[Elecraft] Heath kit and the Lazarus Loop

[Dauer, Edward]

I remembered Heathkit as having first been an airframe manufacturer which got into electronics after the War.  I just checked the history, one version of which can be found here:  http://www.heathkit.nu/heathkit_nu_HeathStory.html.   

Apparently the company was sold to Daystrom as early as 1955.  Zenith bought it in 1979, after the company had diversified far afield from the electronics kit market. My first TX was a DX-20, which I built in 1957.  I remember later kits coming out into at least the middle 70s.  My last one was an HW-101, more or less 1973, and there were several years of good kits after that.  So it lasted at least that long under Daystrom, a substantial corporation by that time. 

It may be that Heath’s demise came less from a lack of entrepreneurship than from a lack of focus on the market where it had mastered its route to success.  The introduction of personal computers at around the same time probably played a role as well.  It would be interesting to know whether any of the MBAs on the list know of a Heath Inc. B-school case.

The “Lazarus Loop” may be well named – apparently the company had cycled through bankruptcy more than once even in its early days.  The site noted above tells the tale.

R.I.P.

Ted, KN1CBR
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    Message: 30
    Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2016 12:01:37 -0700 (MST)
    From: ab2tc <ab2tc at arrl.net>
    To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
    Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Not so OT: The Heathkit clocks are back!
    Message-ID: <1470682897444-7621377.post at n2.nabble.com>
    Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
    
    Hi,
    
    I share the feelings of most of the most recent posters. I have no idea who
    is behind the new P.O. box in Santa Cruz which according to Wikipedia was
    established in October 2015. I wish them luck, crossing my fingers, but not
    holding much hope for their success.
    
    Now, to the OT: part. Elecraft is living proof that the demise of Heathkit
    didn't have to be an inevitable thing. Heathkit died, not only because
    technology changed but more so by serious corporate mismanagement. Once the
    original company was sold to Zenith, the writing was on the wall. Had
    entrepreneurial folks, that were probably very similar in talent to Eric and
    Wayne remained in control, Heathkit could have survived to this day. I am
    one of the old-timers who remembers the heyday of Heathkit and considers its
    demise nothing short of a national tragedy (yes, we built Heathkits in
    Norway, too).
    
    AB2TC - Knut