| N8FVJ |
Rating:  |
2015-06-08 | |
| Fine Bargain Transceiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
20 years ago I owned a Yaesu FT-747GX. At that period in time I likely owned 20+ various newer transceivers from 1995-2002. 15 years later I renewed my license and started building up favorite transceivers I previously owned from the past.
Three other transceivers that stood out from the past were Kenwood TS-950SD, ICOM IC-730 and Ten Tec Omni V. The Kenwood, TEN TEC & ICOM have quieter receivers & QRM fighting tools. However, this SB-1400 'economy' transceiver is not junk.
The SB-1400 (same as the FT-747GX) receiver is the predecessor to the FT-840 that gets very good reviews. The SB-1400 includes a general coverage receiver for shortwave listening like the FT-840. Three 8 pole crystal filters for AM, SSB & CW are standard (an option in the FT-840).
Some complain the tuning steps are two large, but I find adequate for tuning across a band as the large (fast) steps are not too large to miss a SSB station.
The SB-1400 has a sensitivity of -136dB, blocking range up to 120dB and a dynamic range of over 90. Those specs will easily outperform a Kenwood TS-450.
Not only a very reliable transceiver, the SB-1400 is available for $200-$300. Usually at $300 a power supply is included. I bought my SB-1400 & power supply in like new condition for $280.
A new Yaesu FT-450D is a superior receiver, but is much more expensive. If one needs a reliable low cost bargain, do not over-look the Heathkit SB-1400. Plus, it is neat to own a vintage Heathkit name on your ham gear. The Heathkit 20 meter net will be waiting for you to check in too! |
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| WP4OEK |
Rating: |
2013-12-29 | |
| Good |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| No fancy filters and no Speech Processor but works good with MD-1 mic. |
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| N9KLK |
Rating: |
2013-01-29 | |
| Great for the price that I paid 20+ years ago, |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Problem: Heath SB-1400 (Yaesu FG-747)
First I have owned this radio since the late 1980’s without any problems. I bought it from Heath along with the SB-1400-4 matching power supply/speaker when they were closing out products. I did have fun with the radio I WAS and mixed DXCC before it became my backup radio. That was about two to three years after the initial purchase. Yet I did use it once in awhile. Never a problem with it.
My error…..I was rearranging my shack. Should have had the radio off. Modern radio's are not too forgiving like my old tube radio's.
I accidently touched the ext. 13.5v connection to ground. (Shorted)
Lost sound radio meter was pinned to the right, also right side of back light seemed to be out (dimmer than the left), powered unit off. I did slightly smell what I would say was a component that may have gotten burnt/shorted. I took the cover off and did not see any internal damage looking down into the unit or smoke residue. I did repower the unit with the cover off and had the same result, meter pinned. No smoke and no more smell. (only had it powered up for 10-15 seconds.)
I took it to my bench and with a lighted magnifying work lamp looked over the components to see it I could discover what shorted or over heated/burnt. I found nothing that I could see that was evident to me. Connected back to power supply. Powered on and now the meter was no longer pinned to the right, No sound (I did hear the normal click in the speaker) I was able to change bands,frequencies and modes etc... No sounds, No rf transmit to external meter with dummy load. And Ext13.5 v that started this mess was measuring a 1.25 v output. I looked at the schematic and looked for any fused type connections. Nothing that I found. I was really bummed out because I liked this radio. Anyway the general consensus was to sell for parts since a shop charges $60 to $75 dollars a hour and any parts needed would probsbly be unavailable so the radio was just not worth it. So I decided to keep looking for a fix. I took the radio apart. Looked at the copper/foil traces under each board. Under the main board. I found 3 foil traces that appeared to have taken some heat. Close examination and the use of a meter. I discovered one circuit was open, while the other two were just very dark. So I repaired the damaged foil with a jumper. I also repaired the other two since they were in the same circuit. Put the radio back together and made my connections. Powered it up and after checking everything I found the radio was working just fine.
After the fact I found that Yaesu/Heath didn’t use fuses and this was a common problem. Since no fuse for the 13.5v any shorts or over loads the smaller copper foil traces would burn or melt open. Just like a fuse should.
Hope this helps someone with this similar problem. Oh I have not performed any of the FT-747 / SB-1400 modifications.
Anyway I would still give the radio a great comment!
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Earlier 5-star review posted by N9KLK on 2013-01-28
Problem: Heath SB-1400 (Yaesu FG-747)
First I have owned this radio since the late 1980’s without any problems. Although it became my backup radio after about five years.
My error…..I was rearranging my shack. Should have had the radio off.
