[Milsurplus] Maybe the Good Old Days Weren't

[George Babits]

Well, that's all fine and dandy.  The "inflation calculators" really don't 
mean anything.  Those prices represented a lot of money back then, just as 
the "inflation calculated" prices look like a lot now.  Even in the 1970's 
Fair Radio had brand new BC-223 with the TUs and all for less than $50. 
Now,  a brand new 801 is $145 and there were 4 of them in th BC-223.  I 
couldn't afford a BC-779 back then; but a few years later I got one for 
nothing through AF MARS.

George
W7HDL




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Connor via Milsurplus" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
To: "List Milsurplus" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>; "Milsurplus" 
<milsurplus at qth.net>; "Hammarlund Mail List" <hammarlund at mailman.qth.net>; 
"Boatanchors Mail List" <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2016 6:50 PM
Subject: [Milsurplus] Maybe the Good Old Days Weren't


Those of us of a certain age pine for the good ol' days when WWII surplus 
equipment was plentiful and cheap. I was looking through some old issues of 
Radio-TV News and found something that surprised me.
In 1959, Fair Radio was advertising a BC-779 receiver for $69.95 and the 
associated power supply for $14.95. Who among us wouldn't jump at a BC-779 
and power supply for those prices? Yep, those were the good ol' days.
Then I used an inflation calculator: $69.95 in 1959 dollars equals $570.50 
and $14.95 equals $121.93 in today's dollars. In other words, that rig cost 
$692.43 in current dollars. If I saw one at a hamfest next summer for nearly 
$700, I'd walk on by.
See what I mean? Maybe the good ol' days weren't as good as we remember 
them.

Joe Connor



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