FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Why Build from a kit?
A: Building a kit allows you to learn the intimate details of a project and how it works. It is a learning experience. Also, you can obtain items this way that are unavailable on the general market. And do not expect to save any money, a kit is an educational experience, not a cost saving one.
Q: How well do these kits work?
A: As long as you do a reasonably decent assembly job, they will work as specified. Many of our kits are published designs that have been tested and reviewed by magazine editors and technical people. After all, it looks bad if they publish a design for something that fails to work or has problems.
Q: Are the kits available assembled?
A: Certain kits may be available in assembled form. This may include some of our transmitter kits and more complex items. Some assembled kits are in PC board form and only require mounting in a case or in your system as applicable. You can use one of our cases or supply your own as desired. If ordering an assembled transmitter or related item we may in some cases ask for a signed letter of intent of usage, or your amateur callsign which we can verify. Please check with us at 518-854-9280 or email support@northcountryradio.com for information on assembled items. We do not support our transmitters being used for illegal purposes. We are in the kit business and are not really set up to offer a large assortment of assembled items. Should you want instant gratification, plug and play, and do not care about technical details, you are better off buying a similar assembled item at your local electronics emporium or other source.
Q: How difficult is are they to assemble?
A: This depends on the kit and on your level of experience. Our market is the experimenter with some assembly experience. You have to thoroughly read the instructions and follow them accurately. You should be somewhat familiar with common electronic parts and identification. You should know how to solder and have access to at least a VOM or DVM and generally a 12 volt DC power source.
Q: What is included in these kits?
A: Basically, the PC board and all the parts that mount on them plus any needed extras needed to get the project working. Cases and hardware are generally sold separately as many of our kits are used in applications where they are installed in other equipment, such as radio controlled models, robotics, etc. and a case is not needed. Also, some builders prefer to use their own cases so their finished project is a unique item fitting their requirements. Certain kits include cases if required for their operation. We carry a line of recommended cases, hardware, and accessories suitable for most of our kits, if needed by the builder. We do not include batteries, chemical items (solvents, glues, paint, etc.) or large inexpensive items, such as wood or plastic pipe, etc. You can get this stuff cheaper at your local hardware store. This saves you shipping costs.
Q: What documentation is provided?
A Most of our project kits have been published in experimenter magazines such as Radio Electronics, Popular electronics, QST, 73 Magazine, etc, They therefore will include complete descriptions of circuitry, theory of operation, construction procedure, setup and test instructions. Complete assembly drawings, parts lists,and schematics are also included, with general information on component identification. PC boards are drilled and etched, with screening on many.
Q: What if I have problems or questions?
A: We have free tech support by email (preferred, we can send you additional info this way) or by telephone. We do not have a telephone tree, long waits, runarounds by disinterested and bored employees, or idiotic menus with a limited selection of prefabricated answers not pertaining to your problem. Tech support is always free by live, real, living people. If you prefer, you can return the finished kit to us for troubleshooting and setup to specs. In this case it will be returned completely set up and working. Most kits returned to us for service are found to have either poor soldering or assembly errors as the reason for the difficulty. We have a nominal charge for this service of typically one third the kit price. This includes a reasonable allowance for parts and shipping.
Q: What if we cannot get your kit working?
A: As long as the assembly job is satisfactory with regard to workmanship, if we cannot get it working to spec we will give you another assembled and tested board free of charge. So far, in 18 years this has never happened.
Q: What if in the future I need parts?
A: We carry replacement parts, even for discontinued kits sold in the 1980s. Parts are not a problem.
Q: Do you sell individual parts?
A: Yes, but we have a minimum $10.00 order, plus shipping charges. Should you wish to build a published project of ours with your own parts, and need special items from us, we can sell you them, but tech support is reserved only for customers purchasing complete kits. It is more cost effective to purchase the complete kit rather than individual parts, unless you have most of the parts on hand and can easily make PC boards yourself.
January 15, 2004
NORTH COUNTRY RADIO
PO Box 200, Hartford NY 12838-0200
| EMAIL: support@northcountryradio.com | Tel 518-854-9280 | Internet http://www.northcountryradio.com |