Heathkits Under the Tree

[AJ1G]

That topic I started about when we all first got licensed has been a lot of fun, so heres another one with a Christmas theme:  What Heathkits ended up under your JN Christmas trees?

My first one in 1964, just after I started showing an interest in radio and electronics, was one of those kid's experimenters blue masonite breadboard kits with all the indivudual components connected to spring clips.. You could JS everything together with red jumper wires from a simple key or switch making a series or parallel circuit, to a one or two transistor receiver and a little BCB transmitter.  I remember it sounded really yellowy as it used the littletransistor radio earpiece as a microphonium. Eventually all the parts ended up in other projects or the junk box.  But I learned a lot of basic circuit theory and practice from that little setup.

Christmas 1965 was the year of my first real ham radio Heathkit - an HD-11 Q multiplier to use with my EH Scott SLRM.  I must have gotten the idea I needed it from reading about the Select-o-ject in the 64 Handbook at the junior high library that I just about wore the ink off the pages poring through it during study halls.  Recently picked up a copy of that same handbook at Hosstraders and brought back lots of memories.  I still remember that smell of those parts fresh out of the box, and the aroma of the Heath supplied rosin core solder.  The old HD-11 is still soldiering on with the SLRM to this day.  Man did it make that radio go on CW!

The 1966 Heathkits came early, and they were already built - a near mint DX-40 and VF-1 that showed up in a NY Telephone Company employee newsletter want ad just when I was studying for my novice ticket. My folks drove me down to Queens to the ham's house to check them out and pick them up, and seeing that I was a soon to be JN, he threw in an SCR-522, and a homebrew rackmount command set based VFO with a NBFM modulator.  I was fascinated by the 522 transmitter and eventually got it going on 2M AM after my Novice ticket arrived.   I've forgotten the callsign of the OT who sold me the stuff, bui his last name was Neimeier, first name may have been Henry. The homebrew VFO was a pretty good one, and I even made a few QSOs on FM with it.  After I got my General, I used it to drive the DX-40 in lieu of the VF-1 which was very unstable.  Never did get it tamed - maybe Glenn NY4NC did after I traded it to him a few years later!

[KA8WTK]

My first Christmas Heathkit was a 5 channel crystal controled CB. My second was a GR-64 that I still have.

Bill

[AB3L]

I'll second the GR-64. I went from working on cars to putting this together. Needless to say my radio was one of the many that had the plastic face plate crack around the pot and switch control shafts. Too use to torqueing head bolts.

[Warren]

DX-60B under the tree in 1975 (or there abouts).
Merry Christmas!
Warren K2ORS/WD2XGJ

[WA1GFZ]

Christmas 1964 Heathkit GR64 won 8th grade science fair
yup my panel cracked too.  love those 12 volt tubes.
12AQ5 went first.

[Glenn NY4NC]

.."my brother Randy lay there like a slug... it was his only defense.."

DX-60B under the tree in 1975 (or there abouts).
Merry Christmas!
Warren K2ORS/WD2XGJ

[Glenn NY4NC]

That's it... (The vfo) I made a comment in the other thread about an ARC5 ..you refreshed my memory Chris! 

I remember your SLRM very well... I think you had it in a rack with some other stuff if I remember..I thought that was the coolest receiver!! Maybe I'll try and locate one on E-bay... ...

If you get a chance Chris, post a photo of it here....

Christmas 1965 was the year of my first real ham radio Heathkit - an HD-11 Q multiplier to use with my EH Scott SLRM. 

The homebrew VFO was a pretty good one, and I even made a few QSOs on FM with it.  After I got my General, I used it to drive the DX-40 in lieu of the VF-1 which was very unstable.  Never did get it tamed - maybe Glenn NY4NC did after I traded it to him a few years later!

[Glenn NY4NC]

Never mind... found one...

[W1RKW]

Fra Gee Lee.  It must be italian....

