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| Reviews Summary for Heathkit SB-200 |
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Reviews: 54
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Average rating: 4.9/5
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MSRP: $Original Price $400
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Description: HF Amp using two 572B's, 80 - 10 meters
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More info: http://
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9V1JP
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 23, 2009 20:31
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What an Amp!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought mine used from eBay. Put in all Harbach mods (power supply, softstart and softkey), a black front panel and spray painted the chasis black. Also painted all screws black. Apart from the metering selector switch (some function such as grid, power/reflected power and HV does not work at the moment) it works perfectly. Eversince I powered up the black beast, I have been able to increase my DX contact with minimal effort, pumping it to the MFJ 12 foot telescopic whip with MFJ1644 whip tuner with virtual ground (burnt a few components in the process and uprated them!). Am in the process of designing a better switching method using simple selector switch and relays for the metering circuit.
The amplifier now sits very nicely with my ICOM IC756ProIII and SP23 comm speaker. This combination makes me a very happy Ham.
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KC8WH
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 17, 2009 08:47
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The only amp I've ever owned
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I got mine in 1982 (used) and just replaced the tubes for the second time. Never had a problem with this amp. I've paired it with my Drake TR-4, Drake T4X, Kenwood TS 530S and now my Icom IC-718. I've worked the world with this amp. If I can't make the contact with this amp then I don't need to make the contact. I think about upgrading from time to time but talk myself out of it. It puts out enough power, is easy to tune and is reliable. What more could I want?
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N2NXZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 14, 2009 17:32
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Great
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I spotted my SB200 peaking over the top of a dumpster.Took it home where it sat for 5 or 6 years.Now a general class license holder,decided to fire it up after cleaning it up inside and out.Works great and getting great reports.The amp has all of the original components.Not bad for a FREE amp!
Jim,N2NXZ
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KG4KZG
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 7, 2009 18:45
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Bullet Proof
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I picked it up in 1977 and it sat in a closet until 2000 when it saw its first use by me. Has worked great and trouble free. There was a problem with the contact on 10 meter bandswitch.
Changed out the contact and replaced the cap across the 10 meter input coil with the correct value. It was a slightly hacked CB'ers amp.
For nine years its been dependable, just replaced the 4.7 meg metering string now it reads the HV. Just a super amp and a real work horse.
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EI5GJB
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 14, 2009 09:09
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a gift
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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this amp was given to me by my uncle tim EI3GN a few months ago. and is working fb. i put in new capacitors new wiring all carbon composit resistors and a new fan from harbach which is just excellent it runs very cool now. the output
power is about 600w which is more than enough for me, audio reports are very clean with this amp. its here to stay and it is part of the shack
now. there is nothing owed on it but the generosity my uncle showed when he passed it on to me. thanks tim and very 73s to all god bless.
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WB4TJH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 23, 2009 19:40
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Great as it always was
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just picked up a mint SB201 from the estate of a silent key, and after a thorough check out, I am happy to say it's working like a champ. I had one of these amps (SB200) about 30 or more years ago, and I always kicked myself for letting it go years ago. I have had several other amps over the years, but this is the first HF amp I have had in the past 10 years. My SB201 is a solid 9 on a scale of 1-10, both cosmetically and electrically, and loafs along at 500 watts output. I just don't think that for a basic 600 watt HF amplifier, it can't be beat. I'm also a fan of the Amertron 811A amps, and that or the SB200 series is a good investment. That first 500 to 600 watts out makes a HUGE difference on the receive end. It gets your signal over the noise levels, and with the bands in such poor shape these days, you need all the help you can get. I am now able to chat with my friends thru the S9+ QRN on 75 and 40 meters. I still love my QRP CW, but for general, any time of day ragchewing, let's face it: sometimes you need a little power.
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K4TB
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Rating: 5/5
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May 2, 2009 19:23
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Running good as Ever
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I built my SB-200 in 1974 and it is still working great. I have replaced finals, fan motors, and the power supply capacitors over the years, and a bandswitch which I fried by accident. I was pleased to learn a few years back that it can also load up on 17M and 12M, using 20M & 15M bandswitch settings. Using a log periodic for 20-10M and dipoles on 40 & 80 I don't need a tuner. The SB-200 has certainly been the best value for a piece of ham equipment that I've ever had.
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KJ4CNN
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 17, 2009 16:35
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Great first amp
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After one year in the hobby, I bought this great amp from my elmer. What a great piece of equipment! Although I don't know any other amps to compare this unit to, I am very pleased with it nevertheless. It took me out of barefoot transmitting to having a punch in my transmissions.
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EC1KR
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 16, 2008 01:53
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my first amp
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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He all, was my first hf amp, I have fantastic words to this amp. I make many dxcc and contacts with him, use 2 nices tubes very easy to work in all radio shops, I belive that is fantastic to start in radio, my amp was given 500/800w out put depending the band. I recomend put a relay modification you can buy in http://www.harbachelectronics.com/main/page_products_sb200__sb201.html
Se you on the air, now i use a kenwood tl922, Jesus EC1KR
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W2NSF
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2008 04:23
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Great value, performance.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I picked up my SB200 off eBay for a very reasonable price, considering it already had new caps, inrush protection, and low voltage keying. I added a new fan and now it's almost like new. Other than one problem (10m doesn't work - probably the band switch), this amp is the QRO answer for me - solid power, easy to tune, rugged, and, of course, those great sig reports. This amp's history speaks for itself. Now I'm considering finding another to mod for 6m. Another benefit of owning one of these vintage amps is the wide range of support available. Just Google SB-200 and you'll see. Gives me confidence these "sugar babies" will be out there for a long time to come. Highly recommended.
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