On Sun, 18 Mar 2007, Steve wrote:

I'd say thats way too high. My $.02 anyway.
Don't be embarrased to ask to see under the chassis.
I've seen a number of rigs that looked super nice
on the outside/top of the chassis that were a horror
underneath.

Here is another item to look for: the old style first "printed circuits".
What they did was mold a network of resistors and capacitors into a molded
"chip" and it hangs there, suspended in mid-air, and they don't make those
any more. I had an HQ-170 that had one of those and you could not find out
what was in that network because the manual just showed it as a box with
leads coming out. If it goes bad, then you would have to guess what was in
it. Examine the manual to see if there is a "black box" square in the
schematic that does not tell you what is inside. So, if it craps out, you
might be up the creek.

Check all bands and look for intermittent switches.

And, scratchy-noisy pots, too!

Sometimes all thats needed is a good cleaning.
Other times the wafers can be cracked, or just
plain worn out.

Lots of these around. If you see anything that looks
funny, be patient and find the right one for you.

Steve