[AMRadio] EXPENSIVE RANGERS

[W4AWM at aol.com]

I have to step in here and add my 2 cents.

While I, too, believe that a ranger in that price range is a little much, 
let's take a quick look at simple economics.

I have no idea what the gentleman paid for his Ranger, but I have seen them 
go at hamfests for from $75 to $225 unrestored.

Dee charges $250 to strip and repaint a complete cabinet, including new 
lettering.  If you haven't seen Dee's work, you are missing a thing of real 
beauty. Absolutely fabulous!

This unit has been recapped and had temperature compensating caps placed in 
the VFO.  That big resistor that heats up and causes drift has been moved 
outside the enclosure.

Let's say that all the caps cost $50.00.

Let's say that the labor involved in cleaning the unit up, recapping getting 
it working and alignment took 5 hours, probably more.  The man's time has to 
be worth a minimum of $20.00 and that is lowballing it.

Let's say four knobs had to be replaced at $10.00 each.

Let's assume that the cabinet has Dee's expert restoration at $250.00.

Let's assume the man paid $125.00 for the Ranger to start with.

My humble abacus shows the total to be $565.00 and that does not allow for 
other incidentals which may have been needed.

If you replace your current rig part by part, you couldn't come close to 
affording it unless you have a much bigger bank account than mine.

When I got my ticket back in 1953, I couldn't afford a Viking II kit, much 
less the VFO, so I got creative and borrowed the money from my grandmother.  
I paid it back, too!  Meanwhile, the rich kid across was running all Collins 
and a Telrex beam. A friend of mine had a rig given to him by his Elmer.

The modern kids today are driving around in Lexus, BMW and others.  They park 
in my neighborhood since there is no room at the school parking lot.  When 
they leave each day, the trash is unbelieveable.  Why can't they drive used 
heaps like I did, buy used gear or get a loan, like I did and make good 
marks, get a good education resulting in a good job.  Then they can afford to 
relieve their childhood and buy all the used rigs they wanted in their 
childhood and restore them like I am doing.

73, 

 John,  W4AWM
 HALLICRAFTERS SPOKEN HERE


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