“This kit is far better than the cheaper options and was easy to put together. The book that comes with this kit is highly detailed and if you follow it there should be no problem putting this together. I am a engineering student so this kit was a walk in the park but I would recommend it for a beginner. Fun to build, not much use for it after its complete.”
“wasn't impressed with quality of the board and soldering points. I have put these together in the past and wanted to let my son learn how to make one but quality of material wasn't good.”
“I buy kits for my nephew who is in a nursing home. He enjoys building them and always looks forward to his next project. He has lost or damaged many parts while building the kits. Elenco has always talked with him on the phone and replaced these at no charge. What a great company!! Thanks !!Gary Ray”
“Very high quality learning kit.The manual explains what each part and stage does.The fundamentals of radio and electronic theory are presented very well.The finished kit works well too.Anyone interested in understanding radio communication will benefit from this kit.I'd recommend any of Forrest Mimms experiment books to go along with this.”
“***EDITED AFTER CONTACTING ELENCO***After writing this review, I contacted Elenco via their website form. I explained what had happened, and the different methods I had used to try and make the kit work. I was contacted within the hour and asked to provide my address, and was promised a complete new kit in the mail. (All I had asked was if it was possible to buy just the board as I still had all the components.) So I can say their customer service is outstanding. I'll update again when I receive the replacement kit.I just started assembling this kit. I have assembled other kits that are far more intricate. I have replaced many components on circuit boards in professional equipment. With that said, it is almost impossible to get solder to adhere to the circuit board. So far I have installed the first three components. A resistor, a test point and a capacitor. 2 pads have failed. I have even cleaned the pads with isopropyl alcohol. Used a flux pen. Used flux paste. Nothing. The only thing I have managed to do is lift 2 pads.There is a problem with these boards. Look online and you will find others complaining of this exact problem. Is it possible there has been a bad batch of boards?I would recommend staying away from this product until they get this resolved. Otherwise as a beginner all you will achieve is getting frustrated, lose interest and think you have been doing something wrong due to inexperience.”
