GOOD PRICE FOR A HW-8

I HAVE A CHANCE TO PICKUP A HEATHKIT HW-8 WITH PWR SUPPLY FOR $130. IT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND IT WORKS. IS THIS A FAIR PRICE?

THANKS, RICK KI4RMO

[KC2KFC]

That's about what I paid for mine with the power supply. The last time I looked on eBay (about a year ago) they ranged anywhere from $100 - $150 depending on condition.

[AG3Y]

You have the same post in the "questions and answers" section of the forum. No reason to have it both places! See my answer over there !

73 from Jim

[K0RGR]

HW-8 is a great little CW only QRP rig. Lots of us got started in QRP with that rig and its predecessor, the HW-7. The HW-8 was a big improvement on the HW-7, however. There's plenty of room in the top cover to mount internal NiCAds or other accessories - maybe a
tuner.

Is this going to be your first HF rig? If so, you may get a little discouraged with the QRP power level. QRP requires patience and some level of operating skill. You will soon find that you need to learn how to tune the other stations in, so that you are actually on their frequency. If you come onto them from the wrong direction, you'll be several Khz. off. I think you also need to learn to tune them in so that the pitch of their signal is very low.

Good luck!

[AG3Y]

If you use the "narrow" position on the receiver, you will not miss the proper tone by much. It even "rings" a bit on background noise, so you are always aware of it. Just peak the incoming signal in the audio bandpass and you have the right tone.

What RGR is referring to is the fact that all direct conversion receivers will produce a beat note each side of zero beat. If I remember right, if you always tune from the higher side of the band down toward the lower side, until you hear the proper tone, you will be on the correct side of zero beat, and the other station will stand a much better chance of hearing you.

There was a very involved discussion about "zero beat" on here a few weeks ago. Perhaps you can look it up in a search. Actually, it really bothers me how far apart two stations are from one another ( I'm talking about cw pitch, not distance ! ) now days.

It is almost as bad as it was when two novices with crystal control tried talking with each other! They were sometimes so far apart in frequency that a third station listening in could not hear both stations at the same time! He would have to retune his receiver each time one station turned it over to the other.

It is getting to be almost as bad as that today, in spite of the fact that most rigs are transceivers and use a single VFO to operate both receiver and transmitter ! Strange !

73 from Jim AG3Y

[K9STH]

6 and 2 meter phone used to be that way also. Back when most stations were crystal controlled they had maybe one or two "net" frequency or "calling" frequency crystals and maybe a couple of others. During band openings, etc., it was not unusual for a phone station to be working another phone station that was 200 KHz or more away!

When you called CQ you didn't say "and standing by", you said "and tuning". You tuned at least 200 KHz on either side of your frequency, if not more, listening for someone to come back to you!

Many Novice Class operators didn't have but one or two crystals for each band (80, 40, and 15) and some didn't have but one crystal! You definitely tuned the entire 50 KHz on 80 and 40 listening for replies to your CQ and the entire 150 KHz on 15! Of course most of the receivers back then weren't all that accurate in calibration and even though they had a bandspread control, you usually had to be very careful as you tuned not to "overshoot" someone coming back to you. But, we didn't know the difference and worked all sorts of stations!

Glen, K9STH

[WA2ZDY]

Jim, I believe the HW8 was a superhet receiver, no? I never had one. In fact I saw one at a hamfest last year for $165 and someone else bought it ( I wouldn't pay that much for it anyway.) I did have an HW7 as a kid and yes, that thing could be awful. The microphonics were atrocious, but still I managed to make contacts with it.

And for a first and only HF rig, I think QRP is a mistake. QRP as stated requires skill one must learn by doing. Without that skill, operating will be very frustrating and is not worth it.

For a second rig, or for the fun of QRP though, the HW8/9 can't be beat. The 7 though . . . maybe better avoided.

[AG3Y]

Nope, the HW-8 is a DirectConversion rig just like the 7 was, but it does have a bit better receiver. Interestingly I understand that the mixing scheme for the bands is almost the same as the HW-101, but that they did not use an IF amplifier, so everything that has been said about the "double signal beat" etc. is still true.

You might be thinking about the HW-9, which is a very collectable radio. It uses a superhet conversion scheme, and had the WARC options available as well. Furthermore, the paint scheme was the gray color, rather than the green motif that was used by the earlier radios.

I agree with you about going to QRP for a first rig. That is putting a real handicap on you, and although seasoned operators love the challenge, it is not for a novice on the HF bands. Especially not since we are going down the back side of the sunspot cycle.

73 from Jim

[N0WVA]

Thats a good rig to start with, and fun,too. If you really want it, the price is OK. But chances are you could get it cheaper at a hamfest maybe 75$ or less, if your in the right place at the right time. But your not getting ripped, if thats your concern.