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== Heathkit product concept == [[File:HeathkitStereoTunerAmplifier-1972-DrDennisBogdan.jpg|thumb|left|Heathkit stereo tuner (AJ-43D) and amplifier (AA-21D) (1972)]] [[File:HeathkitAA141f-19710220.jpg|thumb|right|Heathkit stereo preamplifier (AA-141) (1962)]] [[File:HeathkitAA141w-19710220.jpg|thumb|right|[[Point-to-point construction]] of a Heathkit stereo preamplifier (AA-141) (1962)]] After the success of the oscilloscope kit, Heath went on to produce dozens of Heathkit products. Heathkits were influential in shaping two generations of electronic hobbyists. The Heathkit sales premise was that by investing the time to assemble a Heathkit, the purchasers could build something comparable to a factory-built product at a significantly lower cash cost and, if it malfunctioned, could repair it themselves. During those decades, the premise was basically valid.<ref name="BrueschkeMack"/>{{rp|141}} Commercial factory-built electronic products were constructed from generic, discrete components such as [[vacuum tube]]s, tube sockets, capacitors, inductors, and [[resistor]]s, mostly hand-wired and assembled using [[point-to-point construction]] technology. The home kit-builder could perform these labor-intensive assembly tasks himself, and if careful, attain at least the same standard of quality. In the case of Heathkit's most expensive product at the time, the [[Thomas Organ Company|Thomas electronic organ]], building the kit version represented substantial savings. One category in which Heathkit enjoyed great popularity was [[amateur radio]]. [[Ham radio operator]]s had frequently been forced to [[Amateur radio homebrew|build their equipment from scratch]] before the advent of kits, with the difficulty of procuring all the parts separately and relying on often-experimental designs. Kits brought the convenience of all parts being supplied together, with the assurance of a predictable finished product; many Heathkit model numbers became well known in the ham radio community. The HW-101 HF transceiver became so ubiquitous that even today the "Hot Water One-Oh-One" can be found in use, or purchased as used equipment at [[hamfest]]s, decades after it went out of production. In the case of electronic test equipment, Heathkits often filled a low-end entry-level niche, giving hobbyists access at an affordable price.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} The instruction books were regarded as among the best in the kit industry, being models of clarity, beginning with basic lessons on [[soldering]] technique, and proceeding with explicit step-by-step directions, illustrated with numerous line drawings; the drawings could be [[gatefold|folded out]] to be visible next to the relevant text (which might be bound several pages away) and were aligned with the assembler's viewpoint. Also in view was a [[checkbox]] to mark with a pencil as each task was accomplished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://electronicdesign.com/article/analog-and-mixed-signal/whatever-happened-to-heathkit-20689 |work=Electronic Design |date=February 18, 2009 |title=Whatever Happened To Heathkit? |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229095811/http://electronicdesign.com/article/analog-and-mixed-signal/whatever-happened-to-heathkit-20689 |archive-date=December 29, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="BrueschkeMack"/>{{rp|146-147}} The instructions usually included complete [[schematic diagram]]s, [[block diagram]]s depicting different subsystems and their interconnections, and a "Theory of Operation" section that explained the basic function of each section of the electronics.<ref name="BrueschkeMack"/>{{rp|146-147}}
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