Wow! Heathkit is BACK!

Thread Starter

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,041
Shop | heathkit.com Looks like someone bought what was left of them in ~2015 and is trying to make a go of it again. I see a lot of old NIB parts and manuals. A few new kits with SMD and not cheap. Some shop services. They say education but I don't see any courses as they had with Heath-Zenith. Anyway, maybe worth a look. Apparently, they kept a low profile (couldn't afford to advertise?) because they've been around for ~7 years and this is the first time I've seen or heard of them. FWIW
 

Thread Starter

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,041
Yup, I still have my Knight Kit "Space Spanner" regenerative shortwave radio I built as a kid. The Heathkit site is pretty bleak. He does have some horribly expensive (relatively) radio and clock kits but not much else other than some old manuals (new old stock and used) and parts. Unfortunately, nowhere near what the original was and probably will never be seen again... Hard to compete against mass-manufactured new (and usually better) equipment with DIY stuff which is why they went out of business.
 

seanstevens

Joined Sep 22, 2009
253
I never got into kits as I thought it was cheating to build a kit, rather than making your own PCB and putting things together (I know I know). However, Heathkits kits were always ridiculous with their pricing and styling when they were around decades ago and it looks like they havent changed much.
 

Externet

Joined Nov 29, 2005
2,220
Dumping here contents of my 'bookmarks' kits collected along years for whoever is interested. Prices, useability, particulars, waiting for your approval or not.
They better be listed in this deserving thread instead of sleeping in my compfuser guts. Some links may be obsolete now.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesal...e_id=SB_20170927131023&needQuery=n&isrefine=y

https://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/chaney-electronics/

https://www.bakatronics.com/shop/

https://www.electronickits.com/

https://www.adafruit.com/

https://www.sparkfun.com/

https://www.makershed.com/

https://vakits.com/

http://www.velleman.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d2_kits.html

https://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/chaney-electronics/

https://www.canakit.com/electronic-kits

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/browse/Electronic-Kits/0000001758

http://www.apogeekits.com/

http://www.kitsrus.com/

https://www.sciplus.com/Kits-h

https://anatekinstruments.com/a/search?type=product&q=kits

https://www.circuitspecialists.com/diy-electronic-kits

https://www.microcenter.com/category/4294939901/Electronic-Kits

https://sir-kit.webs.com/

https://www.hobbyengineering.com/collections/ek

https://store.qkits.com/

https://www.xkitz.com/

https://www.amazing1.com/

https://www.allelectronics.com/category/305/Kits/1.html

https://www.parts-express.com/electronic-parts/electronic-project-kits

http://www.ozitronics.com/

http://www.vellemanusa.com/

http://www.qrpkits.com/

https://youkits.com/

https://www.famosastudio.com/breakout-boards?limit=50

https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=kits

https://www.buildcircuit.com/

http://www.icstation.com/

http://wiki.sainsmart.com/index.php/37_in_1_Sensor_Module_Kit

http://www.kitsusa.net/phpstore/html/Radio-Kits-Transmitters-and-Receivers-2-1.html



Add your own to this list ! If a pinned reference is deserved, go ahead.
 

Thread Starter

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,041
My first Ham Rig was/is a Heathkit HW-101 I bought used. As a fellow Ham said, "there's enough room in there to run around in tennis shoes". It had the alignment procedure in the manual and once aligned it was a pretty good rig. Not too noisy but a bit toasty, which is how it got the nickname Hot Water 101. Your coffee never went cold. But if you put good "accessory" notch filters in it wasn't that bad. Just a good basic tube ~100W xcvr. Definitely not Mil-Spec like Collins but way cheaper. At their end, they were bought (?) by Zenith and started getting into electronics training courses of which were some good semiconductor logic courses along with their ET-3000 series Electronic Trainers. The ETs have a power supply, signal generator, breadboard, and a few fixed components all in one and are still pretty popular. I've seen some stamped CIE so the Cleveland Institute of Electronics was putting them in their correspondence courses.
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,517
My first ham rig was a HealthKit DX40 following several ARC5 surplus command rigs. My neighbor had a DX60 at the time.

Ron
 

BobTPH

Joined Jun 5, 2013
8,967
I built 3 of them when in high school.

1. A transistorized VTVM, using those new-fangled FETs.

2. A low end oscilloscope, also solid state, which was unusual at the tine.

3. AR-14 stereo receiver. 15W per channel. I was very proud of my choice when a HiFi mag reviewed a high-end receiver that cost 10 times as much. Just for kicks they compared the frequency response and distortion to my low end kit receiver, and mine was actually better.
 

Thread Starter

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,041
@Externet Here is one to add to your list. HackerBoxes Monthly subscription or just buy the box or choose from still-in-stock old boxes. Interesting stuff once you get past the decals and crap for the kiddies. Never bought one but they are intriguing. More stuff in most boxes than I could work through in a month!
 
Top