The Heathkit HW-8 QRP Transceiver

In this video we look at the Heathkit HW-8, a QRP CW amateur radio transceiver. We look at the history of this radio, it's features, and take a look at it inside and out. I discuss the restoration of this particular unit and demonstrate it being operated for transmitting and receiving.

[@mikeharnett2410]

Excellent overview of a dandy QRP radio, kudos on keeping it original, my HW-9 is all original and is going to stay that way.

[@Paul_VK3HN]

Very helpful to see an original in modified unit while fixing one I just bought at a Hamfest. A cute little CW rig, even in 2021 Ill use ut, it is simple but fun.

[@KX4UL]

Very informative and thorough review of this classic little rig. Well done Jeff! I just added one to my shack and I am looking forward to trying it out. Found your helpful video while researching the HW-8. Many Thanks!

[@williambickham2042]

Pan your speakers left while watching this video. Only hiss in right channel. Nice review

[@abeleballestri612]

Very nice and easy explanations of the radio transmitter for amateur radios. Thank you very much

[@stevemorrisby6705]

As a teenager I wanted one of these so badly!!!

[@marknesselhaus4376]

Hello Jeff, I am expecting a HW-8 bought off of ebay sometime today and refreshing my memory by watching this video once again. I am torn between making some of the many mods for this little rig or just do as you and keep as original as possible. Happy New Year 🙂

[@uslines]

Great HW8 video. Very thorough. I just sent a check to a ham selling his. Had one one when it was first introduced.

[@MoTown44240]

HW-9 was my first rig with WARC band kit, ATU, and PWR Supply. Since I began with a QRP rig I've enjoyed making QRP contacts and CW is my favorite mode. I have the trio now, HW-7, HW-8, and HW-9. Although the HW-9 has wider coverage I like the HW-8 more. No mod's to the HW-8 but I am considering installing a keyer. Nice video. Best 73

[@mnpd3]

My very first Heathkit build --- Spring of 1978. I soon wanted more power, so I found a CB "leeeneeerrr" which boosted power into the acceptable range. For harmonics, I stuck one of those long, round and giant E.F. Johnson low-pass filters (who remembers those?) in the transmission line. Clean signal (no interference on neighbor's Channel 2 in the days many people still had only broadcast TV reception), but the mechanical relay in the HW-8 would create a transmit delay. I fixed that by using a larger electo cap to keep the relay closed between sending pauses; i.e.; between words or thoughts. Still have a couple HW-8s; one works flawlessly and the other is a work in progress. I have a third cannibalized HW-8 for spare parts; there are a couple components in the HW-8 that are becoming hard to find. Necessary mods for me was the addition of meter and dial lights, and having the power-out meter function as an S-meter. The latter mode is laughably simple, requiring a diode and resistor, even if it is audio driven.

[@karlschwab6437]

Very nice video, indeed on the HW-8 Jeff! After watching it, I'll have to go and pull my HW-8 off of the shelf and get it on the air! Earlier this year, I added a HF Packer linear amplifier to my QRP rigs for the option to QRO when I really needed it. 73, de Karl, KO8S

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Interesting and thorough. Thanks and 72.

[@Pwaak]

Excellent presentation! Thank You!

[@ve3tvb]

Nice work on the hw8 I had one for many years and had a lot of fun 73 VE3TVB Danial

[@marknesselhaus4376]

Very good video. I had a HW-7 back in 1976 then later wired up the HW-8. The 8 is the better of the two but I had a lot of fun with both back in the day. AC hum was the usual issue with the Heathkit power supply so I used a battery most of the time. Take care de WA4JAT

[@captlarry-3525]

Very good over view, I appreciate your standing up for keeping these rigs original. It's hard to say performance is lacking.. except in a horsepower sense. The stability and quality of the keyed signal is so superior to what the inexpensive tube radios that preceded it produced...and the current drain is so low on RX because this is an Analog radio.. that these are really quite wonderful. A hunk of wire, a lantern battery , a key and headphones in a knapsack is all you need to get on the air anywhere. Unfortuantely the video was shot in a format that doesn't match you-tube's so the radio appears to have a form factor it hasn't really got.. Thumbs up Jeff !

