Vintage: HW-8 Output Power

Hi all,

Am rehabbing an old Heathkit HW-8, am almost done aligning it and fixing problems it had. My output power on 15m is 0.5W, and 1.5W on 20, 40 and 80m. As per the specifications this is a bit on the low side, was wondering if any HW-8 owners get similar readings. The power output was read on an IFR-500A communications service monitor so I think it's pretty accurate.

Tnx de N2HUN.

It's been a long time since I've owned an HW8. The 15 meter band puts out about a watt less than it does at 80 meters. Measure the current draw, and see if it's about what to expect. Are you running it on battery, or external supply?

I'd also question the accuracy of the IFR-500A at that frequency and power level. You're looking for about 20% of full scale on the low power reading. I don't have much faith in power meters down that far from their full scale readings. And I never had much faith in the IFR-500A power meter.

I'd compare it to something else before I worry about the radio.

Have used my HW-8 almost exclusively on 40 meters but noticed that the output is somewhat less on 15 meters.

Running the HW-8 on the HWA-7-1 power supply, power out on 40 meters is 1 watt according to my MFJ-971 tuner. Relative power meter on the HW-8 reads almost 4. It brightly lights up a #47 lamp rated 6.3V @ .15 A (equals .945 watts).

Have fun with your HW-8.