[Elecraft] Heathkit Ham Products

[Gary VK4FD]

Ron,

As Elecraft have shown the way with many innovative designs and have leapt to the fore in manufacturing many fine amateur radio products, it is not to be unexpected that eventually another company will try to cash in on the perceived market to generate revenue for their business.

Will Heathkit be able to produce kits to compare with Elecraft's quality and performance?...not likely, History will show that it is a rare occurrance for a rival to seriously compete when you consider that Elecraft have some of the brightest minds under one roof (umbrella) hard at work to bring us future proof designs, outstanding quality and technically superior products.

Elecraft is not an amazing company when you look closely at their employees. They are driven by two of the best minds in amateur radio and supported by a dedicated team of engineers, talented and thoughtful team members and have a great group of enthusistic customers questioning each design and offering refinements in a positive way.

It is the way in which Elecraft interact with their customer base that enables them to stay at the very cutting edge of design and further enhances their reputation as an industry leader.

Heathkit have a 'history' certainly, but that history has not always been 'the best', rather, some of their products are most forgettable and so I don't expect their products will be 'ground breaking' nor do I expect them to see a massive influx of orders in the short term. We (HAM's) are a picky bunch and they will need to work very hard to earn their stripes in a very competitive business environment.

The hype that Heathkit have generated may well be short lived. They will have some very serious work to do if they expect to rival Elecraft. Wayne and Eric have done much for amateur radio. It is not just their designs and business acumen at work here, they are genuine believers in Amateur Radio, the interaction with their customer base is extraordinary in this day and age where companies are chasing every dollar to add to the bottom line with little or no regard to customer service (Telco's for example?) whilst Elecraft strive to be inclusive, discuss openly enhancements, provide an extremely supportive voice to all their customers and the proof is in the eating of the pudding...Grin

Pass the Kool - Aid folks........

I wish Heathkit well but hold out little hope that any 'New Generation' products will be forthcoming. Future goodies I leave to Eric and Wayne to dream up. My job is to save them dang pennies. (Honey?, you got some more change I can have please?)

73

Gary


VK4FD - Motorhome Mobile
Elecraft Equipment
K3 #679, KPA-500 #018
Living the dream!!!

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ron D'Eau Claire 
  To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net 
  Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 6:37 AM
  Subject: [Elecraft] Heathkit Ham Products


  At the risk of reawakening this thread too much, I see an ARRL announcement
  that Heath has decided to enter the Ham radio market due to a strong
  response from potential customers:

  "Wake (Heathkit's Director of Sales and Marketing) said that Heathkit is
  presently working on developing a few Amateur Radio kits. 'Initially, the
  kit line will include a few accessories, like kits for a Dual Watt Meter,
  Antenna Tuners and the Cantenna,' he explained. 'Once we are a little more
  settled, I think we will develop a QRP receiver.' "

  I'm not sure what they mean by a "QRP Receiver" since QRP work generally
  requires at least as good a receiver as most QRO activities. I suspect it
  means a moderate or low performance receiver.

  73, 

  Ron AC7AC

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