Tomorrow's Heathkit

[Ed Mosher]

Mitch, care to tell us what you base your opinion on?

On Wed, 23 Dec 1998 21:09:41 -0500 Mitch Dickson <mitch at VOLSTATE.NET>
writes:
>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!
>

Perhaps I'm a bit one-sided due to my 22 years with Heath, but I think
you're overlooking a lot.

First, you have to qualify the era of  Heath manuals you're talking
about.  While I worked there (1971-93) Heath almost always had good
schematics, many with either voltage charts or voltages on the
schematics!  I know because I was one of the Tech Consultants and manual
writers who MADE the measurements to put on them.  Case in point, ever
looked at the HW-101 manual?  There are PAGES of voltage and resistance
measurements in addition to the schematic. Most of the ham gear manuals
had enough "Circuit Description" information to educate a lot of hams on
IF, RF, AF, and power supply circuitry fundamentals. And you would
usually find a full description in each manual so the owner could repair
his/her own unit.  As digital and IC circuitry because more popular,
Heath did put truth tables in the manuals, as well as voltages on IC
pins.  We felt it was a necessity to aid servicing and education.  Ever
try to repair a  Yeasu or Kenwood from the information put in their
manuals of the same period?

Parts were never "sub-standard", nor were they run at threshold levels.
Heath bought the same parts Drake, Collins and others did, from the same
sources.  Parts were, if anything, over-sized where necessary, to insure
that they would last. Heath didn't always provide cross references for
parts because at the time there were none, or they were capitalizing on
the same things other manufacturers were; namely making a bit on
replacement parts to pay other bills not covered by the kit price.   What
kept Heath's costs down was the lack of labor to assemble the product.
Some of the savings went into producing the best equipment manuals
printed.  And the performance matched or exceeded every specification.

Sorry to take so much bandwidth.  I just feel that you have to look
carefully before you jump off the blind cliff.

Ed Mosher       Proud to be a former  "One of the Hams at Heath"

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD QSO!

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