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write your own review of the Heathkit SB-220/SB-221.
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N6KYS
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 12, 2007 19:23
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Finest linear ever made
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It was a sad day when Heathkit quit making the SB-220/221 and then later folded. This was the finest linear ever built. No, I'm not putting it against an Alpha ceramic tube monster, but this thing was solid, heavy, and durable. It was the gold standard....I hope the owners today keep them restored.
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W4HEY
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 31, 2007 07:10
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What An Amp!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I purchased my SB-220 off eBAY for $500. back in March. It had been built in 1972 and sat unused since 1977 in a garage, so I was a bit skeptical. When I received it, I was amazed at its pristine (minus the dust) condition and quite excited to crank it up! I put it on a VariAC for a couple of days just to be safe. Then came the test, a bit nerve-wracking I might add, but it had been up to 115v for a full 10 hours so now I hooked it up to my FT-990. Standing back and holding my ears, expecting the worst, nothing happened except a relay-click and needle movement. After tuning to the best of my ability, I was getting a solid 850W on 110V. Not bad I thought, so I continued its use. About 3 months later on a stormy day, after everything subsided, I powered up the station as normal and when I snapped the old SB-220's power switch, BANG! POP! click click click click, negative plate voltage and all... a resistor finally gave out. I ended up ordering all 7 of the 8 available Harbach mods ($245.) and gave it to a local friend and Amp Guru. He installed them and got her working again for $100. -- So now my better than new SB-220 sits proudly above all, even the 756ProIII, atop my shelf in the shack, waiting on a moments notice to be called into service. Under $900. for a SKW Amp -- Definitely a KEEPER!
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ON8DM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 17, 2007 14:47
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excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I must agree with some reviews.It is doing a great job.Unfortunatly here in Europe you can't find such an amp for 400 dollars in good shape.
1000 dollars is not exceptional.
the one that i had never refused and putted out 1200 watts fm cont.No mods or other changes.
If you can find one buy it and keep it
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KB5VJY
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 25, 2007 21:44
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Amazing!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had been looking for some time for a good HF amp but all I thought I could afford was a 300-500 watt amp. A friend of mine contacted me and let me know that he knew where one was I could buy for around 300 bucks!!!.. I couldn't say no.. but I was quite scared. We met up the next day with the amp in tow, it looked really good for a 30 year old amp. He said he fired it up on 80 for about 15 minutes. I got it home and took it apart (first thing I do with all equipment) There were no mods done to this amp, straight stock amp. Did a little house keeping, dusting here and their. After checking the caps, I put it back together and fired it up. The amp buzzed back to life and to my suprise, it was putting out 1,400 kw on 80. The fun part was interfacing it to my TS-450 but that is another story. Truly an amazing amp for the buck!
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K1QN
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 1, 2006 10:38
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25 years young!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought it and built it in 1981. Zero problems. The T/R voltage is a bit high, and I've been tempted, over the years, to put a remote solid state relay on it. (Use an old wall wart for power, put the "works" in a radio shack box.) It still looks and works great.
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KA0CSL
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 30, 2006 14:28
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BEST BANG FOT THE BUCK!!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This amplifier is designed well. In my opinion (IT’S THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK!!!). The SB-220 is very reasonably priced and is a real work horse amplifier. I suggest 220V If possible (Less Sag). I recently sold my SB-220 because I purchased a Henry 8877 desktop amplifier (BIGGER, BADER, BETTER.) If you’re looking to drop the maul and bust pileups the SB-220 is a great start! You can use it for years and sell it for more than you bought it for hi hi. They have depreciated all that their going to and considering a new amp of its caliber is over 2 grand... Search the net there are a bunch of neat upgrades for this unit. Hypersil transformers, Capisitor banks, Rectifier & Meter assy’s, ect. Purchasing the Sb-220 is a dollar well spent and after you sell it at a profit it will be a dollar well earned.
73
KAØCSL
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N4MWY
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 26, 2006 13:16
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my SB 221 works great
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Time owned: months
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I have an SB 221 with all of the mods. It works great-no problems. It will do 1 KW+ out.
The 2 3-500Zs are a classic; Ameritron makes one that appears to be just an update of the Heathkit SB 221 with mods and a few improvments.
For what they sell for, it is a bargain.
n4mwy
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W5GW
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Rating: 5/5
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May 31, 2006 06:25
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Workhorse Amplifier
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Built my SB-220 in 1976. Has original tubes, never had any parts failure. Still in a 10/10 condition. Use it on RTTY and SSB only of 220 mains. Wish it had a standby switch, but I use an AmpKeyer with my new solid-state rigs for relay protection, so get my standby by means of it. You need to keep loading high or it can and will arc on you, but once you figure that out, it is not an issue.
I see these used in the $300-$500 range. Assuming good tubes and the electrolytics are okay, should be a good buy. A workhorse.
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K7UA
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 20, 2006 14:27
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Classic bargain
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I built a SB220 in the 1970s and ran it hard for over ten years. Then I got out of ham radio and sold it. I became active again six months ago and picked up another like new used SB220 that was gathering dust at a friends house. I ran it with my old TS940SAT for a few months and then upgraded the station to a new Icom transceiver and an Alpha 99. I still use the TS940/SB220 often. If you can find one at a fair price, buy it. It is a real bargain.
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W3PH
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 8, 2005 12:54
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Worked right away even after 20 years of hibernation
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Somewhere around 1985 I bought my SB-221 from a fellow who had just built it and needed the cash. I used it a couple of times, then got busy in my job, moved a couple of times, etc., and the SB-221 sat in storage for the next 20 years while I operated in non-QRO mode. Decided to dig out the amp and see if it still worked - I had ordered the various Harbach mods some time back and planned to install them, and I decided to live dangerously and just turn it on and see what happened, figuring I was going to replace whatever might blow anyway. Amazingly, it came right up, happily put out 1000 watts on CW with 85 watts or so of drive.
I've since installed the Harbach soft-key mod, parasitic suppressors, new fan (loud but effective) and capacitors, and blew out two decades worth of dust. Decided not to replace the antenna relay or power supply diodes until they need it. Works perfectly, tunes smoothly.
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