[Elecraft] GENERAL COMMENTS FROM WB8IDY

[Nate Bargmann]

What killed Heathkit was that the Big Three were able to bring products
to market that were cheaper and had more features due to mass production
and, in the case of Kenwood, had a contempary and stylish product.
Heath did not catch up until the early '80s and by then it was too late.
To a prospectvie ham (me) looking at a Heathkit catalog from late
1980/early 1981 and seeing their ham offering that had (at least to me)
an early '60s styling to it caused me to look elsewhere until they
introduced an up-to-date kit in 1982 or so.  That said, I did build an
HW-8.  But the TS-520/820/530/830 models were certainly attractive to
me.

Also, the Big Three owned the VHF FM market early on due to frequency
synthesis and memories in a small (for the time) attractive enclosure.
Even in performance oriented amateur radio styling plays a part.

73, de Nate N0NB >>

-- 

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all
possible worlds.  The pessimist fears this is true."

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