Heathkit Returns!

[Doug Turnbull]

Dear All,
Wayne turns out to be a poet, story teller and an engineer.

        73 Doug EI2CN
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Wayne Burdick [hidden email]
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 00:57:08 -0700
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] Regarding Heathkit


I grew up with Heathkit and built or repaired many of their products.  
I learned a lot from them. (I would soon try my own hand at kit  
design. Alas, the high price of 1970s-era TTL ICs doomed my digital  
tach project.)

There was a Heathkit retail outlet at Grossmont Center, two miles from  
my house in La Mesa. My high school friends and I would drop by  
occasionally to drool over the all-Heath ham station on display. The  
store's carefully dimmed ambient lighting enhanced the aristocratic  
glow of the meter lamps, while the triband yagi on the roof never  
failed to pull in strong DX stations on 15 meters. But in those days,  
funded as we were by paper routes and push mowers, the dream seemed  
far out of reach.

The sales counter, pristine and intimidatingly high, was staffed by a  
clean-cut middle-aged man with a touch of gray at the sideburns. You  
know the stereotype: pipe in one hand, soldering iron in the other, as  
if he'd stepped right out of Heath's catalog. He politely denied my  
credit application.

Wistful memories notwithstanding, the impending resurrection of  
Heath's kit line reminds me of the story about a woolly mammoth that  
drowned in icy waters some 10,000 years ago. Scientists found the  
beast nearly intact, suspended in a block of ice somewhere in northern  
Canada. Given the capricious nature of climate change, I suppose it  
could just as easily have been western Michigan.

The mammoth was reasonably well-preserved. This elicited talk of a  
revival attempt by the same sort of scientists who have themselves  
quick-frozen upon their death, along with treasured artifacts like  
their pipes and soldering irons.

Unfortunately, the best the team could do was thaw out a few small  
steaks and serve them to the hopeful. I can just imagine the labored  
grins on the faces of those hardy diners. We know from centuries of  
native oral tradition that mammoth meat was a bit tough, even when  
fresh.

But back to western Michigan. My wife's family has a cabin in  
Ludington, a couple of hours north of Benton Harbor. We visit the  
cabin every other summer to enjoy the miles of lonely beach along the  
lake.

Next time we go there, you can bet we'll be detouring to take in the  
Heath tour, which I hope includes a museum. I'd love to see my beloved  
DX-20 transmitter, which hummed and sizzled and arced in a manner not  
described in the literature, and which struck fear into the hearts of  
nearby TV viewers in my ancestral La Mesa homeland.

With tongue firmly in cheek, and with appreciation for those who  
bothered to read this far--

Wayne,
N6KR


On Sep 8, 2011, at 10:59 PM, David Pratt wrote:

> Not sure you should be advertising the competition on here, Nape.
> Heathkit was excellent in years gone by, but for me it's ELECRAFT for
> the present and the future.
>
> 73 de David G4DMP

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[Bob Stevens]

The first kits for ham were from Art Collins in about '36. Bob K9ING

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Fred Townsend
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 9:46 PM
To: [hidden email]; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] my story for Solid Copy

Don I agree but I think you missed one point. I can't ever remember a kit
before Elecraft that was judged best in class. Re-engineering and cost
reduction was really Heathkit's forte.  Heathkit's attempts at original
engineering, like the Pawnee, Shawnee, and their first synthesized 2M rig
were unmitigated disasters.
Collins never felt the competition because if you could afford it you always
bought the Collins even if that meant buying the used 75A4 or 51J.
73
Fred, AE6QL

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Don Wilhelm
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 6:55 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] my story for Solid Copy

I don't think Heathkit will be entering the Ham Radio market anytime soon,
Elecraft has taken that position from them.  Their initial kit promise is
for a "parking position" sensor that will allow you to position your vehicle
in the garage - a 2x4 placed on the garage floor does that for me at the
moment, so I am curious to discover the value added by this Heathkit
offering.

Heathkit used to be an affordable solution to the ham on a budget.  The
HW101 or the SB101 was a Solution to those who wanted the Collins KWM1 but
could not afford the Collins price tag.  Heathkit provided good transceivers
(or separate transmitters and receivers) at an affordable price, and that
fact is not to be diminished.  I just do not see Heathkit continuing in that
market with the likes of Elecraft leading the way with offerings like the
K2, the K1 and KX1 and the kit version of the K3 and soon to come KX3 at
affordable prices given the current economy

73,
Don W3FPR

On 9/8/2011 9:20 PM, Nate Bargmann wrote:
> The one thing I can see Heath banking on is the wave of nostalgia that
> has been in place for some time.  I could see them bringing back some
> classics, perhaps in limited quantity,  Playing off their history
> would be their strength.  At this point I'm not sure that they could
> compete with the brain trust at Elecraft and play at the high end
> right off the bat.
>
> 73, de Nate N0NB>>
>
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[Vic Rosenthal]

To build a paper-route and push-mower novice transmitter 'kit', you will need a 1950's TV
set and an old radio or two. Always check the curbs when you go out to deliver your papers.

