So, what makes the HW-9 so popular even today, given that there are newer
radios, like the above, with more features?
We should take this off-list, but in short:
- I built it. :-)
- Prior to me selling it, another ham at work (RF engineer) went through it
and swapped parts and modified it to
actually be stable, not smoke finals, and be a decent performer.
The reality is, and as you point out, for the money there are much better
performers. The tuner and wattmeter aren't great either -- the knobs are
thin, undersized, and difficult to adjust. And probably, for what I paid in
1980's dollars for the HW-9, WARC kit, tuner, supply, and watt/swr meter,
you could get a K2 QRP kit now.
...but I built them, and I wanted them back. :-) ...and 20 or so years
later, I did build that K2.
Obligatory Ten Tec content: Planning to drop a N3ZI or N4YG DDS in one of
my Triton, Delta or Omni project radios. Will post results. Also, looking
for a TX-100 if anyone has one.
Bill W1PA
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