From n0wiq at iglide.net  Tue Oct  5 17:44:28 2004
From: n0wiq at iglide.net (Kerry Miller)
Date: Tue Oct  5 17:49:22 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Weekly Reminder
Message-ID: <416315BC.3040203@iglide.net>

Hi Members,

TECH NET!

A reminder, the 145.115 TECH NET is held Tuesday evening 07:00 PM.
Hosted by N0WIQ Kerry all amateur radio operators (with 2M privileges) 
are welcome.  It is an open forum net Questions, Answers and Topics of 
interest.

73
-- 
Kerry
My web site URL is:
http://users.iglide.net/n0wiq

From n0wiq at iglide.net  Sun Oct 10 22:34:52 2004
From: n0wiq at iglide.net (Kerry Miller)
Date: Sun Oct 10 22:40:41 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Weekly reminder
Message-ID: <4169F14C.3080009@iglide.net>

Dear Members,

TECH NET!

A reminder, the 145.115 TECH NET is held Tuesday evening 07:00 PM.
Hosted by N0WIQ Kerry all amateur radio operators (with 2M privileges) 
are welcome.  It is an open forum net Questions, Answers and Topics of 
interest.

See you there.
-- 
Kerry
My web site URL is:
http://users.iglide.net/n0wiq

From rstrieby at colomail.com  Wed Oct 13 22:44:02 2004
From: rstrieby at colomail.com (Rob Strieby, W0HDD)
Date: Wed Oct 13 22:53:30 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Antenna Help
Message-ID: <001201c4b197$aa4ae6b0$7300a8c0@pcie>

Folks:

 

Phyllis Joleske (I hope I have that right) has asked for help removing her
Wilson SY33 tri-band yagi from the top of a 30' phone pole.  She is moving
and the antenna must come down.  She is hoping to receive some value for the
antenna, but she is open to offers.  The phone pole has climbing pegs and is
fixed to her house.

 

If you are interested in the antenna or just willing to help uninstall the
antenna, please drop her an email.

 

Pjoleske@aol.com 

 

Regards,

Rob, W0HDD

From whatley at frii.com  Wed Oct 20 23:00:44 2004
From: whatley at frii.com (Bill & Suzie Whatley)
Date: Wed Oct 20 23:01:30 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Swapmeet thoughts
Message-ID: <002201c4b71a$28d66b30$d9d2e104@c1830353a>

Some thoughts regarding Ham Radio Swapmeets and Auctions:



There has been a noticeable decline in the attendance of vendors (both commercial and individual) as well as buyers at ham radio swapmeets over the last five to ten years. Some people attribute this to the existence of the Internet with the on-line swaplistings and auctions that are available through that medium. Others believe that the economy over the recent years has caused the decline. The above reasons as well as numerous other factors can be included in the list of causes for this trend.

Also noticeable at swapmeets is the unusually high prices being placed on items by some vendors. This can happen if the seller or buyer is relatively new to the hobby and not technically knowledgeable or does not have an Elmer to offer advice. Unfortunately, it can also happen when the seller comes to the swapmeet for the wrong reasons.

It often happens with older equipment when the vendor wants to sell the equipment as an antique or collectable item at a swapmeet. The problem with this is that most buyers are ham radio operators, not true antique collectors. As such, they are not aware of the basics of antique collection and preservation. (Preservation is not to be confused with restoration, which often lowers the value of real antiques when not done correctly.)

There is a group of radio collectors who acquire the antique AM, FM and SW radios. These are usually the ones in the fancy wooden cabinets that were built in the early half of the 20th century. The members of that group seem to have a much better grasp of the concepts involved with the collection and preservation of antiques. 

A part of this ham radio problem lies with the sellers who do not seem to recognize the difference between a swapmeet and an auction. The two events have distinctly different purposes.

An auction is a public sale in which prospective purchasers bid on goods or property until the highest price is reached. The auction is intended to maximize the "achieved sales price" for the seller.

A swapmeet is a more social gathering for the sale or barter of (usually secondhand) goods or property. At a swapmeet, the seller usually labels the items with a price that they would like to achieve. Quite often they are willing to accept less or swap the item for something else that another individual has brought to the event.

The other part of this problem lies with the buyers who do not know that the value of this older equipment should be considerably lower when buying it for station use rather than as an antique or collectable item. After a buyer has paid the higher price for the item, they will have a difficult time recovering their investment at some later date unless they resort to an auction rather than a swapmeet. (Or they could take it to another swapmeet and hope to encounter someone that is ignorant of the value, as they were when they bought it.)