I accidently touched the ext. 13.5v connection to ground. (Shorted)
Lost sound radio meter was pinned to the right, also right side of back light seemed to be out (dimmer than the left), powered unit off. I did slightly smell what I would say was a component that may have gotten burnt/shorted. I took the cover off and did not see any internal smoke residue. I did repower the unit with the cover off and had the same result, meter pinned. No smoke and no more smell. (only had it powered up for 10-15 seconds.)
I took it to my bench and with a lighted magnifying work lamp looked over the components to see it I could discover what shorted or over heated/burnt. I found nothing that I could see that was evident to me. Connected back to power supply. Powered on and now the meter was no longer pinned to the right, No sound (I did hear the normal click in the speaker) I was able to change bands,frequencies and modes etc... No sounds, No rf transmit to external meter with dummy load. And Ext13.5 v that started this mess was measuring a 1.25 v output. I looked at the schematic and looked for any fused type connections. Nothing that I found. I was really bummed out because I liked this radio. Anyway the general consensus was to sell for parts since a shop charges $60 to $70 dollars a hour and any parts needed would probsbly be unavailable so the radio was just not worth it. So I decided to keep looking for a fix. I took the radio apart. Looked at the copper/foil traces under each board. Under the main board I found 3 foil traces that appeared to have taken some heat. Close examination and the use of a meter. I discovered one circuit was open, while the other two were just very dark. So I repaired the damaged foil with a jumper. I also repaired the other two since they were in the same circuit. Put the radio back together and made my connections. Powered it up and after checking everything I found the radio was working just fine.
After the fact I found that Yaesu/Heath didn’t use fuses and this was a common problem. Since no fuse for the 13.5v any shorts or over loads the smaller copper foil traces would burn or melt open. Just like a fuse should.
Hope this helps someone with a similar problem. Oh I have not performed any of the FT-747 / SB-1400 modifications.
Anyway I would still give the radio a great comment!
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| N0RRS |
Rating: |
2013-01-14 | |
| Good basic rig |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I just acquired a Heath SB-1400 HF rig. This is basically the same as a Yaesu FT-747GX without the internal speaker. My particular rig had undergone an extensive upgrade in audio filtering having had the Yaesu audio mod performed and all the offending capacitors replaced. Also the display panel lights have been replaced by blue LED's which should never burn out. After running the rig for about 12 hours straight on 10m, 15m, 17m, and 40m. I found the RX audio to be outstanding, but the image rejection was a bit disappointing. With no IF shift, RF gain, or PBT the only way to combat "bleedover" was through the ATT which does work quite well. The transmit audio was sharp and crisp, but lacks a speech processor, which I think might be the reason it sounded so well. The case as stated in other reviews is plastic and cheap, and the VFO encoder is not robust like the more expensive rigs, but overall for what it is it is a good (not great) HF rig for the newcomer or a decent backup rig for the old pro. It covers 10m-160m, and will make a good SWL receiver. Also, with the FM board it will work on the 10m repeaters. Overall I rated it a 4. If you come across one at a swapfest it is worth a look. |
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| WA4JEA |
Rating: |
2012-08-11 | |
| Good First Rig |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
The Heath SB-1400 is a good first rig for a ham entering the world of HF.
After an extended time away from the hobby, I needed an inexpensive HF transceiver to get back on the air. I purchased a used SB-1400 for $250 in 2011, and it has been a solid performer. Using a simple wire dipole, I have been able to work stateside stations and DX ranging from Northern Ireland to Greece. Signal reports have been very good in general, and several have commented on the clean audio being transmitted.
I didn't give it a 5 because the receiver didn't perform as well as expected and the audio output doesn't have much high-end response. The noise blanker wasn't particularly effective although the attenuator did a reasonably good job when applied.
There are two characteristics of this rig that potential purchasers should be aware of -- no internal speaker and fast/slow tuning. I was surprised that the unit didn't have an internal speaker, so a purchaser should be ready with a good pair of headphones or an external speaker.
With regard to the tuning, some reviewers have indicated they don't like the two-speed tuning rate because it is too fast or too slow. In my case, though, I actually like the approach used by the SB-1400. I like to do manual scans through the portions of the bands available to me in my license class. I would set the low end or high end with the fast tuning rate, then I would use the slow tuning rate as I settled in for a leisurely roll through the band.
Overall, I have had a good experience with the Heath SB-1400 and I would recommend it as an inexpensive first HF rig.
