Heathkit HW 101 Overview

Since I really didn't have enough time in the previous video to give you an overview of the HW-101 I decided to give that part a separate video.

These are very fine radios that perform well and are easy to work on. I would easily recommend the HW/SB series of radios to an amateur radio operator who is interested in investigating the world of vintage amateur radio equipment.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Heathkit HW
• dx
• ham radio
• KC2TAU

[Polybun]

Not weird at all. Heathkit used mil spec parts, and they held up pretty damn well.

[928GTSR]

@Polybun

I was surprised how few out of tolerance resistors I found when I was diagnosing the S-meter issue. I think the issue might have been down to a leaking electrolytic, a few resistors out of tolerance and perhaps a resistor with a hairline crack in it.  - Mike

[82MB240D]

As soon as I get some experience in I'd love to get my hands on an old HW-101 to restore

[928GTSR]

@82MB240D

They're well worth your time. I need to replace one of the front slide switches on mine and then it'll be back in business. Keep your eyes peeled at ham fests, eBay and Craigslist for them. Heathkit made plenty of them and so you'll be able to find one without much trouble. - Mike

[82MB240D]

@928GTSR I love the idea of working an old rig compared to a newer one with all the fancy options on it. It's everything from the feel of the knobs to the way it tunes.

[928GTSR]

@82MB240D

I prefer older radios as they have character and require a certain finesse to operate them. I'm finishing up a relatively major going over of my HW-101. One day the S-meter decided to pin itself all the way against the left stop and refused to come up. I've spent a fair bit of time replacing out of tolerance resistors and one leaking electrolytic. I'll try and take some video footage of it soon. Take care!  - Mike

[1959CRL]

Hello. I bought a so called "Working" 101 off of ebay, which means it is and was dead as Abraham Lincoln. I repaired it and use it every day. The radio is a good quality build. Nice vide and your radio is a nice one!

[N2RRAny]

Gotta get my hands on one!

[Polybun]

@928GTSR Yeah, well finding the bad capacitors in this stuff is easy... they are ALL bad. :) I had the same issue on a halicrafters receiver. The leakage was so bad it was biasing the 2nd if into cutoff.

[928GTSR]

They're tough rigs that are easy to fix and work quite well. I usually recommend this radio to people looking for their first vintage HF rig.

Take care! - Mike