Heathkit

[Sam KS2AM]

Very informative interview with a Heathkit insider.

https://www.electronicdesign.com/communiqu/article/21148923/electronic-design-heathkit-an-employees-look-back

[w8khk]

A very good read.  Great explanation why Heath Company was successful for so long, and why they are not providing kits anymore.

Thank you for sharing.

[K1ETP]

One wonders if a "Heathkit" Company could thrive today in the current liability environment where nobody is responsible for their own stupid actions or decisions. Many of those products produced lethal voltages.

Rich

[K1ETP]

Good Gawd, Vu, don't give those bottom feeders any ideas.

[AG5UM]

Heathkit is back in business and has been for a long time. (Heathkit.com)
your comments sound a little silly....since they are in business right now. With many products/kits,etc.
They offer a very interesting "precision RF meter HM-1002, It sounds very cool actually.
Anyway, Heathkit is in business, I wish them success.
Donnie/AG5UM

[K1JJ]

Well, surprise surprise. Thanks for the heads up.

I had no idea they had come back.  All the best to them.   I deleted my posts above.

T

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Heathkit is back in business and has been for a long time. (Heathkit.com)
your comments sound a little silly....since they are in business right now. With many products/kits,etc.
They offer a very interesting "precision RF meter HM-1002, It sounds very cool actually.
Anyway, Heathkit is in business, I wish them success.
Donnie/AG5UM

Many of the upgrade stuff offered was being offered on Ebay even before the new Heathkit was resurrected.
For kits, they offer:
AM radio - solder
same AM radio - no solder
Pipe antenna
Digital clock
Code Practice Oscillator
The RF Meter has been on "pre-order" for several years.

The Electronic Design Heathkit article is a great read.

While the name has been resurrected, it would be difficult to imagine the depth and breath of kit products the original Heathkit promoted from the 50's through the 80's could be anywhere equaled today. There are kits for electronic devices coming out of China and Vectronics (MFJ) still offers a few kits, but kit entrepreneurs today are looking for a new generation of kit lovers and they're very hard to find.

[kd1nw]

 
thanks heathkit.. as much as i love you....figured your stuff on my own
 

[WBear2GCR]

Heathkit is back in business and has been for a long time. (Heathkit.com)
your comments sound a little silly....since they are in business right now. With many products/kits,etc.
They offer a very interesting "precision RF meter HM-1002, It sounds very cool actually.
Anyway, Heathkit is in business, I wish them success.
Donnie/AG5UM

AFAIK, no real relationship to the original Heath Company, that went belly up decades back.
Someone apparently, years ago now, bought the IP to the manuals and forced "BAMA" to pull them.

[Opcom]

At least one forum put the old heathkit manuals behind a pay-member wall. I don't think its around any more but the manuals have been around.


Heathkit made a small rectangular digital tachometer for the car. The CI-1079 Digital Tachometer. It has a type of non-nixie neon gas display. The only thing I did not like was that it was slow to update, so it was mainly good for maintaing your economical or best torque RPMs, not for racing. It's on a shelf somewhere here though, along with IIRC a speedometer/MPG meter of the same physical profile. No sensor though. There was also a car clock/20 hour trip timer.

In the early 80s I built the AP-1800 preamp. That took a very long time but it as good or better than most preamps costing many times more.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

In the early 80s I built the AP-1800 preamp. That took a very long time but it as good or better than most preamps costing many times more.

Those preamps are still popular. I did several of those manuals this year.