froncio@caip.rutgers.edu (Andy Froncioni) (01/09/91)
Does HeathKit still exist? Do they have a catalogue? How can I get one? Thanks, Andy Andy Froncioni CAIP Center Parallel Computing Lab froncio@caip.rutgers.edu Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ
floyd@starsend.UUCP (Floyd Miller) (01/10/91)
In article: <Jan.8.15.29.40.1991.26173@caip.rutgers.edu> froncio@caip.rutgers.edu (Andy Froncioni) asks: > Does HeathKit still exist? Do they have a catalogue? How > can I get one? Yes Heathkit still exists. They've pruned out a lot of the interesting stuff from their catalog, have joined in some sort of business fashion, with Zenith, and sell mostly non-kit items and computers. The store near me, in Frazer, PA, is actually called Heath Zenith Computers. I went there about a year ago to get a replacement chip for a clock. They actually had it in stock. You can probably write or call that store and ask about other locations or a catalog. The address and # is Heath Zenith Computers 630 Lancaster Pike Frazer, PA 19355 (215) 647 - 5555 -- ******* ******************************************* ***** ******************************** Floyd Miller *** ************** floyd@starsend.UUCP * ******** floyd%starsend@PRC.Unisys.com ** starsend!floyd@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.com *
markz@ssc.UUCP (Mark Zenier) (01/12/91)
In article <0050@starsend.UUCP>, floyd@starsend.UUCP (Floyd Miller) writes: > In article: <Jan.8.15.29.40.1991.26173@caip.rutgers.edu> > froncio@caip.rutgers.edu (Andy Froncioni) asks: > > > Does HeathKit still exist? Do they have a catalogue? How > > can I get one? > > Yes Heathkit still exists. They've pruned out a lot of the > interesting stuff from their catalog, have joined in some > sort of business fashion, with Zenith, and sell mostly non-kit > items and computers. Zenith bought Heath and Heathkit several years ago. (The stores were a seperate corporation from the mail order, that's why you didn't have to pay sales tax on the mail order kits). Bull recently bought some or all (not clear) of the operation. Apparently as a result of this, the connection between the computer stores and the kits has been severed. As of the catalog last fall, the only place to get a Heathkit is mail order. Heath Company Benton Harbor, MI 49022 (800) 253-0570 markz@ssc.uucp
Jeffrey.Krul@f646.n250.z1.fidonet.org (Jeffrey Krul) (01/14/91)
Hi Andy!
I live in Mississauga, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, and HeathKit
retailers all over my area are no longer with us either. I have been
looking for their catalog for quite some time, but I am pretty sure they
went under for good.
JEFF.
--
EGSGate Fidonet Gateway, Toronto (egsgate.fidonet.org)
...!{uunet, moore, lsuc}!eastern!egsgateyoung@helix.nih.gov (Jeff Young) (01/15/91)
I have a recent Heathkit Catalog, it's at home. If nobody has it laying around I'll post the address to the net. They didn't go under. jy young@alw.nih.gov
edw@wells.UUCP (Ed Wells) (01/16/91)
In article <37.2790F66B@egsgate.fidonet.org>, Jeffrey.Krul@f646.n250.z1.fidonet.org (Jeffrey Krul) writes: > I live in Mississauga, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, and HeathKit > retailers all over my area are no longer with us either. I have been > looking for their catalog for quite some time, but I am pretty sure they > went under for good. No Heath is still in business, however, they have decided to go with just mail order and close there retail stores. They lost my business. I like the idea of looking at what I am buying before ordering it, being able to get parts locally, etc.. Let's face it, trying to get parts for equipment these days is getting to be more and more of a custom parts business and having a local source of parts is a big advantage. Now that they are mail order, they fall into the same catagory as the rest (equal, no advantage). They're prices are not as cheap as other mail order houses and I feel that they have made a grave mistake in their future business planning. -- ========================================================================= Edward E. Wells Jr., N3IAS, President Voice: (215)-943-6061 Wells Computer Systems Corp., Box 343, Levittown, Pa. 19058 {dsinc,francis,hotps,houxl,lgnp1,mdi386,pebco}!wells!edw
k3tx@wells.UUCP (Dave Heller) (01/17/91)
