Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#21
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Steve Bonine wrote:
Which gets us back to the point that several have made in this thread -- the importance of making contact with the local ham community. I forgot to mention this in my last post, but Paul, if you were heading out to Dayton, we could arrange to meet and look at some of that old equipment if you needed some buying guidance. - 73 de Mike KB3EIA - |
#22
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Michael Coslo wrote:
Steve Bonine wrote: I've had two experiences on Ebay. One buying, and one selling. Both were bad. When buying, the stuff wasn't as advertised, and under selling, the buyer never showed up. Leaving bad feedback isn't much in compensation. I'm sorry to hear this. I've had perhaps a half dozen experiences with eBay, all buying, and not all fo this was ham gear. I've never been disappointed. I picked up an absolutely gorgeous Vibroplex bug, and the seller packed it such that it could have been delivered by catapult and would have arrived intact. The moral of the story, I think, is that there are both good and bad experiences to be had any time you buy anything. I've had bad experiences related to buying new stuff, too. There's a lot you can do to reduce the probability of getting burned, but it can never be reduced to zero. The alternative is to never buy anything, and that's no fun either. I simply love going to Hamfests. The socializing is fun. Lots of bad food to eat too! Lots of interesting people to watch. You mean the guys who have more radios hanging from various parts of their body than I even own? grin The one thing that depresses me about attending hamfests is observing the aging ham population and the lack of diversity. I can't shake the thought that these events won't be around in another decade because so many of the attendees will be too old to be there. My XYL has a rule that I like. "On presently manufactured radios, if it isn't 50 percent off new, buy new." I like that. I continue to be amazed at some of the items that sell on eBay for more money than it would cost to buy them new. Not ham gear so much, but with beekeeping equipment it is truly amazing. I've checked some completed sales and compared prices for known items with the price listed in the current catalog, leaving me just shaking my head. On older stuff, if you can't see and touch it, let someone else have it. Nothing like that warranty for me. The warranty is certainly worth a lot, as is the simple fact that the gear is coming directly from the factory and you know it hasn't been abused. But sometimes with the older stuff, seeing doesn't really help that much since it's unlikely you'll actually be able to apply power and do a smoke test. I'm never enthusiastic about buying a piece of gear at a hamfest (for other than parts) after hearing the seller utter those magic words, "Oh, it works great." Your point about Eham is excellent, Steve. In fact, I would suggest anyone who is interested in getting equipment should browse through their reviews. I've spent more than a few entire evenings at their site. I would note to the prospective buyers that they read the reviews in addition to looking at overall ratings. There are some Hams out there who never met a radio they didn't like! ;^) And a few who are really picky. Oh, absolutely. The individual reviews are by far the most valuable, but you do have to read with a grain of salt. You have to judge whether the specific piece of equipment might have been a lemon, or perhaps the person who wrote the review was the lemon. And you're right; some people never met a radio that they didn't like. But nothing beats the real-world experience. The Hamfest also has one experience that I really love - even if some don't - the discussion driving the sale. I just love that give and take with the person selling the equipment. Unfortunately, some sellers don't do this, but when I "lock horns" with a seller that knows how to deal, we both have a great time. Yep, I understand, having watched my wife enjoy that experience many times, especially in foreign countries. But it's not one that I enjoy. Different strokes for different folks. One of the options I didn't think about until after I submitted the original article is buying used gear at a commercial ham radio store. If I did that, I would insist on the right to bring back the specific piece of equipment for full credit on another purchase within some period of time, perhaps 90 days. I don't know if the stores do that these days, but it seems reasonable to me, and would provide an advantage to buying the gear through the store as opposed to directly from the owner. 73, Steve KB9X |
#23
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Michael Coslo wrote:
I've had two experiences on Ebay. One buying, and one selling. Both were bad. When buying, the stuff wasn't as advertised, and under selling, the buyer never showed up. Leaving bad feedback isn't much in compensation. I've also had a couple of experiences on E-bay, I sold a refrigerator, was a good experience, and I tried my absolute best to cancel a bid once with no luck--a very bad experience. snip My XYL has a rule that I like. "On presently manufactured radios, if it isn't 50 percent off new, buy new." On older stuff, if you can't see and touch it, let someone else have it. Nothing like that warranty for me. I grew up on a farm/ranch out side of "classic-smalltown", Texas. Everything we got we ordered from either Sears or Montgomery Ward; Shoes, shirts, basic household equipment as well as farm equipment was all ordered mail-order. At times we got what we wanted, other times we didn't--even from big name stores such as Sears or Wards. Then we'd have to box the items back up and send them back for credit... wait for the credit paperwork (refund check) to arrive and then re-place the order. This could take weeks and you're walking around in shoes with holes in them--for instance. That's when I decided that I wanted to try-on what I buy--be it clothes, or any sort of equipment. I want to turn it on, twist the knobs and take it for some sort of test drive. I try to always buy new, although I've only had one new HF radio since I've been a ham. I've had new handy's for VHF/UHF and new VHF/UHF mobiles but only one new HF, the rest have been used, and I'd been much better off getting new then. For years I would not even consider getting on HF because each and every time I went to get on HF my 'used' radio would not work, I'd have to fix it. I had not been on HF since 2001 and in 2006 I decided to try HF again, and true to form, I turned on my HF rig and one of the large caps in the PA decided to explode... and I mean explode. I turned around and bought a new HF rig the very next day. I made more contacts in the next week than I'd made in the previous eight years total. Mainly because I didn't have to work on the radio to make it work. Working on the radio each time I wanted to tune up took all of the fun out of radio for me, for I wanted to do on HF what I was able to do on VHF/UHF; i.e.: talk. Now, I'm HF active as well as VHF/UHF and I'm really having a good time on the bands. Collectors will have a different outlook, of course. This is what I can agree with, if you're only going to use it to put on display, then that's what it would be for. Your point about Eham is excellent, Steve. In fact, I would suggest anyone who is interested in getting equipment should browse through their reviews. I've spent more than a few entire evenings at their site. I would note to the prospective buyers that they read the reviews in addition to looking at overall ratings. There are some Hams out there who never met a radio they didn't like! ;^) And a few who are really picky. Same here. Russ - KW5KW |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Rediscovering ether? | Antenna | |||
I've taken up a new hobby | CB | |||
Radio Hobby Links -via- the IBB | Shortwave | |||
Getting back in to the hobby | Equipment | |||
mopeydopie has taken up a new hobby | CB |