Heathkit to reenter the kit building business!

[River757]

Looking for pics of their kits from the 80s (I made several of theirs and many from Radio Shack), I found this on their own site:

Heathkit is Back in the Kit Business!

By popular demand, Heathkit is bringing back the kit building tradition. Successfully building your own products provides a sense of pride and accomplishment, not realized by simply buying something off the shelf.

In late August, Heathkit will debut their new line of Do-it-Yourself kits for common around-the-house items................

..........Heathkit is interested in learning what types of products kit builders would like to build. Kit builders can submit their suggestions through this website using the Contact Us email.

Could amps, DACs and speakers be part of their plans?

[River757]

Well I guess I'm the only one here that used to build kits from Heathkit? Or are electronic kits in general just no longer very cool?

Check out this site for more on that company: Heathkit Virtual Museum | A Tribute to Heathkits

IIRC they sold kits until around the early 90s, then they became just a seller of electronic training gear under the Heathkit/Zenith name.

[c2cthomas]

Hey - it would be great if Heathkit got back to putting out some audio electronics!!! My wife's dad built one of those big-asssss organs from a kit - it took him about a year - and she would play it. As it is they only announced non audio stuff but who knows what they might do in the future. I think the audio gear would be a better thing to make than a pool alert - but oh well.

[Wavebourn]

Is it possible to cooperate with them, offering some kits designed by me to manufacture?

[Ron E]

I have some heathkit gear. Still works, except for the o-scope. Given to me by a former electronic tech who was sick of not making money. I know of half a dozen who quit the business in the early 90's because they were paid $8-10 an hour doing component troubleshooting and warranty work at big companies like Motorola and Best buy.

They all went into IT.

Heathkit stuff was never inexpensive, BTW.

[planet10]

I built lots of Heathkits... wonder if they will be doing any audio?

dave

[JoeDJ]

I built a whole Heathkit sys back in the '70s........ pre amp, EQ and their monster "super amp" that weighed a ton.
I ran my Sansui reciever through the Heathkit sys (out of tape mon) for radio... mainly for the legendary WNEW FM out of NY City.

Most of my friends said it was all over kill (for them) and marveled at all the inter connects but, they all wanted to hear it....... often!
It sounded great fed through my "JBL L-100" speakers.

BTW I still have the primitve multi meter that came with the amp kit.
I still use it to test batteries and ohms.

I remember going to a Heathkit store and I was always like a little kid in a candy shop.

[River757]

Originally Posted by planet10

I built lots of Heathkits... wonder if they will be doing any audio?

I sure hope so. I never got a chance to build one of their amps after high school i.e. lack of time/money.

Speaking of audio, check out their AS-1348 floorstander with 15" slot-loaded woofer (the rear-mounted woofer operates in a sealed chamber; the slot is located in a large circular plate that covers the front of the woofer). Talk about incredibly low WAF!! But I love the sound of large speakers like this - a sat+ sub system may measure better but there's something about the sound of a pair of large speakers that the sats-n-subs I've heard can't duplicate.

.......former electronic tech who was sick of not making money. I know of half a dozen who quit the business in the early 90's....

This is why I decided to get a B.S. in a related field. I love electronics, but I just coudln't handle repairing them 8 hours/day 5 days/week for such little money.

[planet10]

Originally Posted by River757

AS-1348 floorstander

Was the woofer also a Philips?

dave

[AKHeathen]

no effin way! i have always dreamed of finding an unbuilt heathkit, possibly large amp. if they are getting back into putting them out, i sure hope that large amps/recievers are on the list, and i would verry much like to see a line of wood cabinet and aluminum cabinet retro amps and recievers. a nice 12v power supply would be cool, too.