Note
HR-10 1961-1967 $82.95
HR-10B 1967-1975 $79.95
Designed by Heath to match the DX-60 series of transmitters, the HR-10 and HR-10B (there was no A version) are 5-band, 80-10 meter receivers that will tune SSB, CW, and AM signals. In spite of the low cost and slide-rule dial, the HR-10(B) works surprisingly well.
The HR-10 and 10B are built around 7 tubes (unlike the DX-60 series, the power supplies are not solid state) and employ a crystal lattice filter in the first IF (1681 kHz). This filter provides a selectivity of 3 kHz at 6 dB down. Sensitivity is advertised as 1.0 µV and image rejection as 40 dB or better.
Front panel controls include power on/off, AF gain, RF gain, BFO tune, band switch, main tuning, calibrator on/off, antenna trimmer, receiver/standby, BFO on/off, AVC on/off, and ANL on/off. There is also a headphone jack on the front panel. Rear panel connections include RCA jacks for the antenna (50-75Ω) and a speaker (8Ω). There is no built-in speaker.
The coil/band switch unit is pre-assembled and tuning is fairly smooth with tuning dial ratio of about 12:1. The units take at least 30 minutes to stop drifting, although drift is not a serious problem. Also, the units are not prone to drift due to mechanical vibration. However, there is no voltage regulation in the power supply, and this can cause some sudden drift with changes in the AC power line.
The rear panel also contains a “meter zero” control for calibrating the “S” meter and an octal accessory socket. This socket provides only receiver muting and is for use in conjunction with the DX-60 series transmitters. If the mating plug is missing, pins 1 and 6 of this socket must be shorted together for normal operation. An optional crystal calibrator (HRA-10-1) plugs into an octal socket near the right rear corner of the chassis. Its presence can be determined with visual inspection by looking through the rear of the cabinet.
Two-tone green paint matches the DX-60 series. There are no differences between the HR-10 and the 10B. Only the paint was changed. The smooth paint of the HR-10 was changed to a wrinkle finish on the 10B. This was done so the 10B would match the DX-60B’s paint.
References:
Review. QST. Jul 1963, p. 48.
Improved selectivity and sensitivity. 73 Amateur Radio. Jul 1967, p. 86.
Won’t work on 10/15/20 meters. CQ. May 1970, p. 81.
Improved CW, SSB, voltage regulation. 73 Amateur Radio. Nov 1972, p. 205.
Restoring. Electric Radio. Nov 2006.
Review. Electric Radio. Sep 2008.
Update. Electric Radio. Nov 2008.
Frequency coverage: 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters
IF: 1681 kHz
Sensitivity: 1.0 µV for 10 db signal plus noise-to-noise ratio
Selectivity: 3 kHz @ 6 db down, 9 kHz @ 40 db down
Image rejection: 40 db or better
Input impedance: 50 to 75Ω
Audio output impedance: 8Ω or 500Ω (headphones)
Tubes: (1) 6BZ6, (2) 6EA8, (1) 6BA6, (1) 6BJ7, (1) 6EB8, (1) 6X4.
Photos, general information and specifications from "Heathkit: A Guide to the Amateur Radio Products," by Chuck Penson, WA7ZZE. Used with permission.
