Search RFCafe.com                           
      More Than 17,000 Unique Pages
Please support me by ADVERTISING!
Serving a Pleasant Blend of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow™ Please Support My Advertisers!
   Formulas & Data
Electronics | RF
Mathematics
Mechanics | Physics
     AI-Generated
     Technical Data
Pioneers | Society
Companies | Parts
Principles | Assns


 About | Sitemap
Homepage Archive
        Resources
Articles, Forums Calculators, Radar
Magazines, Museum
Radio Service Data
Software, Videos
     Entertainment
Crosswords, Humor Cogitations, Podcast
Quotes, Quizzes
   Parts & Services
1000s of Listings
 Vintage Magazines
Electronics World
Popular Electronics
Radio & TV News
QST | Pop Science
Popular Mechanics
Radio-Craft
Radio-Electronics
Short Wave Craft
Electronics | OFA
Saturday Eve Post

Software: RF Cascade Workbook
RF Stencils Visio | RF Symbols Visio
RF Symbols Office | Cafe Press
Espresso Engineering Workbook

Aegis Power  |  Alliance Test
Centric RF  |  Empower RF
ISOTEC  |  Reactel  |  RFCT
San Fran Circuits

TotalTemp Technologies (Thermal Platforms) - RF Cafe

Anatech Electronics RF Microwave Filters - RF Cafe

Cafe Press

Please Support RF Cafe by purchasing my  ridiculously low-priced products, all of which I created.

RF Cascade Workbook for Excel

RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio

RF & Electronics Symbols for Office

RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio

RF Workbench

T-Shirts, Mugs, Cups, Ball Caps, Mouse Pads

These Are Available for Free

Espresso Engineering Workbook™

Smith Chart™ for Excel

Innovative Power Products (IPP) 90 deg Hybrid Couplers

Heathkit DX-60B Amateur Radio Transmitter Restoration
by Gary Steinhour, KF6U
Kirt's Cogitations™ #285

RF Cafe University"Factoids," "Kirt's Cogitations," and "Tech Topics Smorgasbord" are all manifestations of my ranting on various subjects relevant (usually) to the overall RF Cafe theme. All may be accessed on these pages:

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37

<Previous                     Next>

 

 Heathkit DX-60B by Gary Steinhour- RF Cafe

Long-time RF Cafe visitor and occasional contributor Gary Steinhour, KF6U, recently sent me a note saying he had acquired a very used Heathkit DX-60B amateur radio transmitter and was in the process of restoring it. Gary's first transmitter as a freshly minted Ham half a century ago was a DX-60, so this was an effort to satisfy a nostalgic emotional attachment. The project is complete now, and boy does it look nice! Gary provides a brief account here:

"There are no problems, just creative opportunities," was a favorite saying of senior high speed optics physicist George Carpluk. Those of us who endeavor to restore our beloved boat anchors are presented with a wide variety of "creative opportunities".

Original front panel Heathkit DX-60B by Gary Steinhour- RF Cafe

Original back side Heathkit DX-60B by Gary Steinhour- RF Cafe

All the Restored Components Heathkit DX-60B by Gary Steinhour- RF Cafe

Restored Front Panel & Chassis Bottom, Heathkit DX-60B by Gary Steinhour- RF Cafe

During a friendly visit with a local ham, Larry KK6MF, I mentioned I enjoy trying to bring an old boat anchor back to life. Larry said he had an old Heath DX-60B that needed some TLC and I was welcome to have it. Later that day he contacted me to let me know he located it and was ready for me to pick it up. When I saw it I realized it was abundant with creative opportunities. I felt compelled to revive it since I had recently passed the 50 year mark of being a ham and my first station consisted of a Heath DX-60 with matching HR-10 receiver.

It was obvious generations of mice made a home in it. The bottom cover was missing and they nibbled on the various components. My only option was to totally dismantle it and do a total rebuild after giving it a thorough cleaning and replacing damaged components.

I thought it would be a show stopper when I discovered the band switch was broken. Can't order one from Heath anymore. Luckily I discovered there are folks selling parts from dismantled radios on eBay. The band switch I needed just happened to be available, and at a reasonable price too. I thought the flux capacitor I needed was going to be difficult to find as well, but as luck would have it, there was one in the retro-encabulator I purchased at a garage sale this past April 1st.

While I was in the reconstruction process, I noticed there was a local listing of a Heath HR-10B receiver on Craig's List. Now is that a strange coincidence or what? At first I resisted buying it, but then I learned resistance was futile. Yep, I got it. And it works too. It actually came in handy. The receiver and transmitter are the same size, so I was able to use the receiver's bottom cover plate as a template to fabricate a cover plate for the transmitter.

Following Heath's step by step instructions during the rebuild was a wonderful déjà vu experience. It generated RF without any smoke!

Note: I used WD-40 to clean the front panel and cabinet. It is a mild solvent that is paint friendly. The painted finish is original. No touch-ups. The chassis is bare steel. I used a wire brush wheel on my electric drill to clean up the rust and contamination build-up. Soaking the nuts and bolts in vinegar dissolved some of the rust. I used a small wire brush clean what the vinegar didn't dissolve.

73, Gary KF6U

Restored Electronics Chassis Heathkit DX-60B by Gary Steinhour- RF Cafe

Heathkit DX-60B Amateur Radio Transmitter

See catalog page and user's manual

Heathkit HR-10 Amateur Radio Receiver

See catalog page and user's manual

 

 

Posted June 9, 2017


Innovative Power Products (IPP) 90 deg Hybrid Couplers
Axiom Test Equipment - RF Cafe



ConductRF Phased Matched RF Cables - RF Cafe