[Milsurplus] Antique gear.

[J. Forster]

I have no quarrel with people doing what you suggest, BUT popular articles
inevitably lead to people digging out 'perversion' articles and there is a run
on what little NOS gear is still out there. Recently there was a run on
BC-1066's to 'pervert' to some kind of 2 M rig from an old magazine. As a result
several NOS 1066s, with the canvass cases, went for very silly prices. The
'perversion' article pulled everything but the case, dials, variable caps, and
acorn tubes and sockets. I continue to see WTB's for ARC-5 receivers for use as
Q-5ers.

Utterly disgusting, IMO. Ths is not preserving the old sets, it's making
hamburger out of them.

-John




Kenneth G. Gordon wrote:

> John:
>
> We are not talking about modifying antique gear in any way.
>
> We are talking about restoring it to its original condition, as when
> new, then USING it as it was meant to be used, as when new.
>
> Nothing more.
>
> It is sort of a time-machine for many of us.
>
> I see nothing wrong with that. In fact, I see something drastically
> wrong with preserving a piece of antique gear under glass like a
> bug on a pin. So someone not familiar with the gear can SEE it: so
> what? You can see such gear in photos just as well. Probably
> better.
>
> But being able to USE it, as it was meant to be used, is much more
> important to me. We all can get a better sense of the historicity of
> antique radio gear by using it, getting to know its various foibles,
> and coming to a realization of just how much imagination, ingenuity
> and thought it took to design and build such equipment without the
> fancy tools and knowledge we have now.
>
> Ken W7EKB