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SB 200 makes a great Driver

Mr Clean

Active Member
May 21, 2005
852
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I have been using a Heathkit SB 200 for a driver for a bigger box for the last few weeks and it works great. I have a Uniden Grant driving the Heathkit with 3 watts dk and 14 watts pep im seeing 30 watts dk 200 pep out of the amp. Almost perfect for driving my Wizard. Another plus is I was going to have to take the Wiz back to the builder to have a SSB delay installed but with the 200 in front of it 0 relay chatter on SSB. Running the Wiz at about 600 watts DK. 1600 pep. 500 avg. 1600 on SSB. Running that 200 easy like that makes for some clean audio. And the SB200 works great for local chat.
 
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I have been using a Heathkit SB 200 for a driver for a bigger box for the last few weeks and it works great. I have a Uniden Grant driving the Heathkit with 3 watts dk and 14 watts pep im seeing 30 watts dk 200 pep out of the amp. Almost perfect for driving my Wizard. Another plus is I was going to have to take the Wiz back to the builder to have a SSB delay installed but with the 200 in front of it 0 relay chatter on SSB. Running the Wiz at about 600 watts DK. 1600 pep. 500 avg. 1600 on SSB. Running that 200 easy like that makes for some clean audio. And the SB200 works great for local chat.
(y)(y)(y)
 
you mean a gs35b right? it would take an awful lot of gs31b's to make that power lol


No its a GS-31B. Its rated at 1000 watts but they were rated real conservitive. A GS35B is rated at 1500 watts but guys are getting 2500 pep out of them. They were built for the Russian Military and I guess they made them Beefy. I dont know if the were rated for avg or pep but just running mine at 500 watts avg. Using a Diawa true pep meter that has avg also. here is what they look like. http://www.nd2x.net/gs31b.html
 
No its a GS-31B. Its rated at 1000 watts but they were rated real conservitive. A GS35B is rated at 1500 watts but guys are getting 2500 pep out of them. They were built for the Russian Military and I guess they made them Beefy. I dont know if the were rated for avg or pep but just running mine at 500 watts avg. Using a Diawa true pep meter that has avg also. here is what they look like. gs-31b
That is pate dissapation. Should see at least 50% more output.I am upgrading a 3-1000 amp to GS35B. Building power supply from scratch. Just received by triode control board from WD7S today. Got a day of soldering tommorow.
Rich
 
So your saying a GS-31B is capable of 2000 watts pep. 1000 avg? The Builder said after the Triode was broke in 2000 pep was possible but im not going to push that hard..
 
That is pate dissapation. Should see at least 50% more output.I am upgrading a 3-1000 amp to GS35B. Building power supply from scratch. Just received by triode control board from WD7S today. Got a day of soldering tommorow.
Rich

What kind of numbers are you thinking it will do and how big of transformer? Im guessing about 4000 v for the transformer.
 
I have been using a Heathkit SB 200 for a driver for a bigger box for the last few weeks and it works great. I have a Uniden Grant driving the Heathkit with 3 watts dk and 14 watts pep im seeing 30 watts dk 200 pep out of the amp. Almost perfect for driving my Wizard. Another plus is I was going to have to take the Wiz back to the builder to have a SSB delay installed but with the 200 in front of it 0 relay chatter on SSB. Running the Wiz at about 600 watts DK. 1600 pep. 500 avg. 1600 on SSB. Running that 200 easy like that makes for some clean audio. And the SB200 works great for local chat.



Is there anything you need to do to the SB-200 to work on 11 meters AM.

I thought the SB-200 needed 100watts drive? I'm going to use the one I just got for the ham bands, but would also like to use it on 11 meters being driven by my Golden Eagle MKIV if possible.

If it works like you said 30dk to 200 PEP: It would replace the Contex 6706 tube amp I use for 11 meter now.
 
On your sb200, I would limit to 50 pep input on AM. It is designed for ssb which has a lower duty cycle. I should have about 3300 volts on the plate with at least an amp. I got a commercial transformer, 2400 volts at 1.5 amps ccs. We believe that to be conservtive rating. Should do legal limit (1500), with some headroom. 3000 volts X 1 amp=3000 watts input X .6 = 1800 watts out. Of course with 4000 volts you would see 2400.
Rich
 
Is that "0.6" the efficiency factor for an amplifier, or did you not figure that into it? 'Course, you could always use a voltage doubler circuit for more than that 2400v transformer.

All the power 'numbers' quoted so far for an SB-200, after conversion back to AVG, appear normal. they might not be exactly as accurate as any of the previously claimed 'number's for that amplifier, but that appears about normal too.
- 'Doc
 
I am figuring about 60% effinciey on the GS35B amp.2400ac X 1.41=3380dc. This is an older xfmr, line voltages are higher today, so should be better than that.
Rich
 
I've found that 50% is more like it, and that's hedging your bet a little bit (optimistic). Most of any of the HeathKit amplifiers are sort of marginal power supply wise, some a lot more 'marginal' than others. Just depends on if they've ever been 'up-dated' some where along the line. One of the 'more' common up-grades was a transformer swap. Still fit in the original case, wasn't all ~that~ much of an improvement, but still an improvement. The really big improvements involved a separate power supply. NOT very typical cuz it definitely was not cheap, or convenient/easily done. And just how far do you think you can 'push' a pair of 572's? Not very much, and all things considered, just not worth the effort. Along with all of that, the 'other' first thing you should do is up-grade the cooling. As in a humongus amount of moving air, which means noise, which means it probably won't be done.
But, if you want to, why not?
- 'Doc
 
The amp I am working on is a BTI LK2000. I got it with no tube or power supply. I am retrofitting a GS35B tube in it. Effiency is actualy 53% on it, but useing 60% to get an idea. I should see more 3000 volts anyway.
Rich
 

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