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Reviews For: Heathkit SB-200

Category: Amplifiers: RF Power - HF & HF+6M

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Review Summary For : Heathkit SB-200
Reviews: 83MSRP: Original Price $400
Description:
HF Amp using two 572B's, 80 - 10 meters
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
14834.9
W0LD Rating: 2001-02-02
A Great Value Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I recently purchased a SB-201, the last version of the SB-200 series. This was produced after the 10 meter ban and thus covered 80-15 meters. The amp had the harbaugh mods installed and a new bandswitch that covered 10 meters. Thus the amp is really like new. It produces 740 watts output with a new pair of 872B's installed. I use it with my IC-751 and it gives me the boost that I really need on 75 meters at night. The mods are necessary if you are going to operate with a newer transceiver that uses low voltage keying. The amp operates into higher SWR loads with no arcing, and is very reliable.
W2CBK Rating: 2000-11-30
Great value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I wanted a bit more punch for DXing than 100 watts...but didn't want to have to rewire the shack for 220 V, or replace my RG 8X mini coax. After looking at the Ameritron and Ten-Tec 811 amps, I bought an SB-200 from a club and love it. About 700 watts out on 20 gave me the DX edge I wanted. With a half square Wyndom, I made DXCC. $300 well spent. I did the Harbach mods, and hav never had a problem. This old war horse should be good for another 25 years!
N8JVL Rating: 2000-11-02
Good amp for the money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The SB-200 Amp is a good amp for the money. These amps can be picked up in the $300.00 range. The amp features two 572B tubes. These can be replaced for around $130.00, making this a good amp for the begining QRO operator. If you blow them no big monetary loss. The band coverage is limited (80-40-20-15-10 meters). Cooling fans on these amps have a history of failing, but this has more to do with the age of these amps rather than a poorly manufactored fans. One engineering flaw of these amps is that the 572s are mounted in a horizontal position. If the tubes over heat, the gids may sag resulting in blown tubes. However, I would not let this scare you off. If one decide to purchase one of these amps, I would open it up and inspect the assembly of the amp to see if the soldering was done properly and if the fan works. Replacement fans and power supply boards can be purched from Harbach Electronics.These amps typically put out around 750-800 watts on 80-40-20 meters, 650 watts on 15 meters. and 450 watts on 10 meters. I have used one of these amps for about ten years, and have been able to work most of the DX on the band with a small tribander. Except for the rarest DX, 750 watts should be enough power to punch through most pile-ups if propagation is decent. This amp works for me. I live in the city, so 160 is out for me and I have never worked the WARC bands a whole lot to begin with. I have used the amp on CW but this amp uses a fairly slow relay so QSK is not possible. I only use it on CW for the largest of pile-ups. For a basic amp, the SB-200 is hard to beat. I would say this amp is not for everybody, but if you need an amp to use for casual DXing or when the band is a little down this is a good choice.