Note
The SB-102 was the most successful of the SB series of transceivers and was the last of Heath’s classic SB vacuum tube rigs. The introduction of the SB-102 in 1970 marked the pinnacle of Heath’s success, and when it was pulled from production six years later, it marked the closing of an era which began in 1963.
The SB-102 has all of the features found in the 101 and adds three major improvements. The first was the replacement of the tube-type LMO with a solid state unit, which dramatically improved the stability of the rig, though, curiously, the stated specification did not change compared to the SB-100 and 101. This meant that the SB-102 has only 19 tubes.
The second improvement is to the receiver’s sensitivity. The SB-100 and 101 have a sensitivity of 1 µV and 0.5 respectively. The SB-102 is better than 0.35 µV. This is due primarily to the use of a 6HS6 in the RF amplifier instead of a 6AU6.
The third improvement was the addition of an accessory jack for use with the SB-500 transverter. This jack is installed, wired, and ready for use.
Like the SB-101, the SB-102 must be modified for use with the SB-640 remote LMO. The modification is the same as on the 101, and involves placing a second accessory jack below the existing jack used by the SB-500. Look for the knock-out panel on the rear of the cabinet (just above the ground post). If it has been removed, check for two connectors just inside the opening. If two are present, the mod for the 640 has been done. The top jack is for the SB-500 and the bottom one is for the SB-640.
The rear panel switch to select common or separate antennas for receive and transmit (as found on the SB-100 and 101) has been deleted.
References:
Review. QST. Feb 1971, p. 48.
Adding RIT. QST. May 1967, p. 49.
Adding RIT. Ham Radio. Aug 1976, p. 81.
WWV reception. QST. Apr 1969, p. 47.
WWV reception. Ham Radio. Jan 1977, p. 78.
Preselector improvement. QST. Nov 1968, p. 50.
Better connection to SB-620. CQ. Feb 1970, p. 89.
Fixing VOX and ALC problems. QST. Aug 1971, p. 43.
Narrow shift RTTY reception. Ham Radio. Oct 1971, p 64.
Narrow shift RTTY reception. Ham Radio. Jun 1973, p 54.
Hum. QST. Jun 1971, p. 40.
Hum / hot resistor. Ham Radio. Jun 1975, p. 59.
Hum / relay mods. Ham Radio. Jun 1976, p. 34.
Hum reduction. QST. Aug 1976, p. 43.
Hum reduction. CQ. Apr 1973, p. 51.
Increasing capabilities of. CQ. Aug 1972, p. 16.
External VFO for. CQ. Sep 1972, p. 48.
Increase friction in worn zero set. QST. Jan 1973, p. 52.
Receiver tuning modification. CQ. Apr 1973, p. 50.
Improved CW break-in. CQ. Jul 1973, p. 35.
Speech processor. Ham Radio. Jun 1975, p. 38.
OSCAR reception with. QST. Feb 1975, p. 46.
Digital display for. Ham Radio. Sep 1976, p. 16
Eliminating AC buzz. QST. Feb 1977, p. 44.
Heterodyne crystal switching. Ham Radio. Mar 1977, p. 78.
Underrated resistor / CW desense. Ham Radio. Mar 1977, p. 79.
Birdies. QST. Jun 1977, p. 47.
Use with low impedance headphones. Ham Radio. Oct 1977, p. 87.
Excessive CW recovery delay. Ham Radio. Mar 1978, p. 110.
S-meter problem. QST. Apr 1978, p. 40.
Zero-set dial modification. QST. Feb 1980, p. 44.
Eliminating frequency jump. QST. Jan 1981, p. 45.
Digital frequency display, Ham Radio. Jan 1987, p. 8.
Optimizing. QST. Feb 2003, p. 77.
General information. Electric Radio. Nov 2006.
General information about SB series. Electric Radio. Sep 2016.
Tubes: (1) 0A2, (1) 6HS6, (4) 6AU6, (1) 6BN8, (1) 6CB6, (1) 6CL6, (4) 6EA8, (1) 6GW8, (2) 12AT7, (1) 12AU7, (2) 6146
Photos, general information and specifications from "Heathkit: A Guide to the Amateur Radio Products," by Chuck Penson, WA7ZZE. Used with permission.
