Uploaded October 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Part 4 of the SS8000 Heathkit tranceiver . I know some of this is a bit confusing the two rigs being similar and all Note the similarity between the SS8000 Final RF board with 6 bands the old bands 160 ,80 ,40,20,15 and 10 this being the PA board or power amplifier Heathkit called it and the PA board in the SS9000 setting next to it The biggest difference being the added warc bands with a lot more toroid coils a lot of other parts were changed too I had to wind several toroids for the output low pass filters for this board here that had been removed by someone . I did NOT work on the SS8000 while at Heathkit engineering other than to take off the front panel of the one unit available to me to use until the SS9000 front panels came in from the vendor That SS8000 was then scrapped . I did test the first 25 power amplifier boards for the SS9000 on the bench just like this one SS8000 board I am doing here today . The SS8000 was Designed in the late 1970's it was to be Heathkits first synthesized HF tranceiver until the project was cancelled . Designed as a kit three were assembled in the Heathkit factory this is the only one known to still exist . The SS8000 project was cancelled for two reasons the WARC conference added three more Amateur radio bands on 30 ,17 and 12 meters the SS8000 did not have these bands . It was also decided that the average Amateur radio operator did not have the equipment for alignment and testing of the SS8000 or the skills needed to assemble such a complex tranceiver Actually that is three reasons the project was cancelled . So the SS8000 project was dropped and it was thought that all of the three that were built were sold as scrap and destroyed . This one showed up on Ebay in September 2015 and had been purchased at the local Benton harbor Michigan scrap yard by someone and stored all these years . I may not get it working but I sure am going to give it my best try . 73 Bob
Part 4 of the SS8000 Heathkit tranceiver . I know some of this is a bit confusing the two rigs being similar and all Note the similarity between the SS8000 Final RF board with 6 bands the old bands 160 ,80 ,40,20,15 and 10 this being the PA board or power amplifier Heathkit called it and the PA board in the SS9000 setting next to it The biggest difference being the added warc bands with a lot more toroid coils a lot of other parts were changed too I had to wind several toroids for the output low pass filters for this board here that had been removed by someone . I did NOT work on the SS8000 while at Heathkit engineering other than to take off the front panel of the one unit available to me to use until the SS9000 front panels came in from the vendor That SS8000 was then scrapped . I did test the first 25 power amplifier boards for the SS9000 on the bench just like this one SS8000 board I am doing here today . The SS8000 was Designed in the late 1970's it was to be Heathkits first synthesized HF tranceiver until the project was cancelled . Designed as a kit three were assembled in the Heathkit factory this is the only one known to still exist . The SS8000 project was cancelled for two reasons the WARC conference added three more Amateur radio bands on 30 ,17 and 12 meters the SS8000 did not have these bands . It was also decided that the average Amateur radio operator did not have the equipment for alignment and testing of the SS8000 or the skills needed to assemble such a complex tranceiver Actually that is three reasons the project was cancelled . So the SS8000 project was dropped and it was thought that all of the three that were built were sold as scrap and destroyed . This one showed up on Ebay in September 2015 and had been purchased at the local Benton harbor Michigan scrap yard by someone and stored all these years . I may not get it working but I sure am going to give it my best try . 73 Bob
