Heathkit SB-1000 3-500Z Linear Amplifier
One of the few amplifiers having 160M capability, It is also a popular candidate for 6 and 630M mods. 37 out of 38 reviewers on Eham gave it a 5, a tribute to its excellent overall design. This SB -1000, serial # 00 07 27 89 has the grey panel, and is in excellent cosmetic condition inside and out, as shown in the photos. Overhaul included the usual reforming of filter caps, peaking the input networks, and cleaning and lubing the controls. Additional work included upgrading grid ground connections.
And plate wiring to fat braid, as recommended for improved stability and reduced parasitics and harmonics. No need for such popular band aids as the aperiodic plate choke or lossy nichrome wire parasitic suppressor.
The plate tank coil Q for 40, 60 and 80 meter bands was increased by spreading the too-close spaced turns. Tuning on all bands is smooth and positive, and it works as it should when tested on all bands on both 120 and 240V. It has a1969 NOS French made all glass Amperex 3-500ZG that has been gettered, hi-potted and broken in to provide full power. Its graphite plate is noticeably taller than the Eimac or the Taylor brand tube, and is said to handle 600W dissipation. Includes spare Eimac 3-500Z shown in photo. Some Eham reviews give an idea of its performance. It went together perfectly and operated just like the book said (even better) with the first AC & RF applied.The design is clean and simple. The power out is more than the specs say. I have used it for about 8 years with the original 3-500Z tube with no loss of performance.
This is one piece of equipment anyone can repair themselves (if that time ever comes). The SB-1000 runs great and I consistently get great unsolicited audio reports. Unlike a solid state amp the SB-1000 does not balk if it sees a higher SWR. This makes it a great contest amp because you can tune up in the middle of a band and pretty much run from one end to the other without having to retune.
Power output may drop a bit and the swr may rise 3 to 1 but you make the contact and move on! I generally run "barefoot" but when some DX comes along, the amp can be turned on and is ready to transmit in under 10 seconds. I have little sticky arrows attached to the SB-1000 faceplate so that I can rapidly position the PLATE and LOAD controls where they need to be without having to go through a tune up. Although the SB-1000 is not in production parts are still available from Ameritron and last I looked, they will still do repairs on the unit if needed. The 3-500Z tube is available from RF parts.
I'm limited to an OCF (off center fed dipole) for an antenna. The addition of the SB-1000 made a huge difference in my DX and contesting results.
The bottom line is that this is a great amp at very reasonable price. Well having owned this amp for a year now can say its fantastic! I operate 10 thru 160 and this JEWEL handles it all! I have many amps in my time including the FAMOUS ALPHA 86 and its a true beast but lets compare apples to apples! I must say I had and fairly new AL 80A and this is as good if not better than that amp! I do prefer it more than the AL80B which I think is a poor amp! So if you can find one of these grab it and don't let go! The item "Heathkit SB-1000 3-500Z Linear Amplifier" is in sale since Thursday, September 24, 2020. This item is in the category "Consumer Electronics\Radio Communication\Ham, Amateur Radio\Ham Radio Amplifiers". The seller is "k1qar" and is located in Stow, Massachusetts. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, Australia, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay.- Band: 160M thru 10M (continuous coverage)
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Model: heathkit SB-1000
- Supported Modes: RTTY
- Brand: Heathkit
- Color: Gray
- Type: Linear Amplifier