Hi, Eric,
Thank you. I ended up doing just that. I'm torn between the desire to build a fine quality preamp and the need to simply get this security system up and running wiki wiki. I had been considering another small preamp kit, price-reduced to about $8, but was annoyed that their shipping/handling more than doubled the price. They're in Utah, not that far away from me. I'd rather spend that money on better components and build it myself.
The Smart-Kit you mentioned is being sent to me from the opposite end of the U.S. for just $3 shipping. That's certainly fair.
Thanks, again.
Bye