[R-390] Recent findings on shipping big radios...

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

Greetings to all -

Just thought I'd update you on the heavy rig (AR-88)I had shipped from
Colorado last week, which arrived Tuesday. I did end up using a packing
company(PostNet)and it seems to have worked out okay. Here are some
items to note:

- First, I did ask about something comparable to Foam in Place or
whatever UPS calls it. This particular place has something called
"Insta-foam Pak" or such which is apparently heat-activated and works
much like the foam in place, but is more limited by the bags the stuff
is in. If you've received something with the large pieces of foam in
gray plastic bent in odd shapes, it's likely the same stuff. If used
properly and in concert with a double-walled box(inside another box), it
should insure the item arrives okay. Of course, it all depends on how
competent the packer is.

- Next, after the item was placed in box #1 with the insta-pak stuff, it
was then placed in an even larger, double-walled box. In this box they
only used packing peanuts, though. I think packing peanuts are great for
filling voids and adding additional protection to already packed items,
but they are *definitely* not made for anything heavy. Fortunately, the
rugged box and inner, well-packed box took up the slack. At 108 lb., it
arrived in pretty good shape overall via UPS. Two holes in the outer
box, one directly through a 'FRAGILE' sticker, adding yet more
confirmation to my theory that these stickers are merely seen as bulls
eyes to those who have to wrestle such a heavy item.

- Lastly, a few more items worth noting: Although the boxes were good,
heavy boxes, they were not new but re-used, which surprised me since the
fellow I spoke with priced them out like they were new($6-$10 ea.).
Next, the radio received very slight damage to a cabinet corner, but it
was not at all due to the packing - rather the seller's failure to
properly tighten the screws holding the receiver into its cabinet. This
allowed it to shift during a sudden deceleration and popped one corner
out about 1/4", easy fix and easy to see that it was caused internally
and not externally. Finally, the most important part - cost. The insta-
pak stuff was more expensive, and in addition to the charges for packing
they usually charge an additional 20% on the shipping cost itself
(which, as Barry #1 mentioned, is rather low since they get a discounted
rate over what we'd get for shipping one item). Fortunately I was able
to haggle a bit with the owner and got about $50 knocked off the final
cost before shipping, so of course I won't complain about used boxes or
the peanuts. He did want feedback on how it arrived, so I advise him to
never use peanuts for shipping anything heavy. Total shipping costs of
$131 and change. Much cheaper than driving there from Vermont to pick it
up.

 The point of all this is that it doesn't hurt to inquire a bit with
some of these places to see just what services they offer. I'll never
use the Mailbox place because of the attitudes I've run into as well as
the crappy packing and horror stories from others. PostNet, at least
this franchise owner, was very cooperative and willing to work with me
to insure my satisfaction beforehand as well as more business for him.
I'd never apply this experience across the board, it's only intended as
a possible alternative when you can't get the best. Just use your
noggin, don't assume by their name that they know how to use theirs. The
more you can learn from any shipper, the better off you'll be and the
more likely you'll receive items intact.

 The best part of all this was discovering that this AR-88 is actually
the elusive SC-88 built for the Signal Corp, with manual. Not sure how I
missed it before, but I did. This one is #18, and aside from a factory
crystal mod, the only other change appears to be the addition of a small
S-meter, which I'll replace with a larger model from my AR-88LF for now.
Even this has a good side though, because the S-meter is none other than
an R-390 meter! Now my R-390A project will be winking instead of totally
eye-less.

 I'd better move things around in the house now, so it doesn't tip
over...

73 de Todd/'Boomer'   KA1KAQ