Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: Swan Cygnet 300B

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Swan Cygnet 300B
Reviews: 3MSRP: 520 in 1974
Description:
HF Transceiver 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0034
AD4DQ Rating: 2023-07-17
An all in one Swan Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I call this radio an all in one because it has a built in power supply, speaker and even a carry handle. I have owned Cygnets for over 35 years. I have 2 of the 300B's in my shack. The 300B is the same as the Cygnet 270B but uses the 8950 tube in the PA. Output of 100 watts is the norm for this radio. Sensitivity is good as well, lower noise floor than models like the 350. Stability is better with this radio than other Swans due to the band switch design. No bells and whistles except for a CW sidetone. Anyway this is a fun radio from the tube era of the early 70's. If you like the old stuff and just want to play around and make some contacts, log into a boat anchor net ect.... this is a fun radio and nice looking too. I still fire mine up every now and then.
WB6MYL Rating: 2011-11-09
not bad at all Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I probably do not have the technical expertise of the previous reviewer, but a gave the 300b a "4" based on the "fun factor"; I must confess that I do not own the rig, I have only borrowed it from a good friend (for three months now); as previously mentioned, you do have to back off the rf gain on stronger signals, but the audio is pretty good for a vintage rig; I have tried several mics with it and the best "fit" seems to be a D-104;
Likes: (1) built-in ps
(2) receiver is better than the 350 & 500C
(3) punchy audio
Dislikes: (1) the 8950 final; concerned about
tune-up because of expense
(2) built-in speaker and no plug to
export audio
(3) although better than previous Swans
receiver is still quite noisey

I don't know why, but I just love the smell of dust being burned off tubes in action.

Best wishes
VK3YAZ Rating: 2007-04-08
Simple and reliable shack warmer Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Swan Cygnet 300B was released in the early 1970s. It was basically an upgrade of the old 270B with a 8950 in the PA to give a claimed 300W PEP input. The receiver uses the PA Driver, Tune and Load circuits and these need to be peaked before there is any life. The sensitivity is quite good but the xtal filter is barely adequate in crowded bands, yet, its wide bandwidth gives a good rendition of received signals. The AGC is only just satisfactory and the RF gain needs to backed off on strong signals. The VFO is reasonably stable after 30 minutes but the dial calibration is only marginal across the band and needs to be checked and adjusted with the 100kHz source. My unit came from a swap market. It was in original unmodified condition with original microphone and I just couldn't resist it. After a clean up and replacement of a few HT supply resistors it powered up OK giving over 100W output easily. Although some of the tube stages could be replaced with transistors I think it would destroy its originality so best leave it alone! Good points are: it has plenty of power, it is simple with minimum controls and can be easily repaired! Downsides: it doesn't have any bells or whistles such as noise limiters, variable bandwidth IF, Tx speech compressor etc and the 8950 PA tube is now rare (and expensive). Given the low prices of more modern fully solid state transceivers the Swan is not recommended for a new ham and is probably only of interest to the collector who needs a "heater" for a cold ham shack. Nevertheless it is a pleasure to work the bands, particularly with those who remember the Swan Cygnet range when they were new.
Overall, probably a 3 to 4 rating when compared with other transceivers of the period.