While most hams and hackers have at least heard of Heathkit, most people don’t know the strange origin story of the legendary company. [Ham Radio Gizmos] takes us all through the story.
In case you don’t remember, Heathkit produced everything from shortwave radios to color TVs to test equipment and even computers. But, for the most part, when you bought something from them, you didn’t get a finished product. You got a bag full of parts and truly amazing instructions about how to put them together. Why? Well, if you are reading Hackaday, you probably know why. But some people did it to learn more about electronics. Others were attracted by the lower prices you paid for some things if you built them yourself. Others just liked the challenge.
But Heathkit’s original kit wasn’t electronic at all. It was an airplane kit. Not a model airplane, it was an actual airplane. Edward Heath sold airplane kits at the affordable price around $1,000. In 1926, that was quite a bit of money, but apparently still less than a commercial airplane.
Sadly, Heath took off in a test plane in 1931, crashed, and died. The company struggled to survive until 1935, when Howard Anthony bought the company and moved it to the familiar Benton Harbor address. The company still made aircraft kits.
During World War II, the company mobilized to produce electronic parts for wartime aircraft. After the war, the government disposed of surplus, and Howard Anthony casually put in a low bid on some. He won the bid and was surprised to find out the lot took up five rail cars. Among the surplus were some five-inch CRTs used in radar equipment. This launched the first of Heathkit’s oscilloscopes — the O1. At $39.50, it was a scope people could afford, as long as they could build it. The O-series scopes would be staples in hobby workshops for many years.
There’s a lot more in the video. Well worth the twenty minutes. If you’ve never seen a Heathkit manual, definitely check out the one in the video. They were amazing. Or download a couple. No one creates instructions like this anymore.
If you watch the video, be warned, there will be a quiz, so pay attention. But here’s a hint: there’s no right answer for #3. We keep hearing that someone owns the Heathkit brand now, and there have been a few new products. But, at least so far, it hasn’t really been the same.
I learned to solder building a kit that my dad got me. probably https://people.ohio.edu/postr/bapix/HD-1416.htm
The plastic case and such on my Heathkit DMM (IM-2215) became brittle and started falling apart. The electronics are still fine but the case is not. A replacement case not being a thing, I had to buy a new meter. A Fluke which should last as long…
I’ve run into a fair few old kit-built devices (Heathkit, EICO, Knight, etc.) that were separated from their original enclosures and put into new ones like a crab swapping out shells. At least one (a Heathkit audio preamp, IIRC) seems to work better in its new home than a similar original one. Heck, I still use a EICO 232 VTVM that was moved into a new (and very groovy) case sometime in the late 1970s. I’ve seen 3d scanning and printing used to make reproduction cases for old HP gear, but I’ve also seen those decay due to the myriad factors affecting printing. The best replacement enclosures I’ve seen have been made from sheet stock (metal and plastic), but tube stock can work well too for RF devices. That is a fair bit of work, so I don’t begrudge anyone swapping up to a new Fluke. I did the same after my beloved B&K meter from high school fell apart. That Fluke is doing well after 20+ years, so you should be fine.
I just ran across a HERO (Heathkit Educational RObot) on ebay a few days ago. When I was a kid I wanted to build one so bad. Then I saw one at a regional science fair and got over that dream really quick.
A friend of my mothers bought a Topo and tried to impress us with it bringing drinks from the kitchen to the den. It was a clumsy thing and the clip on drink tray didnt impress me at all.
Here we are 40 years later and it really looks like the robot domestic might actually be just around the corner. I hope its not another 40 years before reality meets my boyhood expectations.
Built a number of peaces of Heath amateur gear, I had a legal limit station when I was 17 Built it all but my SB-301.
Ham license?
No, not then Heathkit sold a crystal that was used in their SB-310 and SB-313 short wave receivers.
That crystal allowed those receivers to work on the 11 meter band.
Heathkit, and Citizens Band Radio launched my career as an RF tech. I still own a number of working Heathkits. The value of the time it took to build those kits gifted all of us with irreplaceable experience.
The US Patent and Trademark Office shows 7 active wordmark registrations for “Heathkit”, 2 for “Heathkit Educational Systems”, and 1 for “HE-RObot” to the Heathkit Company, Inc. One was renewed in July 2023.
I sure miss Heathkit! I built/bought dozens over the years. Alas, none are left. My first was a IM-17 VOM I built in the late 1960s and used so often the case plastic hinges ripped through. Lent it out 1 time and it got run over by a box truck!
Wish I still had my SB-220 or SB-1000 HF power amps ( I preferred the 220).
My family’s first TV was a 25 inch color TV that I built as a teenager (my dad bought it and told me to put it together), and my first ham radio was an SB-101 that I built a couple of years later.
My first experience with electronics and soldering was building a HeathKit AM radio kit when I was nine. Thanks Mom!
When in 7th grade was into engine-powered model airplanes – started out with control line but wanted to get into radio controlled. Heathkit RC looked like a lower price entry point to where could even afford a highly capable system. But as started assembling it, I got a sinking feeling that I was in over my head (had only built relatively simple kits from Radio Shack prior to this attempt). Fortunately for me, my oldest brother (a nuclear engineer by profession and also had a EE degree – he’s also a fabulous wood furniture maker as his hobby) came to my rescue. He finished out building it for me and it all worked nicely. So I did end up with a system that was a rather high end unit (for the times) but was something that I was able to pay for with my modest paper route earnings.
And went on to build and fly many RC planes. But when going off to college, got rid of all my gear and never got back into it. Now I sail RC sail boats. And the RC radio gear is kind of ultra cheap these days. A modern day Heathkit wouldn’t stand a chance on economic merit – but at the time, the gear I bought was very high quality in respect to the properly assembled final result vis-a-vis the fully manufactured products of the day.