[@jairomarcelo3047]

I know Im randomly asking but does anyone know a tool to log back into an Instagram account? I was dumb lost the account password. I would love any help you can offer me

[@tylersalvador2437]

@Jairo Marcelo instablaster ;)

[@jairomarcelo3047]

@Tyler Salvador thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out now. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@jairomarcelo3047]

@Tyler Salvador It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my account!

[@tylersalvador2437]

@Jairo Marcelo You are welcome :D

[@G4KDXlive]

My first HF rig was a second-hand HW7 in the 1980s. It had many limitations - especially broadcast breakthrough, though I had many good contacts with it on 20 metres. But I never migrated up to an HW8.

[@AnsyCrofts]

Ohhh...I had one. 'Professionally built' - I was an RF design engineer at British Telecom, and when work was quiet, we could make our own stuff. I worked at Bearley HF Radio station (RX only) at the time, and was completely spoiled by the massive 'antena farm' outside, with all the connectors going through the lab. - I had my choice of antennae. Surprised I didn't blow the front-end out! Still regret selling it after over 30 years...

[@cottersay]

Years ago I performed what is (probably) a common mod for my newly assembled HW-8 (bought for me in 1979): I added an Radio Shack transformer to the audio output so that it could easily and efficiently drive 8 to 16 ohm headphones.

[@BigRen19]

Love the video, thanks for sharing, I learn a great deal. 73. Gwen - K6GRH

[@jefftranter]

Thanks, I'll look into that. I'm also evaluating other video editing tools as the one I'm using is not ideal. That may solve the problem as well.

[@warplanner8852]

Jeff, Came back to review your wonderful video on this venerable piece of QRP gear because I stumbled on one recently. It's close to stock, but being a ham with a building jones, I will, probably get medieval with the unit. It's nice to keep them in their stock configuration if one is a collector but if the point is to *operate* the radio, it screams for QSK and a low impedance audio board. Additionally, 80 meters is a horror show at my QTH so it will be modded to cover 30 meters a la the N6KR conversion article. Sorry for the transgressions and thanks again for your great videos. de k6whp.

[@stevetaylor2955]

Great presentation Jeff! Just a word of warning about the VFO.... don't turn the knob past the calibration extremes....it is very easy to rip the moving vanes of the VFO variable cap right out of the shaft! Combination of a weak cap and increased torque due to the 6:1 reduction drive....it's so unbelievably easy to do...you have been warned! 73 Steve G4EDG

[@WB8MHE]

Fine video. I like my HW-8, it is all original, except for one mod that I made. I salvaged a 1000/8 ohm output xfmr from a cheap AM transistor receiver, mounted it to the rear wall with hot glue, and wired the output through it to the headphone jack, so I can use 8 ohm headsets. Works great. I also have, and have had, much Heathkit gear. Some of it I still use. Thanks for your very informative series......................Dick

[@dickelliott8927]

My HW-9 is working great. I built it when they 1st came out; I usually use 1watt with excellent results. DE W9FPJ 73

[@MrAlanNZ]

Hi Jeff, Thank you for your video. I picked up a really badly butchered HW-7 with missing bits. I am currently restoring it. After I get it going, I will be going through the huge list of mods. I now wish I had an HW-8 instead, 73 de Alan ZL4FM

[@jefftranter]

Yes, the camera has a stereo mic input but I only have a mono microphone so sound only appears in one channel. I haven't found a way yet in my video editing software to convert the sound to mono.

[@captainjack75040]

The HotWater 8 was my first radio when I got my Novice Ticket. back in 1978. It sever me well. Been looking for one to add to the shack. But everything I see is in pretty bad shape. Time to buy one and start the rebuild.

