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["clanSkeen" <sgian AT planetc.com>]

> tvoivozhd---I really HATED IT when Heathkit shut down.  They produced
> some marvelous kits, the construction of which was an unmatched learning
> experience.  There were a couple of other kit-producers too that no
> longer exist---I built quite a few

Then you no doubt recall the ubiquitous Knight Kits from Allied Radio:   the
T-60 and T-150 transmitters that used the equally ubiquitous 807 tube for
the final.   Probably the pinnacle of the tube maker's art.  And the (was it
R-55??) StarRoamer Receiver.  My father is quite completely color blind and
I well recall sitting by him around 1960 or so while he built each of those,
"Let's see, we need a 4" wire red and yellow and it goes to the 120K
resistor, that would be black, red, green ..."

In college I was the only licensed operator (very small college, the
seminary, I don't want to talk about it) and the radio facility had a
Heathkit HX10 Marauder Transmitter, a HA202 Warrior linear amplifier, and
the RX1 Mohawk receiver.  I had lots of fun with those.  Later when I hung
out my shingle as a bench technician (now there's a dead trade!) I built all
the Heathkit test equipment and just threw away some of it not a month ago.
Still have the oscilloscope,  I also have the discrete wired hand held 2M FM
rig (don't recall it's numbers) that used crystals ... discrete wired and
crystal controlled, a technology that was passing out of existence even as
the solder was cooling!

What a thing to have been part of!  From tubes on a metal punched chassis
all the way up to disposable LSI techno-crap  ... and every evolution in
between.  Yup, it was all fun.

QSL fer FB QSO  OM

    73's



James