The power supply will use the transformer and the 5U4 rectifier from the TV. The audio
output tube will serve as a crystal oscillator and the horizontal oscillator tube as the
final amplifier (you can use two in parallel for more power if you have two old TVs).

An old radio supplies the loading capacitor. If you find the right old radio you might get
one suitable for the final tuning capacitor, but since all the grownup hams have ARC-5
parts to burn, one of them will give you one for free if you ask nicely.

Coils can be wound on anything tubular with any kind of wire. Even several popsicle sticks
can be used to make a cool-looking honeycomb coil. Small parts will come from the TV and
radio, of course. Rule 9: there is no value of resistor or capacitor that can't be created
from series/parallel combinations of the contents of a 1950's TV set.

The transmitter can be built on a piece of wood, an old radio chassis or a cake pan. You
will have to buy the crystal ($2.95) with paper-route or lawn-mower money.

On 9/9/2011 12:57 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>  But in those days,
> funded as we were by paper routes and push mowers, the dream seemed
> far out of reach.


--
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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[Mike Morrow-3]

Ron wrote:

> ...I would never suggest to a Collins fan that anyone matched
> Collins' designs...

The Heathkit SB-series and the Collins S-line have some things that
were equivalent...they all used RCA phono plugs for RF connectors!
(A really cheap and poor design, justified IIRC so that the KWM-2
could slide into its mobile mount.)

Mike / KK5F
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I think Heathkits' greatest contribution to amateur electronics builders  
were their fine manuals.  I built my first Heathkit at age 9 and made it  
through OK.  However, they should have added a first aid section in the  
back of the manual for those of us just getting started with hot soldering  
irons :)  But I eventually learned how not to burn myself.  Their manuals  
influenced the way I viewed kit building and step by step procedures from  
then on.  When I started reading the manual for my K2 I realized I had run  
into another Heathkit builder just by following the procedures.
    Thanks Heathkit for all the fine gear and for the memories,
       Kevin.  KD5ONS



On Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:58:18 -0700, Ron D'Eau Claire <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Fred, while I would never suggest to a Collins fan that anyone matched
> Collins' designs, E.F. Johnson sure produced some nice Ham band  
> transmitters
> in both kit or factory-built form. I built and ran a Viking Ranger for
> years. Unlike Heathkit, Johnson used new-manufacture parts - they even
> manufactured many key components themselves.
>
> Interestingly, they never sold a Ham band receiver, although they  
> certainly
> sold a lot of transceivers in the commercial/military markets and are  
> still
> doing so today.
>
> Heath's main contribution to my hobby was their great line of test  
> equipment
> kits.
>
> Ron AC7AC

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[Rose]

       
Wayne, you spin a nice yarn.  Enjoyed the read. (:-))

73!  Ken Kopp - K0PP
[hidden email]
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[Terry Schieler]

I wonder if I'll need to "tip" the GPA-100 Garage Parking Assistant??

Terry, W0FM



-----Original Message-----
From: Ron D'Eau Claire [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 5:25 PM
To: 'Elecraft'
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heathkit Returns!

The ARRL reported it just recently too.

More from Heath is here:

http://www.heathkit.com/

Will there be a HW-10 after all? Hi!

It's great to see general interest in kit building, but I'm waiting to see
if they are "no solder" kits. The "old" Heath had gone to no solder kit TVs
and computers (IIRC) before they dropped out before.

73,

Ron AC7AC


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[Joe K2UF]

I am currently building a new Heatkit kit.  I bought a complete 'cantenna'
kit at a recent flea market.  A lot more soldering then my K3 I built in
January but I think I will be able to handle the task.

My first kit was a Johnson Adventurer 50 watt crystal controlled xmtr.  My
'vfo' was a 243 case xtal with a screw mounted on the case to change the
freq a little.  If I remember the xmtr had less discrete parts then the K3
has boards ;o)

Joe K2UF  

No trees were harmed in the sending of this e-mail; however, many electrons
were inconvenienced.


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Vic K2VCO
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 12:04 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Regarding Heathkit

To build a paper-route and push-mower novice transmitter 'kit', you will
need a 1950's TV
set and an old radio or two. Always check the curbs when you go out to
deliver your papers.

The power supply will use the transformer and the 5U4 rectifier from the TV.
The audio
output tube will serve as a crystal oscillator and the horizontal oscillator
tube as the
final amplifier (you can use two in parallel for more power if you have two
old TVs).

An old radio supplies the loading capacitor. If you find the right old radio
you might get
one suitable for the final tuning capacitor, but since all the grownup hams
have ARC-5
parts to burn, one of them will give you one for free if you ask nicely.

