[HBR] Cost Of Homebrewing?

[hbr@mailman.qth.net]

waltah@earthlink.net wrote:

> In the main I agree with Jim that the HBR's were not cheap to build.
> He makes a number of good points:

I have been following this thread with interest.

You guys are loosing sight of the main reasons to homebrew.

You homebrew if the design is something special that is not commercially available
at a reasonable price.

You homebrew if you can't afford to buy on the commmecial market either in kit form
or assembled and tested.

My definition of homebrew has always been rigs that are built from surplus or junked
radios.  You don't take a parts list to a parts house and fill it!  You find your
parts in equipment that you can acquire for next to nothing.  Like old tube type TV
sets, ARC5 surplus at $10 a unit, old computer junk for solid state equipment.

Most of the really good stuff has dried up.  There is still lots of military surplus
around but it is out of any homebrewing price range.  There is no point in buying
surplus equipment when you can take the same cash and buy decent, ready-to-use, ham
gear.

If the only way you can 'homebrew' is to fill a parts list at a parts house, you
will probably not be able to get the thing to work even with new, prime parts.

Successful homebrewing requires skill levels that go beyond slapping a lot of prime
parts together.

Regards,
Frank Kamp