Overview
Heathkit was a U.S.-based manufacturer known for electronic kits that customers assembled themselves. The company produced a wide range of products, including amateur radio equipment, test instruments, and some CB-related equipment.
Description
Heathkit was a brand of the Heath Company, headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA. The company specialized in do-it-yourself electronic kits that allowed users to build radios, test equipment, and other devices. These kits were widely used by hobbyists, technicians, and students, and became a major entry point into electronics for many users.
Heathkit products covered a broad range of categories, including test equipment, amateur radio gear, audio equipment, computers, and educational systems.
History
- 1926: Heath Company founded; Heath Parasol airplane kit produced
- 1931: Founder Edward Bayard Heath killed in aircraft test flight; company acquired by Walter Clinnin
- 1933: Renamed International Aircraft Corporation
- 1934: International Aircraft Corporation declared bankrupt
- 1935: Howard Anthony acquired the company and restored the name Heath Aircraft Company
- Post-WWII: Transition to electronic kits using surplus military components
- 1947: Introduction of the O-1 oscilloscope kit
- 1954: Howard Anthony killed in an airplane crash
- 1955: Company acquired by Daystrom
- 1958: 205,000 square foot plant constructed in St. Joseph, Michigan
- 1962: Daystrom acquired by Schlumberger Limited
- 1974: Introduction of Heathkit Educational Systems
- 1975: Operations based in Benton Harbor, Michigan under Schlumberger
- 1979: Zenith Radio Company acquired Heath Company from Schlumberger
- 1982: Introduction of SS-9000 amateur radio (factory assembled due to complexity)
- 1989: Zenith Data Systems acquired by Groupe Bull (France)
- 1990: Final PC kits released (HS-3629 and HS-2862)
- 1991: Relocation from Hilltop Road facility to Riverview Drive, Benton Harbor
- 1992: Discontinuation of traditional Heathkit kit product lines
- 1995: HIG Capital acquired Heath Company; Packard Bell acquired Zenith Data Systems
- 1998: DESA International acquired lighting and security business and Heath name; Heathkit Educational Systems sold separately
- 2002: HIG Capital reacquired Heath/Zenith operations
- 2007: Duchossois Group formed HeathCo LLC after acquiring Heath/Zenith
- 2008: Heathkit relocated to St. Joseph, Michigan; Data Professionals acquired rights to manuals
- 2011: Return to kit production with GPA-100 Garage Parking Assistant
- 2012: Heathkit Educational Systems bankruptcy and sale
- 2013: Heath Company reestablished in limited form
- 2015: Data Professionals acquired by Heath Company; introduction of GR-150-BK AM radio kit and GR-152-BK variant