[Amps] I dont accept answers to why did Heath die?

[Fuqua, Bill L]

Elecraft can only stay around for two reasons, the first the owner(s) and employees must have a passion for amateur radio and the second is that there is little competition. If there were more amateur radio kit companies that produced kits of the same complexity and price they would have a real problem.
I think they have great products but there are not enough customers out there to support very many such companies.  Most other kit suppliers have other sources of income and their kits are fairly simple compared to the Elecraft kits.

73
bill wa4lav


________________________________________
From: amps-bounces at contesting.com [amps-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Charles Harpole [k4vud at hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 9:28 PM
To: amps at contesting.com
Subject: [Amps] I dont accept answers to why did Heath die?

Sorry, but I do not accept the answers to why there are no more ham Heathkits, at least today.

Today, hams are hungry for a safe and sure building projects which 1. includes all all all the parts, 2. has good instructions in English, and 3 results in something one would want.  Elecraft may be partial proof of the consumer kit choices.



Power supplies and RF amplifiers could be the items a person would want and would be willing to build.  Maybe add SWR meters, Keyers, advanced speaker enclosures, remote touch pad for several rigs (K3 etc), and remote antenna switches?



I get a laugh at the building projects in QST over the last few years.... Who in the world actually builds these things?  It looks to me like ARRL wants to continue the idea, now a myth, that hams are overall very technically adept and cutting edge regardless of if the articles are actually built by anybody.


To me, ham radio as a hobby today is much like the old car guys... Model T, etc.  Add old airplanes, or add your favorite.  These are old technology played with for fun and celebrated for what it is... a beautiful and wonderful part of history.  CW is the same thing, the practice of an elegant old communications method.  No one puts down a guy with a beautifully restored Model T Ford, and hams should NOT stand being put down just because our technology does not nearly equal what the military has, for example.



We should accept and celebrate the kind of radio hams do.   The return of point-to-point wiring!  Hurray!  Bring back kits!




Charles Harpole k4vud at hotmail.com


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