On March 16, Jim Smith, W0MJY, owner of Burghardt Amateur Center in Watertown, South Dakota, announced that the company will no longer sell Amateur Radio transceivers and accessories. The company, now called Burghardt Radio Repair, has canceled all backorders. In an e-mail, Smith blamed the current economic conditions for the change that forced the company "to re-evaluate our goals and direction. We will continue to provide radio repair service as it has become a very busy business. Our technicians are very experienced and parts inventories are good. Thank you for your support in the past and we look forward to continuing our relationships through our servicing facility." Jim Smith's son, Mike Smith, KC0FTM, told the ARRL that even though the company has had to lay off employees in the past couple of months, "Burghardt will concentrate on service, just like we have been doing since 1973." Burghardt was founded in 1937 by Stan Burghardt, W0IT (SK), as Burghardt Radio Supply. He sold the company to Smith in 1982, remaining active in the company until January 2002. Burghardt passed away in 2004 at the age of 93.
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