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| KB7ZNV |
Rating: |
2010-09-02 | |
| Excellent older transceiver. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| What can I say? I like my Heath SB-1400. It sits beside my Yaesu FT-450AT and it's an excellent 100 Watt rig.It's been around for decades and it works flawlessly. It looks great. It sounds great. It's easy to use, and just like my 1981 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup, It's extremely reliable and it's paid for. It's here to stay. |
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| N8NKC |
Rating: |
2007-09-04 | |
| Needs Speech Processor |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This rig will get you on the air for little money.I bought one on Ebay for $300 including the power supply.I don't think that you can get any used transciever for such a price. It is a good value.
I have worked stateside and some DX with it with some success, but the contacts would come alot quicker with a speech processor. Average power out is low, and the most I can get sideband is 70 watts peak.
It might need some reconditioning. A good place to send it for this is RTO Electronics in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Cost is $158 plus parts.
This radio will get you on the air for little cost, but for some more money you could get a more modern rig with speech processing, easier tuning, and built in keyer.
Overall it is not a bad radio, and it has general coverage receive, but there are others out there that have greater performance and features. |
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| K7VO |
Rating: |
2005-02-18 | |
| Muddy audio, no QRM fighting tools, high noise floor |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
The Heath SB-1400 ("kit" was not part of the name of this rig) was a slightly reworked version of the Yaesu FT-747GX. Both the Yaesu and Heath versions of this rig get rave reviews. I really fail to understand why.
Is it reliable? Sure. Lots of memories? Yep. General coverage receive? Yes. Is the receiver sensitive? Very. It also features a relatively high noise floor from a truly noisy synthesizer. Had I not had better radios to compare it to I might have thought it had a good receiver but in A/B tests it failed miserably. The slightly older Kenwood TS-670 could pull out stuff on 40 and 15 that the combination of high receiver noise floor and just plain muddy audio made impossible to copy on the Heath. If you like a very bassy sound with lots of presence the SB-1400 has it. The high end is just plain missing, and not just in AM mode. This was true both with the internal speaker and the lousy external speaker in the matching SB-1400-4 power supply (a Yaesu FP-757HD with a Heath nameplate). The external speaker sounded no better than the internal one. I'd take my relatively ancient, analog Shimizu Denshi SS-105S over this Yaesu/Heath toy any day.
The rig has two tuning rates: too fast and too slow. Thankfully I had the optional spinner knob so I could tune around a band at a reasonable rate. The fact that Heath found it necessary to offer this option makes it clear they were aware of the need for it.
IF Shift? PBT? Anything at all to get rid of QRN or QRM? Heck no! The Heath version at least allowed you to choose fast/slow ALC independently of mode, something the Yaesu version lacked.
I think the people who like this rig haven't tried a better one. That or what they value in a rig isn't what I value: receiver performance. I sold mine after five months. |
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| W7JBJ |
Rating: |
2005-02-02 | |
| Enjoyable! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I used this rig for about two years without a single problem before selling it. It worked for me flawlessly and was a very easy rig to use. I operated both CW and SSB on all bands with great signal, and audio reports! I would not hesitate to acquire another one if the opportunity arose as a back-up rig!
73,
Gil Larson, W7JBJ |
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| KU4QW |
Rating: |
2001-01-21 | |
| This is a Yaesu FT-747 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
SB-1400 Huge pileups, big city QRN, no spare parts, and a long way to anywhere. You probably couldn't find a better test of the new SB-1400 All-Mode Transceiver than Heath's expedition to Taipei in the Republic of China. When working DX, you need sensitivity to dig for the weak ones, but still need dynamic range so the guy down the block doesn't clobber you in the middle of a QSO. Sure, the SB-1400 worked thc S9+ 30 signals, but out of the pile- ups it also worked a number of stateside stations running 5 watts or less! And that's not bad for a short path distance of 7600 miles!
SB-1400 A proven transceiver.
The technology that worked the world can work for you, too, in your own ham shack 1he SB-1400 is a fully assembled all-band, all-mode (FM optional), continuous duty, 100-watt transceiver. It incorporates an impressive general coverage receiver with dual VFOs for split operation and 20 memories to store your favorite frequencies. The unit includes standard SSB filter plus a n and 500 Hz CW filter and wideband AM filter. It also features clarifier (RIT), front panel AGC, noise blanker, all mode squelch, 20 dB attenuator, computer interface, and a clean, "operator preferred" front panel layout. The transmitter's PA is cooled by a quiet, thermostatically controlled internal fan and is enclosed in its own diecast aluminum heat-sink chamber, which allows for full power operation in CW, SSB, FM and RTlY, AMTOR, SSTV, and Packet.
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