Tomorrow's Heathkit

[Mitch Dickson]

George,  Are you getting enough ruffage in your diet?  Heath, by no means
used the best components in these rigs.  At lot were sub-standard and run
right at threshold!  Shortcuts were employed all the time that have to be
modified to get the circuits to act properly.  The manuals are OK but the
documentation is pitiful.  Especially the schematics.  No theory of
operation to speak of, not a wave form, not a voltage, very poor description
of parts and most of the voltage values missing, no peak to peak voltages,
no truth tables,  no olmed pin outs on the IC's,  No voltage tables,
missing corrections and additions to the schematics, no cross or subs on
transistors, and absolutely no trouble trees!

You cannot compare a Heathkit to the best radios of the times either.  Nor
can you afford an old Omni or a set of Drake twins in 9+ condition!  Heath
is workable.  It looks good, most of it is easy to work on, and It works
well when you finally get it fixed.  And because it is simple to operate it
gets you away from all the usless crap they put on modern receivers!  Give
me a knob to play with and I'm happy.  Who cares about push-button digital
tuning.  My mind requires the feel of pots, kinda like Lionel's blanket  :)

20 years from now?  There will be more of these old boatanchors still
working than anything being made today.  I seriously doubt if 1 in 100 of
todays rigs will be working 10 years from now, much less 20.  I will bet
that this old Heath I use will outlast 10 of them end to end  ;)  But this
thing is a Ford, not a Continental.  Find me an Omni or a Drake in 9+ and I
will trade up, but until then, I sure am not going to trade down to a
Kenwood or a Yeasu or an Icom.  CU  Mitch  73  AE4YW
>

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