[Boatanchors] 51J's vs R-338's?

[Grant Youngman]

> saw an r-388 on ebay BIN for $600 and I thought that was a 
> great deal because I was (incorrectly) comparing it to the 
> 51J-4's that have sold. Now I see that wasnt the great deal I 
> thought it was (some 51J-4's seem to sell for $1200-$2000!)

My two cents ...

The 51J-4/R-388A radios tend to sell for way too much, IMHO.  At least
relative to the 51J-3/R-388.  I've had several of both.  My interest is in
AM reception, and in that mode, the R-388 is a much better radio because it
does NOT have the mechanical filters.

$600 wouldn't be a bad price for an R-388 that has been fully restored, and
is in extremely good working and physical condition.  And you probably
couldn't touch one that had been restored by Howard Mills even for that.  If
you purchase one for less that needs a lot of work, by the time you're done,
including pulling the PTO and calibrating the endpoints (if they can be set
at all, even after doing the usual mod to the endpoint adjustment coil)you
may wish you'd purchased one that someone else had already been through.
Unless you're into pain, of course :-)

Grant/NQ5T