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Reviews For: Lafayette Model HE-10 Communications Receiver

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Lafayette Model HE-10 Communications Receiver
Reviews: 3MSRP: 79.95 less Speaker
Description:
Amateur Communications Receiver Featuring a Superheterodyne Circuit Utilizing 8 Tubes & Rectifier Tube
Product is not in production
More Info: http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/KT200.htm, http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/lafayett/he10/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0034.7
N4UE Rating: 2017-12-26
Pretty amazing old girl Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For once I agree with FVJ (ha ha). I have a very large radio collection, mostly receivers. Since I'm an official OF, my first (Novice) receiver was the truly awful Hallicrafter S-120.
After shoveling a LOT of snow, my parents allowed me to purchase a Lafayette HE-80. I was in hog (ham) heaven.
My best friend next door, built the KT-200. I've been reading the Osterman "Receivers Past and Present" and used that as the guide to fill out my collection. Heck, even Osterman gives the radio 3 'stars', but his $ is WAAAY off. ha ha

For some bizarre reason, HE-10s and KT-200s sell for silly $ now days.
I've bid on a lot, but most were rough/missing knobs, etc.
I finally found an excellent HE-10 and although the purchase was kinda painful, my (Lafayette) collection is complete.

For such a basic radio, the radio has GREAT sensitivity, and great build quality.
I DON'T expect it to compete with my new Icom 7610, but I don't need a huge Manual to use the old girl.

Even though it is in 'great' condition, I'm going to disassemble it, re-cap it. and align it.

I still don't understand why this model is so scarce..... There must have been a LOT made?

ron
N4UE
N8FVJ Rating: 2016-02-25
Better than it should be.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This Lafayette HE-10 is a fine receiver and hot even on 10 meters. The receiver uses 9 tubes. It looks like a Hallicrafters S-38, but that is where the similarity ends.

The receiver short term stability is very good. BFO is stabile and radio can pick up SSB on 20 meters without any warble or short term drift. Flexing the table or moving the receiver does not change stations either. Unusual stability for a lower grade radio. My National NC-125 is not this stabile.

Unlike other small tube radios such as the Heathkit GR-54, National NC-121 or Hallicrafters S-40B this Lafayette is a superior receiver. If you can find one, buy it.
JOEANALSSANDRINI Rating: 2006-12-10
A Fine Performing, Durable Classic Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In April 2007, my Lafayette Model HE-10 Communications Receiver will be forty-five years old.

In all those years, the radio has not "hiccuped" even once. I wonder if today's receivers will be as long-lasting!

It was made in Japan by Trio-Kenwood and was built to a very high construction standard.

It is extremely sensitive on both SW and MW (I once had KFI Los Angeles 640 KC/S clear as a bell in New Jersey with just a 100-foot random long-wire antenna) and, with this receiver, I verified (and received QSLs for) over 100 countries (110, if memory serves). For an "ancient" and inexpensive (even in its day) tube receiver, its selectivity is very good as well. Image rejection, especially for a single-conversion receiver, is much better than expected. It features 1 RF and 2 IF stages and has a variable BFO through which one can tune SSB (its AGC can be turned off).

It is very stable (after a half-hour warm up) and offers very good sound quality through its associated HE-11 Speaker ($7.95). A couple of months after I bought this receiver, I went back to the Lafayette store and bought a pair of Clevite "Brush" Model BA-200 Crystal Headphones ($14.70) which I still have and use occasionally with this receiver. The sound quality is very, very good through them.

Just a week ago, I played this receiver (for "old time's sake") for seven straight hours and it still works as it did when new.

We've come a long way since 1962 and, of course, this receiver is far outclassed by newer models, such as my AOR AR7030 Plus, both in terms of reception and sound quality. Not even to mention today's digital tuning! (I used a crystal calibrator with the Lafayette for many years but that accessory finally "died.")

But every once in a while (maybe two or three times a year), I "fire up" this old radio and try to relive the "good old days." At least last week, I succeeded!