Re: [amsat-bb] Second Hand Stuff

[John Mock <kd6pag@xxxxxxx>]

    You just have to keep your ears and eyes open, listen to swap nets, check
    the want-ads on the web, the ham flea markets, etc.  If you are patient
    and know what you want, you'll find it.  One deal I came across (my first
    2 meter allmode a few years back), was a swap: an old Icom 230 and $75
    for a Yaesu FT-221R.  I kept that 221 for many years, just sold it last
    year when I found a "newer" rig to replace it.

But you have to know what to look for.  How does one find that out?  If
you're an insider, or know an insider, then at least you know what to look
for.  But how the heck does one get started without an 'elmer'?

    Some people are real proud of their second hand stuff, they ask too much
    and many times they don't get it!  Just because that's what they're
    asking doesn't mean that is their "final" price, especially if it gets
    close to having to pack up their stuff at the swap meet and haul it back
    home again!

If i know what i want, then i can certainly watch the USENET ads, check eBay,
and the local swap nets to learn what the market is.  Then, i could use that
kind of strategy.  Of course, almost all older equipment at least has some 
glitch or another, and is likely at least to need re-alignment.  Somehow that
needs to be dealt with, and again, we're looking at the 'elmer' problem if
one doesn't have access to test equipment.  And the knowledge to use it for
RF purposes (which is different from diagnosing problems with minicomputers,
small mainframes and various one-of-a-kind/orphaned devices down to the
component level)...

    The HF end of it doesn't have to be expensive either.  Older HF rigs
    can often be found at hamfests for dirt cheap.  HR2510's and HTX100's
    for 10 meters are plentiful and reasonable.  There are many synthesized
    SSB CB rigs out there that can be converted to 10 meters *without*
    changing ANY crystals (a fact most people still don't seem to be aware
    of).

Yes, and i'd be happy to change crystal if necessary, but haven't still
found the details yet.  Right, but which ones?  And where does one find
one?  I'll learn to programs PICs if that's what it takes to make this
work.

    >I must be going to the wrong hamfests.  I often see comments similar
    >to the one above about all mode 2 meter rigs also.  I am a regular
    >at the Miami hamfest, and spent many hours in the flea market area
    >of Dayton this year.
    >
    >The very best price I found recently on a Uniden 10 meter rig was
    >more than the rig sold for new.  Perhaps we should include a section
    >on bartering when the new questions pools are created.

And i'm a regular at the Livermore swap meet.  Several months running, i
asked around for a rig that would receive 10 meters with no luck.  Lots
of old Lafayette's and their like lying around, but is that going to hear
RS-12/13??  I haven't looked that hard for them, but so far, i haven't
recognized anything that seemed useful, at least, not at a marked price 
that would make me look to see what bands it covers.

And that's one reason i sign these things,

                            -- KD6PAG  (Networking Old-timer, "RF newbie")
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