Heathkit SB-300 Receiver
Like so many of my boatanchors, I didn't even know I wanted one of these until I got this one home and started using it. This SB-300 just happens to have all three crystal filters installed, so it's one of the few SSB radios I have which is also a competent AM receiver. And the CW filter, while perhaps not the best, makes for a satisfying CW experience.
When I acquired this receiver from an ex-ARRL staffer, I was told that this radio was the review unit featured in QST. I began to believe him after I got the radio home and inspected the inside of it. I've never seen another kit assembled as well as this SB-300. The person who put this radio together knew what they were doing. Even the solder flux on the circuit boards was washed off.
Below: An inside look at the SB-300. One of the puzzling things to me is the SSB crystal filter in this receiver. Sandwiched between the AM and the CW filters, it sports the manufacturer's label, Midland, on the side and has a metal foil label on top with the nomenclature N 404-200, EE-3A. Was this an aftermarket filter, or could this receiver be a very early production unit before Heath standardized crystal filter labeling? Anybody know?
