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| Reviews Summary for Heathkit SB-303 |
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Reviews: 10
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Average rating: 4.4/5
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MSRP: $389
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Description: Solid state ham band receiver, integrates with the rest of Heathkit SB-line
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write your own review of the Heathkit SB-303.
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VO1MDS
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 19, 2006 17:00
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Simply the best !!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well folks,what can i say that wasnt said already??
well for one,this is a great old radio,lots of sensitivity,rock solid frequency stibility,for an analog receiver,this it the most stable analog radio that i have owned to date! now thats saying something,i have owned many,and i mean MANY analog recievers,and nothing that i have owned yet even compeats to the heathkit sb-303. what a great radio,what a great design,what a company.
WAY TO GO HEATHKIT...A JOB WELL DONE.
considering i bought the sb-303 AND the sb-401 for $50.00 i think i got a pretty wild bargin.
all the best folks,have super fun with your sb-303,the best stable analog radio on da go.
PERIOD!!
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KG6UEQ
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Rating: 2/5
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Jun 11, 2005 07:53
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Beware of this one
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This radio's tuning assembly is prone to slippage. A small drive wheel, if not properly aligned, will slip off the larger wheel connected to the tuning mechanism. If you can be sure the radio you're buying does NOT have this problem, then you may be able to enjoy this vintage set.
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W1FP
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 1, 2005 21:26
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advanced for its age
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My wife bought me this rx on our first xmas together. What better gift could you hope for. After 35 years, it still works fine. Yes, the dynamic range is quite poor, and in line with the devices available at the time. But stability of the LMO is excellent, and sensitivity is great. Yes, there is filter blow-by, but matched up with an SB-400 or SB-401, makes for an attractive vintage solid state pair.
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N7EKX
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 11, 2005 21:56
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Best Heathkit Receiver Out There
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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As a Heathkit fanatic, despite repeated warnings from friends, I bought an SB-303 from an eBay auction recently (for $172.00, plus shipping). The specs on its sensitivity were the reason I was ready to "take the plunge" (and the risk it would arrive DOA). Anyway, the seller was totally honest, and I couldn't be happier. Both the receiver sensitivity and the "LMO" stability are far better than the SB-104A that I built, and everything about the radio is high quality. Most old radios drift pretty badly after startup, but not this one... it's rock steady. No tubes, just transistors, FET's and other solid-state circuitry that works as well today as in 1976. There is no backlash in the dial, either. Maybe I just got lucky, but this SB-303 is as sensitive and stable as any analog radio out there, in my opinion!
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ON4QJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 25, 2004 14:21
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Golden classic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought 6 years back an SB-303 receiver,
It looked ok on the outside,When i opened it
it was like a "warzone",Someone has done a great
job in messing up this radio.
After some months of "patching up" i had a great receiver,On 40 and 80 the RX is better than with my TS 570DG.
Later i found an SB 401 Transmitter to connect it.
And the SB 610 Station monitor.
It is realy a great Rig to use and is for shure my number one radio!!
Only shame is that we don't find much Heath stuff
in Europe,...
ON4QJ,Erwin
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NO9E
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Rating: 4/5
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May 8, 2004 18:35
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Pretty good after minor mods
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I got one used. Bad intermod on 40m and poor sensititivity on 15-10m but very good AGC and not bad SSB and CW filters. Needed alignment, attenuator for 40m, and post-crystal_filter amplifier for sensitivity. After that, I liked it very much. Sensitivity as good as any on all bands, and a real DX digger on 80m.
Ignacy, NO9E
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WA2DYA
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Rating: 3/5
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May 8, 2004 13:35
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It's OK BUT--
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Very frequently described on EBay as 'Heath's Crown Jewel', 'Heath's finest receiver', etc. Well, it's not!
My receiver doesn't perform well when the bands are crowded and signals are strong. It has poor dynamic range. It sure is sensitive enough; maybe too sensitive. The front panel RF attenuator helps but is not a good answer to the problem. I have seen some actual measurements that confirm my observations.
I don't like the 'tub' style chassis layout. It is difficult to reach in there to service the unit from the top. If you don't have the extender cards, trouble shooting the circuit cards from the bottom is a nightmare. Even with these, it's still not easy because you must extract the switch shafts.
On that subject, the wafer switches are easily broken during servicing. Their mechanical alighment is poor and extreme care is required to get everything right.
Why do EBay bidders go 'Bonkers' over these things?
--- CHAS WA2DYA
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W4SPF
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 1, 2004 19:04
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My First Station
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I built my first Heathkit in 1977, an SB-303 and then matched it up with an SB-401. The LMO's provided flexibility of split operation. Then I built the SB200, the autopatch, and the Station Monitor scope. I found a Heathkit Spectrum analyzer at a swap and hooked that up too. I built the electronic keyer, the SWR/Watt Meter and then devised my own Ultimate Transmatch and made it look like a Heathkit product. Great station for the time and I made contacts all over the world for years with that station. Then Heathkit's sunset departure left us with no more kits to build. That was a sad day for me and I imagine others too. Long live Heathkit. Gone but not forgotten. Great rigs and lots of hams sure cut our teeth on building these beauties. We learned construction, reading schematics and most of all we maintained our own rigs. Their selectivity and power were amoung the best of the day and I really enjoyed using that station.
Don W4SPF
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K8WV
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 9, 2003 20:38
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If built correctly - GREAT
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I built one of these about 1972. It worked very well for me. I later added an SB-102 transceiver to the station and could use the 303 LMO to control the 102 as a second "VFO." I could not receive on the 303 and transmit on the 102 using the 303 LMO because the frequency shifted a bit, but there was no problem (obviously) using the 303 and 102 separately. All-in-all a great receiver.
Look inside before you buy!
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AH6G
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 12, 2002 19:57
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The receiver of the SB-line
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've never built one but I own 5. I bought the first over 20 years ago at Dayton. It didn't work well so I put it on the shelf.
Recently I acquired another as a fix-up project. I cleaned up #2 and was amazed at the performance. I dragged out old #1 which still disappointed. After several weeks of debugging the radios, I discovered that #1 was built without the LMO to Mixer feedthrough capacitor.
Since then, I've refurbed 4 SB-303's and have compared them to more modern rigs. 1 kHz readout, stable LMO, good (but not great) xtal filters, strong audio, 3 IF amps, .25 uV sensitivity.
The real trick is to align the LMO mechanicals. Once you do that, you have a great ham band receiver.
One SB-303 that came my way has two Heathkit SSB fliters cascaded. It hears better than the others, this is a worthwhile modification.
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