Finding Used Equipment to buy

[KQ4ABU]

I am shopping for one or more radios and I am having no luck. I found a very promising looking online guy jahnke electronics and wanted to buy a radio and he called and left a message he did not think he had it, said he was so busy, he might be great but was not with me and thats what counts. I felt like the guy was a nutter after listening to his message. I went to the only local place his hours were reduced that was after a 45 minute minute drive it was closed, he just left for the day. I had a radio I wanted cleaned and was willing to pay the high labor rate and United Radio would not do it.

what is going on?

 

[kb2idx]

any particular radios you looking for?
if used then start by looking at the RR classifieds.
I also keep a regular eye on facebook marketplace.
but more details as to what your looking for would help.

 

[vagrant]

Used Amateur Radio Equipment:
- QRZ.com
- QTH.com
- eHam.net

 

[KQ4ABU]

Thanks for your replies. I am shopping for my first real radio. I really ran into some frustrating scenarios in finding equipment to look at and to buy.

I'll give you an example Kenwood just got United radio as their service partner and Kenwood sent them memo and killed off a lot of radios. I'll find the service bulletin and post it here they sent it to me in a in a email within the past week so I'll have some to sort through to find it but the point being any of those radios on that list they've quit making parts for and there was a lot of them

Then there are these businesses that sell them and they're shorthanded and they're covered up in business and so when you ask them a question you don't get an answer and when you want to buy something you can't get any information that you want just it's really sad The saddest thing was that list from Kenwood.

I've been shopping hard for a mobile 1.25 meter. And shopping for a base station. So I would look at older radios and did look at the price and would make a decision as to whether or not to be willing to pay someone to fix it if I bought it and there was something wrong with it or it didn't do everything that I wanted it to do or eventually wanted it to do So now I have to back up and reevaluate my plan again I mentioned the the list from Kenwood I'll go do that now and come back and post it

 

[KQ4ABU]

Read it and weep. Some good ones on here

 

[vagrant]

Oh no! My Kenwood TH-315A 220 MHz handheld from the late 80's is on the list. Despair! Looks like my TH-D7A(G) is on the list too. I forgot I own those radios. They'll probably still work after I'm dead.

 

[KQ4ABU]

Yea they are your radios. You know their history. To hear them say oh we don't have the documentation to work on the 315. and you say look I just want it cleaned and checked and the reply is no. You know the world is just not right. I guess the folks working there left the burger joint and dont know how to open one up. just an example. I know I don't I am willing to learn as I go along.

 

[marcotor]

Yea they are your radios. You know their history. To hear them say oh we don't have the documentation to work on the 315. and you say look I just want it cleaned and checked and the reply is no. You know the world is just not right. I guess the folks working there left the burger joint and dont know how to open one up. just an example. I know I don't I am willing to learn as I go along.

Why not get your business plan together and the required capital, and open a shop? You seem to be an expert on service and support, I am certain you would do well.

 

[n5ims]

While Kenwood may not repair them, there are others that might. One good place to start is Ham Radio Repair | HamRepair.com | Professional Amateur Radio Repair in San Antonio TX. He at least used to specialize on the "hybrid" radios (combination of tube and solid state) but works on others as well. It's always best to call him first and talk about what you have and need done so he can let you know if your radio is one that he has the manuals, knowledge, and equipment to work on them. With the parts availability being such an issue, he may also say that certain things are no longer repairable since the parts are no longer available.

If you can do some repair on your own but need parts, try Consumer Electronic Parts and Accessories at PacParts, Inc. I have needed parts for two of my Kenwood ham radios and they had them available and were quick to ship them. Please note that often they list parts as "Not in stock. This part is available to order. Usually ships within 2 to 4 days" and they're pretty close about that 2 to 4 day estimate. They also have parts that may not be the OEM original, but may be an aftermarket or otherwise identical in all of the important ways and they'll indicate "SEE SUBSTITUTE". Be sure to check similar models when looking for parts since the boards/parts are the same. For example, for my TM-D710GA I needed a common part and since the only difference between the D710 and D710GA is in the control head and my part was in the base I was able to order it that way (their website understands this and only listed the control head parts for the GA since the control head parts were already listed under the 710 section).