The reason for selling any item should weigh significantly in the decision to sell it at an auction or a swapmeet. If the intent is to achieve the best sales price, then the item should go to an auction, not a swapmeet.

Many times, a seller who brings items to a swapmeet and labels them at prices that have been obtained for similar items at an auction is often going to have an unhappy experience and end up taking the items back home.

On the other hand, a seller who comes to a swapmeet and labels items at prices that informed buyers would expect to find at swapmeets will have a more enjoyable experience, especially if they are willing to barter to reach an agreement with a buyer.

Both sellers and buyers who come to swapmeets should make sure they have done their research.  They should both know what they have or are looking for technically and be aware of the "swapmeet" value of the items.

In the next posting, I will attempt to identify some basic things to consider if you want to have an enjoyable experience as a buyer or seller at a swapmeet.

73 to all,

WA5VRL

Willis

 
From n0wiq at comcast.net  Thu Oct 21 07:43:24 2004
From: n0wiq at comcast.net (Kerry Miller)
Date: Thu Oct 21 07:40:26 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Testing
Message-ID: <1098359004.4190.32.camel@kerry1.n0wiq>

Hi Group,

I have been trying to let people know that I have changed my e-mail
address.  And I have been trying to get my new e-mail address to be
accepted by the NCARC reflector.

73
-- 
Kerry

My web site URL is:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/n0wiq



From w0rcy at comcast.net  Sat Oct 23 11:42:43 2004
From: w0rcy at comcast.net (Rick Huebner)
Date: Sat Oct 23 11:46:12 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Some thoughts on swapfests...
Message-ID: <417A7BF3.4090301@comcast.net>

This is from Randy, W0AVV, but didn't go through, so here it is:


Willis,

In Re swapfests, there are a multitude of problems. One I see is being 
fested to death. There are on average at least 1 swapfests per month, 
during much of the year in the Front Range. Couple that with the advent 
of electronic listing boards and auctions such as EBAY, coupled with 
poor understandings by both sellers and buyers of festeeze.

Many people come to the fest thinking people will pay higher than retail 
for things they have used for years. Conversely, some come to the fest 
thinking people have brought their stuff to give away. I agree with you 
that meeting at some place in the middle is ideal, but some basic 
misconceptions exist. If people want to get the highest dollar, perhaps 
they should consider EBAY or some listing service, such as QRZ. If 
people expect to get stuff for .10 a pound, then perhaps they should 
check out the local scrap yard the weeks after a fest.  I have done that 
at Colorado Metals on HWY 14 in Ft Collins and been successful (just by 
chance).

Realistically if you are going to a fest the art of give and take is 
imperative if the event known as Swapfests are to continue. Offers and 
counter offers are a time tested tradition. It does however require two 
participants who understand the tradition also known as haggling. Too 
much you say?  What have you got of comparable value you might be 
willing to trade? Did you ask about that? Very few do! Think of it as 
having the Monte Hall mentality and make the deal. You might be 
surprised how fun it can be for both buyer and seller.

If you don?t know what something is worth, or what would be fair, there 
are plenty of folks who have been around for years. If they have been 
successful at festing over the years, they are probably a good resource 
to help you price or to start a negotiation

You will find that commercial vendors are less willing to barter or 
negotiate. Remember one thing, even in a retail establishment, 
everything is negotiable. Find the manager or owner and better deals are 
possible, but you must ask. Sometimes you have to be able to make your 
case as to why it should be less money. Such as, it?s a last item on a 
close out, a return item without all of the accessories, scratches or 
dents, damage that is visible, a trade in that has not been checked out 
or cleaned up,. The list goes on. It works at fests too.

Having realistic expectations at swapfests are very high on the priority 
list, both seller and buyer. We all need to wise up or soon these social 
events will become a thing of the past and many will be left asking what 
happened?

Just my ideas on festing. Thanks for the bandwidth Willis,

73,

Randy




From whatley at frii.com  Sun Oct 24 14:55:34 2004
From: whatley at frii.com (Bill & Suzie Whatley)
Date: Sun Oct 24 14:56:41 2004
Subject: [NCARC] More thoughts Re: Swapmeets
Message-ID: <000c01c4b9fb$0b988010$8e15e404@c1830353a>

Some thoughts regarding the enjoyment of Ham Radio Swapmeets:



First, consider getting a table and attending as a seller, not just as a buyer. Unless you just got into ham radio within the last year, you probably have something that you would consider selling or trading for some other ham-related item. The longer you have been in ham radio, the more likely you are to have items that you could sell (and never miss). Each ham must set their personal guidelines regarding what items to sell.

