Vintage Heathkit GR-48 AM/FM Table Radio Kit
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This vintage Heathkit GR−48 AM/FM Table Radio kit just showed up on eBay, and will be on auction until Monday, April 19th, 2021 (in case you would like to bid). The listing states it is of 1969 vintage, but the GR−36 shows up in the 1969 Heathkit catalog; the GR−48 first appears in 1970. Photos of the kit are from the current GR−48 listing noted above, and photos of the fully built kit are from an expired GR−48 listing. In the interest of preserving the memory of Heathkit's great legacy in the electronics realm, I have been looking for examples of unbuilt kits on eBay and posting some of the photos here on RF Cafe.

Heathkit products were well known for the completeness of its instruction manuals, with clearly illustrated instructions. During the writing and editing process, Heathkit employees were given pre-production kits to take home and build, while annotating any difficulties or errors encountered. Doing so helped minimize the situation where the writer inadvertently assumes his own familiarity with the process is shared by the customer. Having built a few Heathkit products myself in the 1970s when I did not have a lot of experience with electronics assembly, I can attest to the user friendliness of the instructions. Heathkit stills sells many of its vintage manuals for around $15, which is what you would pay on eBay.

Contact Info

Heath Company (Heathkit)

Operations: PO Box 15, Ottsville, PA 18942

R&D/Mfg: PO Box 3115, Santa Cruz CA 95063

Phone: +1 (831) 480-4368

E-Mail: info.2015@2015.heath.company

Posted April 13, 2021