Hello Jim and Readers,
Last weekend I attended a Ham radio swap meet near Salem, Oregon. I have attended swaps for over 40 years now, and I am noticing an interesting trend in equipment sales. especially in 1970s and early 1980s ham gear. Kenwood, and Yaesu gear that was very popular during that period of time is becoming very affordable. Most of the Kenwood TS-520, and TS-820 gear is now selling on average for around $150 to $350 price range. likewise, the Yaesu FT-101 and FT-901 series are in the similar price ranges. Most of these older radios work quite well. I still use a TS-520 that works quite well, no problems, and it is very reliable. The only drawback is they are not general coverage radios. Most are ham bands only with the exception of variable frequency oscillator (VFO) overlap.
I did notice several early 1980s radios like the Kenwood TS-430S are selling in the $350 range, and comparable radios from Yaesu, and ICOM are selling in that price range also. Most of these are general coverage radios, that are multi-mode (USB, LSB, AM, CW, FM) and cover from 100 KHz, to 30 MHz. and are modifiable for out of ham band use, like military, MARS, CAP, and other government operations. Radios to watch for are sets with internal antenna tuners. Some of the parts for repair are unavailable.
If your are looking for VHF/UHF radios, they can be had quite cheap. older ICOM IC-2AT handheld two meter radios are quite tough, they are one of the most reliable handhelds made. (That is my opinion–others may say differently. But I have been acquiring this model for several years now to send to Burma for missions work, all that I have ever purchased are still working and “they take a licking and keep on ticking.” Pricing from $15 to about $35 is a good range to look for, Other mobile VHF/UHF radios are also quite cheap no. Of course let the buyer be ware. I have found most hams to be quite honest. They will tell you if what they have does or doesn’t work. And a lot of them will be happy to fire up the equipment in your presence to show you how they work. When buying gear, many people save the original boxes, and manuals. It is always best to obtain an operators manual but they are available on line for a small price. Some service manuals are even sold with older gear, it makes the equipment more saleable.
Be sure if you buy a radio to get one with at least a hand mike, Vintage microphones are kind or pricey the popular D -104 tend to cost more $60 to $120. Telegraphy keys the type I used to buy for 50 cents, or sell for that, now are $25 and more. Older military keys are now “getting like chicken lips” and people who have them won’t let go of them inexpensively. They were cheap when they were plentiful. after WWII until the early 1970s.
Antenna insulators for wire antennas depending on the seller, can be cheap or quite pricey. But gray PVC works very well for antenna insulators. ARRL hand books are always a good deal. The antenna manuals are very useful, I still reach for my older manuals before I go for the very large newer ones, And I must have at least 15 different antenna books.. I had an engineer make a pretty dumb comment once. He said all of the antennas that will ever be made have been invented. That is not true. But if you know the basics or have a basic understanding you too can invent or design something new. So if your looking into getting a ham radio license, or just some decent gear check out some of the ham fests, and ham radio swap meets around the country. Most of us who read Survivalblog understand the importance of communications during stressful times. Ham radio has been the first to communicate in most major disasters. Even when Iraq attacked Kuwait, and The Cubans took over in Grenada it was ham radio operators who were able to communicate with the outside world and summon aid.
Places to look for when there may be an event near you are to check out web sites like ARRL.org, QRZ.COM, eHam.com, QTH.COM or just plug into your search engine “HAM RADIO” , clubs, activities, etc. Another way is to find a copy of QST magazine at a good book store or library, or ask someone you know to be a ham radio operator for information. Most of us like to gab about our hobby, and really enjoy sharing with people who show an interest. If you don’t know any, then check out parking lots for cars with really weird antennas on them with call sign license plates, leave a note or wait for the person to return to their car. Blessings, – Dave of Oregon.