While I would not pay that much for one of his modified DX-394's
because I can do the mods myself, hundreds of others have. His price is
not unreasonable when you consider that the typical selling price for
unmodified ones is around $150. The replacement filter from Kiwa would
cost you $30 delivered (I'm sure he bought up stock in quantity at a
fraction of that price) and the other parts maybe $10 or so delivered.
Then factor in a couple of hours time at, say, $30-$50 an hour and
you're into the 250-300 range total. That's still well below the
original selling price.
Sure, if you can afford it, spend more on a better radio. Last I
looked, a new R8B was well over $1k. The used DX-394 at $150-$250 still
occupies a sweet spot for tabletop general communication receivers, in
significant quantity and with little competition.
73, Tom
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