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Reviews For: Barker & Williamson Model 5100B Transmitter

Category: Transmitters: Amateur radio

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Review Summary For : Barker & Williamson Model 5100B Transmitter
Reviews: 5MSRP: ~$400
Description:
160-10 Meter AM/SSB-CW Transmitter: 100 Watt Class
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0055
KG8LB Rating: 2014-01-04
Poor Man's T-368 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The review is fir the 5100B model , the pic above is the non "B" , original B&W 5100 . A few differences mainly the B model is factory set up to accept the B&W Slop Bucket adaptor along with some other minor differences . The two most apparent differences are the meter which is set a bit higher and to the left , same style / make as the meters on Johnson Five Hundreds and the SSB adapter cabling holes at the right side of the case .

Yes , the B&W 5100/B is a tough TX . The layout is like a HD military TX with modular construction and good quality components . The VFO is usually fairly stable , the audio is above par for the days when AMers were trying to emulate SSB frequency response . This is an easy transmitter to operate and maintain . Tunes easily and the RF section loads cleanly with fine stability . Not a real easy transmitter to find but well worth the effort seems a cut above the other 100 watt offerings . Not as rare as the HT-20 Hallicrafters but IMHO a lot more desirable from the operating and ownership standpoint . The people who own them certainly seem to agree that the B&W 5100 series fills the bill . Good luck finding a living soul that is ready to let his go !
KG6UTS Rating: 2009-06-27
Great old iron Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I traded for mine, from N6TYF. Its a great box, 6146s by for and of 6146s! The 5100 is paired with an NC-300 feeding an 80m sloping dipole through a Millen 92200 matchbox. The only audio processing is my mouth and a D-104 or EV664 and it always gets good reports

EdZ KG6UTS
K4MK Rating: 2008-11-03
5100 B working great for 47 years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my B & W 5100B in 1961. I still use it weekly and it still works just as nicely as it did when new. Finding one in decent shape on the used market has become rare, but if you' re interested in good quality AM, they are hard to beat - for audio and dependability.
W9LP Rating: 2008-03-21
Great 100 Watt AM Transmitter Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If you've cleaned up or restored the more common vintage transmitters, you'll notice immediately that the 5100 is different. The 5100's more popular contemporaries (Heathkit, Johnson) have everything mounted on a single chassis and hard-wired underneath... it's a dog's breakfast. But the 5100 is designed as a set of modules with specific functions... a main chassis/power supply, RF module, Modulator module, a VFO, etc. They're all self-contained and can be physically removed from the chassis for maintenance with easy-to-make cable extensions. The folks at B&W really thought this out.

But the best part of having a 5100 in your shack is knowing your plate modulated AM audio will be as rich and full as it can be. In a word, the 5100 audio is fabulous... without a single modification. Of course, there are minor tweaks available but they're completely optional. You don't have to redesign this transmitter beyond recognition to have great sounding audio.

I found my 5100 in a guy's mud-room closet where it had been stored for the last 25 years. I took it home, cleaned it up, replaced the dead electrolytics and fired it up. It's works great and I haven't used a Johnson or Heathkit transmitter since.

Get one, you'll love it!

73 Casey W9LP/VA3KC
W0LC Rating: 2005-03-28
Excellent Boat Anchor! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Simple to use, easy to tune, puts out a very nice 100 watt class signal, clean audio and built like a piece of lab equipment.

Only drawback, heavier then lead to lift! hi.

I have one that has the dedicated SSB adapter with it (although I will never use it). The 51SB-B SSB Generator is kinda rare. Most of the B/W equipment I have encountered was built with high quality and excellent style. A great AM Transmitter and highly recommend if you see one, grab it!