In the Heathkit catalog for about $20, I knew I wanted to build that next. A ham radio operator aligned it for me, but I wanted to learn how to do that myself. It was a superheterodyne that needed alignment. In eighth grade, I had built my first Heathkit, a four bandĪR-3 radio receiver. Front Tenma 72-585, Olson TE-188, Supreme 570, Eico 324, Heathkit SG-6, Leader LSG-17 -Īs a kid, I was fascinated by radio. Middle Precision E-200C, Realistic TK-100, Simpson 315, Simpson 415A, Superior 660. Top left to right Heathkit SG-8, Heathkit IG-42, Heathkit G-1, Lafayette KT-208, Superior TV-50A, Paco G-30. Besides the low cost, what is it about a signal generator that has so much appeal to me as well as to other radio experimenters and antique radio enthusiasts?

With the exception of the URM-25D, the price was right, usually less than ten dollars for one in 'as-is' condition. I now have more than a dozen different types including a Heathkit SG-8 and IG-42, an Eico 315 and 324, a couple of Precision E-200-C, several from RCA including one from their home study electronics course, and even a military URM-25D. I recently acquired another service-grade signal generator from the vacuum tube era, a Simpson 415A to go with my Simpson 315. The article is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without permission of Monitoring Times or the author. I have added some additional images on this webpage that could not be included in the article due to space limitations. The following article was first published in the September 2013 issue of Monitoring Times of Brasstown, North Carolina.

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