[Boatanchors] Halli SX-88

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

"Duane Fischer, W8DBF" wrote:

> Ridiculous? I think it is into the catagory of the insane. I sure hope these
> people do not expect to turn a profit!

I don't think the high bidder picked it up with the thought of turning a profit.
I'm betting he'll put it to use along with the collection of other goodies he's
paid for.

> Frankly, the SX-88 is not that great of a rx, the SX-115 is superior, and the
> SX-117 might be also. It is not the most rare either.

There are certainly radios as scarce or moreso, be it the KW-1, Drake TR-6, Li'l
Lulu 6 meter transmitter, or any number of other interesting rigs. Even the SX-115
was made in moderately low numbers for its time. Is the SX-88 just an SX-28 in
drag? *shrug*  I suspect it's a fine radio in its own right considering what went
into it for its time. Same wonderful push/pull audio in both though, so either the
SX-88 is overpriced in general or the SX-28(SX-42, SX-62) is one helluva deal! The
high bidder also paid $4150 for an SX-115 a couple years back or so when prices
were going through the roof. I picked mine up from the original owner for $500
right around the same time and nearly cried parting with the cash. Looking back I
guess I was lucky, and to think it came from a tip on these lists.

Difference is, most of us can't afford to pay that much for a radio we'd like and
the high bidder can, which is fine. Just think how difficult it would be if we
could *all* afford to pay whatever we pleased for our favorite boatanchors.
There'd be nothing available except S-38s and hacked up Heathkits! (riceboxes
don't count)

We've all heard people tell stories about what they'd do if they won the lottery.
I don't play myself, but I still have fanciful thoughts now and then about being
wealthy enough to go to auctions, shows, flea markets, and everywhere else that
radios show up and just buy whatever I wanted. Hey - I've been a packrat all my
life and I do pretty well at it, but sometimes it's nice to think of doing it the
easy way.

 If 500 were made and the quoted 'collector' says less than 70 are accounted for,
it means around 400+ are still out there waiting to be discovered. I really don't
buy the hype that "less than seventy exist" although I'm sure it suits the selling
pitch just fine. Being accounted for and being destroyed/gone are two different
things, afterall. More are discovered each year as evidenced by their appearance
on epay (like the DD-1 recently). Hell, KW-1s still turn up and they only made 150
of those plus two prototypes!

Congrats to Joe for getting a fine radio in fine condition. The rest of us will
just have to keeping looking and be more resourceful if we want one.

Boomer,  KA1KAQ