[ForSale-Swap] [Boatanchors] Collins Equipment For Sale

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Dave Meitzen <dmeitzen at tx.rr.com> wrote:

Okay, I know this ad is meant as a sales pitch and some hype is to be
expected, but being a KW-1 owner, feel the need to add some
clarity.....

> Collins KW-1 -- only 150 built -- this is the latest serial number known to
> exist.
>
> KW-1 SNR 149

According to the registry maintained by Bob, W0YVA, S/N 150 has been
accounted for previously, though the new owner is not known. That
would make this the next-highest S/N known to exist.

> Only 150 of these transmitters were manufactured.  Today only a fraction of
> them survived.  Of the survivors, most are rust buckets or have been
> cannibalized.

Not from my experiences. Of all the KW-1s I've seen over the years
either in person or through photos, all were in G,VG, or better
condition except one, which was a rebuild project in progress. And
using the same, recent(Feb/2009) registry cited above, something like
75-80% is the fraction that survive. No doubt due to initial expense,
quality of construction, and overall durability. Probably explains why
Collins gear collectively seems to survive better over time: if
someone paid a lot for it, chances are good that they took care of it.

Of course, even if all 152 survived, that's not a large number on a good day.


> This transmitter is the considered the Holy Grail to Vintage
> Radio Collectors. It is the center piece of any vintage radio collection.
> No other amateur transmitter is considered more desirable.

To which Mark wrote:

> Heh, except those of us running TMC gear. We know what real value, performance and reliability is

True enough as far as the 'collector' value/affordability/bang for the
buck goes. But TMC's counterpart to the KW-1, the GPT-750, isn't often
found with the stock modulator deck. This means having to build one
from scratch, or paying big bucks for an original. There are also a
few other issues that need to be sorted for everyday use, but once
that's done - it is indeed a formidable transmitter, working as nicely
as it looks. I've seen W3JN's 750 in action a few times, it's a
blockbuster.

Like any old gear, the KW-1 requires some maintenance and updating to
get it up to speed today in the reliability department, but once
that's done, it's plug and play, self-contained, 10-160. Just add mic,
ant, and power. A receiver is always a plus, too. (o:

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4