[Johnson] Orlando HamCation

[David C. Hallam]

There were a number of CB amps and related gear on display.  I didn't do any
inquiring as to prices.

Receiving mail from the Ham Amplifiers on yahoo.com has been quite a
revelation.  I knew that some CB's ran a LOT of power but I had no idea of
the amount.  When you start talking 10, 15, 20, or more KW plate dissipation
tubes as a final and driving them with what I use a for a final, that is a
lot of output even if it is an AM linear.  That's a strong signal for 5
watts.  I guess there are a lot of hams who also ignore the 1.5 KW output
limit, too.

My main interest is Johnson's SSB gear even if they were known mostly for
their CW and AM rigs.  I saw on Pacemaker that was in fair to poor but not
really distressed condition.  The seller was asking $600.  He didn't even
know what it was.  I didn't bother to make an offer.  Considering its
condition, I would have offered $100/125 but didn't see any point.

I saw some Collins S line stuff that was a little pricey but not excessively
so.  I also saw a 75A4 that was way over priced.  Also a CE 20A and a 458
VFO that I almost bought.

Unfortunately a good percentage of the boat anchor gear appeared to have
been stored in a shed with a leaky roof for a good number of years.

Other than a few small odds and ends, the only thing I brought home was a
TEK 465 scope.

David
KC2JD/4

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Todd, KA1KAQ [mailto:ka1kaq at gmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 10:39 AM
> To: dhallam at rapidsys.com
> Cc: Johnson List
> Subject: Re: [Johnson] Orlando HamCation
>
>
> On 2/11/07, David C. Hallam <dhallam at rapidsys.com> wrote:
> > I attended the Orlando, FL HamCation yesterday with one of my
> objectives to
> > find what was available in the way of Johnson gear.  I was rather
> > disappointed in that there was very little available and the
> prices were out
> > of sight.  There seems to be a feeling that eBay has driven up
> the prices
> > for fifties and sixties ham gear. I guess it has but the prices asked by
> > vendors at Orlando for Johnson gear was approximately double what it is
> > selling for on eBay.  Granted, there is some value to be able to examine
> > what you are buying before purchasing and not paying for shipping, but I
> > thought the asking prices were way out of line.
>
> I noticed this same thing when I attended in 2005. Not only nosebleed
> prices, well beyond that. Perhaps the feeling is that more newbies
> exist in that market who are getting in late and willing to pay a lot
> to 'catch up'? There seem to be two schools in the extreme: the ones
> who say "I checked ebay and that's what they sell for on there" and
> the others who remember $10 SX-28s, $50 R-390As, and think all old
> gear should still be dirt cheap.
>
> The free market is great. When an item is priced too high, it doesn't
> sell. My purchases in 2005 included some hard drawn copper from the
> Wireman, and maybe a small trinket or two. I didn't bring a lot of $
> along with me since I was traveling anyhow, but there wasn't a lot to
> buy anyhow. I did see the same fellow who had boxes of tubes at
> Orlando also up in Gaithersburg in September of the same year.
>
> Were there a large number of 'good buddy' amps and such there this
> time? One fellow had a vanload of this stuff, and a lot of others as
> well. It was priced higher than some of the good ham gear.
>
> ~ Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ
>
>
>
>
>