Whatever happened to HEATHKIT?

[flying_silverad]

Whatever happened to this company?

and....are there any companies out their like them?

 

[Stymye]

I think it's entered the collectable realm

I remember building a crystal radio

https://www.heathkit-museum.com/

 

[sandman]

I may be wrong but I think they were bought out by Tandy then became Radio Shack.

But I may be way off.

They were cool kits. Well, to me...but my buddy thought they were lame.

I remember my buddy's dad building his own shortwave radio to put in his...get this...new fallout shelter about 1963...might have been during the Cuban missle crisis.

 

[flying_silverad]

I found one of thier kits that I built 30 years ago. Would like to find another company like it.

 

[sandman]

stymye,

The "History" link on their home page answers a lot !

I was way off!

 

[Ltvscout]

Originally posted by flying_silverad
I found one of thier kits that I built 30 years ago. Would like to find another company like it.

This is the closest I've found to Heath Kit out there.

https://www.ramseyelectronics.com/

They'll send you a catalog for free. Lots of cool stuff.

We built one of their FM transmitters for use on the range at our larger events.

 

[seo]

Thanks for the link to the Ramsey site.

This looks like it could be used for a rocket camera, transmits to a 1/4 of a mile:

c2001

 

[Ltvscout]

Originally posted by seo
Thanks for the link to the Ramsey site.

This looks like it could be used for a rocket camera, transmits to a 1/4 of a mile:

c2001

No problem. Don't forget that Art Upton sells a lot of great rocket camera equipment at:

https://www.boostervision.com/boostervision/default.htm

 

[Planet Andy]

I think I've got at least one big old tube and transformer power amp of theirs in my basement. I keep on meaning to pull it out and see what it needs to make noise. Sometimes those things turn out to be great guitar amps after some modding. I'm pretty sure that I've got other heathkit stuff test equipment and such. I haven't checked out the history link but I think Sandman may be correct in that they were "swallowed" by tandy then radio shack....or was it Lafayette?

Andy

 

[Planet Andy]

Originally posted by Planet Andy
I haven't checked out the history link but I think Sandman may be correct in that they were "swallowed" by tandy then radio shack....or was it Lafayette?

Andy

oops quoting myself....shoulda checked the history link and the thread. I was incorrect also.

Andy

 

[Zack Lau]

Here is a list of companies that sell electronic kits

https://www.ac6v.com/kits.htm

There are still companies that sell kit airplanes, but I don't know of any company that does everything that Heath did. There is a Heathkit Parasol at the New England Air Museum.

Perhaps the most complicated kit is sold by www.elecraft.com
They sell a 100 watt HF transceiver kit for ham radio.

 

[graylensman]

My dad built our first color TV from a Heathkit. It worked well, too - saw us into the cable age! I also had a Heathkit that was basically like a Lego set that did electronic stuff. Blocks that contained resistors, capacitors, etc. I had a pretty good time with it.

 

[Ozymandias]

Ramsey Electronics is probably as close as you will get to Heathkit. I've built their FM stereo transmitter and Air Band reciever kits so far. Both work very well and were very fun to build.