016, at 8:21, Kenneth G. Gordon wrote: >> >>> On 6 May 2016 at 7:46, Bill Bear wrote: >>> >>>> Ken, >>>> >>>> One of the first things I did after an initial visual inspection was replace C19 >>>> ( 2uF) and C3 (20 uF). They just looked too old and my experience with old >>>> electrolytics is that they are no longer up to specs. So, I must have something >>>> else to investigate. >>> OK. Let me see if I can remember exactly what I ran into: for one thing, I >>> began having that problem after I had installed a Harbach Soft-Key interface >>> to help my more modern transceivers key the amp. >>> >>> It turned out that the high 60 Hz AC ripple in the DC to the grids was causing >>> the Soft-Key to partially key on, increasing the bias voltage to below ("above" >>> i.e. more negative) -2 volts. >>> >>> In order for the 572Bs to draw 90 mA of idle current, the grid bias must be >>> -2VDC. If the voltage increases "above" that (becomes more negative), the >>> idle current will drop, and the tubes will possibly be operating nearer a >>> non-linear region of their operating curve. >>> >>> Secondly, there is also the fact that in order to read that 90 mA, the metering >>> circuits have to be working properly. That 90 mA shows at the very bottom of >>> the scale and in fact is very hard to read there, and is not very accurate. >>> >>> What one really should do is to add another section or rewire a seldom-used >>> section, of the meter switch to read idle current at a point at least half-scale >>> on the meter. >>> >>> Thirdly, idle current will also fall if plate voltage is not close to where it should >>> be. I get 2150 VDC under load. >>> >>>> After you changed C19, did you get a nominal idle plate current reading near 90 >>>> ma? >>> Yes. >>> >>>> I am also wondering what resistance check results you had after the mods: >>>> plate to gnd and tube pin 3 to gnd ? >>> I have not checked those, but will as soon as I can. >>> >>> My most-used SB-200 has recently come up with a problem very similar to >>> yours in that both idle current has pretty much disappeared, and it is requiring >>> a lot more drive to get the grid current and power output to be where it should >>> be. >>> >>> Tubes are brand-new RF Parts jobs too. And this problem suddenly occurred. >>> This indicates to me that some component in the grid circuit has suddenly >>> failed. >>> >>> Due to our youngest daughter's upcoming wedding, I have not been able to >>> do much radio operating for the past several months, but hope to be able to >>> get back to that after May 21. :-) >>> >>> Therefore, I have not been able to dig into the SB-200 >>> >>> vy 73 for now, >>> >>> Ken W7EKB >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Heath mailing list >> Heath at puck.nether.net >> https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath >> > >-- >"Intelligence from the internet is unreliable because we cannot verify it's accuracy nor the author's credentials." > >- Julius Caesar > >_______________________________________________ >Heath mailing list >Heath at puck.nether.net >https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath From gharmon at idworld.net Tue May 24 13:14:33 2016 From: gharmon at idworld.net (Gary H. Harmon, Jr.) Date: Tue, 24 May 2016 12:14:33 -0500 Subject: [Heath] Wanted: Heathkit Single Bander Cabinet Message-ID: I have two single banders that lost their cabinets somewhere before ending up here. If you have a cabinet needing a home and/or a companion, please let me know. The mobile bracket would be an added goodie. Thanks and 73, Gary H. Harmon, Jr. - K5JWK - HAM Radio and ATARI Archaeologist 6003 Archwood San Antonio, TX 78239-1504 (210) 657-1549 (210) 884-6926 (210) 657-1549 gharmon at idworld.net "Retirement = Every day is a Saturday except Sunday" http://www.grissomroadcoc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From raitchd at gmail.com Thu May 26 05:41:25 2016 From: raitchd at gmail.com (Richard) Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 05:41:25 -0400 Subject: [Heath] IM-18 Test Probe Message-ID: <273eb7f9-02ec-41dc-08ae-4a614f5cc309@gmail.com> The IM-18 test probe has a 1/4 inch phone plug as the interconnect with the meter and the test probes. This plug has a wider insulator between the center pin and ground on the plug in order to be able to handle the higher voltage measurements. Has anyone found a reasonable replacement for this plug? I have several meters without the test cable and I would like to make some appropriate cables. The switchable DC / AC-Ohms probe can be replaced with two separate probes, so that is not a problem. Richard KC9UB From markaren1 at att.net Thu May 26 20:44:39 2016 From: markaren1 at att.net (=?utf-8?B?bWFya2FyZW4xQGF0dC5uZXQ=?=) Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 19:44:39 -0500 Subject: [Heath] =?utf-8?q?Heath_Digest=2C_Vol_65=2C_Issue_11?= Message-ID: <43480.15508.bm@smtp223.