 

[KQ4ABU]

Why not get your business plan together and the required capital, and open a shop? You seem to be an expert on service and support, I am certain you would do well.

I am not going take the bait on that. You don't know and I would like to keep it that way

 

[mmckenna]

Read it and weep. Some good ones on here

Kenwood does the same thing with their commercial radios, and much sooner than most of those old dinosaurs on the list.
Motorola, same thing, but often much more quickly.
There's not a lot of point or profit in stocking parts for old radios for eternity. At some point, they have got to cut the cord.

As for finding repair shops, check around in the ham community. You'll find guys that specialize in specific radios/brands and often will buy up parts stocks from old shops. If all you need is a radio cleaned up and aligned, there's tons of hams out there that would happily do that for you.

As for buying used….
Used amateur radios are a weird thing. I sold an old Kenwood TM-741 144/440/1200 radio last year. It had been sitting in a box my dad had for about 15 years, untouched. I powered it up, put it on my service monitor at work, and it checked out OK. I cleaned it up and put it on E-bay thinking I'd score $400 for my mom. Nope, that radio sold for about $750 after a pretty good bidding war.
Ham radio operators are a bit weird when it comes to used equipment. I've sold other used radios before and they've sold for more than what I paid for them new. I guess it's nostalgia or something, but it never ceases to amaze me.
I think the used market is pretty messed up right now. You might have better luck buying new.

 

[AK9R]

Read it and weep. Some good ones on here

The newest radio on that list was discontinued at least 15 years ago. Most of those radios are more than 20 years old and many are more than 25 years old. I'm not going to weep because a manufacturer/importer chose to stop servicing or providing parts for old radios.

How old is too old? That's up to the market. If the radio was popular, 3rd party channels will continue to provide service as long as they can get parts. Heck, there are still people servicing Kenwood TS520/530/820/830 HF radios and they were discontinued in the 1980s.

As for a mobile radio for the 222 MHz band, the last one from Kenwood was the TM-331. It was still in Kenwood's catalog into the 1990s, but that was 30 years ago. The last 222 MHz mobile that I know of on the market from the traditional Japanese manufacturers was the Alinco DR-235T. It was discontinued last year. The TYT TH-9000D is a dual-band radio for 2m/222 MHz and is still available.

I'm not sure I understand your issue. Are you upset because you can't get old radios serviced? Are you upset because it's hard to find certain old radios on the used market? Are you upset because the shops you've contacted about old radios don't deal with you in the manner you expect? Are you looking for help with a particular problem?

 

[chief21]

I went to the only local place his hours were reduced that was after a 45 minute minute drive it was closed, he just left for the day.

It sounds as if the OP hopes to find a location where he can actually eyeball a used rig before he buys. Unfortunately, such places are nearly impossible to find these days. Except for a tiny number of ham radio vendors and a handful of local ham-oriented shops scattered across the country, I would venture to say that nearly all of us are relegated to online purchases for both new and used ham equipment.

 

[AK9R]

I would venture to say that nearly all of us are relegated to online purchases for both new and used ham equipment.

Or, hamfests...which have their own perils. Maybe get in touch with a local club to find out about used equipment for sale. Or, maybe there's a local listing of equipment for sale.

 

[robertwbob]

awww dang em. my beloved tw 4000 is on the list

 

[K9RPL]

I guess I'll never get my TR-7930 fixed. It needs a new display.. Darn...

 

[6079smithw]

Looks like my TH-D7A(G) is on the list too. I forgot I own those radios. They'll probably still work after I'm dead.

Mine's still grinding away after almost 10 years; needs another battery but still puts out an honest 4.98w on external power. Great motorcycle
APRS rig. Agreed, finding used gear is a crapshoot; I've done pretty well on QRZ and eBay; YMMV. Good luck!