Heathkit SB-102
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| Frequency | TX/RX: 80–10 m (3.5–29.5 MHz, 8 bands) |
| TX power | 100 W (~100 W output (80-15 m), ~80 W on 10 m. 180 W PEP input. Pair of 6146 tube finals.) |
| Modes | USB, LSB, CW |
| Weight | 7.7 kg (17 lb) - 17 lb (~7.7 kg) per Chuck Penson 'Heathkit: A Guide to the Amateur Radio Products' (Radio Alpha). Same 6¾×15×13½ in chassis as the SB-101. External PSU separate. |
| Connector | SO-239 |
| Year | 1970 |
| antenna | SO-239 |
The improved, mature Heathkit SSB/CW transceiver and the last of Heathkit's classic SB-line tube transceivers. Better VFO stability and filtering than the SB-101, with more reliable kit construction. 100W output on 80-10m. Heathkit's kit instructions were at their best.
Kit build quality still varies. The crystal-lattice filter is adequate but not outstanding. 100W PEP is modest. The 6146 finals need periodic replacement. Alignment requires care.
The Heathkit SSB transceiver refined. The SB-102 was what the SB-101 should have been from the start. Fewer build issues, better stability, same Heathkit value proposition. The kit-building rite of passage for 1970s amateur operators.
The Heathkit SB-102 is the most successful of Heathkit's celebrated SB-line transceivers, a refined SSB and CW HF radio, built from a kit, that improved on the SB-101 and became one of the most popular amateur transceivers of its era. Like its predecessor it covers 80 through 10 meters in eight 500-kHz segments and puts out about 100 watts, with double conversion, selectable crystal filters (including an available 400 Hz CW filter for sharp Morse reception), and the stable pre-built oscillator that made the SB-line easy to live with.
It carried forward everything that made the line beloved: handsome styling, solid performance, and the deep satisfaction of building your own station. For countless operators the SB-102 was the radio they assembled on the kitchen table and then used for years on the air. Plentiful, well documented, and well supported by an active community, it remains a quintessential vintage Heathkit and a rewarding radio to restore and operate.
It is a discontinued classic. See the earlier SB-101 and the solid-state SB-104.