[Milsurplus] [ARC5] Item 300447369243

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 3:45 PM, Larry Godek <telegrapher at att.net> wrote:

> I find it really had to make a decision as to what to do.  It's mine and i paid for it and i don't know when i might regret from selling something syndrome appears to be in force.

Larry and others -

This is a struggle many of us either will, do, or have faced over the
years. I came into the old radio racket in the mid 70s when folks were
really starting to dump old gear in favor of the latest, greatest
ricebox. Considering the space and weight savings as well as added
features, who could blame them?

A lot of my stuff was of the 'if you can haul it away, you can have
it' nature. My original interest had been in earlier pre-war gear and
broadcast and shortwave, but quickly broadened with the availability
of 'stuff'. Not only was it available, it was easy compared to some of
the projects I had. So the original interest hit the back burner and
newer boatanchors and surplus took over. The result was around 400
radios, transmitters, receivers, amps, and loads of gadgets like keys,
mics, books, etc.

Several years ago when the prospect of a move became a reality, it all
came home to roost. I was living alone in a 19 room Victorian with
somewhere around 3500 sq ft of space along with a 2 story carriage
house, all of which was filling up nicely. From little rigs like the
ARC-5 sets to things like a BC-610, T-368, even a 1400 lb broadcast
transmitter for 160m.

A quick re-evaluation of my situation was not only an eye opener, it
was a shock. So down the road things headed. In the last 4+ years I've
cut the numbers to somewhere around 150 rigs, muc more manageable but
still too much. I've given away as much as I've sold, the friends who
I knew would appreciate and use the gear. They had helped me over the
years with parts and advice, so one the first big freebie went out the
door, it became second nature.

The easy method I use is this: unless it's something that I have a
STRONG attachment to (first radio, etc), it's fair game. I select
according to age, scarcity, and likelihood of wanting or having time
for it later. As an example, the nice HQ-150 that sat on a table by a
door in the kitchen and provided me with years of entertainment while
cooking found a new home. While it held a lot of nice memories, it was
sitting unused now, and I decided I could always replace it later
(probably much easier as demand drops) if I really wanted to. And
that's the secret.

Obviously you'll have certain sets you can't easily replace due to
being rare, or maybe it was your dad's radio or such. But so much of
the other stuff becomes, as others have said, a stone around your
neck. It's tough to enjoy any of it when there's so much, so many
project, so many radios and so few spaces.

Another thing that has helped is a self-imposed rule. Since I'll never
stop finding cool radios I "need", and since I now have a lovely wife
(and smaller home), something has to leave if something comes in. One
for one is acceptable, but so far I'm running three or four to one for
things going out vs. coming in. That's a good thing. And with my wife
heading back to classes this fall to finish up her doctorate in
education, any extra money from radio sales will be put to good use.

Once you take the plunge and realize "I can always get another one of
these later if I really decide I want it", things get so much simpler.
After culling the herd, I have 4-5 thousand tubes to go through and a
parts collection to thin. Same thing goes for them: if it's something
I can easily replace later (assuming I end up needing it), it goes.

Time for radio gets shorter every day it seems, as life gets busier.
So far I haven't missed a thing I've gotten rid of. The new goal of
enjoying what I keep and having time for the projects goes hand in
hand with culling the spares and building replacements for the special
sets that stay. I'm much more focused now and enjoy my radio time much
more as a result.

If you still can't make the first step, decide to move 800 miles. I
guarantee it will really highlight just how attached you are to some
of this stuff.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4