[@appleman59]

Wonderful presentation....thanks for so much useful information. This is one of the nicest equipment reviews I have viewed here on youtube. I only wish you would have used a higher quality camera as the clarity of the video is not very good.

[@testing-n-thefield...261]

hello Jeff and what a Very Nice Vid On the HW-8.Im the owner of one that I would like to Look Over Or Have looked Over. I love the qrp and would like to get this on back on the air Was looking for a Copy of the Note on Changing those Pots. Great Dx,Good Health,73

[@Andre-PY4DR]

By the way... nice sitar back there!! :)

[@mrdinx]

cool. I have one of these.

[@bobnrainy]

TNX OM...completed mine on Canada Day 1981....some of the cores Heath shipped were incorrect in one run of kits, which may explain your notation...VE5EDE

[@Kennynva]

i think it was on my end i rebooted and all is good. i use linux mint and sometimes it has a glitch

[@jimgiordano8218]

Hey Jeff, I see a Sitar in the corner, do you play? I enjoy your videos on Heathkit products as I am an old Heathkit builder starting in 1972.

[@jefftranter]

No, it was souvenir from a visit to India many years ago.

[@stephenwilliams5201]

Hot water7,8,and 9 were good rigs. Wonder why I sold them. (Will never know.) Once found my self as a temp for mid cars. Working one of w8ft's towers had it on battery at the time and worked coast to coast (will never forget the one hour fill in) never under estimate the hot water line . Qrp for ever kv4li

[@JensGrigull-ij6fd]

Is the relative power adjustment an inbuild antenna tuner?

[@jefftranter]

No, it is really just tuning the output circuit of the transmitter for the frequency being used.

[@preventum]

Great Video thanks. QUESTION: TekPower power supply can put out 13.8 volts (14.4) What do you think about running my HW8 at 13.8 ish? Thank you... KC6EOA

[@jefftranter]

That is fine - it can run on 11 to 16 volts and the Heathkit supply was rated at about 13.4V. As long as it can supply at least 430 mA of current, it should work.

[@Joepipsquiggle]

Built this way back in time. Fun to make. Not very good XCVR

[@TheRudydog1]

Not exactly so. For an inexpensive QRP rig it worked quite well and was extremely popular. The sensitivity was better than 1uv for 10db S/N and the selectivity had very decent skirts. It was also very stable and easy to tune. Why don't you clarify what was so bad about the HW-8 rather than make what seems to be a subjective opinion lacking in any real facts. I've built, owned and operated several of these fine little radios and enjoyed them very much. I've been a Ham Radio Operator for over 58 years, mainly CW.

[@Kennynva]

Is there a reason I cannot hear ANY audio on this video??

[@jefftranter]

I'm not having any problem with audio and no one else has reported this. Do other youTube videos work for you?

[@vfrfoxtrott6430]

73 dr om.

[@jamilsouzagodoisouzagodoy1099]

Que trem mais bobo!!!

[@mnpd3]

Whoever discovered that the toroids were reversed didn't want to go to the grief of fixin' em'! That is a chore.

[@mnpd3]

I heard you! My blood pressure rises just to hear the words "toroid" and "HW-8" mentioned in the same sentence. Many builds you find out there have the toroids incorrectly installed, and other cores have been damaged through age, use, surges and countless other things. The other HW-8 nemesis for me are those ($*%&) push-button switches. You ain't gonna fine a replacement, or go thru the agony of replacing them if you did!

[@WA8QFE]

You seem to be a little like me, buying stuff off eBay to fix. What do you do to clean house ? The dumbest thing I've done to date is buy a UN-built HW-9 and WARC kit for it. If I build it I would loose 50% of the value. Lee, WA8QFE

[@WA8QFE]

***** email me at flthompson at hotmail. com. Lee, WA8QFE