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This was the crown jewel of Heathkit radios. It was never a kit and as can be seen from the pictures above, very complex. Many of the parts in it are obsolete and not available. The Futaba fluorescent display, in the SS & PS-9000, is no longer available from Futaba and even if it was they only sell to OEMs. Many of the computer/terminal interface chips are obsolete Mostek parts. If you are going to buy one of these radios then I'd suggest keeping an eye out at hamfests for junk processor computer boards with MK3850, MK3853, MK3871 and 5101 memory. The 5101 memory is also used in the SA-5010A and the HD8999. I bought a couple of junk SA-5010s just for the memory, 20 dollars for 4 memory chips is a steal compared to antique chip prices. Fairchild also made a duplicate line since they bought into the SGS line which bought out Mostek. Fairchild change the designation slightly to F3850, F3871 etc. If you find engineering samples they are labeled as follows; MK3850 was the same number, MK3871 is a MK90071P, MK3853 was the same number. I have heard 2 numbers on how many of these radios are out there, 400 & 4000. I would tend to believe it would be closer to 4000. One thing is for sure they are scarce. One final thought. If you plan on buying one of these radios try to find a non-smoker who owned it. I thought the display was dim and dying but it turned out to be a thick layer of smoke on the inside glass. I also suggest sending it to someone like RTO Electronics who really know this radio and can really tune it up for you.
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