"None" wrote in message
. ..

For very accurate calculations of inflation, go he

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

What cost $300 in 1955 would cost $2173 in 2006 (the calculator
is based on the last completed year).

So a radio that costs $1400 today would have cost $193 in 1955
That Heathkit AT-1 transmitter that sold for $29.50 would cost $213
today - which actually sounds just about right to me - I would pay
that for an AT-1 'modern' kit were it available.

So all in all, things haven't changed all that much really in price terms.
But performance? Not even on the table - things we can do today in
a tiny space were not even science fiction in 1955, much less on the
radio store shelf.



Thanks for the inflation calculator. I was just guessing on the wages in
the middle 50's.

That shows I was in the ballpark. Now about the least expensive transceiver
is an Icom at $ 550. Add about $ 150 for a power supply and you have $ 700
in a rig that would probalby out do the Collins rigs of the 50's that could
cost from $ 1200 to almost $ 2000. The Icom 7800 at $ 10,000 would maybe
equal the best Collins in terms of the adjusted inflation. As you said that
rig would almost be science fiction in the 50's.

As far as the AT-1 , I was given one that was in a bad state of repair about
15 years ago. Didn't do anything with it, but about 5 years later I gave it
to a friend that wanted one to restore. He did a very good job of it, even
had the chassie replated. Hard to tell what e-bay would get for an unbuilt
kit. If it is like some of the others, I could retire and lead a good life
if I had a couple of each of the unbuilt Heathkits. Around 1973 I did put
together some of their low end test equipment. Still have the VTVM. In the
80's I bought a SB-101 from a ham that had put it together in the late 60's.
For what it was, it was a very nice rig. Wish I had that one back.