N1SQB
Member
There are some things that only come around once in a lifetime. I have been an aviation monitoring aficionado since the age of 15. My very first experience was going to a local airport with my family and watching the jets takeoff and land. One day while sitting there watching all the action, a man pulled up, stepped out of his car and turned on a radio that he had which I later found out he was using to monitor aviation radio traffic. I remember asking the man what was the name of the radio. He said.” This is a Bendix King brand model KX – 99..”
All I remember is how beautiful the audio came in and how awesome I thought it was to be able to listen to all the communication. I have always wanted to buy this radio, but did not find one in good condition at the time I was looking. I decided to turn to scanners to listen to aviation traffic. Fast-forward to today. While at a medical appointment, I was going through Facebook marketplace on the local side here in Connecticut. I wasn’t looking for anything specific, just something that I could buy or maybe fix up and then resell. Lo and behold there it was, a Bendix King KX 99. It was a lady selling it and she was only asking $60. I thought.” that’s not a bad price.”. I reached out to her and inquired about the radio.. She said that a friend of theirs sold the plane that he owned and gave them this Bendix king 99 so they could listen to their NASCAR races which they are big fans of.. Now if you are not laughing at this point, read what I just said again and let that sink in.😂 I explained to her that this was an aviation radio, and that it would be totally useless in a NASCAR circuit race. I asked her if the radio would turn on. She said I tried plugging it in and turning it on after a few minutes, but it did not turn on. Now, most of you know that when these nicad battery packs die, sometimes they won’t even turn on even if plugged in. I said to her. “ well if it doesn’t turn on, it, probably needs a brand new battery pack and they’re not cheap, what is the least you would take for the radio as is?” to make a long story short, I ended up paying $25.. She was local and only a 20 minute drive from my house.. when I showed up to our meeting place and she showed me the radio, I did all I could not to show in my expression the joy I felt. This thing has been in a closet stored, and has not been touched by human hands in over 20 years according to the seller.. As the pictures show, it is in pristine condition. It included the carrying loop and the antenna. It even has, as you can see, the rubber covers that go over the BNC connector and the other ports. The lady assured me that the radio worked when the friend gave it to them after he sold his plane and got out of the aviation realm.. So, in closing, I have my childhood desired radio, in mint condition, ready to take to all my aviation monitoring journeys. I love my BC125AT, but there is no audio like the audio coming from a true aviation portable.
Needless to say, I am a happy camper guys!!!!!!!!😎
Manny
All I remember is how beautiful the audio came in and how awesome I thought it was to be able to listen to all the communication. I have always wanted to buy this radio, but did not find one in good condition at the time I was looking. I decided to turn to scanners to listen to aviation traffic. Fast-forward to today. While at a medical appointment, I was going through Facebook marketplace on the local side here in Connecticut. I wasn’t looking for anything specific, just something that I could buy or maybe fix up and then resell. Lo and behold there it was, a Bendix King KX 99. It was a lady selling it and she was only asking $60. I thought.” that’s not a bad price.”. I reached out to her and inquired about the radio.. She said that a friend of theirs sold the plane that he owned and gave them this Bendix king 99 so they could listen to their NASCAR races which they are big fans of.. Now if you are not laughing at this point, read what I just said again and let that sink in.😂 I explained to her that this was an aviation radio, and that it would be totally useless in a NASCAR circuit race. I asked her if the radio would turn on. She said I tried plugging it in and turning it on after a few minutes, but it did not turn on. Now, most of you know that when these nicad battery packs die, sometimes they won’t even turn on even if plugged in. I said to her. “ well if it doesn’t turn on, it, probably needs a brand new battery pack and they’re not cheap, what is the least you would take for the radio as is?” to make a long story short, I ended up paying $25.. She was local and only a 20 minute drive from my house.. when I showed up to our meeting place and she showed me the radio, I did all I could not to show in my expression the joy I felt. This thing has been in a closet stored, and has not been touched by human hands in over 20 years according to the seller.. As the pictures show, it is in pristine condition. It included the carrying loop and the antenna. It even has, as you can see, the rubber covers that go over the BNC connector and the other ports. The lady assured me that the radio worked when the friend gave it to them after he sold his plane and got out of the aviation realm.. So, in closing, I have my childhood desired radio, in mint condition, ready to take to all my aviation monitoring journeys. I love my BC125AT, but there is no audio like the audio coming from a true aviation portable.
Needless to say, I am a happy camper guys!!!!!!!!😎
Manny
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