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Reviews For: Heathkit SB-220/SB-221

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

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Review Summary For : Heathkit SB-220/SB-221
Reviews: 76MSRP: 350.00 - 550.00
Description:
a 2kw pep input amp uses 2 3-500Zs
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.vcnet.com/measures/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15765
AD5EM Rating: 2003-03-15
Great way to go QRO! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Great amp, for the money. They are inexpensive to buy, can be made very nice with all the Harbach mods (mine has them all) and you still have some money left over for an antenna (which is a much more efficient way to spend signal improvement dollars). On the plus side, they're easy to afford, have decent output, good audio, durable and forgiving and easy to use. On the negative side, they're large and heavy, kinda noisy (fan) and not the most attractive thing you'll have in your shack. But work they do and mine's not for sale.
KL7EDK Rating: 2003-02-26
Great Amp for the $$$ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Had mine for over 13 yrs. Put in Harbach upgrades in power supply and meter protection and soft keying and it really restored amp to like new performance. Very pleased with it for the $$$ I have invested. Have not done 10 meter mod so can't comment on that. It's easy on tubes and I like the faster warm up time of the 3-500Zs. Fan also been upgraded runs much cooler. Even did the ALC mods. These upgrades will extend the usefulness of the amp many years! VERY HAPPY!!!
SM3WMV Rating: 2003-02-26
Good amp, good price! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought a SB221 amplifier last year and it has really performed great for me. The fan seem to be modified in it so it stays really cool. I've used it during contests and it dosen't even get warm. Probably the best amp you could buy for such a low price!
K8DGL Rating: 2003-01-18
Good Amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Never any problems. All I did to mine was build in a soft key circuit. It needs a stand-by switch which can be added externally, rear apron or on the underside close to the front. 1200 to 1300 watts output with 100 watts drive.
KN0V Rating: 2002-03-27
Excellent peformance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased a SB-221 toward the end of its product life in 1982. Got the necessary parts
to include 10M when the amp was being built. It still has the original tubes, filter caps, etc. My
IC-765 (and TS-830S) drive it very well. Still gets 900 watts out on 10M and about 1100 out on 80, 40, 20 and 15 with 100W of drive. It is the
only amp I've owned except for a Yaesu FL-2100B.
The only problem I've had is when a resistor blew
on the circuit board. After the flash-bang, the
kids came down in time to see thin tendrils of smoke coming out of the amp and they asked what that funny smell was. Rebuilt the board and pressed on. It's only shortcoming is the lack of
160M - but that was before the power restrictions on 160M were lifted.
N4SL Rating: 2002-03-27
Cheap, Good Power Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had mine for a long, long time and haven't touched it once - original tubes, etc. I only get 750W output on 10m now, but so what? The internal fan is pretty crude but works great. This is by far the cheapest way to go QRO, new amps are stunningly expensive.

This thing will take abuse, will load into a non-perfect VSWR and is very groovy.

Negatives? Loud T/R relay, no QSK, ugly color.
Positives? Everything else.

If you buy one at a hamfest without turning it on, you do run the risk of having soft tubes but they aren't hard to replace. Maybe the filter caps will be dried out, but you can replace them yourself too. Just a warning if you see one for really cheap assume it'll need some work.

OK, I admit I just bought an Alpha 99 but the SB220 is my 2nd radio's amp and always will be!

73, Steve N4SL
KC0GSB Rating: 2001-10-29
Excellent Amplifier Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my SB-221 at the local Hamfest two years ago. The Ham that constructed it was old, ill, and unable to operate anymore. I paid 375.00 for it and it still looks brand new. I could not be more pleased than I already am. Since I only have a vertical antenna, I need the extra power sometimes. The amp has been flawless in its operation. PEP's are 1300 on 80 & 40, and 1000 on 20. The SWR is not changed by the amp. It tunes up perfectly with my old TS-520, and works best without the ALC, but works OK with it also. It never run hot, or does anything unusual. I believe it is a serious competitor to any amp on the market today, especially considering the price. Oh yes, it is still using the original 3-Z500 tubes. If you are looking for an amp, and can get one of these, you should consider it.
N2CKH Rating: 2001-07-09
Classic great buy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My first real amplifier. Bought it used in 1982 for use in Navy MARS. Great buy for an almost full legal amp, paid $300 then ! The 3-500Z tubes in my unit are dated 1970 and still full outpout.

Although designed for 80-10m operations, works 17m on 15m and 12m on 10m position. You can NOT use out 30m to hit the 200 watt mark, the tank circuit is the problem. The unit can have 160 meters added with a fair amount of work. The addition of 6 meters is a lot easier.

You can NOT overdrive the 3-500Z tubes with 100w of drive, so ALC is not needed. If you want to run ALC with a rig made within the last 20 years or so the amp must be modified to get the ALC line down to less than 10 volts, typically -8 volts D.C. if it has not already been done.

N0FQN Rating: 2001-03-30
Great Amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine in very poor condition a little over a year ago. The fellow ham, I bought from, was a smoker and never took care of the amp. It was filthy and I was surprised it even work. Although it did spark and spit a few times it produced a maximum ouput of 900w on 80m. So, we went to work. Gutted it out and soaked the case parts and face plate to remove the nicotene(ugh!) and cleaned the pots and variable caps. Spent the money(approx $200) to buy the harbach mods. New caps, power supply/meter board, relay, fan, soft key and parasitic kits. They are well worth the money. After I completed the overhaul and replaced the original tubes back in it. It performed flawlessly. Output using a IC-746 at 100w PEP is about 1200w on 80m and 1000w on 10m. Tunes smooth as glass and I am very pleased with it. I agree with previous reviews about the sensitivity of the solid state rigs to the tuned inputs. I had to realign the 80m tuned input on mine for that reason.
WB6MMV Rating: 2001-02-05
Great Amp Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my SB 220 for over 10 years. During this time I have never had to change tubes or components. I have performed the various Harbaugh mods available and would strongly recommend these to anyone contemplating this amplifier. Many of these units had Eimac tubes that really did have quite a bit of gain and hence were prone to parasitics. The Harbaugh mods eliminate these problems and make it easier to tune the amp on the higher frequencies. I have also performed the QSK mods suggested by Measures and found them to be excellent for digital work. Like the other reviews, this amp really does need 120 watts to drive it to full output,but most of us aren't too concerned about losing a few watts. I have my unit wired for a 220 V input and I would recommend this to others.

These amps are often available for $500. and will give good service. The only disadvantage is the lack of WARC bands on the bandswitch. I recommend this amp to anyone who wants/needs more power and doesn't require the latest and greatest amp at $2500+ dollars.