Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know next to nothing about
this topic, however, the radio is not for me. It's for my dad. He was very
active in radios from around WWII thru the 50s. His job and family came
first though, so I guess he had to let some of his hobbies go. Since he's
retired and doesn't get around as well as he used to, he's thinking about
getting back into radio.

I think he got "sticker shock" when he looked at a trade magazine
recently. I tried to tell him we aren't in the 50s anymore and he said "Yea,
but dam they're high."

My question is: How much should an 80 meter radio w/antenna sell for?
We're not talking top of the line here, but quality and reliability are
important (as is cost).

Any information, links, suggestions, opinions, etc. will be most
welcome. Thank You in advance. TC.

As you said, it isn't the fifties anymore. No one sells rigs just for a
single HF band, unless they are oddball, low power rigs without enough power
to be useful.

Icom makes a low end rig, the IC-718, that offers 100 watts output that
performs reliably and is very useable. Yaesu and Kenwood probably offer rigs
in the same performance class at similar prices.

Today's currency (USD) is worth ten times less than the same currency in the
fifties. Multiply old prices by ten to see what they would cost today. You
will find that you are getting much more radio capability and reliability
for your dollar today than you ever could have dreamed of in the fifties.

Ed, NM2K


"Jay" wrote in message
. ..
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know next to nothing about
this topic, however, the radio is not for me. It's for my dad. He was very
active in radios from around WWII thru the 50s. His job and family came
first though, so I guess he had to let some of his hobbies go. Since he's
retired and doesn't get around as well as he used to, he's thinking about
getting back into radio.

I think he got "sticker shock" when he looked at a trade magazine
recently. I tried to tell him we aren't in the 50s anymore and he said
"Yea, but dam they're high."

My question is: How much should an 80 meter radio w/antenna sell for?
We're not talking top of the line here, but quality and reliability are
important (as is cost).

Any information, links, suggestions, opinions, etc. will be most
welcome. Thank You in advance. TC.

I'm somewhat of a novice myself but check out the following link for
receivers...

http://www.amfone.net/ECSound/JNRECS.html

I found it helpful.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know next to nothing about
this topic, however, the radio is not for me. It's for my dad. He was very
active in radios from around WWII thru the 50s. His job and family came
first though, so I guess he had to let some of his hobbies go. Since he's
retired and doesn't get around as well as he used to, he's thinking about
getting back into radio.

I think he got "sticker shock" when he looked at a trade magazine
recently. I tried to tell him we aren't in the 50s anymore and he said "Yea,
but dam they're high."

Based on articles, I've seen, the prices for a typical HF rig these
days isn't all that much different from the prices for rigs back in
the 1950s, once you adjust for inflation.

My question is: How much should an 80 meter radio w/antenna sell for?

The cost for a usable antenna should be very modest, if your dad has
room to put up a simple wire dipole in the back yard. You can make a
serviceable antenna using wire and insulators available from any
decent hardware or homebuilding store. $25-$50 in materials ought to
do it, if everything is bought new, and the cost can be brought down
to next to nothing if you have leftover wire from another project
and/or are good at scrounging.

As for a radio... $750 would get an FT-857D compact (HF/VHF/UHF
all-mode). $870 would get the FT-897D - essentially the same radio in
a larger, base-type package. Other 100-watt HF rigs seem to start in
the same basic price range... around $1000 is a common price point.

CW-only or lower-power radios are somewhat less. If by "80 meters"
you literally mean the CW end of the band only - if your dad isn't a
phone guy - then something like this might do? If he wants sideband
and/or AM as well, then a full-function radio would probably be called
for. The least-expensive new 75-meter LSB-only transceiver I know of
at the moment is the MFJ-9475X, at $270, and it might not have the
power or reliability that your dad would want.

We're not talking top of the line here, but quality and reliability are
important (as is cost).

In your place (and his) I'd seriously consider going with a used
radio. They're not hard to come by, as active hams upgrade to newer
radios and as old radios become available through silent-key sales and
auctions.

