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Author Topic: Heathkit Twoer  (Read 8592 times)
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N1WVQ
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« on: January 06, 2020, 09:54:03 PM »

After wanting one for over 20 years, I picked up a Heathkit Twoer. Cosmetically it’s in decent shape. I am not sure how it is electrically. I’ll have to get a variac so as to not shock it. I’ll let you know how it fares.

73,
Jay, N1WVQ
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N1WVQ/V31VQ
WA2SQQ
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« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2020, 03:20:54 PM »

With the resurgence of AM activity on HF, it would be nice to hear some AM again.
I have the original prototype of the 2&10 meter transciever that was featured in the last issue of RCA Ham Tips.
Back in the late 60's and early 70's I worked 21 states with the radio on 2 AM
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WA1LGQ
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« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2020, 08:02:04 AM »

Hi Jay, I have owned many Twoers and Sixers over the decades. I don't have one at the moment except for a somewhat rare 10M version which I have worked across the pond with bafefoot when the band was open. They are very serviceable little radios. Great for local stuff. Not much output, so expect to run an amplifier. Those ubiquitous small amps for 2 FM work well. Just drive it at 1/4 of its max out carrier more or less. The modulators work well with a high impedance crystal mic. A D104 does the job. I hope you can find someone to talk to on it. Set up a sked.
Have fun........Larry
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W1ITT
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« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2020, 08:46:00 AM »

The Heath Twoer was probably responsible for more lost hams than any other cause in the 1960s.  Back then, the Novice license was valid for one year and non renewable.  You really only got 11 months because the FCC dated the license then took their sweet time getting it into the mail.  Most new Novices got their act together and got on the air working to upgrade their CW skills to 13 words per minute.  Some, however, heard the siren song of voice communication and got on with their Twoers, yakking across town.  When I was in high school, a bunch of us got our tickets and, almost without exception, the guys with the Twoers dropped out of amateur radio at the end of their "year".  Some of them were otherwise smart fellows and would have made good hams.
Because the Twoer used a regenerative receiver, they radiated a signal that annoyed the "serious" two-meter ops and that caused some dissatisfaction with the young whippersnappers who were "ruining" the band for the old guys.
I stayed down on 15 meters with the Globe Scout 680 and stayed away from the microphone and was happier in the long run.
73 de  Norm W1ITT
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kb2vxa
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I modulate, therefore AM


« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2020, 10:01:44 AM »

Oh no, a Benton Harbor Lunch Box best used as a display piece or large paper weight unless you want to hear the whole band at once with that regen RX, not to mention emitting a spurious signal as what the FCC calls an incidental radiator. Use it if you want to, but I can think of better ways of winning friends and influencing people.

If you're serious about 2M AM and can't afford the cream of the crop your best bet is in my experience having all 4 is the Gonset 2M Communicator 2 with the matching 6 and 2 VFO. The 10W output can be heard well over about a 10 mile radius with a ground plane, farther with a beam. Rock bound units were the mainstay of CD communications back in the day and Gonset produced them in CD colors by the thousands. They have an SO239 on top so a 1/4 wave whip could be attached and operated off 110VAC mains, 6VDC and 12VDC for portable/mobile use. 2M AM was dead by the time I had my collection and put the Communicator 2 and matching VFO on the air, but that didn't stop me from QSOing with a couple of SSB ops regularly. The key is using the VFO spotting feature as a BFO and zero beating the SSB signals, they had no idea I was using AM until I told them. Gonset also made a matching amp, but they're pretty rare these days. I only saw one once at a hamfester some years ago, but unfortunately didn't have enough cash on me to add it to my collection. Those solid state 2M amps I suppose can be used if the "driver" is loaded back to 5W carrier output and the switch in the SSB position. Only one caveat, keep a hand on the heat sink or put fans on it, the 100% AM duty cycle vs. the 20% SSB duty cycle can cause overheating.

They also made the G28 10M Communicator in CD colors, but they had one nasty problem, the TR switch. It had several wafers with a thousand (hi) wires going to it including main B+ and arcing of those contacts led to destruction of the phenolic wafer at that point. Sometimes it was repairable with great difficulty, sometimes it was the end of the G28.

P.S. The Gonset 6M and 2M Communicators were Clegg in disguise, so if you know Clegg you know they're top notch quality, modular design, and technician friendly.


* VHF amp.jpg (197.73 KB, 1077x993 - viewed 496 times.)
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73 de Warren KB2VXA
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kb2vxa
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I modulate, therefore AM


« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2020, 10:03:12 AM »

OOPS! The second image didn't "take", so here it is.


* 6N2 VFO.jpg (170.46 KB, 640x458 - viewed 461 times.)
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73 de Warren KB2VXA
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« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2020, 10:54:54 AM »

Hit nail on head. I received my first radio gear from a 1 year ham who gave me a BC-652 tank receiver and a Twoer. Sure enough, he let his Novice expire in 68 and that was that. But the gear got me going towards Novice and I made my first contact on the BC-652. By now the VHF was gone so no temptation for phone in 1973! I would not use the Twoer until I got my Advanced 2 years later. We had a civil defense net on Sunday nights and it was AM and I used a cut down Channel 5 TV Yagi with a TV balun and 75 ohm RG-59 with the twoer and the darn thing worked out to 30 miles at least!
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These are the good old days of AM
Carl WA1KPD
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« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2020, 08:42:34 PM »

Ah Yes, the "Twoer"
Ran mine at home and mobile with a halo in my Dad's VW.