Coils can be wound on anything tubular with any kind of wire. Even several
popsicle sticks
can be used to make a cool-looking honeycomb coil. Small parts will come
from the TV and
radio, of course. Rule 9: there is no value of resistor or capacitor that
can't be created
from series/parallel combinations of the contents of a 1950's TV set.

The transmitter can be built on a piece of wood, an old radio chassis or a
cake pan. You
will have to buy the crystal ($2.95) with paper-route or lawn-mower money.

On 9/9/2011 12:57 AM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>  But in those days,
> funded as we were by paper routes and push mowers, the dream seemed
> far out of reach.


--
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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[stan levandowski]

I've built many Heathkits since 1960.  One in particular stands out
because it is presently still in operation 24/7 to this very day!  In
August 1973, I met my future wife in a local gin mill (hey, it was a
CLASSY gin mill with a band).  She was a schoolteacher who had trouble
getting up in the morning because her alarm clock was unreliable.

Never one to pass up an opportunity, I built her a digital Heathkit
GC-1005 alarm clock.  It used those old orange-glow segment tubes you
younger guys can't possibly relate to.  It worked in more ways than one:
we got married on December 22, same year.

That Heathkit has been running constantly now for almost 38 years and,
infrequent power outages notwithstanding, the only maintenance it has
ever needed was a new line cord when the original one dry rotted out.
No other maintenance has ever been done -- nada -- nothing.

We are still going strong too and often kid around that "If the Heathkit
stops, we're in deep poop."

73 from Stan WB2LQF



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[Bill Hammond]

I was a young USAF Radio repairman returning from South East Asia making $350 a month in 1968.  The only radio I could afford was a HW100 @ $240 +$49 for a AC supply.  Nothing else was even close in price.  Say what you may, I have nothing but praise for the Heath kits.  By the way still have a Heath keyer, coaxial switch and VTVM that work some 45 years on.  

Take a trip down memory lane here:
http://www.nostalgickitscentral.com/heath/heathkit.html




Bill Hammond
Bill Hammond-AK5X
[hidden email]
[hidden email]
K3 #69
K2/100 #4637
K1 #2033
KX1 #1023
T1
KPA500 #149




On Sep 9, 2011, at 3:18 AM, Jim Wiley wrote:

>
>
> Wayne Burdick wrote
>> <snip>
> The mammoth was reasonably well-preserved.
>
> Unfortunately, the best the team could do was thaw out a few small
> steaks and serve them to the hopeful.
>
> <snip>
>
>
> - - Reminds me of a field-day recipe book from long ago,  for Elephant
> stew:   First, dice one elephant . . . .
>
>
>>
>> But back to western Michigan. My wife's family has a cabin in
>> Ludington, a couple of hours north of Benton Harbor. W
>
> So that's where Luddites come from.  I always wondered.
>
> <snip>
>
>> I'd love to see my beloved DX-20 transmitter, which hummed and sizzled
>> and arced in a manner not described in the literature, and which
>> struck fear into the hearts of
>> nearby TV viewers in my ancestral La Mesa homeland.
> I too started with a DX-20, back in the dark days of 1959.   Mine made
> interesting sounds when it was keyed, but it never quit.  Still got the
> darn thing.
>
> <snip>
>
>
> - Jim, KL7CC
> ______________________________________________________________
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[John Westmoreland]

Stan,

Wow - what a great story.  A real pleasure to read something like this.

I've cc'ed Heathkit as well - they may want to ask you to use their story on
their web-site or other testimonial areas.

73's,
John W.
AJ6BC

On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 11:54 AM, stan levandowski <[hidden email]>wrote:

> I've built many Heathkits since 1960.  One in particular stands out
> because it is presently still in operation 24/7 to this very day!  In
> August 1973, I met my future wife in a local gin mill (hey, it was a
> CLASSY gin mill with a band).  She was a schoolteacher who had trouble
> getting up in the morning because her alarm clock was unreliable.
>
> Never one to pass up an opportunity, I built her a digital Heathkit
> GC-1005 alarm clock.  It used those old orange-glow segment tubes you
> younger guys can't possibly relate to.  It worked in more ways than one:
> we got married on December 22, same year.
>
> That Heathkit has been running constantly now for almost 38 years and,
> infrequent power outages notwithstanding, the only maintenance it has
> ever needed was a new line cord when the original one dry rotted out.
> No other maintenance has ever been done -- nada -- nothing.
>
> We are still going strong too and often kid around that "If the Heathkit
> stops, we're in deep poop."
>
> 73 from Stan WB2LQF
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

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[Jim Brown-10]

On 9/9/2011 5:59 PM, Bill Hammond wrote:
> I have nothing but praise for the Heath kits.

Same for me. In high school, I had a borrowed DX100 for a while, and
later built an Apache, FM tuner, and TV set.  I recently helped dispose
of the estate of a neighbor SK, which included a late model antenna
tuner. It was built like a tank, very high quality.

73, Jim K9YC
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