[Milsurplus] "Oldtimer bitching"? Or Timely Warning? What to do now?

[Mike Feher]

I have to agree with Jeff. I have been accumulating for over 55 years and
everything I bought, with very few exceptions, I bought for myself, for my
enjoyment. I bought them to learn from, modify, re-build, restore, or add to
my collection. Just in that alone I got my money out of them. While I would
prefer my kids to get the maximum out of all my stuff for themselves, I have
discussed this with them numerous times, and after I am gone it is their
decision. The one thing I will never do is donate anything to a museum. I
have seen too often what happens with museums. . 73 - Mike 

 

Mike B. Feher, N4FS

89 Arnold Blvd.

Howell, NJ, 07731

732-886-5960 

 

From: Milsurplus [mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
Jeff Kruth via Milsurplus
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2016 8:39 PM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] "Oldtimer bitching"? Or Timely Warning? What to do
now?

 

Hello All!

 

I guess I have taken a different tack with all this: My wife worries about
what she will do with all my stuff when I kick off. I say sell it for what
you can or give it away or throw it out, because I wont care at that point.
This is what I like to do and my widgets make me happy. So what if I cant
get the last nickel out of something? 

I have been going to hamfests and selling stuff since 1972, (mostly
buying...). These days, when I see a kid there I try to engage him or her
and end up giving them something. Recently, at Milford OH H/F, gave a kid a
20 MHz dual channel Gould DSO that worked. No one needed it, no one asked
about it, but you should have seen his eyes bug out. I asked him if he knew
what a scope was, he said he did, I then asked did he have one, no he didnt,
so I told him what this one was, and god bless him, he said "How much do you
want for it?" I looked at him and said "Because you are tinkering with this
stuff, and that is a good thing, you can have it, its free!"  That felt
better than any other alternative, and, while money is nice, its not
everything (unless you dont have any)! Plus he and his (apparently single)
mom didn't look particularly flush, so all the better.

 

I like the idea of giving stuff to kids, have been doing it at the college
for years, now have expanded it to H/Fs.

 

My first "real" radio was an ARC-5, BC 455 receiver. I was in a park and a
guy saw me tinkering with a 2 tube super-regen I built from a Pop Elec
article (like 1968), wire over a tree limb, and he said "What are you
doing?".  When I told him, he said "Follow me" and he and his son (my age or
so) walked a few blocks to his house and they went into the garage and
brought out the ARC-5 set, which he gave me and told me how to make it work.
It did and I fell in love. I still have it....

 

Now, I think all of us can do a better job of just what that guy did for me,
pass it on. Wont work with everything, and you may have to work a bit to get
them to put their phone down. Even if there are no takers that what scrap
yards are for (recycle, dont fill up the dump!).

 

I have thought of museums, etc., even wanted to start one for surveillance
gear at one point. Used to work with the NEM at BWI airport, the old HEM we
started at Westinghouse in the mid '80's. Used to give them lots of stuff,
most of which they do not have anymore, as I recently checked the back room.
They sell a lot of their donations. I would rather give to someone who would
treasure it.

 

YMMV, but my 2 cents worth. Best regards to all.

73

 

Jeff Kruth

WA3ZKR

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/milsurplus/attachments/20160725/abfa4254/attachment-0001.html>