Brian Hill wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...23754 66&rd=1


Prices ebb and flow with the wind for these.
I just sold one in much better condition
for less than $100.
Next week, a perfect one may go for $40.
The week after, one drilled and spoiled like
this one may go for $300 again.
Just no way to tell.
Dave AB5S

That was a big bite for sure. The broadcast band ARC-5 was, years ago
three times as much as other ARC-5s.
This model is very popular with the broadcast people. Now for this one
no rational reason for the price.
73 Paul

On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 03:04:50 +0000, COLIN LAMB wrote:
Wonder what the ACR-5 transmitters in the broadcast band would
bring - I know they exist but have never seen one.


I have the broadcast band ARC-5 transmitter in my collection
The band is not quite broadcast band though, it is 0.8 to 1.3 MC.

Once had a complete set up given to me - cables and all. Back then, you
couldn't give em away - at least not around here. I tried! Computers hadn't
quite caught on yet so far as News groups and E-Bay. I had no use for it and
I don't collect "antiques", so I scrapped it. I sold the coils and various
other parts out of them for a decent price just as "surplus" parts. Needless
to say, I didn't get rich from selling the parts, but I managed to fetch a
few bucks. Not a bad deal. Had a book also that I came across after the fact
for converting them to Ham. Kept it for a while, thinking I'd get some more
gear at some point and modify it. No more gear was found, so I ended up
selling that book. No more Arc 5 for me. The only thing I have now which
comes close to it, is an old mic - looks to be from an old Aircraft Radio.
Not sure. I'm not sure if I'll keep it yet, or not. At least it isn't in the
way. I'm trying to think what the band was on this particular set. I think
it was 1.8 or 2.5 to something. Can't recall.

"swamprun" wrote in message
news

On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 03:04:50 +0000, COLIN LAMB wrote:
Wonder what the ACR-5 transmitters in the broadcast band would
bring - I know they exist but have never seen one.


I have the broadcast band ARC-5 transmitter in my collection
The band is not quite broadcast band though, it is 0.8 to 1.3 MC.

No Spam Here - Joe Schmo wrote:

Once had a complete set up given to me - cables and all. Back then, you
couldn't give em away - at least not around here. I tried! Computers hadn't
quite caught on yet so far as News groups and E-Bay. I had no use for it and
I don't collect "antiques", so I scrapped it. I sold the coils and various
other parts out of them for a decent price just as "surplus" parts. Needless
to say, I didn't get rich from selling the parts, but I managed to fetch a
few bucks.

I had a BCB ARC-5 rcvr back in the early 80s. They were a tad pricier
even back then than the more common SW units. I paid $15 when SW ones
were running about $5-10 G

Sold it to a guy out West that was accumulating a bunch of them for some
sort of BCB propagation study. Darn good little receivers for BCB DXing.

-Bill M

I had a BCB ARC-5 rcvr back in the early 80s. They were a tad pricier
even back then than the more common SW units.

I looked in an old 1950s CQ mag and the BCB ARC 5 sets were even then bringing
4x what the SW sets were selling for, eg $40 instead of $10. Guess they always
were comparatively scarce.

In article ain, swamprun
writes:

I have the broadcast band ARC-5 transmitter in my collection
The band is not quite broadcast band though, it is 0.8 to 1.3 MC.

It took three of them to cover the BC band

IIRC:

The T-17 covered 1.3 to 2.1 Mc.
The T-16 covered 0.8 to 1.3 Mc.
The T-15 covered 0.5 to 0.8 Mc.

My info says they were only made by ARC and only made for the Navy.

Look up the completed price for a recently-sold BC-442 on the bay. Over $440 -
but it's new-in-the-box.

---

What we're really seeing, up-close, is the transition of something familiar
from the category of "practical/functional device" to the category of
"antique/collectible item". It's not limited to ARC-5s - lots of old radios are
going through the same transition.