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> This plug was supplied by Switchcraft. I actually filled orders for heath kit when I worked there summer of 1969 From my HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile. The first nationwide 4G network ----- Reply message ----- From: heath-request at puck.nether.net To: Subject: Heath Digest, Vol 65, Issue 11 Date: Thu, May 26, 2016 11:00 Send Heath mailing list submissions to heath at puck.nether.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to heath-request at puck.nether.net You can reach the person managing the list at heath-owner at puck.nether.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Heath digest..." Today's Topics: 1. IM-18 Test Probe (Richard) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 05:41:25 -0400 From: Richard To: Heath at puck.nether.net Subject: [Heath] IM-18 Test Probe Message-ID: <273eb7f9-02ec-41dc-08ae-4a614f5cc309 at gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed The IM-18 test probe has a 1/4 inch phone plug as the interconnect with the meter and the test probes. This plug has a wider insulator between the center pin and ground on the plug in order to be able to handle the higher voltage measurements. Has anyone found a reasonable replacement for this plug? I have several meters without the test cable and I would like to make some appropriate cables. The switchable DC / AC-Ohms probe can be replaced with two separate probes, so that is not a problem. Richard KC9UB ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ Heath mailing list Heath at puck.nether.net https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath ------------------------------ End of Heath Digest, Vol 65, Issue 11 ************************************* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rgroh at swbell.net Sun May 29 13:09:41 2016 From: rgroh at swbell.net (rgroh at swbell.net) Date: Sun, 29 May 2016 17:09:41 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Heath] Phone plug for VTVMs and VOMs References: <1074166575.1268186.1464541781335.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1074166575.1268186.1464541781335.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Lost the email but a month or so ago, someone was looking for a phone plug which had a somewhat wider band of insulation between the tip and body. This type of plug was used on probe's (where they plugged into a meter) to give a bit higher breakdown voltage. I do have some of those so email me if you need one. As an additional comment, I visually examined about 10 of those phone plugs - some with the narrow insulation band and some with the wider insulation band.? ALL of them seem to have (again just a visual inspection) identical lengths - from the base of the plug body to the tip of the plug.? The wider insulation does not make the probe longer.? Bottom line: you don't need the special wider insulation version - the regular will work nicely .... unless of course it breaks over on high voltage. 73Bob, WA2CKY -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From markaren1 at att.net Mon May 30 21:51:55 2016 From: markaren1 at att.net (Al & Dottie Skierkiewicz) Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 01:51:55 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Heath] Heath Digest, Vol 65, Issue 13 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <2061520263.1466909.1464659515367.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> Switchcraft had several methods of making the 1/4" phone plug while I was working there.? They mostly used the same tip part.? This had the tip with a long, thin shaft that would run up inside the sleeve body and be swaged over to hold the parts together.? The simplest used a phenolic washer to separate the tip and sleeve behind the tip and another between the two solder/screw terminals on the inside of the connector.? With use, the swage would loosen and the connector would become intermittent.? This was easy to tell because you could rotate the tip with your fingers.? There was a paper tube that covered the tip shaft when it was slid inside the sleeve body.? Phenolic isn't great for holding off the 1500 volts RMS that the IM-13 could withstand.? Phenolic is porous and is easily contaminated with moisture and oil.? For a while, Switchcraft used a black washer in place of the phenolic and then went to black injection molding.? Injection molding was used for the long spacer as well.? I believe the greater spacing was due to the use of the stereo sleeve without the ring parts installed.? Switchcraft already had tooling for making these two sleeves, the mono and the stereo.? At the time, all body parts were nickel plated brass.? The electrical terminals were tin plated to ease soldering.At the time Switchcraft was making mil spec 1/4" plugs using the injection molding process in either red or black for use on telephone switchboards and audio patchbays.? You could buy them with either red or black handles or you could specify a particular color if you were buy in large quantities.AlWB9UVJ On Monday, May 30, 2016 11:00 AM, "heath-request at puck.nether.net" wrote: Send Heath mailing list submissions to ??? heath at puck.nether.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit ??? https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to ??? heath-request at puck.nether.net You can reach the person managing the list at ??? heath-owner at puck.nether.