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Old 29th Jan 2021, 7:31 pm   #21
Bazz4CQJ
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

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The Heathkit sig gen is pretty much comparable to many of the Advance ones kicking around.
David
Some of the Advance sig gens made for the forces in the 50-60's were pretty good, significantly better than equipment typically used in High Street Radio and TV workshops. I'm really fond of my Advance sig gen (an exceptionally rare model, derived from a mainstream product).

It is easy to criticise Heathkit, but their competition wasn't up to much. I remember drooling over the adverts in PW for the "HAC" short wave kits, but some people in the local radio club persuaded me that was not the way to go, and I was always glad I didn't spend pocket money on an HAC kit.

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Old 30th Jan 2021, 9:29 am   #22
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

[Q

When very young, I used to read avidly any copies of PW I could get hold of and often perused the HAC advert which I found attractive, for some reason. I never knew HAC was a Heathkit offshoot. We learn something new every day - even if it takes 50+ years !
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Old 30th Jan 2021, 9:47 am   #23
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

HAC (hear all continents) was nothing to do with Heathkit. They just both produced equipment aimed at the home constructor.
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Old 30th Jan 2021, 11:14 am   #24
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Often wondered what H.A.C. stood for, live and learn.
Heathkit was the catalogue I looked at, no chance of buying any though, still I got enjoyment thinking what could perhaps one day occur.
Then teenage years came along and for some reason other things took precedence, ah hem.
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Old 30th Jan 2021, 11:21 am   #25
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

The way I read it, Bazz didn't say HAC was a Heathkit offshoot - quite the opposite.

He said:

'It is easy to criticise Heathkit, but their competition wasn't up to much' so he was citing HAC as a competitor in a small way to Heathkit. HAC supplied an unexceptional one valve TRF receiver kit for many decades via the small ads in PW etc.

As Bazz put it:

"I remember drooling over the adverts in PW for the "HAC" short wave kits, but some people in the local radio club persuaded me that was not the way to go, and I was always glad I didn't spend pocket money on an HAC kit".

The advice he was given was sound.
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Old 30th Jan 2021, 4:33 pm   #26
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Sorry to confuse; I'm pretty sure there was no link at all between Heathkit and HAC, but simply pointing out that they were "rival" suppliers of kits, at least to the extent that HAC offered about 3 kits and Heathkit maybe 100 kits, over a period of time.

It's just occurred to me that another kit supplier was Codar, but again, quite a limited range of products, mostly nothing special, except for the 160/80 Tx, the "AT5" which is still very popular.

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Old 30th Jan 2021, 4:36 pm   #27
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Many Heathkit manuals on Paul’s site.
https://www.vintage-radio.info/heathkit
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 12:52 pm   #28
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

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I've never been totally convinced by the RF-1u - see attached picture.

The internal modulation (bottom) is a reasonable sine wave, but the resulting modulation (top) is a bit lop sided.

When I used it to try and line up a receiver IF the peak was at a different point to a Taylor generator with a more textbook envelope.

I can empathise with the issue you are having as my Heathkit signal generator also produces the same rubbish sine wave and modulation envelope.


Have you checked the DC conditions of your generator? I'm combing through mine to see if I can improve it. Already I have found that grid bias is missing from V1A and the anode voltage is low.


Were these like this from the factory?
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 1:47 pm   #29
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

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Quote:
Originally Posted by wd40addict View Post
I've never been totally convinced by the RF-1u - see attached picture.

The internal modulation (bottom) is a reasonable sine wave, but the resulting modulation (top) is a bit lop sided.

When I used it to try and line up a receiver IF the peak was at a different point to a Taylor generator with a more textbook envelope.

Were these like this from the factory?
I had one that had the appearance of being factory-built, or ar least assembled by someone from a very advanced background. It performed very well, the modulation and RF were okay.
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 3:06 pm   #30
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

I investigated when I first obtained the unit and at the time decided it was probably because the modulation is applied to the grid of the oscillator valve rather than than modulating its anode through a power supply inductor. At the time I couldn't find anything wrong, but maybe need to revisit.

