Copper Talk » Product Reviews » Amplifiers » Heathkit SB-220 ON 11M ! « Previous Next »

Author Message
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

432va.
Posted on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 - 1:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Can the SB-220 operate on 11 without a mod. . If so, how well do they work on 11m . If not what type of mod. is needed . Thanks and happy new year `10.5hrs. to go till the ball drops . :)
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

CM 3885
Posted on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 - 6:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I think they have to be modded to be used on 11 meters.. They are a good amp but they work best with 220 volts......
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Crafter
Posted on Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 6:22 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If you cant find a band switch kit I think I got one for a JB2000 here somewhere think there about the same amp 2 3-500z's right? Just let me know.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Jp1116
Posted on Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 7:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mine works great on the 10 meter position.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Czar
Posted on Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 6:09 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

No mods needed for 11 meters,I have one and it puts out FULL power on 11 meters in the 10 meter positionl.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

432va.
Posted on Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 10:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Whats the average Plate amperes, high voltage and Grid mA for the 220 on 11M ?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Tech671
Posted on Friday, January 03, 2003 - 6:05 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

As I recall it's around 2800v and 3-400ma.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

CM 3885
Posted on Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 12:07 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Wow! Whatever you do dont go poking around inside that big ol' bad boy if you dont know what you are doing!!! If you do unplug that big badd dawgg and discharge the caps!!!!!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

2600
Posted on Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 1:50 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This is an amplifier designed for SSB. If you run AM, the heat may get out of hand, if you aren't conservative about drive power. This is probably the most-modified legit ham amplifier used for 11-meter AM. If you use it for SSB, little or no modification is called for. To run AM, you need to use the "low" side (CW/TUNE) unless it has been customized to withstand the stress.

If the model number says "SB-220", it was built before the FCC banned 10 meters from legal ham amplifiers. Heathkit used the model number "SB-221" to indicate the later version that "locked out" 10-meter (and 11) operation.

ftp://bama.sbc.edu/downloads/heath/

is supposed to have a manual for the SB220 on it.

73
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Jyd
Posted on Wednesday, February 19, 2003 - 5:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

there are things you can do to both to make operation better,change the z-28 choke which is 30 mhz choke.change it out for a z-14 choke which is 2 or 3mhz through 28mhz.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

2600
Posted on Wednesday, February 19, 2003 - 11:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ummmm, JYD just exactly where in a box with two 3-500Z tubes did you see a Z-28 RF choke? It didn't come with one of them in it to start with. He will have a hard time finding one to change out, if he looks for it.

73
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

CM 3885
Posted on Sunday, February 23, 2003 - 10:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

So it wont work good on AM?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

bruce
Posted on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 7:30 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

it should work fine on am
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

CM 3885
Posted on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 7:02 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

What kind of tubes do the "big boys" on CH 6 run in thier amps? I know some of those guys run SB 220 and other types of amps. I know you need a keydown peddle to run an amp like a 220 on AM because they are strictly a SSB amp...
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

CM 3885
Posted on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 - 10:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Talked to a local guy (local as in 25 miles away) last night on the phone and his comment on the SB 220 was "yes you can most certainly run the 220 on AM just you need more air moving around inside the amp for the tubes and a keying curcuit of some kind to engage the relays on AM" This comes from a guy that builds homeade amps for the hams and some of the CH 6 crowd. Not that i want to do such a thing (its illegal! LOL) but i just wanted to know and i was curious after i saw this post... The guy is a straight shooter and is a guru about amps and old radios and ive never been afraid to ask him about any questions on amps!!!!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

2600
Posted on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 2:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

By far the simplest and most reliable way to key a "ham" amplifier is to install a relay inside the radio. It's a little more involved that just hooking one relay wire up to the mike jack. We use a small transistor that gets turned on by the internal "transmit-only" voltage in the radio. That keeps extra unwanted 'extra' currents out of the mike circuit. A great many "black radio" type base stations sold by Galaxy, RCI, Eagle and others have a "frequency counter" jack on the rear. Since most of these base stations already have a frequency display on the front, that makes this jack available for keying an external amplifier. Just what was that socket there for in the first place, anyway? This prevents the relay in the amplifier from "chattering". The bigger an amplifier is, the more potential for damage there is when the relay chatters between receive and transmit. Much better to have the relay close just as soon as you key the mike.

A footswitch creates a potential hazard if you key it AFTER the drive power is present. You should always key the footswitch BEFORE keying the radio, and release it AFTER you unkey. This way the driver's RF power doesn't cause an arc to jump across the contacts in the amplifier relay. Makes them last longer, too. Building it into the radio eliminates this hazard.

