Heathkit is back

[NQ6U]

They've actually released a product, a no-solder AM BCB radio kit (https://shop.heathkit.com/shop/product/explorer-jr-trf-am-radio-receiver-kit-black-case-gr-150-bk-16).

https://shop.heathkit.com/website/image/product.product/38/image

Seems a little pricey at $150, but at least they're actually selling stuff again.

[W2NAP]

hope this is a sign of something more from them

[W3WN]

We'll see.

I just don't see how a $150 AM receiver kit is going to be profitable for them, in today's day & age.

[XE1/N5AL]

At least you can choose your radio color: Silver, Cranberry, Cucumber Green, Plum Pie, Sapphire Blue or Tangerine.

I suppose that the solderless construction would appeal to today's overprotective parents who don't want to risk their kids touching the business end of a soldering iron.

Notice how the new Heathkit address is in Santa Cruz, CA?

[XE1/N5AL]

duplicate post.

[KG4CGC]

For that kind of coin I AT LEAST want to know what gosh darned frickkincy I'm on!

[VE7MGF]

i will buy ready made stuff if the price makes cents
this NO WAY
it's just a lego radio

[KG4CGC]

i will buy ready made stuff if the price makes cents
this NO WAY
it's just a lego radio

Yeah but if it's a true TRF, the performance should be LEGENDARY!

[W3WN]

The thought occurs to me that this item was made available, in part, to answer all the complaints about the "new" Heathkit not actually doing anything yet.

Now they can say "see! We sell something!" even though it's a project that few, if anyone, actually wants, at a price point that few, if anyone, is willing to pay.

[N8YX]

The whole thing smacks of brand-name capitalization - nothing more; nothing less.

Anyone remember the various incarnations of the Indian Motorcycle Company from around 1995 onwards? At least three different firms tried to resurrect the brand - and all failed. Polaris/Victory finally did something with the concept which didn't involve building an Indian-themed Harley clone - but for the price, one expects a lot more performance.

In terms of amateur radio gear, "My grandfather's Heathkit" was something designed from the start to be a worthy competitor for the likes of Collins, Drake and Yaesu, could be assembled and aligned by the average ham and when finished, actually earned a spot in the shack. Consumer-model equipment - BCB radios, televisions and home electronics - had a similar niche following. Where they stood out was in terms of uniqueness.

My Heathkits consist of previous models which I can tear down, convert, improve, redesign. I've actually paid less for a complete SB104A than the asking price of the "new" Heathkit offering.

I think we'll eventually discover that pure nostaglia doesn't quite sell as well as we hoped it would...regardless of the badge it wears. One wants value too.

[W3WN]

Well, it could be worse. And one of these days, "worse" is going to happen.

Sooner or later, some overseas company (probably Chinese) is going to license or outright acquire the rights to a once-famous brand name from years past... think Hammarlund, Dentron, Atwater-Kent, Gonset (not Hallicrafters, the rights to the name are now owned by someone connected to the family), even National or Swan... and start marketing equipment under one of those names.

[N8YX]

How would that be "worse"?

If someone can make a robust, affordable piece of nostalgia they'll do quite well in the market. If they offer an overpriced, inadequately constructed or poorly performing POS...economics will sort that in short order.

[W3WN]

How would that be "worse"?

If someone can make a robust, affordable piece of nostalgia they'll do quite well in the market. If they offer an overpriced, inadequately constructed or poorly performing POS...economics will sort that in short order.
Sorry. I was interrupted and didn't finish my earlier post.

If it's a quality product, that would indeed be a good thing. But I'd be more concerned that it would be dreck.

Just think of all the items on the market these days with the "RCA" or "Westinghouse" logos on them... neither company exists (as a manufacturer that is) but someone who owns the rights to the labels is licensing them, and quite a bit of the stuff with those names on it these days is dreck.

In the immortal words of Mel Brooks:
Hope for the best;
Expect the worst!

[WØTKX]

It's never going to be the same. A mix of good and bad.

