Heathkit HW-101 ISSUE.

[W5RKL]

And i keep for getting to ask this ,on the rf control the little lever that allows you to switch between the ssb and cw filter it will not move into the ssb spot it only goes up half way moves to the cw position with no problems. ?

That's normal for the SSB/CW filter select switch. Don't try to force it more towards the SSB label. If you force it more towards the SSB label you will break the filter select tab on
the RF gain control.

73s
Mike

[AD9Y]

yea this radio is going to need to be gone through good. I think im going to take it apart go through the circuit clean it and re soldered most of the joints. Is there
anything i should do with the power supply that seems to be working good?.

[K9STH]

You might consider replacing the electrolytic capacitors and the rectifier diodes in the HP-23 series power supply. Total cost of parts from places like Mouser is less than $20.

Glen, K9STH

[AD4DQ]

Yes also you can get a new upgraded power supply PC board with all the components if you want.... or just replace the caps at least.
http://ultrawebb.com/OHP/HP-23D.htm

[W5RKL]

Yes also you can get a new upgraded power supply PC board with all the components if you want.... or just replace the caps at least.
http://ultrawebb.com/OHP/HP-23D.htm

Mike Bryce also sells a similar HP-23 upgrade PC board kit with all components. See the following link for further details.

http://theheathkitshop.com/page8/page8.html

I rebuild my HP/PS-23 power supplies usingcomponents from Mouser. I use Computer Grade screw terminal caps to replace the 125ufd 450VDC caps and new axial lead caps
below the chassis. All diodes are replaced with new 1N4007s and the equalizing resistors are replaced with flame retardant resistors. I have used the same Computer Grade caps
when replacing the power supply HV filter caps in my Heathkit Apache TX-1 and Marauder HX-10 transmitters.

73s
Mike

[AD9Y]

thanks for that website mike oh and i did find my manuals i got the originals for both the power supply and the radio i had to remember where i put them.
well this weekend im going to start to take it apart and basically rebuild it. I think alot of my problem is that the circuit boards are going to need to be taken out and
cleaned underneath , i was poking around on the boards while it was running very carefully as there is alot of voltage present , and it was making a slight difference also.

So i will post within the next couple of days to update on the process.

[AD9Y]

hey guys so i have been working on the old hw-101 theres been some improvements but im still having some problems. I have been re doing alot of solder joints and cleaning. Im still getting this really annoying popping noise while it warms up and after. And i seem to have a receiving problem audio is very distorted while receiving a loud signal. Now with the popping sound if i turn the driver pre selector all the way forward it seems to go away for the most part, but then my audio is really weak. this is really starting to irritate me no matter what i do it does the same thing.The large electrolytic capacitors appear to be original could that be the problem ?? i know capacitors leak.

[K9STH]

With anything as old as the Heath HW-10X series, you really need to replace all of the electrolytic capacitors. Also, if there are any paper capacitors in the unit, replace them.

Glen, K9STH

[AD9Y]

So i was doing some testing today i cleaned all the band switches fired and fired it up again. I noticed that the 6cl6c tube looks like it is not as bright as the other tubes. Would this be the cause of my badly distorted audio ?.

[K9STH]

Very unlikely! The brightness of the heater ("filament") varies all over the place depending on the tube type.

There are several electrolytic capacitors on the circuit boards, primarily as cathode bypass capacitors. Those capacitors need to be replaced as well as all the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply. There are 5-each 125 mfd @ 450 volt electrolytic capacitors in the HP-23 series as well as 2-more in the bias circuit. Replace all of those capacitors. Using 220 mfd @ 450 volt capacitors works very well and the cost isn't much more than using 120 mfd capacitors (120 mfd capacitors are the "new" value for 125 mfd capacitors). I use the "snap in" type of capacitors mounted on "perf board" to cover the old electrolytic capacitor holes. You can cut perf board (Radio Shack is a very good source for excellent perf board) and drill holes to match the existing holes in the HP-23- series chassis. Use an Xacto knife with a #11 blade to slightly enlarge the holes so that the capacitors can be inserted. Bend over the tabs on the underside of the perf board and the capacitors will be well mounted. Of course, align the new capacitors with the center of the holes for the old ones. The newer capacitors are about 20-percent the size of the older capacitors and the capacitors are both closer in tolerance to the "desired" value and are of much better overall quality.

The cathode bypass electrolytic capacitors are often very problematic where distortion, oscillations, etc. are concerned.

If the power supply is the original HP-23, with the fused plug, replace the cord with a 3-wire cord and put in a fuse. If the original power cord is 2-wire (in the HP-23A and later power supplies), replace it with a 3-wire cord. The "green" wire connects directly to the chassis.

Distortion can also be caused by resistors that have changed value. Unfortunately, with the "olde tyme" composition resistors, this is very common. Those resistors usually go "high" in value.

Glen, K9STH