[W3NP]

My first "ham Christmas" was 1959 when I was 12 years old and I got a Knightkit T-50 that I put together the day after Christmas. The next year (1960) was my first Heathkit Christmas when I got a used DX-40 and VF-1 that a local ham was selling for $50. I had taken my Conditional test in early December but my Novice had expired on Dec 8 so I had to wait until early Jan for my license to arrive in the mail. I made my first fone contact as K3KJX in Jan of 61.

[Dave KA2J]

My first Heathkit...  1966 was a rough year for the family.  My dad died at the age of 37, leaving my mom, 4 sisters, and myself.  I really wanted a six meter AM rig so I could get on the 7:30 PM Sunday and Thursday evening RACES net.  I applied to the FCC for a Restricted Radio Operator Permit (allowing me to participate in RACES exercises only), sold my coin collection for $50 and ordered a Heathkit Sixer.  I think it was $44.95, arriving about Christmas time.  It was great fun putting the kit together over the Holidays.  I was assigned the call sign K2CPI unit 52.  I got my novice license about a year later.  Still using the same Heathkit Sixer today and it still looks as good as the day I put it together!  Good memories that are still continuing.

[Dave KA2J]

Here's just one corner of my shack, where my Heathkit Sixer resides...

[Glenn NY4NC]

..."it's a major award!!"

Fra Gee Lee.  It must be italian....

[W3SLK]

..." a bowling alley?! How are the going to send a bowling alley?"
"They'll send us the deed for cripesakes!"

[KA8WTK]

AB3L - My GR-64 has a crack in the panel at the AM-STBY-CW switch. It is hard to find one without the cracks! We all made the nuts too tight.

 I forgot one Christmas Heathkit as I was only thinking about the ones when I was a kid.

 Some years back I was just about done with Ham radio. I was surfing through E-bay and came across a SB-401/301 pair. I dragged my wife out to the computer to show her the picture and began relating how I used to drool over the Heathkit catalogs. Especially the picture of the SB-series station with the speaker, clock, modulation and panadaptor scope. She told me to bid on the radios and if I won, "Merry Christmas". I did not bid past a certain point and did not win the auction.
 A day after the auction I got a call from a Ham not far from here who offered me a pair for a good bit less than the auction went for and he said to come on down and try them. I grabbed the wife and went over there (She was buying). I now have that station I used to drool over. What I did not know was how many more boatanchors were going to follow this pair into the shack!

Merry Christmas!
Bill

[W1JS]

My first Heathkit was a crystal radio.  It was at least a couple of years before I was introduced to ham radio.  I think it may still be around somewhere.  Cute little thing and it worked pretty good. 

After I got my ticket, I bought a DX-60, then went on to build an HG-10 VFO, then an SB-300 & an SB-401, a phone patch, an SWR meter.  I also owned, but did not build, at one time or another, an HR-10, SB-303, SB-200, SB-610, a field strength meter.  I still have a couple of Heathkit dual wattmeters, HF & VHF, which I still use.  And there are probably some other items of which I have forgotten... 

Building the Heathkits, experimenting with antennas, and getting on the air gave me the  working knowledge to pass my Advanced in '68. 

Hope Santa leaves some goodies  under your trees this year.

Merry Christmas & 73,
Jack (OBJ)
W1JS (fka WA1ALM)

[Warren]

.."my brother Randy lay there like a slug... it was his only defense.."

You'll put your eye out kid!
Excelsior!
K2ORS

[AJ1G]

Double Dog Dare Ya!

[Ken - K2UPI]

My first Heathkit Christmas was the AR-2 receiver (1955) followed by the
QF-1 Q-multiplier, AT-1 transmitter and AC-1 antenna coupler.  Finally
recreated my original novice station (KN2UPI) but still looking for a decent
condition AR-2 to restore and currently use a AR-3 in it's place.  Presently have 32 pieces of Heathkit ham gear in the shack and they still work fine biz.   

Have a Gr-r-reat New Year everyone,

Ken, <K2UPI>

[Glenn NY4NC]

"not a finger!!!"