In article <889@wells.UUCP>, edw@wells.UUCP (Ed Wells) writes: > > No Heath is still in business, however, they have decided to go > with just mail order and close there retail stores. They lost my > business. I like the idea of looking at what I am buying before > ordering it, being able to get parts locally, etc.. Let's face it, > trying to get parts for equipment these days is getting to be > more and more of a custom parts business and having a local > source of parts is a big advantage. Now that they are mail order, > they fall into the same catagory as the rest (equal, no advantage). > They're prices are not as cheap as other mail order houses and > I feel that they have made a grave mistake in their future > business planning. > ========================================================================= > Edward E. Wells Jr., N3IAS, President Voice: (215)-943-6061 I guess, Ed, that you don't remember when Heath first started it was ALL by mail from MI -- but the difference was they had a lot of items that just couldnt be had at a reasonable price elsewhere. Like the $30 scopes that WORKED, varied very nice VTVM's , all sorts of nice little test equipment and generators, and the hama equipment like the DX60, DX100 that were the real standards of the industry. Some others tried to compete, like EICO, which was pretty crappy in comparison with Heath (they did have a very nice GDO, however.), and Knight-kit, with such items as their 180 Novice transmitter, which could have been sold safely with a double-your-money-back guarantee of WAS in 3 hours operation. (Unfortunately, WAS-OO) But for years Heath was THE big standard. If you had the money Collins was much better, so what else is new.] Some Hallicrafter and Hammarlund was real nice, and still is. But then such things as Drake came around, not much more expensive than the kits, and GOOD. Then came the riceboxes and tremendous advertising budgets. And all the gadgetry that cheapie microprocessors can produce in a small space, plus so many knobs and pushbuttons you could find a new button to press every day. In a few (not all) cases they would actually receive and transmit better than the now- antiqued standards such as HW-101, etc. Never mind that the prices were Heath x N - the ads sold them (must have been the ads -- can't think of anything else.) Heath put in its retail stores with plusses of seeing first and local parts availability. Service? What for. Hams fix theirx own stuff remember. Minus was the (advertised) increased cost, partly offset by lesser shipping. Heath was a wonderful era, but it's fading, and I'm sorry. Now we have to rely on such local vendors as DG, who will demonstrate before sale, have excellent prices and truly unbeatable warranties and service. PF
mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) (01/17/91)
Well said, about Heath. It was a nice era in its own way, but technological progress has made kits obsolete. Thankfully, electronic equipment no longer requires painstaking assembly by hand (so you can't save any money by offering to do this yourself). I would like to find one of these ancient Heath oscilloscopes (the very first product they ever marketed; O-1 if I remember right). My first scope was a Heath IO-12 in 1969; I sold it in 1984 and have missed it ever since. I now have another IO-12, but it's not the same; mine was in absolutely pristine condition. Of course I have much better Tektronix and B&K scopes now, but there's nothing like the instrument that first showed me what waves look like.
minsky@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Marvin Minsky) (01/17/91)
In article <1991Jan17.051057.22484@athena.cs.uga.edu> mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes: >Well said, about Heath. It was a nice era in its own way, but >technological progress has made kits obsolete. Thankfully, electronic >equipment no longer requires painstaking assembly by hand >(so you can't save any money by offering to do this yourself). Right on. The equipment is better, but my impression is that the entering engineering students have fewer skills than they used to. (On the other side, I read an article by some historian who asserted that throughout recorded history, senior professors have always complained that their new students are worse than they were in the good old days.)
mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) (01/18/91)
In article <4911@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> minsky@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes: >Right on. The equipment is better, but my impression is that the >entering engineering students have fewer skills than they used to. > >(On the other side, I read an article by some historian who asserted >that throughout recorded history, senior professors have always >complained that their new students are worse than they were in the >good old days.) The professors get more knowledgeable as the years go by; by comparison the students look worse and worse. I've caught this happening to me.
dmturne@PacBell.COM (Dave Turner) (01/18/91)
In article <1991Jan17.051057.22484@athena.cs.uga.edu> mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes: >I would like to find one of these ancient Heath oscilloscopes >(the very first product they ever marketed; O-1 if I remember right). I think that their *first* product was an airplane kit. -- Dave Turner 415/823-2001 {att,bellcore,sun,ames,decwrl}!pacbell!dmturne