Kenwood: Kenwood TR-2500 -- Is $250 a fair price?

[Mel_D]

My father is a ham radio person and he has an old "Kenwood TR-2500" walkie talkie. It has not worked in years, but he keeps saying he's going to get it fixed. I would like to surprise him with one that works.

I found one on craigslist for $250.

Kenwood Handheld Transceiver Model TR-2500

I've got no idea of what they should cost. Is $250 a fair price for the walkie talkie and accessories shown there? Should I make a lower offer?

 

[gewecke]

$250 ?? No, that's waay too much for a vintage talkie! You could get the old one repaired for less than that. 73, n9zas

 

[gewecke]

$125 Maybe, if its nice condition & with accessories & battery. . 73, n9zas

 

[timekeeper]

Hi Mel D. Make sure you get one with the PL tone board already installed. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the dip-switch PL tone board for that radio. I have this radio & the TR-3500 (UHF version). You can buy replacement batteries from Batteries America. Good luck & happy monitoring. God Bless & all the best. 73's

 

[Rred]

5W 2M HT

$124 will buy a brand new Yaesu (and there are similar radios from the others) that will run in rings around that old Kenwood. And that's a NEW radio with WARRANTY which won't need repairs or a new battery, and will weigh 1/4 as much and probably run twice as long on the included battery.

Used? $75 should still outperform the old Kenwood, so that's still more than what it is worth. Anything else is just sentimental value. And that's ignoring how easily the old LCD displays were damaged by heat and cold, and impossible to repair or replace unless you had others to cannibalize.

If Dad loves it and can afford to throw money into a loss....but he'll be real lucky to get $50 back if you try to sell it fully restored.

 

[Mel_D]

Thank you all. I guess you could tell I don't know anything about walkie talkies so that's why I found this site to ask for help.

I told the seller it was for my father and asked if he was flexible on price. He asked what my father's callsign was (he knew my name was Melissa from my email). Dad warned me that anyone could find a person's name and address from a callsign so I said I wasn't comfortable giving that out.

I had no idea that new walkie talkies were so cheap. I think my dad paid a fortune for his old one.

Instead of trying to surprise him, maybe I should just give him a gift certificate to a ham radio store.

 

[FKimble]

While most ant father would be grateful for any radio, sometimes it's best to let them have a say in which radio. My daughter orders HRO gift certificates for her father.

And yes, some folks think because something cost an arm and leg ages ago, they seem to think it's still worth a lot. HT's and other Ham radios have gotten much better, much smaller, and much cheaper with the advent of newer technology.

 

[USRobotics]

I bought a 3500 at a swapmeet for $2. and it has the CTCSS board installed. Internal lithium battery is depleted and needed replacing, and it's super hard to find where it hid. The NiCd pack is toast, and same for the stand charger, but the alkaline case is still good, as well as the original rubber duck. I was just very luck on that day. I still have it and it still works fine. The LCD is fine also. Just the "REV" button no long locks, so it's now momentary instead. Otherwise it is in good shape.

And then after I found a genuine leather case that fits it perfectly, except the over the top belt / loop is missing.

It is interesting that the UHF model is only 1.5W max. But the VHF model has a bit more power, but still not like 5W like later radios.

Took me 4 attempts opening up the case to find where that elusive lithium cell was hiding. It was hidden behind a metal shield!!! I think that's why the original owner abandoned it!