Thrift Store finds

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Sorry if this is a repeated topic, I don't know about the rest of you, but I love going to my local thrift stores to see what radio stuff I can find. Within the past month I found a Bearcat III for $3 and last week I found a MacDonald CE-100 with local crystals already it, power cord, and original antennas for $10. Old, but still very useful for me. This got me to thinking, what are some of the finds(thrift store, yard sale, etc.) that the rest of you have made?
 

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mciupa

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Pro 2002 for $25. :cool:
Originally sold for $499 in the '80's.


BTW, that MacDonald unit in the photo looks immaculate!
 

INDY72

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Lets seee... Salvation Army... Motorola HT1250 for $50.00.... BC350A times 2 $5.00 each. Goodwill,... Galaxy Classic with 100 watt amp, and three antenna rigs for $25.00,..... And at an pawn shop in Charleston SC... Brand New PRO-94 they sold me for $75.00 when it was still $200.00 at Radio Shack! have found all kinds of antenna gear, amps, speakers etc...
 

WTCPT

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Best thing I've found is a little Radio Shack "weather cube" remember those? Put it on a variable power supply or just let the battery get low and the recieve widens out and you get whatever's close. That was a lot of fun and a real spark to my scanner interest.
 

zz0468

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I've done pretty well at flea markets and thrift stores. So far, I've found oscilloscopes, a PRO2020, Kenwood UHF business radio with Astron Power supply, and a Cushman CE-15 Spectrum Monitor, a Motorola Spectra, and a Heathkit GR-88. Oh, yes... 75' of 1/2 Heliax - WITH connectors. =)
 

elk2370bruce

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Found a Hallicrafters SX-99 in a church flea market for ten bucks. Spent a little more and recapped the radio. After a minor alignment, works great.
 

CompuDoc

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Seen a Midland marine transceiver at a garage sale. It did not have a price so I asked the person how much they wanted and they said they started at $25 this morning and now down to $12 so I said let me know when your down to $10 and she said I will take $7 right now so I bought it. Then she asked if I had a boat and I told her no so she asked what are you going to do with it? I told her I will find something to do with it knowing all along I would re-sell it on ebay. Sold for $85. As the saying goes whats one mans junk is another mans treasure.
 

talkpair

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The last crystal scanner I bought was almost a carbon copy of your MacDonald..........It was a Ross model 9000.......It had excellent audio quality.........Had it repaired once when audio went dead on it......After the second time, I got rid of it.
 
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The last crystal scanner I bought was almost a carbon copy of your MacDonald..........It was a Ross model 9000.......It had excellent audio quality.........Had it repaired once when audio went dead on it......After the second time, I got rid of it.
That's what I love about this MacDonald, the audio quality has a nice deep sound to it. Something that my new scanners can't come close to.
 

talkpair

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Something that my new scanners can't come close to.

I agree...most likely because it had a 6" speaker, which made it an excellent mobile radio as well.....especially with no air conditioning !
It was probably one of the first scanners that had roughly the same dimensions as a CB radio.

I had a job in high school working at an amusement park that used a couple different UHF frequencies, that i special ordered crystals for.....Radio Shack only stocked well-known crystals

This scanner was also my first UHF scanner......Also my first scanner to cover more than one band. The year was 1976
 

b7spectra

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Many years ago, I needed a replacement whip for my UHF mobile. Found one (center load) at a junk store. I told the guy it was with all the other car radio antenna's, he said $1.00!
 

N8IAA

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I am a big fan of garage sales. Used to go to one in Cleve, OH at the fairgrounds every June. One year saw an antenna (Hustler 5BTV, 5 band hf antenna) $5, cleaned it up and used it for years. Eventually sold it for $50. Radios: $10 for a Moto uhf ht, sold at a hamfest for $70; RCA 4 channel uhf xtal, $10; Fanon-Courier VHF 4 channel xtaled up for Dawson County, GA, $5. Latest find last fall, RS Pro-25 with Trac Scan headphones (NASCAR) $25. Love going garage sailing:D My wife found me a Lafayette PF200A, vhf-lo, vhf-hi tunable radio for $15.
Larry
 
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