[NSRCA-discussion] Heathkits

Tue Jun 23 04:58:53 AKDT 2009

The club where I first learned to fly RC in the early 70s was started by a handful of guys that had mostly Heath GD-19 setups. One guy had one transmitter and several receivers - one of the only guys I knew at the time that could bring multiple planes to the field.

I never built a Heathkit radio, but a few years later I did build an Ace Silver Seven from a kit. It worked! (Still does). I decided electronics was something I could do for a living.

Bob R.

--- On Mon, 6/22/09, Ed Alt <ed_alt at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Ed Alt <ed_alt at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Heathkits
To: "'General pattern discussion'" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Date: Monday, June 22, 2009, 7:19 PM

I had a used GD-17 and also built a GDA-19 when I was 16.  The GD-17 had Bonner sticks and had a large, 2 deck metal cased receiver that was fairly heavy even by late 60’s standards. Not too reliable because of intermittent receiver problems, but the rest of it was fine.   I didn’t think it was a Kraft design, but maybe it was.  Servos were Kraft KPS-9 cases, with electronics that I think were probably Kraft or very closely derived from Kraft.  The RF section was apparently a Heathkit design, and as for the encoder electronics, I always assumed it was influenced by Kraft, of was designed for them by Kraft, but was not necessarily a direct copy.

The GD-19 was on 72 Mhz and had the closed gimbal Kraft sticks, with what appeared to be a Heath RF section and encoder.  Again, maybe derived from or done by Kraft?  The receiver was Heathkit designed and really kicked butt for its day.  It was single conversion, with a ceramic filter IF amplifier and If I remember right, it used a series of SCS (silicon controlled switches) in the decoder.  It was very selective for a single conversion receiver, and very sensitive too.  In fact, several of us who flew at Mitchell Field in Hempstead, NY were able to fly in an interference environment caused by a local UHF TV transmitter (right off the corner of the runway) that was close enough and strong enough to make a servo connected to just a battery jitter if you held it up and moved it around a little bit.  Kraft was sending engineers out to Mitchell to figure out why their Series 7x stuff was crashing, while the Heathkits were impervious.  (Other brands
 had trouble too).  Several of us even demonstrated that we could fly with the antenna up only one stage (obviously we only did this at a safe altitude and with a helper ready to extend it if control was lost).  Heck of a radio for 1971.  

They eventually came out with some really nice IC based servos in the KPS-11, KPS-12 and I suppose other Kraft cases.  I never built any of their later radios, but a lot of local guys did and they just worked great.  I miss those days.

Ed

From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of steve hannah
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 4:24 PM
To: General pattern discussion
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Heathkits

My Dad is Bill Hannah, who used to be the VP of Engineering for Heath Company.  He was the one that introduced the RC equipment into the Heath lineup.  As a kid I built A LOT of Heathkits.  I learned how to debug all sorts of electronic problems and lead to my engineering career.  Of course, I learned to fly on Heathkit radios.  

Heath radios were a kit version of the Kraft radios.  They had some of their own designs in the later years as well.  

I believe the engineer you are talking about is Mike Geishin (SP?).  I'm not sure of his exact title when he was at Heath, but he was instrumental in their radio designs.  He flew with my Dad back in the day.

By the way, I still have the Heath stereo system I built when I was in high school.  It survived the endless torment I subjected it to in my college years.  Good stuff.

Steve Hannah.

On Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 12:51 PM, <ronlock at comcast.net> wrote:

I'm still using a Heath ESV, one of the few that does single nicads.
Though, I have not found much use for the timing light for a while -  <VBG>

Ron Lockhart

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Atwood" <atwoodm at paragon-inc.com>
To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 3:37:44 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Servo Signals

Agree on missing the stores and the kits.  That was my introduction to Elec. Engineering and programming which has ended up putting a lot of food on my table over the past 20 years.

-----Original Message-----
From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Pete Cosky
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 1:35 PM
To: General pattern discussion
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Servo Signals

I used to live at the Heathkit store in Pittsburgh when I was a kid. Never 
used their RC stuff but I did build one of their robots. I miss their kits.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mike mueller" <mups1953 at yahoo.com>
To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 1:31 PM
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Servo Signals

>
> Mark there's a guy Mike --- sorry I forgot his last name that comes to the 
> contests that was an engineer for heathkit. He'll be at the Jim Hubbard 
> this weekend. I'll tell him you had a Heathkit he will get a kick out of 
> that. Mike
>
> --- On Mon, 6/22/09, Atwood, Mark <atwoodm at paragon-inc.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Atwood, Mark <atwoodm at paragon-inc.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Servo Signals
>> To: "'nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org'" 
>> <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>> Date: Monday, June 22, 2009, 12:13 PM
>> The old heathkit servos (mine anyway)
>> were kit versions of the Kraft K-15 servos.
>>
>> In fact the whole radio I believe was a Kraft design.
>> -Mark
>> --------------------------
>> Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
>> <nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org>
>> To: General pattern discussion <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
>> Sent: Mon Jun 22 13:06:18 2009
>> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Servo Signals
>>
>>
>> Yes, as long as they are clean. That is the problem, it
>> depends on contact between two components and the friction
>> wears them out.
>>
>> I remember years ago that the large heathkit (and possibly
>> some Kraft) servos used variable capacitors for feedback.
>> not much to wear.
>>
>> Ok, Jay, how long ago were the "days" you were talking
>> about? :-)
>>
>> Bob R.
>>
>>
>> --- On Sun, 6/21/09, Jay Marshall <lightfoot at sc.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> I remember from my days in control systems theory that the
>> analog computers were faster and more accurate than the IBM
>> big iron computers. Analog pots are still cheaper, lighter,
>> and higher resolution than digital encoders – as long as
>> they are clean…
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
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>> Date: 06/19/09 17:56:00
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>>
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>
>
>
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