A Visit to the World's Largest Heathkit Collection

Through my own collecting efforts involving and restoring vintage Heathkit test equipment, I first heard about, and then made contact with, a gentleman who had a very unusual vintage electronics collection. This is a private
collection, and tours are not given anymore, so I won't say anything about the details of who and where, but purportedly the collection includes more than 1900 Heathkits, most of them being test equipment, but also including audio, ham, computer, TV and home organ kits.

As I did a quick walk-through, I asked if I could share the video I was taking , and was given permission to do so.

***But please do not ask me for any details or contact information.***

[patrickcardon]

This belongs in a museum, it's mind boggling

[alanduncan]

Thank you for showing this national treasure. I showed my wife this to explain my collection and told her, "see, it could be worse".

[barryf]

It would be good if they could preserve this as a museum to some extent. The collector spent so much time, effort and money on the equipment. Equally interesting would be to understand how this came about and what his history was. I realize it's not to be told but it certainly piques one's curiosity.
Having built my first Heathkit at age 14 and visiting Heathkit stores with awe, I really identified with the brand. My first build was a GR64 shortwave receiver. One thing led to another for me and I ended up with a career in electronics engineering.
How I would have loved to have met this person and to have spent an hour or two with him. What is sad is no one knows what to do with the collection after the passing of the owner. On a smaller scale, I have a lifetime of electronics "things" at my home and when I am no longer alive, I'd like to have my "stuff" go to someone would use and/or appreciate what I have.

[Acein]

Had to see to believe. Even Mr. Carlson would be blown away. That wood floor sounds like it's ready to break.

[johnwest]

I built Heathkits as a kid in the 1960's. Now, at age 70 I have a couple of Heath transceivers, a Heath HF receiver, a couple of Heath Bench power supplies, a Heath VTVM, and a Heath tube tester. They all still work just fine.

[OhFU]

When I was a teen, about 1980 -- I used to look thru their catalog and dream, dream, dream -- I always thought the TV's were so cool and wanted one: esp since it had the built in digital clock shown on the TV screen !!

[enzofitzhume]

The owner of this GOLD mine should consider starting his own museum! I would pay top dollar to spend a few hours looking at this collection. Awesome video!

[helifynoe]

That is a lot of variety concerning Heathkit models. Holy smokes. I just recently finished giving my 1976 Heathkit AA-1506 120 watt Stereo Audio Power Amplifier a full cleaning, plus I replaced some bipolar capacitors, and replaced the dead light bulb with 4 high brightness LED's. Three of them light up the word "POWER", and the last one lights up the head on the power push switch itself. So overall it now looks almost brand new, but it is working actually as good as new. Plus my 1986 Heathkit HERO 2000 robot is still up and running. Sadly the scope I threw together died by the hands of the solder that came with the kit. The acid in the centre of the solder literally ate away at the PCB's. Just to be safe, I used my own solder supply for my AA-1506 audio amp and the HERO 2000.

[johnnytheboy]

Thank you sir!
This is truly a privilege to see something that I could never see in person. Glad that you have connections!
😎👍

[mikegross]

You hope it was interesting? That is the understatement of the time, especially for a Heathkit fan like me! I put together the tube color TV kit in the late '60's (don't remember the kit number) and got it working in time for one of the New Year's televised parades and it just blew me away to view the richness of the colors AND the sound! Before tackling the TV, I also put together one of their receivers and a Transvision BW TV (and some other small electronic pieces). Quite a good time which I wish the youngsters had in these present times.

[TractorMonkeywithJL]

Wow, that collection is incredible. I built many a Heathkit in my youth. Several stereos, a tv set, rc aircraft controllers, fish finder, some test equipment.

[jlee]

Thank you! Great Video...I started with a VTVM (1963) in France, USAF Remote Microwave Radio Relay Site. Part of my training OJT. I also have an H8 All-in-One from 1982. Still works!

