The Toy Counter

Icom 7610 HF
Icom 9700 UHF/VHF D-Star
Icom 5100 U/V D-Star/Satellite
Icom 5300 POTA/SOTA                                  Icom ID52A HH

Ameritron ALS600 Amplifier
MFJ Versatuner                                           Palstar AutoTuner

DMR
Anytone 578 Base U/V
Anytone 878 HH
CS-8600 U/V DMR Multi

Allstar Node
Kenwood TMV71 U/V
HotSpots
N5BOC Duplex (RPi)
OpenSpot III

Audio Chain:
Behringer USB/MIX
Behringer Signal Processor
Behringer Studio Monitors
Shure SM-7 Microphone
MFJ Multi Mic Selector
Heathkit Digital Clock (new)
Uniden BCD536 Scanner

Antennas
Mosley TA33 Triband Yagi
Diamond X50s U/V Vertical
TRAM Yagi/U/V Satellite
Log Periodic Dueschette
HamSticks / 80 40 20
Arrow Sat Antenna

CW Keys
Bencher Paddles
Brown Bro’s. Straight Key
Vibroplex Single Paddle
(as a cootie)
Vibroplex Champion (Bug)

The shack (s) at WA7BFN have evolved over the years from war surplus ARC Series Radios to the latest edition Icoms. My family got started with ham radio in the early days of CB Radio, as most did and quickly converted to the amateur ranks (1963) A collection of various radios ensued, with the last being the “Heathkit” SB Line. Alas the Heathkits have been replaced by Icoms 

When I moved with family to the west, our calls were issued in consecutive order. The “seven” call area found WA7BFN-BFO-BFP located in GrandView Idaho. A 65 foot tower with Mosely TA33 Yagi and various dipoles adorning the little hamlet’s skyline, drew many comments from the locals. HI BTW the TA33 is still in use today.

 A ham for 63 years, Duff enjoys all aspects of the hobby with CW his FAV. Two years ago Duff started teaching for the Long Island CW Club (LICW) .Some 7000 members dedicated to teaching  Morse Code.  More on LICW in the CW Section of the site.

THE VENERABLE

Heathkit SB Line 

 The 60s-70s were a great time for Amateur radio.

The Heathkit SB series is one of the most important and recognizable families of amateur-radio equipment from the 1960s and 1970s. It was Heathkit’s attempt to bring high-performance, station-quality HF equipment to ordinary hams at a price they could afford to build themselves. 

The SB line was heavily influenced by the famous Collins S/Line, which is why Heathkit equipment is sometimes affectionately called the “poor man’s Collins.”

 I remember rushing home from work, to work on the “kit” , the dining room table adorned with all the various pieces and parts and of course the world class Heathkit Instruction manual as the guide to success. 

The “stations Equipment grew with the addition of the other various kits from “Heath” .

The last addition to my station was the famous SB-220

The SB-220 was a powerful HF amplifier, using two 3-500Z tubes. It was rated around 2 kW PEP input/output-class capability depending on measurement convention and operating mode, with approximately 1 kW CW/RTTY output capability under its original ratings

Even today, you’ll encounter SB-220s that have been restored or modified for modern amateur operation.

The SB-Line was the Crown Jewell of our  station, and still today brings many wonderful memories of kit building and ultimately the QSO’s that were made

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