Heathkit looking for help...

[NQ6U]

What?

The Wannabe Zen Mastah trying to sound profound once again.

[N8YX]

I would like to see Heathkit back in the kit business...

...just not repeating some of their mistakes of yesteryear.

Give me an updated SB104A and the option of building its receiver in a separate enclosure, thereby allowing for twins operation. Offer the standard collection of station accessories: Speaker/PSU, station console, monitor scope, solid-state 500w amplifier, 1KW ATU...perhaps a remote VFO for ops who don't want to build twins. Add WARC allocations, an IF shift and a decent IF-based notch filter...maybe an optional DSP module.

Whatever the company does, please don't repeat the mistake that was the HW-5400. 50HZ tuning steps were both bad and borrowed from the 651S-1, while the lack of a noise blanker had a lot of us shaking our heads. Truth be told, two of my -5400s operated for many thousands of hours in HF packet duty with nary a hiccup but they became useless at the onset of QRN. That design might be good for "set-and-forget" operation on your favorite SSB or RTTY net frequencies but they definitely weren't cut out for hunt and pounce 'phone contesting.

[N2NH]

"It's dead for you if you like."

What I like cannot alter the fact that in this neck of the woods Rat Shack went belly up in painful stages. It used to be a honey hole for just about anything I ever wanted including the dirt cheapest parts for fixing Audiovox 8 track players, that and steel beer cans (remember?) but the last stage before the store closed were a few junk items found on every shelf in the country. May I remind you that Buffalo is a long way from the Jersey Shore and things just might be a little different?

"If they do their R&D and marketing properly, there is no reason why Heathkit can't be a success, again."
To that I'll agree, they just might give Ramsey a run for the money.
"I'd love to build their kits again."
What a novel approach, trouble is you can build a kit only once and can't build it again unless you take it apart and start over. (;->)

:rofl:

Thanks for posting this thread Corey. Took the poll and they seem serious. I hope they take it to the next stage and actually use the data to make it so. Would love an updated HW-9 or SB-104A. Maybe even a 10M FM XCVR. Now, how long before we can get KnightKits?

[NQ6U]

I'd like to see a modernized version of the SB-201 and the SA-2040 antenna tuner.

[wa6mhz]

There are alotta small products they could make that would go cheap enough many hams would bite on them.

Something like the Signalink USB. That would be a big seller
Small 300W tuners with dual needle meters
Small wattmeters
Interfaces for Solid state rigs to Older Power amps (Soft keys)
Antenna Analyzers

Basically, re-engineering most of the stuff MFJ makes and undercutting there prices in kit form. MFJ is basically a kit anyway. The first thing U need to do is TAKE IT APART and re-solder all the poor solder joints, solder slops and shorts! TERRIBLE Soldering at MFJ!

[KG4CGC]

Thank you for posting the link.

[N8GAV]

There are alotta small products they could make that would go cheap enough many hams would bite on them.

Something like the Signalink USB. That would be a big seller
Small 300W tuners with dual needle meters
Small wattmeters
Interfaces for Solid state rigs to Older Power amps (Soft keys)
Antenna Analyzers

Basically, re-engineering most of the stuff MFJ makes and undercutting there prices in kit form. MFJ is basically a kit anyway. The first thing U need to do is TAKE IT APART and re-solder all the poor solder joints, solder slops and shorts! TERRIBLE Soldering at MFJ!

Well that's why its called Mississippi Finest Junk

[KG4CGC]

I sent them my resume. I have yet to hear from them.