The Heathkit HW-101 evolved out of several prior Heathkit models, namely the SB-100, SB-101, SB-102, and the HW-100. To understand the history of the HW-101, one needs to know a little about the history of these prior models and of the Heath company in general.

The Heath Company: The Heath Company was involved in building test equipment and other devices prior to its entry into the amateur radio market. It was the entry and success of Heath in the amateur radio market that made the Heath Company very successful. After the onslaught of already-built off-shore equipment, the Heath Company's amateur business dried up and is no longer a portion of what is left of the Heath Company. The heyday for Heath was from the late 50's to the early 80's. At that time, more hams used Heath equipment than any other brand and, needless to say, since it was mostly self-constructed, Heath was instrumental in planting the technology interest seed in many future engineers and technicians.

The AT-1 transmitter of the early 50's was the first Heathkit amateur product. (I had one back then, although I didn't build it). It was followed by the hugely successful DX-100 transmitter, all 100 pounds of it! It was a plate-modulated AM/CW rig that used a pair of 6146 tube finals, just like the HW-101. Heath expanded the DX series in the late 50's with the DX-20 CW transmitter, the DX-35 CW and screen-modulated phone transmitter, and some others. (The DX-35 was the first Heathkit I built. It worked the first time I plugged it in - lucky me). Heath had many other successful amateur rigs and equipment in the late 50's and early 60's. Then, in the mid 60's, Heath came out with the SB-100.

The SB-100: The Heathkit SB-100 was their first attempt at a "poor man's Collins" transceiver, as it was called by the amateurs. The SB-100 looked a good bit like the Collins KWM-2 transceiver, and the circuitry had many basic similarities. Collins was, in case you don't know, regarded then (and perhaps still now) as the Cadillac of amateur radio equipment brands. It was very good, and it was very expensive! Heath wanted to compete against Collins, and the SB-100 was a good competitor since it could perform about as well as a Collins (if built correctly) at a fraction of the price.

The SB-101 and SB-102: These models were improvements over the SB-100, and included a 400 Hz CW filter selectable from the front panel, as well as other improvements. They were produced from the late 60's to mid 70's.

The HW-100: The Heathkit HW-100 was an attempt, and a very good one, to reduce the cost of the SB series transceivers. The circuitry and specifications were very similar, but some shortcuts were taken to reduce the cost. These were mainly in the cabinet, the VFO, and the lack of a CW filter. It was produced concurrently with some of the more expensive SB series equipment, being introduced in the late 60's. It was very successful, due in large part to it's low price and great operating capabilities.

The HW-101: Our hero, the HW-101, came along around the early 70's and stayed in production for 12 or 13 years! While production numbers are vague, it is estimated that 35,000 to 40,000 were produced by Heathkit during those years. It is still regarded as a very capable rig and has earned it's place in Heathkit and amateur radio history as the most popular radio by numbers sold, at least for tube radios. It was an improvement over the HW-100 by offering a CW filter as an option, and by using a better VFO and main tuning drive design. It also had better receive sensitivity than the HW-100. The HW-101 was so good that it was produced and sold for almost 13 years with very few changes or improvements. It sold, in kit form, for $399.95 in the fall 1980 Heathkit catalog, with the optional CW filter adding another $44.95. Heathkit ran specials over it's production life and, consequently, the HW-101 could be purchased at times for less. It has gone down in amateur radio history as one of the most beloved, respected, and successful transceivers in history.