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Wanted to start a thread on this topic - going to hamfests and saving military-issue communications equipment and accessories. I'll admit, I am an unapologetic pack-rat when it comes to well-made radio gear, and when it comes to quality, nothing beats the ruggedness of mil gear. I often don't need all I get, but I feel the urge to save as much as I can from these venues for a couple reasons.
First, for decades the ham radio guys have saved all sorts of older gear for their own projects. A lot of the mil gear has been hacked up and made into custom projects for the ham folks, using military equipment and it's ruggedness but altering it for ham radio band use. Most military radios are meant for frequencies that are not really the same spread as those that the FCC has delegated for the civilian sector, so hams have swapped parts, scavenged and modded to the point that a lot of really good mil equipment is either no longer available or available only in a modded state.
Second, many hams don't realize there are folks like us that save military vehicles and related surplus equipment, to use for their stated purpose (i.e. installed in the correct configuration as originally intended). So, hams sell mil gear for generally good prices, since to them it's just electronics and they are not emotionally connected to the original purpose of the gear. Not all military stuff is cheap, however, it depends on whether or not it has a collectable following - for example, a 1950-1960s era T-368 transmitter that 25 years ago was scrap metal price, today is fetching $1,000 to $1,500. But this is not always the case.
Third, with the ever-advancing of electronics, things keep getting smaller and lighter. Mil gear is heavy and bulky, and over-engineered for most ham radio purposes nowadays. As hams get more into the newer gear, the old gear just takes up space and they are happy to sell it for a couple bucks to put toward newer stuff.
So - add this all up and I've been to three hamfests this year so far, and it's only Feb. 2nd. I plan on hitting a bunch of them to find the gear we all love, and can use in our own vehicle installations and collections. A lot of what I save is for my own purposes, but if the price is right (and it often is) I'll save it to trade/sell to other military hobbyists that are looking for the "good stuff".
Have you been having good luck saving military commo gear at hamfests? What have you managed to snag in your travels?
Went to the Richmond VA "Frostfest" yesterday and here's my haul of just the military stuff. Includes manuals, phono plugs, a WWII tuning unit, cables, 3 heavy storage boxes that were original for military repair sets, a VSC-3 teletype control box, pile of vacuum tubes, a PRC-77 antenna for repair, ARC-5 radio parts unit, a bunch of modules for the VRC-19, an H-156 handset, and some other odds and ends. Everything you see on the table was $69 total.
Couple other things I saw there: Collins-made R-392 vehicular receiver (part of AN/GRC-19 set), with LS-116 speaker and separate power supply for $350 working. Also a Collins-made R-390A receiver, restored in it's correct CY-979A cabinet, for $750. Those were both steals, but quite a bit more than I had in my wallet. Maybe next time....
First, for decades the ham radio guys have saved all sorts of older gear for their own projects. A lot of the mil gear has been hacked up and made into custom projects for the ham folks, using military equipment and it's ruggedness but altering it for ham radio band use. Most military radios are meant for frequencies that are not really the same spread as those that the FCC has delegated for the civilian sector, so hams have swapped parts, scavenged and modded to the point that a lot of really good mil equipment is either no longer available or available only in a modded state.
Second, many hams don't realize there are folks like us that save military vehicles and related surplus equipment, to use for their stated purpose (i.e. installed in the correct configuration as originally intended). So, hams sell mil gear for generally good prices, since to them it's just electronics and they are not emotionally connected to the original purpose of the gear. Not all military stuff is cheap, however, it depends on whether or not it has a collectable following - for example, a 1950-1960s era T-368 transmitter that 25 years ago was scrap metal price, today is fetching $1,000 to $1,500. But this is not always the case.
Third, with the ever-advancing of electronics, things keep getting smaller and lighter. Mil gear is heavy and bulky, and over-engineered for most ham radio purposes nowadays. As hams get more into the newer gear, the old gear just takes up space and they are happy to sell it for a couple bucks to put toward newer stuff.
So - add this all up and I've been to three hamfests this year so far, and it's only Feb. 2nd. I plan on hitting a bunch of them to find the gear we all love, and can use in our own vehicle installations and collections. A lot of what I save is for my own purposes, but if the price is right (and it often is) I'll save it to trade/sell to other military hobbyists that are looking for the "good stuff".
Have you been having good luck saving military commo gear at hamfests? What have you managed to snag in your travels?
Went to the Richmond VA "Frostfest" yesterday and here's my haul of just the military stuff. Includes manuals, phono plugs, a WWII tuning unit, cables, 3 heavy storage boxes that were original for military repair sets, a VSC-3 teletype control box, pile of vacuum tubes, a PRC-77 antenna for repair, ARC-5 radio parts unit, a bunch of modules for the VRC-19, an H-156 handset, and some other odds and ends. Everything you see on the table was $69 total.
Couple other things I saw there: Collins-made R-392 vehicular receiver (part of AN/GRC-19 set), with LS-116 speaker and separate power supply for $350 working. Also a Collins-made R-390A receiver, restored in it's correct CY-979A cabinet, for $750. Those were both steals, but quite a bit more than I had in my wallet. Maybe next time....
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