Heathkit's Demise

[Milton Ferguson]

   I sometimes wonder if we fully appreciate the lure of building
Heathkits.

   Before Heathkit, working from a schematic and (maybe) a parts list in
a magazine or the ARRL manual , we had to cut, bend and drill the
chassis by hand, Buy the individual parts and assemble, wire (PC board?
what's that?), and test the final assembly. I can still remember the
gashed hands and singed fingers (soldering Irons were at least 100 Watts
then) necessary for this act of creation. But it was our hobby asnd we
loved it! ...and the equipment "glowed in the dark!" Sometimes, we would
turn the lights down low and operate by the glow of the final amp
tubes...AAAH nostalgia!  (I guess I'm revealing my age!)

    Heathkit did away, for a price, with much of the scutwork and
provided a much more professional result while retaining much of the joy
of creation. It is certainly true in the latter days that Heatkit could
not economically compete with automated assembled equipment. However,
even today, given the choice of building a transmitter, receiver or TV
from a Heathkit versus buying assembled at the same or even lesser
price, I WOULD OPT FOR THE KITS ANYTIME. There is NOTHING (well, maybe
one) like the pleasure of building a piece of gear from a kit!

        One of the old guys,

                            Milt. Ferguson

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