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Been there done that but it seems I am now doing it again!
9 September 2023 | by
In quest to be frugal and when ham bucks are needed for a purchase I have in the past taken a look around the shack and put up for sale items that I just were not using or felt I would no long need. Way to often I have found this practice has bitten me more than one time. How many of you have sold a piece of equipment to later find you need it!
I have done that with too many items and it can get very frustrating but I do have to understand that in some cases the new piece of gear that was purchased would never had happened if I did not liquidate some gear. Here are some of the items I have sold and turned around to only purchase the same item later on down the line. LG auto tuner, external SWR meter, noise cancelling unit, antenna switch, Asus Xonar U7 external sound card and the list goes on. Actually it goes on to my most recent purchase the K1EL Winusb keyer, yup had one and sold it and now I need it.
How many of you out there have done the same thing? I have now learned my lesson as I am keeping on my self the external SWR meter, antenna switch and Astron power supply just in case I need them. I have become a ham horder.
14 Responses to “Been there done that but it seems I am now doing it again!”
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I’ve never sold used gear;however, I have bought gear that goes unused or underutilized due to my thinking “someday I want to do that.”
My constant curiosity and thinking “I could do that” results in somewhat irrational purchases. Not enough time and/or interest wanes. I have returned to use some stuff that had I gotten rid of it obviously I wouldn’t have the second chance to use it.
My solution? Keep it simple and make the most of whatever I have.
Strangely enough, I was considering selling all my gear and tools etc after a blackout, falling on my face and smashing my hand badly, a Pace maker implant was the result. The hand may take a couple of months to heal and strengthen. Metal splints, screws and pins inserted now.
(A pulse rate of 38 has been the likely cause) At 84 and living in a HOA style living site made me think I may never get to use any of it again except portable perhaps.
You have made me reconsider that decision. Act in haste and regret at leisure?
Hello All I have previously either sold or given away gear that was fully functional that i felt i never were going to use again well i recall selling a FT747 transceiver
only to buy one again for mobile use from then on i became a hoarder.Well that is my experience and make the best from what you have it is not a contest to see who has the most but enjoy what you have.
73’s
MIKE.
I have sold or given away many radio items over 40 years probably given away more than I have sold and always sell my stuff for cheap because of the generosity of old timers that helped me when I first got into ham radio. I also get things that set around and never get used or were used once and it seems I am a hoarder to an extent but ham radio has so many possibilities and there is always something new to try although I am becoming more and more set in my ways and starting to enjoy what I have more each day. I just hope my wife doesn’t sell my stuff when I die for what I told her it cost me and that she turns to one of my friends that I trust for help selling the stuff for what it is truly worth. 73 de KA9CBS
Good morning Phil and thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. What has helped me to not purchase equipment that will gather dust is…looking over the gear I am going to sell to get an item. It gives me time to think and ponder. Having said that I did purchase a Raspberry Pi some time ago and it just sat in the box for years. It wasn’t until this year I dusted it off and used it to install Ham clock.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Good morning Ian and very sorry to read about your fall. I hope you are healing well and yes I can understand your thinking regarding the equipment after the fall happened. Well it is a great idea to hold onto it as when it is gone it is gone. When the weather is good yes doing some portable op’s would be great. I wish you a speedy recovery and thanks for the comment.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Good morning Mike, yes there is a balance knowing what to sell and what not to sell. It like the stock market…when do you buy and when do you sell? As you say the most important part is to enjoy the hobby.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Good morning Charles and very nice to hear from you, I too have sold items for a very good price mainly the reason being I just don’t want to go back and forth over a price. I would rather put it up for a very honest price and sell it. I am not sure if I have hit the hoarder stage yet but I seem to be holding on to more gear than I am selling.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
I was going to sell my Icom 7300 and buy a Yaesu FT-710. The 7300 does not have a peak audio filter. Instead I bought an Auteck Research QF-1a peak filter. What a fine piece of equipment. It makes unreadable cw signals readable. I am very happy with the combination and saved some bucks.
Good morning Joel, thanks for taking the time to read the post and leaving a comment. I looked the QF-qa up on Eham and it has some great reviews (including yours). Great to hear you were able to keep the Icom 7300 very nice radio. I have the 7610 and have been very happy with it.
73 and have a good week.
Mike
VE9KK
I would like to sell my ARRL membership that I signed up for in May and waited 9 weeks for a QST to arrive. However I am told that it is worthless. I have not sold a piece of ham gear in over forty years. I love to collect and repair the older radios. The newest piece in my shack is a Collins KWM380 built in 1979. The 3-500s in my Heath amp have 1975 date codes on them. They are used every day and still run at full output.
Good morning Larry and very nice to hear from you. Don’t know what to say regarding the QST delivery time but I only have the digital editions. I like it as it does arrive in good time. I also like the idea now that your membership gives you access to all their magazines. You sure must have a good collection of radios! It’s great with the older radios that you can get them and repair them. With the modern radios that is a bit more tricky.
Have a good weekend Larry,
73,
Mike
VE9KK
On a slight diversion, I’ve tried to interest ham clubs I belong to in establishing lending libraries of equipment. There are things we need occasionally — high-end antenna analyzers, power line noise detectors, EMT benders, launchers for antennas, maybe even a TDR, etc. — but only for a short period. I think having the ability to borrow these would be helpful, and the club could keep that kind of equipment up to date. Entry-level rigs for new hams should also be included.
I haven’t been able to stir up much interest.
Good afternoon Dave and very nice to hear from you, yes that is a great idea and I guess for some they in the past have allowed others to borrow something of theirs and it was not taken as good care of as they would like. I have known folks to loan out items and they come back broken or not working at all. Those they loaned it to either said nothing or plain olf sorry. As for me Dave regarding my tools I don’t loan them out as they are very pricey and I don’t want to take the chance of it getting broken. The way I look at it is if you have someone loan you something always return it in better condition than when you received it.
Have a good weekend Dave and 73,
Mike
VE9KK