heathkit assembly horror stories

[Dave]

> To this day, when I read about something being idiot proof, I just smile
> because idiots are so ingenious!!
>
>
> Ok, who's next?


When I was 14 I got my first Heathkit and first radio to match my Novice
license, a Heathkit HW-7 (Lousy first radio, but my folks meant well, and
I learned a LOT about construction, and especially about the uselessness
of calling CQ with 3 watts into a poor antenna!)

While I was building it, the band switch section called for you to cut a
large
number of pins off one side of the switch so it would mate with the
holes in the PC board while the buttons would poke through the panel.

I remember to this day walking into the living room, telling my brothers
'See - I can just cut the pins off this like they don't even matter!' (hey -
14 year olds are goofy).  Then I went back to the bench to install the
switch,
only to realize I cut the pins off the wrong side of the switch and they
were
all the ones that were supposed to REMAIN.

In a panic, I saved the day by running wires from the top of the switch
around
to the bottom to make the connections.  The switch had redundant pins
on the top side, all of which went through to the bottom, so I could solder
on
wires and run them down.

I still have that HW-7, but some day I won't and some one will look at my
work and wonder who the idiot was that assembled it. (never mind that it
works perfectly with full output on all bands!)

Just my little story.  By the way, go to
http://www.boatanchors.com/page14.html to
see my HW-7, as well as my other rigs I acquired along the way.

73 and take care all,

Dave WB7AWK

ps - there are STILL a bunch of Heathkits for sale on Ebay!  WOW!!!!

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