Actually the designer of the green round cornered Heathkits had worked
on the S-Line at Collins, so they have some of the same heritage. There
were certain things used in Collins (PTO and mechanical filters along
with RF feedback in the PA) well protected by patents that were the
foundations of the Collins radios which were impractical to copy into
Heathkits. I'm sure low cost mentality at Heath tended to make the
appearance less elegant than Collins gear too. Appearance is all a
matter of fit and finish. Collins etched a leather grain for the front
panel, Heathkit depended on crinkle paint. Down deep we just KNOW that
no Heathkit ever cost nearly as much as a Collins. Though they did have
about the same number of parts and purchase parts probably cost about
the same with PC boards making Heathkit assembly and maintenance far
easier than in the S-lines. The Collins S-line history book I have
indicates Collins had a large mark up on their cost of production to
their wholesale and dealers also had a significant markup with enough
demand to prevent discounting.
Ham gear was discontinued at Heath when they were bought by Zenith for
their manual writing ability and computer line. Zenith didn't want to
bother with kits and support for kits. Heath is still in business,
supplying manual copies for their kits and chasing down those who would
sell copies not made by them.
The last 2 cycle engine that I recall in automobiles was a 3 cylinder
SAAB which did run 13 inch wheels with narrow tires and probably cost at
least half again as much as a Lincoln of the era.
73, Jerry, K0CQ
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Entire content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson. Reproduction by
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