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Reviews For: Heathkit HM-102

Category: SWR & Wattmeters & Dummy Loads

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Review Summary For : Heathkit HM-102
Reviews: 16MSRP: 39.95 (25 years ago!)
Description:
1.8-30 Mhz Watt/SWR meter
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00164.4
W5RKL Rating: 2006-06-14
Very good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently aquired an HM-102 on eBay for $20, included shipping, in excellent physical and electical condition. Now I'm not a purist so simple imperfections such as chipped paint are not show stoppers for me. Since my station is primarily Heathkit, the HM-102 was a very nice addition.

I've read a few posts saying the alignment was a bit confusing or the accuracy is not very good. I found this not to be an accurate assesment of the HM-102. First, the accuracy is 10%. That's a difference of 10 watts using 100 watts or 100 watts for 1KW as the baseline. As to the alignment being a bit confusing, well the alignment section in the manual should be read and completely understood first before stating the alignment. Failure to connect the coax on the rear "correctly" will cause the alignment to fail. My HM-102 aligned within 5 minutes and was well within 10% as stated in the manual.

So, if you're looking for a nice looking and easy to use Watt/SWR meter, the HM-102 will fit the bill nicely.

73's,

W5RKL
N0CGF Rating: 2004-11-05
Dependable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Mine is 26 years old, just as accurate as any
SWR meter I have compared it to.
W6TH Rating: 2004-11-04
Great working meter. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have been using mine for many years. Worked so well I installed a 50 ua meter in place of the original meter and changed a couple of resistors. Worked great before and now after with changes. Will look around for a second one if the price goes down on eBAY.

The original factory model was very accurate and never had a problem; the push switch was no problem to get angry over. If I could find many with the original price I would fill my shack with them.

.: W6TH
SP9HMA Rating: 2003-08-05
OK! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
It is very good device!
N9OH Rating: 2002-12-02
Does the Job Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This meter is usually found at hamfests for 25-30 bucks. I got mine for about that price on ebay. It is not the easiest thing in the world to calibrate. Even with the manual in hand, you can get confused as to what you're doing. And if its not calibrated correctly... its not working correctly -- so watch out.

For those who prefer "plug-n-play" operating, find something that is calibrated at the factory like a diawa or diamond meter. MFJ if you like taking risks.
WB8JKR Rating: 2001-04-06
Very useable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
All considered, this really isn't too bad a unit. The pull out swr set is a bit of a pain,
but still useable. In the units I have I installed a seperate calibrate pot for just the high power scale and being able to calibrate the high power scale separately from the low power scale does help its overall accuracy. I also replace the SWR null trimmer with a piston style trimmer, the piston trimmer will work without trouble at up to 2KW whereas the stock trimmer has been know to fail at 6-700 watts at times.
With these simple mods it actually is a pretty good meter and when calibrated properly will track a Bird 43 quite well.

Mark WB8JKR