Missing the point.....

[Ed Kotkiewicz]

There has been some very interesting dialog about the "demise" of
Heath.  The point that many of you are missing is hobbycraft in
general has deminished over the last 25 years.  I know of at least ten
former hobby shop locations in my area that have gone out of
business.  I used to be able to find eight or nine, close by 'tron
shops that I could get parts, Sams schematics, tubes and what have
you.  They have all disappeared in the last 15 years.  If it isn't
mail order today, you don't get it....

My wife was a "Former Ham at Heath" and went through the Zenith
transistion.  The kit quality started to slide almost immediately.
The big push was on computers.  There was more money in that product
line then in Ham radios.  We tend to look at the "our hobby" as the
only way to go.  I doubt seriously if there was anyone in Zenith's
cost accounting division who was a ham.  But they sure knew and
understood the need for computers.

The primary contributor to the "loss" has more to do with money and
even the attitudes of the newer generations.  The electronic hobby in
general has turned into a collectors association for the rich.  Look
at how quickly crystal radios get snapped up and at what cost.  Its
much less of a hobby and more of a collectors club now.  Then go out
and see how many kids you can get interested in radios and building
stuff.  They would much rather play mindless shoot'em up games.

Sorry......life changes.

Ed

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