Richard, I assume you're saying your AM modulation envelope looked OK.
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 3:29 pm   #31
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

I was never happy with the mains input arrangements on some of their equipment. 2 core single insulated cable, single pole mains switch and no fuse.

These things may be OK for 110V supplies but not, in my opinion, for 240V.

Al
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 3:46 pm   #32
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

I have a digital clock from them. Had a 2 core mains lead without earth connected to the transformer. Transformer was fixed with screws through the plastic case!. The screws were resessed and painted, but I decided this was
not enough so I replaced with 3 core mains lead and earthed the metal components - eg switches, transformer etc. At least now I consider it safe. If built to the book it would never have made uk doube insulation standards
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 3:53 pm   #33
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

I used a Heathkit IG-52 TV alignment generator to sort out a TV24. When used with a decent signal generator and 'scope it was very useful. But it would have been very clunky and hit-and-mis otherwise!

I have a soft spot for Heathkit stuff generally. They made some shockers (in all senses of the word) but also some really good stuff. My favourite is probably the HW-8 Morse code transceiver, which with a few very minor mods is still great fun to use.

Whatever Heathkit designed, I get the impression that a couple more weeks in the lab would have made all the difference.
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 4:34 pm   #34
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

A lot of their designs were tweaked versions of circuits published in US hobby magazines. I wonder if they paid any royalties to the original author.

However they did apparently pay Dinsdale a royalty for his transistor Hi-Fi amp design, whereas Leak etc just stole it.
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 4:37 pm   #35
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

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Originally Posted by Alistair D View Post
I was never happy with the mains input arrangements on some of their equipment. 2 core single insulated cable, single pole mains switch and no fuse.

These things may be OK for 110V supplies but not, in my opinion, for 240V.

Al
Agree! I hadn't needed to open up my RF1-U until recently, and when I did was very concerned that it had no internal fuses - so, safety was entirely dependent on the fuse in the 13A plug.

Mind you, casting my mind back to the 1940s, 50s and 60s radios that I've had, I don't think many (if any) of them had internal fuses either. Perhaps that's why we members of a certain age always feel that the plug fuse should be matched to what's on the end of the mains lead, and not to the rating of the mains lead itself.

Mike
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 5:10 pm   #36
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Heathkit stuff is, IMHO, rather variable.

Not helped by the equally-variable skill-ranges of the kit-assemblers! Even the best components and design can be ruined if assembled in the dark by someone using a poker and an axe.

Some Heathkit ham-radio gear was intriguing - I'd like to get my hands on a DX-60 or DX-100 transmitter or one of the later SB101/102 transceivers [think of these latter as a self-passembly KW2000] - but I'd want to see it in-the-flesh before buying rather than buying via an auction and ending up with something assembled by Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder that had clearly never worked properly.
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 5:10 pm   #37
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Mike, (Boulevardier) what's your AM modulation envelope like?
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 5:50 pm   #38
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

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Mike, (Boulevardier) what's your AM modulation envelope like?
Haven't yet checked it. I went into the generator because the output voltage was way too low. I'd seen various posts (on other threads) on it by David G4EBT, and just concentrated on the low HT voltage. It was caused by faulty selenium rectifier (just like David's). Having rectified (!!) this with a silicon rectifier, I just quickly checked for a waveform of correct voltage, but didn't check the modulated waveform. I will try and check it tonight.

Mike

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Old 1st Feb 2021, 6:40 pm   #39
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Another observation:

When I switch from EXT. MOD. to INT. MOD. the frequency stated on my counter drops! I'm not sure what is going on here.

Also, the AF O/P is only about 300Hz. It should be 400Hz. I think that both issues could be down to an out of tolerance capacitor.
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 7:56 pm   #40
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Default Re: Thoughts on Heathkit Equipment?

Hi!

Quote:
Less useful the C3-U Condenser checker,( which these days seem to be bought as donors of the usually 'as new' EM34 magic eye).
Don't bank on it – I've got three of these and the EM34s in 'em are very bad – dark and patchy!

I suspect people are starting to twig this and selling them with really bad ones taken out of old radios, etc – I had one in a Taylor 110C you couldn't see at all, even with over 270V on it's target–anode!!

Chris Williams
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