Eventually collected all models. 2,6 10 and CB. Picked up a Junker at a fest and convereted it to a PW 160 meter AM transmitter..
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Carl

"Okay, gang are you ready to play radio? Are you ready to shuffle off the mortal coil of mediocrity? I am if you are." Shepherd
N3GTE
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« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2020, 11:34:06 PM »

I always thought it would be fun to gut one and put it on 40mtrs. I built a little AM job that make 6w (6AQ5x6AQ5) and it works ok w/my meager ant.

Terry N3GTE
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N1WVQ
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« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2020, 10:16:03 PM »

Crystals have arrived today for not only the Twoer, but also my HW-17, & my Lafayette HA-460. The Twoer makes a hum on receiver which I attribute to the age of the capacitors. I have one replacement on-hand, but will be replacing all once I have them.

As for the broad receive issue, as well as TVI, & output problems, I found an article in the December 1964 issue of 73 which addresses those issues & fixes that the author, Doug DeMaw, went through. I will be applying those changes.

Thanks for the input so far!

73 de N1WVQ/V31VQ.
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N1WVQ/V31VQ
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CW is just a narrower version of AM


« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2020, 05:52:52 PM »

Forgot about the hum. Yes my "new" one hummed too back in 1973. The hum may be more interesting than just caps.
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These are the good old days of AM
N1WVQ
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« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2020, 06:33:00 PM »

Forgot about the hum. Yes my "new" one hummed too back in 1973. The hum may be more interesting than just caps.
The electrolytics seem to be wired in parallel & opposite polarity to each other. That’s interesting!
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Carl WA1KPD
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« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2020, 06:56:47 PM »

Hmmmmm...... Grin
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Carl

"Okay, gang are you ready to play radio? Are you ready to shuffle off the mortal coil of mediocrity? I am if you are." Shepherd
W1NB
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« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2020, 08:05:37 PM »

I could be wrong but I seem to recall that the HV supply is a voltage doubler. If so, on a quick glance they may look like they’re parallel but they’re not.
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N1WVQ
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« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2020, 09:04:08 PM »

I could be wrong but I seem to recall that the HV supply is a voltage doubler. If so, on a quick glance they may look like they’re parallel but they’re not.
They might be perpendicular, electrically. I'll have to check the schematic tomorrow.
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N1WVQ/V31VQ
N3GTE
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« Reply #15 on: January 30, 2020, 10:23:32 PM »

The high voltage does use a doubler circuit as the pt only makes abt 150v across the secondary. The hum is more than likely caused by the high gain of the detector so the hum will be hard to tame.

GL
Terry N3GTE
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KO8S
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« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2021, 08:26:21 PM »

I have two Twoers that I am currently working on.  One is good to go, the other is a bit strange; when I lock it in the TX position, all is good.  When I transmit in the momentary position, frequency drops from 144 to 141 and the TX LED does not night.  Could be a original wiring error, I don't know.  You really need two Twoers for a good QSO because of the drifting in frequency; between two of them, you could not tell.  73, Karl, KO8S in Michigan
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #17 on: March 30, 2021, 12:46:57 AM »

  You really need two Twoers for a good QSO because of the drifting in frequency; between two of them, you could not tell.  73, Karl, KO8S in Michigan
That only works if they drift in the same direction and roughly at the same time.

But, they make pretty bookends.
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n4joy
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« Reply #18 on: March 30, 2021, 11:52:13 AM »

Good to see interest in VHF AM and hope you get your Twoer on the air.  Unfortunately, 6 and 2 meter AM is almost dead.  I can count on one hand the number of 6 meter AM contacts I have made over the past five years or so despite my many efforts.  I have a schedule with a local ham on 50.4 (Sundays at 7pm EST) and we are dabbling with 2 meter AM.

Good luck and keep us apprised! 
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KO8S
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« Reply #19 on: April 06, 2021, 09:42:12 AM »

I acquired a Heathkit HW-30 Twoer, with proper crystal, mic, power cord and original manual, and all look great cosmetically, and if this transceiver ever operated properly, is unknown. 

In my initial testing of the transmit portion of this transceiver, using a #47 light bulb for a dummy load, and my MFJ 269 antenna analyzer (frequency counter mode), I found something very strange.  With the transmit switch in the up (locked on position), the TX light lit and I had proper output exactly on its single crystals frequency, 144.910.  The signal and its audio sounded ok on a nearby receiver in my shack. But, when I switched to the momentary on TX position, the dummy load #47 light bulb lit to twice the brilliance as before; the TX lamp was not lit, and now the output frequency was 142.250 on the frequency counter!  What is going on here? 

I compared the transmit switch wiring to the manual and they are all correct and the TX switch contacts do not appear to be damaged and are making full contact.  DeOxit was applied to the switch with no change.

So, I am wondering, if there are any Twoer owners and users that would like to try and help me solve this problem?   These can be fun little radios, especially for the new comers to Ham radio.  Your thoughts will be appreciated in this matter.  73, de Karl, KO8S
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