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Heath digest..." Today's Topics: ? 1. Phone plug for VTVMs and VOMs (rgroh at swbell.net) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 29 May 2016 17:09:41 +0000 (UTC) From: To: Boatanchors3 List ,? Heathkit ??? Listserve Subject: [Heath] Phone plug for VTVMs and VOMs Message-ID: ??? <1074166575.1268186.1464541781335.JavaMail.yahoo at mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Lost the email but a month or so ago, someone was looking for a phone plug which had a somewhat wider band of insulation between the tip and body. This type of plug was used on probe's (where they plugged into a meter) to give a bit higher breakdown voltage. I do have some of those so email me if you need one. As an additional comment, I visually examined about 10 of those phone plugs - some with the narrow insulation band and some with the wider insulation band.? ALL of them seem to have (again just a visual inspection) identical lengths - from the base of the plug body to the tip of the plug.? The wider insulation does not make the probe longer.? Bottom line: you don't need the special wider insulation version - the regular will work nicely .... unless of course it breaks over on high voltage. 73Bob, WA2CKY -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ Heath mailing list Heath at puck.nether.net https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath ------------------------------ End of Heath Digest, Vol 65, Issue 13 ************************************* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gharmon at idworld.net Tue May 31 12:12:52 2016 From: gharmon at idworld.net (Gary H. Harmon, Jr.) Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 11:12:52 -0500 Subject: [Heath] IM-18 Test Probe Message-ID: There have been discussions lately about plugs on Heathkit VTVM probes. Gary Clark is the Meter Master and his comments about the issue follow. Vr, Gary H. Harmon, Jr. - K5JWK - HAM Radio and ATARI Archaeologist 6003 Archwood San Antonio, TX 78239-1504 (210) 657-1549 (210) 884-6926 (210) 657-1549 gharmon at idworld.net "Retirement = Every day is a Saturday except Sunday" http://www.grissomroadcoc.org From: Gary Clark [mailto:gc at sdlcforms.com] Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2016 9:45 AM To: Gary H. Harmon, Jr. Subject: Re: FW: [Heath] IM-18 Test Probe Gary, The combination probes that came with the Heathkit IM-11 and later VTVMs as well as EICO, PACO, RCA, B&K and others are no longer available. Nobody makes them any more. Furthermore, after some period of use they become unreliable, particularly causing problems on the lowest ohms range. The way VTVMs were designed previously, with three separate test leads was a far better arrangement. I refurbish and re-sell all different makes of VTVMs and I solve this problem with all of them the exact same way. I make a new test lead set and, if the VTVM has a microphone connector instead of a ? inch phone jack, I replace it with a phone jack. When I make the replacement test lead set I use high quality ? inch phone plugs I buy directly from China on ebay. (All the best stuff comes from China.) I use a standard mono phone plug and, even though the insulator spacing is much smaller than on those original Heathkit probes, I have never had a problem on the high voltage range. BUT, if you are worried about this, use a ? inch stereo phone plug and leave the ring part unconnected. This doubles the insulated spacing between the sleeve and the tip. In addition, unless the instrument in question has ac voltage ranges lower than 1.5 volts full scale there is no reason to use a shielded input cable. RCA sold a 4.5 inch VTVM for several decades that had three separate input leads and none of them used a shielded cable. You don?t need a shielded cable on the dc input anyway. Only the ac input can benefit from one, and then only on very low ac voltage ranges. The way I make the replacement input lead set is shown in the drawing below. Regards, Gary Clark (The VTVM guy) -----Original Message----- From: Heath [mailto:heath-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Richard Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2016 4:41 AM To: Heath at puck.nether.net Subject: [Heath] IM-18 Test Probe The IM-18 test probe has a 1/4 inch phone plug as the interconnect with the meter and the test probes. This plug has a wider insulator between the center pin and ground on the plug in order to be able to handle the higher voltage measurements. Has anyone found a reasonable replacement for this plug? I have several meters without the test cable and I would like to make some appropriate cables. The switchable DC / AC-Ohms probe can be replaced with two separate probes, so that is not a problem. Richard KC9UB _______________________________________________ Heath mailing list Heath at puck.nether.net https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/heath -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 26780 bytes Desc: not available URL: