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write your own review of the Heathkit HW-16.
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KC8JRV
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 27, 2007 13:56
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Initial problem with dial
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Now that I think back to the assembly of the HW-16, I recall that the lamination of the tuning dial was poor on my first dialface, resulting in a "hitch" when rotating the dial. It would tend to "hang up" at that point.
My father and I wrote to Heath, describing the problem, and without problem, we received another in less than two weeks. (We lived on the other side of Michigan!)
However, installing the replacement proved to be a challenge, as the unit had to be dis-mantled, and unbolted to allow the plastic dial to be bolted back onto the faceplate. However, with small fingers and much determination, I succeeded, and I suspect my original dial face still sets in a drawer someplace in my father's house, awaiting rediscovery when it is sold off.
Did anyone else have difficulty with this? In know that the VFO that was the companion piece more than occassionally had fracture problems with the lucite band tunning roll bar. Can anyone confirm this, or if there were replacements ready available?
Just wondering!
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KW4J
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Rating: 5/5
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May 22, 2007 06:00
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I wish that I still had it!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It was my first rig in 1969 and I worked hundreds of QSO's on it. It never gave me a moment's worth of trouble except for losing a TR switch one time. I worked almost every state and many DX contacts over the two years that I was a novice. Too bad that I traded it when I wanted a two meter rig for my Tech Class ticket. (In those days a Tech did not have any HF cw privledges.)
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KA0BTD
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Rating: 5/5
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May 22, 2007 05:49
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Wonderful for CW
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've used a lot of rigs over the past 30 years. Many of them were large all-mode HF transceivers. Some of them were small QRP CW-only transceivers with direct-conversion receivers.
The HW-16 hits a very sweet spot between the two extremes. The receiver is a single-signal superhet which is way better than a direct-conversion receiver. At the same time the bandwidth is a very good match to CW operations and - I'm going to say this - it sounds so clean and transparent, unlike the really sharp-skirted CW filters found on the high-end equipment.
The transmitter is a bit simplistic but with an external VFO or not-chirpy oscillator it can pump out a lot more power than the little QRP boxes. Very non-problematic for loading up to my antennas.
And the QSK (full break-in) is so, so, so well done. It really feels like (although it isn't true) I can hear the band while my key is down. The simplicity and transparency of the single-signal superhet with no AGC contributes greatly to this effect.
A few minuses that don't affect me much because I don't use it there: doesn't do 20M from the factory (although mods are outhere). A bit unsensitive on 15M. But in the past few years, where I've been concentrating on 80M and especially 40M, these are not issues.
Overall, a true joy to use, and I will prefer this rig to the other fancier rigs I have for another good chunk of a century :-).
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KC8JRV
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Rating: 4/5
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May 4, 2007 22:30
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Strange Memories...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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As my first and only CW unit from 1974, I listened with Sony padded headphones to the wine of the 80 meter band nights, straining to copy CW. I will never forget the lonely empty sound of the whine, and it chills me to think of it. As a novice, I could have used some help to determine how and when to attempt 80 meters, 40 meters, 15 meters and what to expect when listening. I bought a Heathkit VFO to broaden my abilities to make contacts, but sadly, it was sold off by my late father. The buyer smoked it on first usage, BECAUSE IT WAS WIRED FOR THE HW-16 ONLY!... I now remember the warning in the instructions! Why aren't they all wired the same 8 pin connector for power? Can they be rewired?
I'd like to hunt up an ol' VFO to try again with my kid, but don't know what model # I would need or how to determine if it was for an HW-16. Can you help advise me?
As a nice rig, the HW-16 is fondly remembered. I showed it once to my local Ham club and they about fell off the chair that the unit was CLEAN as a whistle... used sparingly in 1974 and stored for almost 30 years in a brown bag since then. Wish I had used it more..but I went off to college....
