HEATHKIT Los Of:

[Jerry Rego]

Group,

I do not know who built the last 5400, but I my share with this kit.  Took a
year and a day for completion - and once you had it together and attempted
to align it - no go.  Later I found there were several problems in the
instructions.  It had a really great looking PS with a built in clock and a
nice foot print. but when one had to solder the various shields together,
that was a real let down.  But continued building Heath Kits from about 59
to its demise.
The price was right, quality good, ease of construction, about the same a
DYNCO for construction and ease of assembly. let us not remember the bad,
but the good.  All these armchair coaches can see 20-20 after the fact -
foresight should have been more support for heath - and talked to them, as
I, and tell them what you found - poor quality, shortage of parts, etc.
They had a good ear for listening.  Jerry Rego  KE7YG  Best regards to all
and lets try and suck up the loss we all feel.
----- Original Message -----
From: Kechkaylo Dave (ATLINKS) <KechkayloD at TCE.COM>
To: <HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: HEATHKIT


> John (et al):
>
> I think Heath Company would have slumped overall, particularly in the
> amateur radio product line, anyway, as newer, better, products were
offered
> by Japanese companies. Zenith wanted only the computer and manufacturing
> lines, and didn't give a darn for the kit business (year after year it was
> making less money in the late 1970s and early 1980s kit business). The
> management of Zenith was one one of the worst in the industry (the pits to
> say the least), and in conjunction with the Steelworker's union trying to
> muscle their way in control of Heath's factory in 1979 didn't help.
>
> I remember, as an employee, seeing the quality slowly creep downward in
the
> ham product lines, and the high-priced SS-9000 and HW-5400 could never
have
> made a dent compared with the Kenwoods and Icoms, and these were some good
> radios...and so it goes. I remember seeing many Icoms sitting in
engineering
> being evaluated by Heath engineering. How could Heath compete? The HW-5400
> was really a kitted, Heath engineered, version of the Kenwood TS-120S, but
> look what a nightmare it became to assemble. Orders for any remaining
> Heathkit ham offerings (of what was left) dropped significantly. Even the
> number of amateur kits being returned for factory service dropped off
> significantly.
>
> With Zenith management totally uninterested in any new ham-related kit
> development, layoffs resulted. What a shame. Soooo, I blame both the
foreign
> competition and Zenith. Without the latter, I think Heath, with the right
> direction and product lines, could have lasted longer....Zenith supplied
the
> coffin nails and pounded in the last one.
>
> Dave Kechkaylo, W8DLK/9
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: john van laar [mailto:van at STARBAND.NET]
> Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 11:13 PM
> To: HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV
> Subject: HEATHKIT
>
>
> After i left heathkit on long island and moved upstate new york i got a
> shock to see zenith bought them and a catalog with wood working
heathkits.I
> blame zenith for the demise of heath. When schlumberger bought daystrom
> heath came along with the deal and they let heath do it's own thing.Zenith
> did not know anything about heath customers. Anyone agree or disagree with
> me on this? I would like to hear from somone that was there at the end 73
> john
>
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