Featured Product Archive
The inventions and products featured on these pages were chosen either for their
uniqueness in the RF engineering realm, or are simply awesome (or ridiculous) enough
to warrant an appearance.
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This
vintage Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer kit is one the latest
unbuilt Heathkit kits which appeared on eBay. I have been saving the images
in order to preserve the history. The constantly growing list is at the lower right.
The first instance I could find for SA-5010 being offered for sale was in the
Christmas 1982 Heathkit catalog, at a cost of $99.95 ($250.40 in 2021 money per
the
BLS). It went to model number
SA-5010A sometime around 1985. Zenith bought Heathkit in 1979 (and kept the
Heathkit name), so that explains whey their name appears on the errata sheet in
the photo. Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyers can still be found on
eBay fairly often, both in unassembled kit form and completed units.
From the catalog page: "The SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer - best buy of its type
in ham radio - has features that will improve the way you handle CW!
- Brings more fun and results to your CW activity
- Includes removable capacitive-touch iambic paddles
- Up to 10 buffers are available for the storage of text or "command strings"
so you can sequence alterations
- Highly flexible speed range o 1 to 99 words per minute
- Four-level random practice mode allows 6,400 different and repeatable 3000-character
training sessions
- Rear panel jack lets you connect to your favorite keyer
The latest generation of Heathkit ham gear includes the most useful and feature-intensive
CW aid our hams could imagineer - the μMatic Memory Keyer. Ask anybody that uses
one. It can revolutionize your practices, ease your hand fatigue, multiply QSOs
- and incoming QSLs.
The compact, modern styling is made possible by our use of a custom microprocessor.
It provides up to 10 variable-length buffers for storing up to 240 characters of
text or commands, thus eliminating wasted memory space."
Kit SA-5010, Shpg. wt. 3 lbs. .............99.95
Here is the SA-5010 owner's Manual
with building and operating instructions.
|
Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer Kit Parts (eBay photo)
Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer Assembled (eBay
photo)
Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer Rear Panel (eBay
photo)
Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer Documentation
(eBay photo)
|
Heathkit Christmas 1982 Catalog Cover
Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer Schematic
(eBay photo)
Heathkit SA-5010 μMatic Memory Keyer Kit Parts (eBay
photo)
|
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
still 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 July 20, 2021
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