[Milsurplus] Re :How Fair Radio Live Auction Went

[David Stinson]

Thank you for posting this, Jeff.
Wish I could have gone.
I hate to think of the truly rare pieces now
in the scrap crusher.

On 9/1/2024 3:39 PM, Jeff Kruth via Milsurplus wrote:
> About the Fair Radio Auction:  I have read some of the posts regarding 
> this and they paint a very different picture of what I witnessed. I 
> know Phil personally and went to see the auction after he asked me. I 
> did not feel like staying over, but I wanted to see Phil, so I only 
> watched the first day. It was the same weekend as the Huntsville.AL 
> hamfest, which is a big deal around here ("Dayton of the South"), so 
> lots of people made a choice to be there instead. Phil told me he did 
> not realize this and would have changed the date. Kept a lot of people 
> away. I purposely did NOT take my truck and trailer. I was bidder 
> number 6. I watched the lots sell for FAR less that Phil would have 
> sold each item for 2 months previously. He was DONE with it. Time to 
> go!  The auctioneers were very nice people (Mennonites?), knew their 
> business, if not the stuff, and I saw a lot of guys I knew, and some 
> that knew only me. Baranowsky from Eastern PA (Tobyhanna area) is a 
> guy I have known for 35 years from hamfests and he was one of the 
> so-called scrappers there. He bought over 50 lots from just the first 
> outdoor building, where they started! He bought way more than he set 
> out to because it was cheap.  He actually sells equipment but does 
> scrap too. All surplus guys do, I did. You can buy from him, he is ham 
> friendly.  And there was a group of real junk men there for metal, 
> cant really buy from them. I made some purchases from people after 
> they bought a big lot of whatever. I took some pics and may get them 
> uploaded. What surprised me was a lot of Collins stuff like 618T 
> radios, 32 on a pallet, went for 300.00. Thats about 9.00 each. I have 
> projects till I die so I restrained myself.  The mil version, ARC-102, 
> same kinda money. I pulled one item (5J32 jammer maggie) out of a lot 
> and bought it for $2, so the auctioneer would sell one if you want 
> it!  And the big boys didnt care! There was plenty to go around. For 
> those of you who didnt go, dont beef now, you had your chance, once in 
> a lifetime! Stuff was CHEAP, which is why I didnt bring my truck, I am 
> pretty much done with bulk collecting. I saw a lot of the Microdyne, 
> Watkins Johnson, CEI, and NSA stuff that I had sold to Phil go super 
> cheap, not many who know what it is. Big lots of radios- $40. These 
> were what was left from the big trailer loads I had taken him, I got 
> pics of a lot of my stuff that was left.
> Stuff that I was looking at, like big wooden boxes full of variable 
> capacitors, all types, 20-50 bucks for literally hundreds of parts! 
> About ten lots like that (1000'sof caps). I considered them for 
> hamfests, but knew I wouldnt live long enough to sell them all (I LIKE 
> going to hamfests).
> It was probably traumatic for Phil, I have seen these kind of things 
> before, owners selling off their surplus business (Saw a few in 
> Baltimore, anyone remember CADISCO?) but he also kinda of looked like 
> a weight was being lifted off him, he was right there with the 
> auctioneer telling what things were. I wish him the best, he did what 
> he could to get it out there. The place inside was CLEAN! Kim, his 
> secretary of 35 years and Girl Friday, cleaned all the aisles! WHAT A 
> JOB! She did great. When I was there end of June, it was still clogged 
> up!  Bill Perry, the connector guy, wasnt there, he was at Huntsville. 
> HE would have bought a ton of stuff as well. Lots of things caught my 
> eye: whole big triwall of antenna masts, $10.00 for all! Skid of 
> BC-375 tuning units, 44 ea, some looked like new, $75.00, IIRC.
> This is a much preferable ending than the one that occurred to Radio 
> Research Labs in Danbury, Conn, where the dude held on till he got 
> dementia, ended up in a home. The kids sold all the inventory for 
> scrap metal to the chinese, so they could get the land cleared for a 
> big Real Estate sale! Talk a a crime concerning the inventory! Wow.
> The end of an era, boys!  I could go on, but thats enough for now! 
> When I dig out my notes I may send an update. 73, Jeff Kruth
>
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