E-mail me if you want a look at the prototype "key" boards we use.

73
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Crafter
Posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 10:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ok, need some help how do you wire it to 110 volts from the 220 volts....I wife needs her dryer outlet to dry clothes, My answer was hang them on the long wire....
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Crafter
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - 1:15 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here's a quick question anyone know of someone who could add a driver tube inside the heathkit to drive the 2, 3-500z's Like the old Blackcat JB
2000 did to allow a 4 watt radio drive the amp. I've decided against 110 volts also since it pulls more the the wire in the house is rated for when at 3000 volts.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Crafter
Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - 1:26 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I should add its a sb 221 with "10m" added back tonight.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Bullet
Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2003 - 10:58 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

crafter its simple there is a terminal block (AE) that this is done at.

its left of the tube sockets a few inches if looking from underneath the cabnet just left of the wire harness and south of the breakers.

on terminal strip AE you got 4 terminal screws on this strip. if your amp is now setup for 220volts youll see the two center screws are conected together with a 10-12ga wire jumper shaped like an S.

to make this 110 volts move that jumper out and conect the two left terminal screws together and then make another jumper just like it and conect the remaning two terminal screws on the right with the new jumper. now your set up for 110 volts. it's that easy!

as for volts and milli amps. youll get two differant readings on the voltage one on cw/tune and a slightly higer one for ssb. this is normal

as for milli amps it totally depends on your drive
level your showing the amp.

i know if im running just the radio(22 watts peak on a bird 43p)into the sb220 the ma is very low around the bottom end of the scale(cant remember off hand were exactly)
but if you have 1/2 way decent tubes it will produce around 200+ watts from the radio driving it alone and 1000-1200 with 100watts drive. the ZG tubes run a bit better than the standard Z's do. ive seen 350+ from my radio driving my 220 w/ZG tubes with rf power on radio at max.

if you key the amp and its dead carrier is around 400 watts you should be in around the .400ma area.

im not one to push amps hard id rather them last a long time and reproduce good signal and good sound quality not mush.
and dont listen to the guys that say drive it with things like a phantom 500 or similar its may take it a while but its not going to last like that for long if you do.

a few nice mods for this amp are the soft start mod and parasidic suppreser mod,you might want to up grade the rectifier diodes on the metering board,and take a look at the caps by the hv transformer. alot of good mods that help the amp not chezzy cb chop shop mods.

i've done alot of work to mine when i bought it just so id know that things were new and i wouldnt be getting surprised in the middle of dxing by a failure of some sort.even has a new face plate, its like bran new minus a meter switch i need to replace some day but it wont hurt operation.

you can look at these and more on the harbach electronics web site.

www.harbachelectronics.com

later bullet
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Crafter
Posted on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 2:42 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I already got a diode problem when I wound it up it popped a few, Now Im replacing them. Decided against the 110 volt after I did it and it kept tripping the breaker. So got it wired into 220volts now I found a manual on line like 96 pages alot of ink...But thanks for the Harbach electronics I've heard everyone talking about the mods but hadnt tried to find it....Thanks..
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Bullet
Posted on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 9:59 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

crafter,

i'll tell you what. you made a wonderfull choice buying a sb220.

that thing is a workhorse, and when you get her up and running and treat her right she'll last you a life time.
the engineers that made this amp did a wonderfull job imo. its compact,powerfull and built to last.

cant say enuff good things about them!

i love mine.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

RCI 2990
Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2003 - 3:29 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Would it be wise to run that bad boy off of 120 vs 220?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Bullet
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2003 - 1:24 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

2990,
it will work just fine either way!

crafter,
it shouldnt be blowing the breakers on 110vac.unless you got a short somewhere in the amp. or a bad breaker or bad wiring.

ive got a D&A phantom,sb220,rotor control box, 2 radios and a light going into a six way in my wall socket. and ive not blown any breakers

as long as your wiring in the house is up to code you should be fine.
figure your max amps used with all your radio gear on tx and be sure your wiring can handle it.

if you have 10-2 you should be fine.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

RCI 2990
Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2003 - 7:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

A OK. I run a KLV 1000 P high drive and have no problems on 110/120. Im thinking of getting rid of the 1000P this coming fall and getting a 220 because i want a amp with 3-500z tubes instead of regular sweep tubes....

Add Your Message Here
Post:
Username: Posting Information:
This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here.
Password:
Options: Enable HTML code in message
Automatically activate URLs in message
Action: