[SixClub] RE: What to do with it when we are gone

[K8RI on 50MHz]

This topic was also discussed on the Hallicrafters Group to great length
about a year back.  It too formed a rather long thread. There they were
dealing with older equipment where the problem was even worse and most
people figured it was junk and to many it was. Only to those who wanted it,
or knew how and where to dispose of the old equipment was it worth money.

One estate left a lot of valuable equipment to a museum.  There were quite a
few SX-115 receivers included which sell for astronomical figures now days.
I've seen them go for over $3,000 on e-bay.  One day, one club member was
driving by and discovered museum personnel throwing them into a dumpster.

As most of our (my wife is a ham as well - General Class) equipment is
insured, we have lists that include the replacement value for most of the
equipment. Of course replacement value has little relation to what the stuff
would sell for.   OTOH I do have a number of HT32s, SX101s, and an HT-33B in 
various
stages of restoration on which I've never put a value.  Even restored and
operational about the best bet would be to just put them up on e-bay and
hope for the best.  They'd probably bring more than the rest of my station.

The tower and antennas are only listed at replacement value plus labor. 
(small fortune which is why I put the thing up entirely by hand)
Taking them down and selling would be something entirely different and I'd
trust the local ham club to over see that.

As to that tower and antennas, we'd like to move to a warmer climate.
Although the tower is only 100 feet of 45G plus the arrays it'd cost a small
fortune to hire it dismantled, moved and reinstalled.  It'd take a crane 
with at least a 150' reach as it'd have to work reaching over the garage to 
a height of nealy 135 feet. The top of the array is 130' and the mast 
extends nearly 20 feet into the tower. That means a crane operator and a 
trained crew of at least two climbers.

For my estate to handle it, although the radio club could over see the
project it would require a professional crew due to the liability. I'd put
the cost of removing the tower and guys at roughly $3,000 to $4,000. (If
nothing went wrong).  The re-landscaping would probably be extra.

Some years back WD8RXP built one huge self supporting tower in his back
yard.(Ithaca MI)  The top half of the tower rotated with stacked beams on
20, 15, and 10 along with a single 40 meter beam. On top were 144 and 440
arrays.  The rotor, mounted at 100 feet, weighed one ton. It doesn't seem
long, but I just realized that was almost 20 years ago. I think he did start
the construction over 20 years ago.  There is a photo of the partially
completed tower on the cover of the January 1987 QST with the story and
photos of the completed system inside. ("The Mid Michigan Skyhook").  John's
brother-in-law, Ken WD8RZE was working about 120 feet above me when I shot
the photo right up through the center of the tower.

John passed away a few years back and the tower was actually listed on
e-bay.  Not a single offer.  Well, it was huge.  They finally ended up with
the local power company taking it down for the material.  The antennas went
to the local radio club as I recall.  As much money and work as John had put
in the tower about the only way they could have sold it would have been to
sell the whole place to a ham who really wanted it.  He used *three*
semi-truck loads of structural steel in the construction.  In the end
though, it was such a massive structure no one could afford to take it down
that would have wanted it.

In the end as far as equipment if you can find a ham or club you trust and
they are willing to take on the work, have them dispose of the equipment on
e-bay, particularly if it's old equipment.  If you have a particular piece
of equipment you want to go to some one or a club, make sure to have it in
writing.

Roger Halstead (K8RI, EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
N833R, World's Oldest Debonair (S# CD-2)