All of you who know me know that the AT-1 is my favorite Heathkit.  I have owned through the years, 25 +or- one or two.  My first station was an AT-1,  AR-2 (receiver), a J-38 (I bought it from Heathkit) and a knife switch to switch the dipole from transmit to receive.  It was February 5, 1957, I was 15 years old.  I got home from school at about 4:10 got the mail and there it was my license. KNØIMJ.  Everything was ready and I was on 15 meters in 10 minutes.  I called CQ and on the very first try I got a reply from a station in Trenton NJ.  I WAS A HAM!  Short of marring my wonderful wife (of 50 years now) and having our 6 children, this was the most important event in my life.

So is it any wonder that the AT-1, and the AR-2 is very important to me?

THE  HEATHKIT AT-1

The AT-1 is a 30 watt input, crystal controlled, CW transmitter.  Contrary to some books the tube line-up was a 6AG7 oscillator, and a 6L6 final amplifier with a 5U4 rectifier.   I  have owned and repaired 0ver 25 of these gems and I have never seen or heard of one with a 6AG6 oscillator.  I worked all states and 25 or 30 countries with my first AT-1.  It was very easy to operate, just peak the grid and dip the plate.  The average output I have recorded is about 17 watts.  I converted my first aT-1 to a 6146 thinking I was upping my signal strength but I never seem to notice that it made any difference from the 6L6.  What a beautiful transmitter, with the gray cabinet and two-toned gray front panel.