I miss Radioshack P-Box kits. :mrgreen:

[KA9MOT]

The whole thing smacks of brand-name capitalization - nothing more; nothing less.

Anyone remember the various incarnations of the Indian Motorcycle Company from around 1995 onwards? At least three different firms tried to resurrect the brand - and all failed. Polaris/Victory finally did something with the concept which didn't involve building an Indian-themed Harley clone - but for the price, one expects a lot more performance.

In terms of amateur radio gear, "My grandfather's Heathkit" was something designed from the start to be a worthy competitor for the likes of Collins, Drake and Yaesu, could be assembled and aligned by the average ham and when finished, actually earned a spot in the shack. Consumer-model equipment - BCB radios, televisions and home electronics - had a similar niche following. Where they stood out was in terms of uniqueness.

My Heathkits consist of previous models which I can tear down, convert, improve, redesign. I've actually paid less for a complete SB104A than the asking price of the "new" Heathkit offering.

I think we'll eventually discover that pure nostaglia doesn't quite sell as well as we hoped it would...regardless of the badge it wears. One wants value too.


Yes, it does but I like the fact that they used real wood and metal for the cabinet.

[K7SGJ]

Like many others on here, I built metric shit-ton of Heathkits. Probably fixed 50 times that, too. The one thing about their kits was that whatever you built, be it radio, television, test equipment, or any of the other stuff, it could be aligned without pricey test equipment, and, their alignment procedures were amazingly close to those made WITH pricey test equipment.

[XE1/N5AL]

Along with all those Heathkits, I built a few Southwest Technical Products (SWTPC) kits, as well. They were similar to Heathkits, but without the concise instructions. The instructions were more like: Step 1.) install all resistors, Step 2.) install all capacitors, Step 3.) install all transistors, etc. But, their products worked well.

Murphy's Law was in effect when you built a Heathkit. In fact, Murphy himself was sitting right there beside you during the build -- ready to lend a hand. If you accidentally skipped a step and perhaps forgot to install a screw or a lockwasher; you would almost surely have to disassemble everything that you had done from that forgotten step forward, in order to make space for installing the missing hardware. :)

[K7SGJ]

I did a lot of contract work for the local Heathkit store. You would not believe some of what I saw. Unbelievable.

[XE1/N5AL]

In our teen years, a friend of mine had no patience when it came to following instructions. He would randomly skip around the Heathkit assembly steps, installing the parts in the order that he wanted to install them. Of course, there were always unexplained parts left over after assembly and his Heathkits usually let out a dying gasp of smoke when power was first applied. :(

[KG4CGC]

In our teen years, a friend of mine had no patience when it came to following instructions. He would randomly skip around the Heathkit assembly steps, installing the parts in the order that he wanted to install them. Of course, there were always unexplained parts left over after assembly and his Heathkits usually let out a dying gasp of smoke when power was first applied. :(

I guess he showed them! I actually got to visit the Heathkit store in Miami when I was 13. My cousin drove me there in a 1976 Chevette. It already had a different motor put in it because the original died 2 weeks after rolling off the showroom floor.

[N8YX]

In our teen years, a friend of mine had no patience when it came to following instructions. He would randomly skip around the Heathkit assembly steps, installing the parts in the order that he wanted to install them. Of course, there were always unexplained parts left over after assembly and his Heathkits usually let out a dying gasp of smoke when power was first applied. :(
Interesting.

I started building Heathkits at 14 - still have my first one, a GC-1107 clock. It still works as far as I know...the shack has so many 24h timepieces in it that the clock is somewhat redundant!

All of mine worked on the first try. Like Eddie, I've also un-fscked quite a few of the things - either due to builder error or design fault. There are ways to make many of the legacy products better if you don't care for "stock".

[KA9MOT]

My cousin drove me there in a 1976 Chevette. It already had a different motor put in it because the original died 2 weeks after rolling off the showroom floor.

Interesting........ back in the 80s, Car Craft Magazine stuffed a 500 inch Caddy engine into a Chevette. The results were frightening. hihi

[XE1/N5AL]

"Entity" address information from the California Secretary of State business search: http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/

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