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They ARE attempting a comeback, after all.
8 October 2015 | by I'm sure many of you got the same email from Heathkit, either yesterday or early this morning. I had to admit that I thought it was going to be another one of those "We're still coming back!" emails, but this one had some substance.
It looks like the initial offerings are a table AM radio as well as some parts for already existing Heathkit products, namely the HW8, as well as their weather instruments.
Everything can be found here: https://shop.heathkit.com/shop
Obviously, it's a small fledgling offering, but every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. So before we make any harsh judgments, let's all take a deep breath, wish the new "Heathkit" well, and see how this all shakes out.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least !
Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].
It looks like the initial offerings are a table AM radio as well as some parts for already existing Heathkit products, namely the HW8, as well as their weather instruments.
Everything can be found here: https://shop.heathkit.com/shop
Obviously, it's a small fledgling offering, but every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. So before we make any harsh judgments, let's all take a deep breath, wish the new "Heathkit" well, and see how this all shakes out.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least !
8 Responses to “They ARE attempting a comeback, after all.”
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Happy to see Heathkit back, but $149.95 for a table AM radio???
They need to offer a companion AM transmitter you can connect to your iPod so you have something good to listen to on this receiver. The AM broadcast band has turned into a wasteland.
I must agree with Al. $149.95 for AM. One must love kit building and then love AM. It is a start, but a poor one. There must be more practical kits to develop.
I agree as well. I’ll admit it’s easy to Monday morning quarterback this, but Heathkit and amateur radio went hand-in-hand, not broadcast radio. A code practice oscillator, an HF band regen, or even a one transistor crystal QRP CW transmitter would have been a better and more appropriate re-entry into the marketplace. But they shouldn’t be selling kits. That ship has sailed. Sell Heathkit swag: tee shirts, bumper stickers, etc. The logo is more marketable than kits.
Great retro packaging! It seems to be battery powered only though (Fail). $149.95? Why not $149.99? In either case, the price is way too high. Oh well, look at it this way: You can always “Fix It” by ripping the guts out and putting a better home-brew radio inside. Welcome back Heathkit.
Attention Heathkit: If you are there, I think there are many inexpensive kits that could be developed; i.e. amateur radio accessories; antenna switches, dummy loads, tuners, QRP kits, I won’t go on, but there are many QRP hams out there.
Getting the hint?
I applaud HeathKit’s comeback, and wish the firm well. However, I have been a marketer for many, many years, and I like to seek the input of the market before investing money in such a venture, i.e. find a need and fill it. I would be very shocked to find out that the market needs an AM table top radio.
It’s a start. Part of the Heathkit value was that the instruction manual was an education. The color TV kit certainly was.