Heathkit AR-2000

[tggzzz]

The Heathkit AR-2000 was a medium-high quality domestic tuner-amplifier, 2*20W RMS output into 8ohms, tape + mag phono + ceramic phono inputs, and an LW/AM/FM and SW tuner.

When I was young in the early 1970s and "Hi Fi" music was a hot topic, my parent's 1950s mono record deck and valve Heathkit amplifier weren't cutting the mustard any more. So my father and I assembled a Heathkit AR-2000 tuner-amplifier together as a project over the Christmas holidays. I'd stuff the boards during the day, he would check them after work, and I would solder them. ISTR buying an Antex 25W soldering iron for the job - standard decent quality at the time.

I've recently "repossessed" the AR2000, and decided to see if it would work and how good/bad my assembly skills were.

Summary:

• the front panel LES bulbs had mostly failed. Easily replaced, thanks to fleabay
• a 100mA fuse had blown, but since it was only carrying 25mA, I just replaced that
• it appears to work (with a 40us risetime!), but I haven't connected it to loudspeaker
• shame about the scuffed cabinet
• the scale illumination is as uneven as ever, but that was normal then
• the soldering isn't bad, and certainly nowhere near the (lack of) quality that some Heathkit gorillas perpetrated!

[Specmaster]

Nice looking receiver and pretty good inside as well, nice and clean and soldering looks to be perfectly OK to me.

[coromonadalix]

Theses where the "good years"    easy to build and troubleshoot 

[themadhippy]

Antex 25W soldering iron for the job - standard decent quality at the time

The 18w version is still my everyday iron of choice,must be 40+ years old and still going strong.

[CaptDon]

That stretched out design sure eats up counter space!!!

[Specmaster]

That stretched out design sure eats up counter space!!!

True, but that might also be a reason why so many of the old gear is still going strong today, plenty of natural ventilation to keep things cool?