The front porch has seen a flurry of new arrivals by USPS, UPS and FedEx. I've not inspected the boxes much yet, I hope I don't have boxes of junk parts awaiting my review.
I mentioned the Harvey-Wells TBS-50D I have with power supply that arrived more than a month ago. I've also picked up a Hallicrafters transmitter that was priced right (meaning I could simply put it back on eBay and get my money back).
I guess you should never say “never,” because I broke one of my long-stated “nevers” — I swore I would never buy a boat anchor on eBay and chance having it damaged in shipment. By “boat anchor” I'm referring to several specific radio models that I wish to add to my collection in the future: The Hallicrafters SX-101A, the HT32A transmitter; the SX-111 MkIII receiver, the HT-37 txmtr; the National NC-300/303 receiver; the Hammarlund HQ-170; and several other models of similar vintage and weight.
Most of these heavyweights are true boatanchors, but having several of them once, I would like to have them to play with again — but I told myself I would never buy one and have it shipped. In person, OK, but not chance having it packed in crumpled newspaper and broken into bits by the time it arrives.
The SX-101A is one of my favorite receivers of all time, and I have for several years wanted to find one. The good ones on eBay can command decent prices, and I've balked at shelling out big bucks without being able to listen to the rig in person.
My common sense fell victim to temptation — and an affordable price — recently when a recapped. aligned and working SX-101A was ending with a very good price. The shipping for a behemoth the size of the SX-101A isn't cheap, but overall, the total price was worth the risk.
The SX-101A arrived Friday in one piece. I haven't had time to check it out much simply because I have to make desk space available for it. If I get my floor space cleared up I'm going to add a 3 or 4-foot bench between my computer desk and the shack side of the room. That's the plan anyway.
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The prices for Vibroplex and other bugs doesn't show much of a trend. There have been a couple of keys that have attracted big bids.
A 1964 Vibroplex Presentation bug brought nearly $200, but it was likely worth the money. It was presented to a woman whose name was engraved on it, and its evident this key saw absolutely no use. It is the first Presentation key this age that has absolutely not a speck of wear on the gold plate. It really was in as-new condition.
A 1932 Vibroplex Original brought $165 recently. It was a key that worked for a living, but was in fair shape. I'm not sure why it brought such a high price, but it sold to a fellow in the UK, so perhaps with the exchange rate it was a real bargain.
I've passed up some deals on bugs, but I've had to. I'm about to run out of space for them as it is. I did pick up a very low-priced Speed-X T-bar bug that had a buy it now price of $25. It has some damage that needs repairing, but that's easy enough to take care of. It needs refinishing too. I could just use it for parts and still be ahead if I wanted.
I missed a fantastic deal on a very early Speed-X narrow-base bug. It sold for $41, which was a steal for a key like that in excellent shape. That's my kinda deal!
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The warming weather is bringing with it summer noise conditions back to 80, darn it! I'm going to have to shift to 40 this summer, as I plan to continue to work CW this summer.
That's all for now … 73! de KY4Z … dit dit ….