Heathkit RF meter pre release

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JPSan

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I just received this via e-mail from Heathkit..........


Heathkit® Precision RF Meter™ pre-sales announcement

The reward for loyalty and patience is:
Excellence.
Dear Heathkit Insider,
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We have opened advance orders for our newest product, the HM-1002 Heathkit® Precision RF Meter™, for our most loyal customers and fans. This is the first amateur radio accessory and the first test equipment kit Heathkit has produced in over 30 years.​
We believe the Heathkit® Precision RF Meter™ is a landmark achievement in RF meters, in both technical features and price/performance. It is most suitable for amateur radio operators and for customers who use RF test equipment.​
Its patent-pending design offers features not available in other power/SWR meters: Transmit frequency display, ERP display, efficiency measurement, many forms of peak power monitoring, smart alerting, both SWR and Return Loss, user-selected units (e.g. watts or dBm), autoranging for both power and frequency, QRP and QRO, superior ergonomics, and more. It's about five times more accurate than our previous power/SWR meters, at an affordable price and exceptional quality. And it's a Heathkit.®​
This early make-to-order offering gives our most loyal customers a first-in-line position when this kit ships, probably at about the end of the summer. To thank you for your loyalty and trust, Heathkit will waive and pay standard-rate shipping on initial pre-sales orders to anywhere in the world we ship. Limit is two units per customer at this time.​
If you're the kind of builder who doesn't want to be last in line for the best new equipment or the latest Heathkit®, this is for you. Please see our product web page for more information. Be sure to read all the pre-order details, including how to complete your order. We welcome your pre-order.​
Sincerely,​
the Heathkit Team​
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AK9R

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The description sounds interesting, but I'd like to see a video of it in action. Also, since they are taking pre-orders and don't show a working prototype, this kinda smells like a "crowd-funding" project. In other words, if enough people give them money, they will actually build the project. It would be good to see Heathkit back in the game, but I'm a bit skeptical.
 

KK4JUG

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It may be a fantastic piece of equipment but $575 is probably a little more than most radio operators want to spend. In years past, I built several Heathkit items and was happy with them but my gold mine doesn't put out that kind of money.
 

WA8ZTZ

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A bit pricey and looks like you still may need an AC supply, cables and additional sensors. However, lots of capability... more than just a SWR meter.. anyway hopefully Heathkit is successful with this kit and others may follow.
 

AK9R

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I suspect that they are going after the same market as the Telepost LP-100A which is $465 with one coupler. The difference here is that the LP-100A exists, you can see what it looks like in action, and there are enough of them out there that hams who have them have shared their experiences. This Heathkit meter is an unknown quantity.

Heathkit equipment was always seemed to be a bit more expensive than similar equipment from other vendors. I think the advantage to Heathkit was that you actually learned something while assembling the kit. Just my opinion.
 

mikewazowski

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I considered it. Thought it might be fun to build another Heathkit project.

Then I saw the price.
 

zz0468

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I considered it. Thought it might be fun to build another Heathkit project.

Then I saw the price.

Making accurate RF power measurements is actually technically difficult. 5% is pretty damned good for the money they want. If they can achieve 2% like they want to, $575 would be one of life's little bargains.

I might just spring for one myself. When I heard they were trying to bring Heathkit back, I promised myself I would buy to the first product that interested me. This one does.
 

zz0468

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Heathkit equipment was always seemed to be a bit more expensive than similar equipment from other vendors. I think the advantage to Heathkit was that you actually learned something while assembling the kit. Just my opinion.

Consider that the extra cost went into the documentation and "training" provided for maintenance and, in spite of the overall higher purchase price, long term cost of ownership of a complex Heathkit device could turn out quite a bit less than comparable equipment.
 

AK9R

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I agree. The Heathkit assembly manuals were valuable training tools. Back in the late 1960's, my older brother was helping to set up the electronics lab at a commuter college. He brought home several Heathkits that had been purchased for the lab and he would spend his evenings assembling them on the kitchen table. That was my first exposure to practical electronics. He and I both learned a lot.

This new power meter may very well be a useful and accurate device. I'd just like to see one in action and be able to compare it to the LP-100A before I invested in it.
 
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