HB1B QRP Radio Audio and Sound Output

I purchased a used HB-1B Four Band CW QRP Quad-Band transceiver in December of 2013. It was in mint condition.

Today I finally got to spend some time with the little rig. I was trying to figure out how to switch between the internal speaker and the headphones.

The distributor of the HB-1B, Ten-Tech has a video of the HB-1B on YouTube where they run through all the features of the magnificent radio. The video is embedded below and you can clearly hear audio emanating from the radio at 4:09 in the video. I urge you to watch the video.

 

Because the HB-1B does NOT have an internal antenna tuner, I turned on my ICOM-7000, went to 20 meters, and tuned my zepp di-pole 80/6-meter antenna so I had a SWR of 1.5. The band was very active. There were more di’s and dah’s spewing from my ICOM-7000 than water from a 2-inch fire hose at a three-alarm fire.

I removed the antenna cable from the ICOM-7000 and connected it to the HB-1B with a BNC adapter. I turned on the HB-1B and nothing. No sound came from the radio even though the LCD display was showing plenty of voltage and everything was fine. I plugged in my Bose earphones and I could clearly hear all sorts of QSOs in progress.

I unplugged my headphones hoping to hear sound and nothing, even though the 20-meter band was lit up brighter than Jupiter on a clear December night. Nothing.

NO SOUND was coming out of the radio. Dang it, was the speaker broken?

I looked for a switch. Nothing.

Finally, I got out the simple two-page manual. Nothing. Not a thing about how to switch between the earphones and speaker. GRRRRRRRRRR….

Guess what? The HB-1B has NO INTERNAL SPEAKER!

The folks at Ten-Tech that taped the video obviously had a small external speaker – you can see the green jack in the lower right corner of the rig when you watch the video – connected to the rig.

If you don’t want to use earbuds or a small headset and want to have audio others can hear while you operate, you’ll need to purchase a small speaker you can plug into the phone jack at the lower right corner of the handsome HB-1B.

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I invest time writing and taping videos to help other hams like you save time and lower their blood pressure. Frequently equipment manuals are lacking key details that cause frustration. I’m trying to fill in those gaps when I can.

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2 thoughts on “HB1B QRP Radio Audio and Sound Output

  1. I have even more serious problem. My HB-1B stopped working with headphones, because phone connector is defective. It was manufactured by Chinese company DONG GUAN XILONG SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. It is a challenge to find replacement.

    • Oleh,

      I think if you take the cover off the radio you’ll discover that female connector is quite common. It’s just a 1/8-inch connector. You can solder in a new one with moderate skills.

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