Fred, while I would never suggest to a Collins fan that anyone matched Collins' designs, E.F. Johnson sure produced some nice Ham band transmitters in both kit or factory-built form. I built and ran a Viking Ranger for years. Unlike Heathkit, Johnson used new-manufacture parts - they even manufactured many key components themselves.
Interestingly, they never sold a Ham band receiver, although they certainly sold a lot of transceivers in the commercial/military markets and are still doing so today. Heath's main contribution to my hobby was their great line of test equipment kits. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Don I agree but I think you missed one point. I can't ever remember a kit before Elecraft that was judged best in class. Re-engineering and cost reduction was really Heathkit's forte. Heathkit's attempts at original engineering, like the Pawnee, Shawnee, and their first synthesized 2M rig were unmitigated disasters. Collins never felt the competition because if you could afford it you always bought the Collins even if that meant buying the used 75A4 or 51J. 73 Fred, AE6QL ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