Hooking up with a local ham-club would probably be a good idea.
Putting the word out at a meeting or two that he's looking for a
serviceable-but-not-fancy HF rig might very well turn up a few that
people have sitting on their shelves. I'd expect that he'd probably
be able to get something decent (maybe 5-10 years old) for perhaps
half the price of a new radio of similar basic capabilities. Some of
the ham-radio dealers have used equipment for sale (either radios they
have accepted for tradein, or as consignment sales).

Local ham-radio fleamarkets, auctions on eBay, and online swapmeet
sales on QRZ.COM are all possibilities. One has to be careful,
though, to make sure that one is being sold a radio which actually
works properly and hasn't had all of the Magic Blue Smoke escape.
That's one reason I suggest a local (hamclub) acquisition - you'll at
least know where the seller hangs out :-). Test the radio carefully
before buying, or get an iron-clad right-of-return-within-30-days
guarantee.

A few years ago I got somewhat lucky, and managed to buy a Ten-Tec 555
Scout with a bunch of band modules and a power supply for only $300.
This is a 50-watt sideband radio with individual plug-in modules for
the bands - a bit quirky but very usable - it was my HF-mobile radio
for about three years.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know next to nothing about
this topic, however, the radio is not for me. It's for my dad. He was very
active in radios from around WWII thru the 50s. His job and family came
first though, so I guess he had to let some of his hobbies go. Since he's
retired and doesn't get around as well as he used to, he's thinking about
getting back into radio.

I think he got "sticker shock" when he looked at a trade magazine
recently. I tried to tell him we aren't in the 50s anymore and he said
"Yea,
but dam they're high."

Based on articles, I've seen, the prices for a typical HF rig these
days isn't all that much different from the prices for rigs back in
the 1950s, once you adjust for inflation.


If you adjust for inflation, the rigs of today are dirt cheep.

A typical Johnson Viking would be around $ 300 and a receiver would be
around $ 150 to $ 200. That is around $ 450 to $ 500 in 1955. I was not
aroung those years, and don't know what the typical wages were, but they
probably were under $ 1.00 an hour. For around $ 1500 you can get an Icom
746 Pro that will do things only dreamed about in the 50's. I bought one in
March for $ 1400 after the rebate and free shipping with the matching power
supply. The Icom 706 is a lot less than that. There are several lowband
transceivers out now that are about half that . That would only be 4 to 5
times the cost of the 50's station. The wages now are probably 10 times
that or more.

To top it all off most have more money left over now to buy things than they
did in the 50's. I grew up then and many were lucky to have a used car
about 5 or 6 years old. Now lots have atleast two cars and not too many are
that old.

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.

But imagine if you could go back and order 2 or 3 of every Heathkit
from 1955 and stash them away until today. THAT would take care
of the inflation issue in a heartbeat on eBay! An unbuilt AT-1 today
would probably fetch $4000 or more...
--

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
...

"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know next to nothing about
this topic, however, the radio is not for me. It's for my dad. He was
very
active in radios from around WWII thru the 50s. His job and family came
first though, so I guess he had to let some of his hobbies go. Since he's
retired and doesn't get around as well as he used to, he's thinking about
getting back into radio.

I think he got "sticker shock" when he looked at a trade magazine
recently. I tried to tell him we aren't in the 50s anymore and he said
"Yea,
but dam they're high."

Based on articles, I've seen, the prices for a typical HF rig these
days isn't all that much different from the prices for rigs back in
the 1950s, once you adjust for inflation.


If you adjust for inflation, the rigs of today are dirt cheep.

A typical Johnson Viking would be around $ 300 and a receiver would be
around $ 150 to $ 200. That is around $ 450 to $ 500 in 1955. I was not
aroung those years, and don't know what the typical wages were, but they
probably were under $ 1.00 an hour. For around $ 1500 you can get an Icom
746 Pro that will do things only dreamed about in the 50's. I bought one
in March for $ 1400 after the rebate and free shipping with the matching
power supply. The Icom 706 is a lot less than that. There are several
lowband transceivers out now that are about half that . That would only
be 4 to 5 times the cost of the 50's station. The wages now are probably
10 times that or more.

To top it all off most have more money left over now to buy things than
they did in the 50's. I grew up then and many were lucky to have a used
car about 5 or 6 years old. Now lots have atleast two cars and not too
many are that old.

"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.