Who's built a Heathkit ?

[beam me up schottky]

There are obviously a number of members here who will have been around in the golden era of Heathkit, so who has actually built something from that esteemed companies range of products ?

To kick off with, I've assembled 3 in my time.
Started with an IG-18 audio signal generator, then an IO-18U valve scope and finally a pair of GD-39 ultrasonic intruder alarms, called the Intruder and disguised as a book !

All of them worked first time and with the exception of the scope are still working now ! The scope developed a problem the last time I used it which I have still to attend to. The beam just became impossible to focus and became a blur across the whole screen.

They were all built before I expired as a teenager and I was quite impressed with my achievement at the time !

I have acquired a number of other assembled Heathkits since, a variable DC lab psu, a digital multi-meter with a nixie display and an engine tune up meter, which is very useful for points and coil engines.

Have always been impressed with Heathkit quality and performance for the money, and the long term reliability has proven excellent.

[tiv48]

never built any but repaired a few of there valve amps ,the daystrom factory was 10 miles from where i live and was welcom to visit and talk through problems with there stuff
rob t

[Skywave]

I can just about recall re-building an RA-1 and a GC-1U ("Mohican") for two seperate people many years ago. They both kinda worked, but badly, mainly on account of misplaced components, incorrect wiring of band-change switches and a general lack of appreciation of the importance of layout at R.F.

Al.

[Steve_P]

I've got a Heathkit Signal Generator to repair. Wish me luck...

Cheers,

Steve P.

[Skywave]

Hi Steve - would that be an RF-1U?

Al.

[Yorkie]

I've never built any Heathkits as in their day, good as they were, and enjoyable to build, they were very expensive indeed and well out of reach of my pocket. But I've owned several Heathkit items, and still have a few. I'd particulaly hankered after a GR78 general coverage receiver kit, and bought the manual, but the kit was just too expensive for me to afford. I do now have a ready built one that I bought secondhand some years ago. They have an odd power supply - a bank of nicads cells permanenlty on charge from the mains, and when the nicads expeire due to age, the set stops working. I managed to find a source of circular tagged nicade cells which just fitted in the same plastic tube which the originals were in. Another shortcoming of this set is that like a lot of Heathkit stuff, built for the American market, and less lethal 110 volt mains supply, this set isn't earthed - it has a single insulated flimsy mains lead terminated in a non-standard figure of 8 plug/socket. At asome point I may fit a permanent lead.

I once had a Mohican - a poor performer.

I had a Valve Voltmeter, and even had a brand new meter movement spare, but sold it in a clearout.

Presently, I have an HW8 low power amateur radio CW transceiver comlete with the matching PSU, which I bught about five years ago as I thought might rekindle my interest in amateur radio, but it hasn't. Too much to do! I guess it's going to have to go at some point, as it's a delightful little thing that deserves to be used. I also have a pristine RF1U signal generator, which had languished all day ignored on a Bring & Buy stall at a radio rally some years ago for an asking price of just £7.00. It works well and is accurate when checked on my frequency counter. If anyone needs the circuit, it's attached.

I don't know if forum members are aware, but an American person has bought the copyright to Heathkit Manuals to sell copies as a business venture. He's pressured the BAMA website to remove Heahtkit manuals from it's free downloads. However, you can still find some Heahtkit circuits and manuals at the link below:

http://www.vintage-radio.info/heathkit/

If anyone needs the circuit of the RF1U Sig Genny, I've attached it here.

Hope that's of interest.

David

[Shaman]

Hi David, another fascinating post, i lived in Gloucester, before coming back home to Yorkshire, the point of me mentioning this is Daystrom- later Daystrom Slumberger, or as it became Heathkit, had a factory on the Bristol Road about 2 miles from me, i knew a few of the chaps who worked there, the factory made kit form products, that covered a multitude of items, for the radio inclined person. They made kits from Oscilloscopes, signal Generators, multimeter kits ( i have one ) also a nixie tube call it digital Multimeter, also a transistor tester ( i also have one of these). I found there kits were not the best, but if you made it, it seemed to last, interesting to note the Americans like things brought home if there is any money to be made in it, this is sad as its a further restriction to the constructor, yet again, thanks for a memory jolt from the past...kind regards....Alan.


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[Brianc]

I built a few Heathkits in the early 1960s. There was the 6" oscilloscope, the Cotswold loudspeaker and the leather transistor radio. The instructions were very well prepared and everything fitted and worked first time - absolutely no problems. However, there was another company producing kits which were at the other end of the spectrum - Radio & TV Components Acton - what a company! They must have had some very good "engineers" because they produced kits comprising an incredible mixture of components. But their stuff actually worked. I worked at the BBC Television Centre during this time and we had a production line going building the Elegant Seven, a transistor portable. The kit was the cheapest available for a 7 transistor set and it did look quite good. The PCB used was obviously surplus stock and the components from similar sources. Somehow, they managed to produce an end product which worked quite well. The kit was about £3.10s and we sold the completed sets at £7. Not a bad return for work done in quiet moments at a telecine machine (there were lots of those). If Heathkit was the Rolls Royce of kits then R&TVC Acton were the Trabants!

[beam me up schottky]

I worked at the BBC Television Centre during this time and we had a production line going building the Elegant Seven, a transistor portable. The kit was the cheapest available for a 7 transistor set and it did look quite good. The PCB used was obviously surplus stock and the components from similar sources. Somehow, they managed to produce an end product which worked quite well. The kit was about £3.10s and we sold the completed sets at £7. Not a bad return for work done in quiet moments at a telecine machine (there were lots of those). If Heathkit was the Rolls Royce of kits then R&TVC Acton were the Trabants!

Very interesting and amusing Brian
Have not heard of R&TVC. There was another kit company at the time but I don't recall their name. There kits were devices rather than equipment, stuff like windscreen wiper timer controls etc. Very good quality though mostly with fiberglass PCB's, the holy grail for the young hardware junkie ! They did offer a 3 band radio but it had no cabinet, you had to make that yourself ! The one kit I really wanted to build of that era was a Rugby MSF controlled clock design that appeared in Wireless World. I loved the detail that WW designs were presented in and the fact that the PCB's were available. PCB's were quite difficult to produce then, the extent of my equipment was a coping saw, micro drill bit set in a hand drill and Decon Dalo pen, if anyone remembers those !

[Shaman]

Goodness what a thread schottky has started. Brian i have a trebant Acton Signal generator, with the magic eye, for seeing the peak output, less said on that, they were made from i was told surplus components, oddly enough the one i have is spot on. It is sure surprising what little production lines sprang to life during night shifts, schottky, the Deco Dalon Pen, say no more, those were the days lol, good luck Steve .....regards....Alan.



http://www.richardsradios.co.uk/acton.html