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W8ZNX
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 22, 2006 15:30
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get the vfo
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hello
love the HW-16
it will stay in my shack till
the final estate sale
why not a 5
0 to 5 is too crude
its realy oh a 4.5 rating
between good and great
receiver is good on 80 / 40, fair on 15
stock the cw side tone, is horrid
most horrid, stinking bad horrid
but not much worse than
TenTec Century 21
which also has a nasty cw side tone
you can fix it
there is tons of room inside for
extra things like a keyer/side tone mods
it's a very nice old rig
simple
easy to keep running
the qsk is quite good
something not expected in a simple rig
designed for novice ops
enought power for solid contacts
even when the band is not so hot
if you want to own
a old style tube rig
that you will use and enjoy
not sit on the shelf gathering dust
and you don't want to pay arm and leg
collector prices
the HW-16 may be the rig for you
realy can not put in words
how much fun
i have had running this radio
Mac
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KE7IOU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 24, 2006 08:40
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Memories
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I got my novice license when I was sixteen (WN7ZKW) and bought the HW 16 used for $80. It found the rig to be reliable and very forgiving. I consistently received 599 reports from stations all around the country with a simple dipole that was only up about twelve feet (we had a low roof). Being on a limited teenage budget, I could not afford the VFO and only had one crystal, so my entire novice career was spent on 7140 kHz. I sold it after I graduated from high school in 1976 and now I wish I hadn't. If I had it today, I could take a trip down Nostalgia Lane whenever I felt the urge. As far as inexpensive '70s rigs go, I would consider this one of the best.
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N0XAS
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 18, 2005 12:13
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Easy to operate and fix
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'm giving this a rating of 5, but bear in mind it's relative. No way it's as nice as my TS-930SAT, but they're completely different beasts for completely different needs!
I have owned my HW-16 since I bought it used in the mid 70's. Dragged it all over the world, spent many many hours listening but never did make a single contact with it due to no space for antennas, no money, no time, whatever. Finally the PS caps dried out and it smoked.
Fast forward another 4-5 years, and I finally decided once and for all to fix the old rig and get it on the air. No matter what's wrong with an HW-16, if you have the schematic and the manual you can fix it. I ended up replacing all three multisection electrolytic caps (try finding THOSE!!) and a handfull of resistors and diodes. I missed SKN while waiting on parts and doing more troubleshooting, but finally in January I got it on the air and started making contacts. Amazing; after over 25 years it works just like the day I took it home.
Once you make a few minor modifications, like quieting the VERY loud sidetone and such, it's a fun rig to operate. I picked up an HG-10B to go with it, which works fine. For such a simple and featureless rig, you can sure have a lot of fun with it... and the warm glow of the tubes is pretty nice too!
Now if only I could find a couple of 6CL6 tube shields...
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KY4Z
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 17, 2005 08:31
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Great glowing fun!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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A wonderful tube rig that's simple to use, a joy to operate, and one heck of a ragchew starter! It's amazing the number of hams who have owned one of these rigs. In our high-tech world of microprocessor-controlled, digitally enhanced transceivers, the HW-16 is a breath of fresh, non-digital air -- radio the way it used to be, warts and all. These rigs are a lot of fun, and relatively inexpensive. The premium boatanchor brands command the big bucks, but there's lots of plain and simple CW fun in this little green box. Be sure to pick up the HG-10 VFO. All in all, a very attractive "retro" station that won't take up your whole desk.
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K2ROK
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 17, 2005 13:49
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Good memories
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This was my first ham rig which I used when I first got on the air -- for several years. The funny thing is I only had one crystal -- for 15 meters, so my entire long book for the first two years I was on the air was on 21.105 MHz. Yep, that's the truth! A Yaesu-101 replaced this rig.
Now -- what I liked about it was the retro-look, sensitive receiver and nice CW note it produced. After a brief warm-up the rig performed great, and the QSK was nice too!
I have no complaints about the rig, but obviously better technology was to overtake it. For what it is designed to do, it does well.
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KC0TKB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 17, 2005 09:01
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Nice HF Transceiver!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I got this rig from my uncle a few days ago. It is in very good condition. The receive is GREAT! I wish they stil made these. Unfortunately, I am only a Technician so I can't TX, until I go for my upgrade in April. Can anyone help me figure out how to tune this rig? My uncle has had in storage for the past 20 yrs and doesn't remember how that works. Thanks!
Email: KC0TKB AT aol.com (replace at with @)
Cell: (303) 746-4095
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