Some years back, a mint SX-88 went for over $6000. Part of the driving force
was that it was mint, and part that it was one of the first really nice SX-88s
to appear on the bay. And the '88 was not made in quantity, and cost about $700
new in 1954.

Few weeks later, another '88 appeared. Almost as nice - but it went for a lot
less (less than $3000).

But the best one:

Some time after the '88, an unbuilt Heathkit AT-1 appeared. It was one of the
last AT-1s made - 1956 date code. Still in the original sealed box with
original label.

Now the AT-1 wasn't rare, and it only cost $29.95 new. Of course an unbuilt one
*is* rare, but if you built it, the value would tumble.

Kit went for $5100. Not a typo - five thousand one hundred US dollars.

73 de Jim, N2EY

According to my research, the total number of 520-1500 kc units produced was
around 30,000. Compare that to 450,000 beacon receivers; 190-550 kc, the
ones that amateurs used as the Q-5'er described in QST December 1947. Sets
that covered 3-6 mc and 6-9.1 mc had around 200,000 produced each, those
covering 1.5-3 mc had a production run of about 50,000.

Rarer still are the units covering 9-13.5 mc - 46 sets, 13.5-20 mc and 20-27
mc only 150 sets built.

I would have paid up to $200 for a 520-1500 kc unit in top conditon.

I cleaned out my collection of Command Sets about 10 years ago---I had
nearly every component of that communication/navigation equipments. Nearly
everything was gotten rid of but I kept a couple receivers and transmitters
and a couple of unused XM-108'S ( MY CHALLENGE TO THE COMMAND SET COLLECTOR;
WHO KNOWS WHAT AN XM-108 IS?). I couldn't see myself selling it to hams who
would probably strip them down for the tuning capacitors so I donated it all
to a warbird restoration outfit where they have been outfitted in such
aircraft as the B-25.

The collection was part of a research project started 20 years ago to be
followed by an article on the history of the Command Set.

RG


Brian Hill wrote in message
...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=57223754 66&
rd=1

RadioGuy wrote:


Rarer still are the units covering 9-13.5 mc - 46 sets, 13.5-20 mc and 20-27
mc only 150 sets built.

Updated figures: We now believe only 50 each of the four models
of RAT and RAT-1 were produced, making 100 RAT and 100 RAT-1.
A far as is known, less than ten of each model have survived.
Better than the RAVs, of which only two or perhaps three
are known to be in private hands.

( MY CHALLENGE TO THE COMMAND SET COLLECTOR;
WHO KNOWS WHAT AN XM-108 IS?).

Are you talking about the transformer Fair Radio used
to sell as part of a Command Set power supply kit?

David:

Congratulations... you are the first person I have met that knows the
correct answer to the question.

The XM-108 was the transformer that Fair Radio Sales used in a power
supply/speaker kit for the Command Sets. Sometime in the 80's Fair seemed
to have dropped them from their catalog.

BTW... I have a Command Set transmitter that is still in the sealed,
unopened factory carton. I like to make the claim that its the only one
left in the world in that condition, but then, it wouldn't surprise me if
some fellow pipes up that he has a warehouse full of them in the same
condition.

RG


David Stinson wrote in message
news:iadad.2539$Rp4.2079@trnddc01...


RadioGuy wrote:


Rarer still are the units covering 9-13.5 mc - 46 sets, 13.5-20 mc and
20-27
mc only 150 sets built.

Updated figures: We now believe only 50 each of the four models
of RAT and RAT-1 were produced, making 100 RAT and 100 RAT-1.
A far as is known, less than ten of each model have survived.
Better than the RAVs, of which only two or perhaps three
are known to be in private hands.

( MY CHALLENGE TO THE COMMAND SET COLLECTOR;
WHO KNOWS WHAT AN XM-108 IS?).

Are you talking about the transformer Fair Radio used
to sell as part of a Command Set power supply kit?