Heathkit's highly-publicized
efforts to return to the electronic kit business have failed. A local newspaper
in Michigan reported in late July that the company had defaulted on its lease,
declared bankruptcy and closed its doors. A bank was reportedly selling off
some of the company's assets in online auctions. Once a major player in the
amateur radio equipment market, Heathkit left the ham radio kit business in
1992. A new owner tried to revive its kit business in 2011 to replace business
lost in the education market as financially-strapped school districts around
the country cut back on purchases. However, he told the Herald-Palladium newspaper that the kit business couldn't grow quickly enough to keep
the company afloat.
News and information of interest to ham radio operators from CQ Amateur Radio magazine, the world's leading independent ham radio magazine.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
It's Official: No More Heathkit
Heathkit's highly-publicized
efforts to return to the electronic kit business have failed. A local newspaper
in Michigan reported in late July that the company had defaulted on its lease,
declared bankruptcy and closed its doors. A bank was reportedly selling off
some of the company's assets in online auctions. Once a major player in the
amateur radio equipment market, Heathkit left the ham radio kit business in
1992. A new owner tried to revive its kit business in 2011 to replace business
lost in the education market as financially-strapped school districts around
the country cut back on purchases. However, he told the Herald-Palladium newspaper that the kit business couldn't grow quickly enough to keep
the company afloat.