[Milsurplus] WA hamfests Puyallup, Seattle PSARA

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Well, with Obama and the other Socialists in DC doing their dead level best 
to destroy the USA, it's no surprise no one is buying much.  My wife has 
been selling on eBay for about ten years.  Last week she had her worst auction 
ever.  Down more than 75% from her average from 2000 to 2008 and down about 
50% from her average since Obama was elected.  My mil radio sales this year 
are down about 85% from my 40 year average (my records have a looong 
memory).  If the stupid Democrats (I know that's redundant) haven't dumped us into 
a 1930's style depression, you could fool me.

In a message dated 8/20/2010 10:40:38 PM Central Daylight Time, 
kargo_cult at msn.com writes: 
> I attended the Puyallup WA W7DK hamfest and also the Puget Sound Antique 
> Radio Association
> annual open swap, both the third weekend of August. VERY little mil gear. 
> As 
> I was entering the
> Puyallup, I saw a guy wheeling out a BC-312 using a handtruck - I happened 
> 
> to talk to the seller
> later, he said sold it for $45. It looked complete (no mounting). Max 
> Kaplan 
> had a 3-piece GRC-109
> and it sold - kinda surprising me. The next day, think I only saw a couple 
> 
> hammed Command
> Sets transmitters, I wasn't interested enuff to even check the prices. One 
> 
> fellow had a Command
> Set receiver, no cover, for some insane price, like near $100. At the 
> Puyallup I saw some stuff
> which used to be considered "desirable" but now seemed to not sell: a real 
> 
> nice Halli SX-133
> for $35 or $40, a Lafayette HA-410 10m AM transceiver for $35. At PSARA I 
> saw a very nice
> SX-128 for $175, no sale. My Majestic wood radio with the 2/ 45s did not 
> sell for $90. I did
> probably see some mil test gear, but was not very interested, plus none of 
> 
> it looked very
> interesting. One interesting spread must have had about a dozen S-120s and 
> 
> TransOceanics
> each. I bought a box of books and mags, which made the days worthwhile to 
> me, plus being
> able to BS with long not-seen friends, but otherwise I'd have to say, the 
> offerings were not
> terribly interesting. I heard one fellow who bought some decorative 
> plastic 
> radio saying
> that they sold for more just a few years ago. We talked about prices and 
> sales - it seems
> "people are not buying". I didn't really see any of the nice round top 
> "gothic" radios
> selling either. Good luck with those consoles! Why aren't they buying? We 
> guessed,
> the recession., people reluctant or unable to buy.  The older generational 
> 
> cohort all downsizing
> their stack at around the same time.  Oh yeah, an RME-69, nice, for $125, 
> no 
> sale.
> There was one fellow there, Jenkins last name, selling a large 
> coffee-table 
> photo book
> on Wireless gear for $35, signed, he's the author. I had to wonder if 
> there's still a place
> for coffee table books? I don't maybe think a scroungefest is a a good 
> venue 
> for selling
> a higher priced book. The same seller also had on display two supposedly 
> "for sale"
> items, some Marconi tuner, and a Marconi magnetic "ticker" detector. I 
> heard 
> prices
> mentioned of $16,000 and $25,000; something like that. I sorta wondered 
> what 
> the
> point was of bringing these out to a swapmeet also. The Bellingham WA 
> "Museum
> of American Radio &Television" had a panel truck there with some radio 
> bargains,
> I think. I bought a Traveler 1920s portable, one where the front cover 
> unclamps
> and mounts above and contains the loop antenna. Price was right.  I think 
> "good" military
> gear still goes, but at prices off the recent peak, maybe? And maybe the 
> corner has
> turned on "classic ham gear", as another post recently wrote? 
> Hmmm....who's 
> gonna
> adopt that stuff after we fogies are gone?  -Hue Miller 
> 

Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
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