[billtoperzer]

Built a Heathkit CB base station at age 14. Lived on the second highest hill in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) and with a colinear antenna (all vertical), I covered a lot of territory. Went to college in Michigan and one weekday I drove to Benton Harbor to pick up my 14 inch color TV kit (based on an RCA chassis). Guy in the dorm offered to buy it from me at premium price based on great picture quality. Toured the factory / warehouse which had one of the early computer driven robotic retrieval systems to bring pallets down from the extremely tall warehouse shelves.

[trsmodel]

WOW. Missed the Heathkit era as I was too into computers as a kid. My grandfather (SK) built lots of Heathkits, including a Color TV. I have his late 1970's frequency counter. I think all of it got tossed, sadly.

[asporner]

Thank you for presenting this video! I had an extreme sense of sadness as you presented this museum. As the video progressed my suspicions that the collector is no longer with us (or at least unable to take part) became more sure. I have almost two dozen heath kits in my own collection. I looked at my first Heathkit catalog 47 years ago as a youth. I spent a lot of Saturdays going up to Pat Walshes place in Benton Harbor picking up odd ball things. Perhaps the most unusual is my H-8 that once was owned by a convicted murderer. That was my first acquisition (circa 1987) and I still have it. Soon it will work again.

It's really too bad there isn't a video on the history of Heathkit. I have heard stories from a now deceased employee that designed parts for some of the computer kits.

I read the comments and I am somehow aghast. This isn't what I call "hoarding" as much as it is more likely preserving. I have been amazed how easy in recent years it has been to acquire some of these, as most today have no use for this stuff -- so where else would it go except a landfill. It's a labor of love to have gotten those things! I have probably about 60 items in my own collection (also EICO, Knightkit, etc). I hope that whoever acquires my own collection will treat it with love and respect as this man apparently did with other's collections from what I read in the commentaries.

[AudiophileTubes]

WOW! Incredible! I can still remember using the HW-16, HW-101, SB-102, and SB-104 on the Amateur Radio bands, at my high school Ham Radio club in the 70's! My first rig was an HW-16 with the matching VFO, and I had a blast working DX on CW using an attic dipole!

[WALBK]

Absolutley AMAZING collection, not pn;ly of Heathkit equipment, but other manufacturers as well. The amount of amateur radio equipment OTHER than Heathkit is staggering. Looks like a museum in the making; & it looks like a warehouse is needed to store it all! I can understand the owner's desire for privacy - looks like literally worth of equipment. Thanks for sharing this! :)

[waaos]

Wow, what an amazing collection. May it last for man years to come.
I have some Heathkit equipment in my advanced electronics lab, along side of my HP, Tek and Fluke gear. It was the equipment most of us could afford for years until the high-end equipment aged out and became affordable by us mere mortals. LOL
My first Ham xmiter was a DX 35 back in 1972 and I enjoyed making lots of contacts with it. Later I had an HW 16, then an HW 101, later the SB 303, 301 and 401 rigs. I still have an HW 101, HW 16, SB 303 and 301 etc.
Many people made a living with HeathKit test gear in Radio and TV shops for many years.
Even today, most all of Heathkits Test gear, Ham equipment and others can easily be repaired by he average tech, engineer or even hobbyist.
All of the new digital stuff is great but good luck finding many surface mount parts from even a decade ago, And then you have to have the right SMT equipment to repair it, not to mention steady hands and good eyesight. I suspect Heathkit equipment will be in labs, shops, hobbyist benches and Ham shacks for MANY more years to come.
Thanks for housing/hosting this excellent collection ! !

[kenhammond]

Wow. Just imagine how much it cost to assemble this collection!

[leroyusa]

Does anybody remember that Heathkit also sold furniture kits that were brass and glass?
I purchased their coffee table and display table. Our local Heathkit store was about 20 miles away. When I ordered these two items, I picked them up in person to save money on the shipping costs. I remember how heavy they were in their boxes!
The glass tops are beveled and about 1.25 inches thick with round corners. I had them in my living room, but these are in my family room now The brass is now somewhat tarnished, because over the years the protective coating has gradually worn off. Someday I will polish the brass to bring them back to their original luster.
My wife doesn't know that they came from an electronic hobby store, when I was in my mid twenties. Heathkit was my first hobby interest that helped with my career.