[Boatanchors] AR 88 Discussions

[Bry Carling]

We paid very little for them as 15 year old boys. I actually didn't get one. My friend G3WUW did... I just had an R1155 which hardly compared but was still a great receiver.

Best regards - Bry Carling



> On Feb 2, 2014, at 9:07 PM, "Richard Knoppow" <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bry Carling" <bcarling at cfl.rr.com>
> To: "Jim Haynes" <jhhaynes at earthlink.net>
> Cc: "Boatanchor List" <Boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2014 5:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] AR 88 Discussions
> 
> 
>> In the early 1960s in England we dug discarded AR88s out of the ground at rubbish tips. What you call garbage dump.
>> 
>> Best regards - Bry Carling
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Feb 2, 2014, at 8:00 PM, Jim Haynes <jhhaynes at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I was recently reading a book about WW-II radio intercept operations
>>> in England, which used both fulltime and volunteer part time listeners.
>>> There was a bit about a teenage ham who started out doing intercept
>>> with his receiver, and then they delivered an AR-88 to him.  Probably
>>> weighed more than he did.
>>> 
>>> jhhaynes at earthlink dot net
> 
>    No AR-88s were sold commercially. All were sold to either the U.S. military or went to our allies on lend-lease. They are much more common in England and Europe than in the U.S. I am quite sure lots were dumped because regulations required it. I have not seen an estimate as to how many were made but probably it was a large amount. I have also never seen an authentic price. The estimate is that they were listed at around $800 to 1000 USD at the time they were made. In comparison the most expensive generally available receiver in the 1940s was the Hammarlund Super-Pro SP-200/210 series. These sold for around $450 with power supply and speaker. Next most expensive was probably the HRO deluxe rack system at around $400. Prices in current dollars would be about ten times these prices.
> 
> 
> --
> Richard Knoppow
> Los Angeles
> WB6KBL
> dickburk at ix.netcom.com