[Elecraft] Own a Z90 Panadapter and Help a Museum

[Jack Smith]

I have a very good condition used Clifton Laboratories Z90 panadapter, 
with the complete set of "running spares" available for sale.  This Z90 
was owned by a customer who is, for medical reasons, no longer able to 
enjoy ham radio and has asked me to see if it can be put to good use.

For those not familiar with the Z90, it's the first product of Clifton 
Laboratories and is a microprocessor controlled digital panadapter.  I 
believe it was the first digital panadapter kit aimed at the ham radio 
market. It was the cover story in the March/April 2007 QEX, with part 
two published in the May/June 2007 QEX.  You can learn more than you 
ever wanted to know about the Z90 at 
http://www.cliftonlaboratories.com/Z90.htm and if that's not enough 
detail, additional links can be found at 
http://www.cliftonlaboratories.com/prior_products_-_no_longer_available.htm 
The Z90 was produced in one run only, 50 units split between the Z90 
with LCD display and the Z91 computer interface model.

The Z90 was designed with K2 owners in mind, but it's a general purpose 
digital panadapter suitable for IF frequencies from 455 KHz to above 60 
MHz, although performance drops off above 60 MHz. It works with the K3, 
but the Z90 does not have the integration bells and whistles for tuning, 
etc. that later panadapters have.

In 2007, a new assembled Z90 with running spares sold for about $700.

With the consent of the original owner (and thanks to the permission of 
Eric and Wayne to post this information on the Elecraft reflector) the 
proceeds from the sale will go to a local charity, the Lee Fendall House 
in Alexandria VA. www.leefendallhouse.org

Here's the fine print ...

1) The purchaser will make payment directly to the Lee Fendall House and 
when the payment is received, I'll ship the Z90 and accessories to the 
purchaser.

2) Although the Lee Fendall House is a non-profit charity, my 
understanding of the tax code is that donations are deductible for tax 
purposes only to the extent they exceed the fair market value of 
"premiums" received. In this case, I believe the fair market value of 
the Z90 will be whatever the sale brings, so the purchase price will not 
be deductible as a charitable contribution. You may wish to consult with 
your tax adviser, of course.

3) I will include - no extra charge - a Z10000B buffer amplifier (either 
kit or assembled) if the purchaser needs that to connect the Z90 to a 
particular receiver. If the purchaser will use it with a K2, I'll 
include the Z10000B-K2 version of the buffer amplifier.  If the Z90 is 
to be used with a K2, I will also provide a bandpass filter designed to 
go between the Z10000 buffer amplifier output and the Z90 input.

4) In order to maximize the amount the Lee Fendall House will receive, 
the sale will be to the person offering the highest bid. I'll keep 
bidding open for 1 week and the successful bidder will be determined on 
bids received as of 3 PM east coast time April 9th.

5) No charge for shipping by Priority Mail within the US, but for non-US 
purchasers an extra charge for shipping will be applied.

6) Please send your bids and any questions you may have to Jack Smith 
K8ZOA at Jack.Smith at cliftonlaboratories.com

7) The sale includes:
a. Z90 panadapter
b. 12V DC "wall wart" power supply
c. Detailed construction, maintenance and operating manual (the manual 
is nearly 1" thick and contains fold-out 11x17 schematics complete with 
voltage, resistance and oscilloscope captures for maintenance support.
d. Running spares kit
e. If the purchaser needs it, a Z10000B buffer amplifier kit or 
assembled PCB and cable set
f. If the purchaser will use it with a K2, the -K2 version buffer 
amplifier will be supplied along with the special K2 bandpass filter


Jack K8ZOA