Prime items to consider for sale might include any transmitter, receiver or transceiver that duplicates the power, frequency coverage and modes of operation of your primary or backup station equipment. 

Also included would be any of the above that you have not actually used in the last year or have to step over in order to reach the operating position in your shack.

Other items worthy of consideration would be any accessory equipment (Microphones, Keys, TNCs, Phone Patches, Computers, Antennas, etc.) or test equipment that has not been used in the last three years or more. Also look at surplus feedline, connectors and other parts that could be used for building ham related equipment or accessories. The list of potential items that can be found in many ham shacks is much too long to include in this document.

Remember, you don't win anything by having the most toys (a.k.a. Junk) when you pass away; you just burden you surviving family and friends with having to dispose of it.

Also, "rotating your stock" gives you a chance to learn how to operate (and service) a larger variety of equipment without having to live in a warehouse environment.

If not having enough treasure to fill a swapmeet table causes you (regardless of political affiliation) to "waffle" on attending as a seller, just contact one or two ham friends that have a similar concern and split the cost of a table with them. Teaming up with another seller also offers the advantage of not having to worry about leaving the table periodically throughout the event.

Sellers are not prohibited from being buyers and attending as a seller has numerous advantages, such as the ease of recovering the cost of travel, table and admission as well as the often-overpriced food-like substances available at the event.

It also allows you to get into the event earlier and view the items that other sellers have brought from their treasure chests. Swapmeet ethics used to limit activity to the viewing of these items prior to the opening of the event to the public. There has, however, been a noticeable decline in the number of persons willing to adhere to this out of respect for those who attend the event as buyers only.

Your expectation as a seller should be to make enough to cover your expenses (such as the item mentioned above) and have a good time, nothing more. This is easily done with just a handful of accessory items that are priced to move. When going to a swapmeet as a seller, you should attend the event as a social gathering rather than a moneymaking opportunity. If your primary goal is to make a profit, you will have a more enjoyable experience marketing your items through one of the many on-line auctions available on the Internet.

As a seller, there are techniques that you can use that will enhance your enjoyment and increase your chances of leaving with new treasures or cash rather than the items you brought. One of these is to do your homework and price your items to sell. You should know the actual second-hand value of the items based on its intended use. Stated another way, don't use the sales prices found on an auction site (such as E-bay) to forecast the sales price you should expect to get at a non-auction event such as a swapmeet. Hoping to find a chump in an effort to maximize your achieved sales price can result in your having to take the items back home and may cause you to be labeled as a seller to be avoided at future events.

It is not hard to sell between two thirds and three quarters of the items you bring if you price them reasonably and are willing to barter. Learning or knowing how to barter as a seller or buyer should be part of the enjoyment of the event, not an obstacle to be overcome.

If you need to achieve a specific sales figure in order to buy a rather expensive item that you want, you should consider bringing numerous "mid and low dollar" items and selling them at reasonable prices. I have walked out of one swapmeet with a brand new dual band VHF/UHF mobile and another swapmeet with a brand new HF rig purchased with funds that I received from selling numerous items covering two entire tables, none of which sold for more than 20 or 30 dollars.

This works because most attendees arrive with limited funds and are "bargain" hunting. Only a limited number of buyers come to these events with funds to buy "high dollar" items, which reduces the seller's chances of marketing such equipment. Do not avoid bringing high dollar items to a swapmeet because of this, just realize that the target buying population is smaller and your other less expensive items will probably sell quicker.

I have even seen a seller who labeled each of his items with the decreasing price for each hour of the event. He was most certainly a "motivated" seller. I later saw him strolling around with a large wad of cash, socializing and looking for other items to buy as his table was sold out by over an hour before the noon drawing. Although having an enjoyable experience is defined by each person's expectations, he stated that he had accomplished that for himself at that event.

In the next posting, I will attempt to identify some basic things to consider if you want to have an enjoyable experience as a buyer at a swapmeet.

73 to all,

WA5VRL

Willis


From n0wiq at comcast.net  Mon Oct 25 22:05:16 2004
From: n0wiq at comcast.net (Kerry Miller)
Date: Mon Oct 25 22:03:08 2004
Subject: [NCARC] Tech NET
Message-ID: <1098756316.5761.3.camel@kerry1.n0wiq>

Hi Folks,

It is time for the Tech NET again.

A reminder, the 145.115 TECH NET is held Tuesday evening 07:00 PM.
Hosted by N0WIQ Kerry all amateur radio operators (with 2M privileges)
are welcome.  It is an open forum net Questions, Answers and Topics of
interest.

73

Kerry

