K9WG
Member
I picked up a new in box Kantronic packet TNC at a garage sale for $5. Came with all the cables, manuals, and power supply.
Thrift Store finds
- Thread starter bob-the-scanner-man
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Micke
Member
Regency
I am using a Regency 10 channel crystal radio for my feed I got at my local "junk store". It is the one with the big jumbo led's on the front. It has reasonably good selectivity and keeps out my KB4UPI 10 meter beacon which is on the air 24 hours just 60 feet away. Recently I had a problem with the tx getting into it. The problem was a dirty selector switch.
I am using a Regency 10 channel crystal radio for my feed I got at my local "junk store". It is the one with the big jumbo led's on the front. It has reasonably good selectivity and keeps out my KB4UPI 10 meter beacon which is on the air 24 hours just 60 feet away. Recently I had a problem with the tx getting into it. The problem was a dirty selector switch.
I have gotten several "dead" scanners for free, or close to it, over the years, and have bought some "dead" electronic items for pennies from friends who lack any kind of skill at diagnosing problems:
1. I got a Pro-2005 in nice shape for $20 that my friend said constantly beeped "low battery", but I put a battery in it and..worked fine. Years later, still does.
2. Went to a local electronics store with a friend who bought a bunch of their "dead shelf" items when they were closing. When we got back to his house, we were looking at some of the stuff and one of the items was a dead surround sound receiver that went for about $500 or more. I took a voltmeter and saw that there was 120 volts across the power switch. My friend said I could have it for $50, no understanding much about electricity, and I immediately gave it to him and went home. Reheating the solder on the power switch solved the problem and I used it for my home theater for many years.
3. A guy needed money to get home to LA from Vegas. He sold his brand new BC-210 scanner to a guy at work for $20! I came to work and asked him what he wanted for it and he said $40, and I gave it to him as soon as I could get to the ATM. I had it for about 15 years.
I bought a gun on an online auction for a really good price, even considering that the gun had "light rust" on it. It looked rusty in the pictures, so I bought it thinking it would just be a "shooter". It came a few days later, and I picked it up at the local gun store. It smelled oddly, but I didn't think about it. I took it home and took it apart to clean it up and I noticed the "rust" just came off. It had an odd feel to it, like toothpaste. It was some kind of polishing compound! The gun must have been loaded up with it and fired, and then put away for some time, and then sold as rusty. I kept the gun and still have it, not a spec of rust on it, and it's worth almost twice what I paid for it just a few years ago.
1. I got a Pro-2005 in nice shape for $20 that my friend said constantly beeped "low battery", but I put a battery in it and..worked fine. Years later, still does.
2. Went to a local electronics store with a friend who bought a bunch of their "dead shelf" items when they were closing. When we got back to his house, we were looking at some of the stuff and one of the items was a dead surround sound receiver that went for about $500 or more. I took a voltmeter and saw that there was 120 volts across the power switch. My friend said I could have it for $50, no understanding much about electricity, and I immediately gave it to him and went home. Reheating the solder on the power switch solved the problem and I used it for my home theater for many years.
3. A guy needed money to get home to LA from Vegas. He sold his brand new BC-210 scanner to a guy at work for $20! I came to work and asked him what he wanted for it and he said $40, and I gave it to him as soon as I could get to the ATM. I had it for about 15 years.
I bought a gun on an online auction for a really good price, even considering that the gun had "light rust" on it. It looked rusty in the pictures, so I bought it thinking it would just be a "shooter". It came a few days later, and I picked it up at the local gun store. It smelled oddly, but I didn't think about it. I took it home and took it apart to clean it up and I noticed the "rust" just came off. It had an odd feel to it, like toothpaste. It was some kind of polishing compound! The gun must have been loaded up with it and fired, and then put away for some time, and then sold as rusty. I kept the gun and still have it, not a spec of rust on it, and it's worth almost twice what I paid for it just a few years ago.
K7CAR
Member
I've found quite a few gems at the Thrift stores this past year. Several Unidens, BC278CLT, and a BC178XLT for $3.99 and $4.99 Have them next to me right now going 24/7 and they sound great. One Realistic 10 chnl Pro 58 for $2.99 That's my WX radio up stairs. I have a Marine Apelco VXL501 handheld I found. Rcv/Tx works great. Don't know what I'm going to do with it, but figured for $ 3.99 I'd figure out something!.....
I found 3 brand new in the bag Larsen 825-900 mhz base station antennas at Goodwill for $5.99 each. I have one on my tower as I type for my BCT15X and another one on my cell phone for internet. Last month I found 2, 125 ft. sections of LMR 400 with N connectors for $7.99 each. I had to think on that one as the prices have gone up at my local Goodwill. It's tough to find the good deals now!.....
I found 3 brand new in the bag Larsen 825-900 mhz base station antennas at Goodwill for $5.99 each. I have one on my tower as I type for my BCT15X and another one on my cell phone for internet. Last month I found 2, 125 ft. sections of LMR 400 with N connectors for $7.99 each. I had to think on that one as the prices have gone up at my local Goodwill. It's tough to find the good deals now!.....
mitaux8030
Silent Key
AOR3000a "not working" $50. Guy had lost the original power supply and tried to wire in his own, badly. Came along and fixed the poor soldering job, and it worked perfectly.
Pro 2022 "not working" $20. Opened up the case, brushed out some debris, resoldered a few suspect looking joints, and all is good again.
Yaesu FRG7, perfect condition $10. For some odd reason these things are fetching top dollar around here locally at the moment, some >$400!
Kenwood TS430 $5. But it was in very bad shape, had been exposed to salt water. Needed about $50 in parts to fix, and another $20 in cosmetic stuff to make it look good.
Sorry to take my reply off topic with two non-scanners there, but thought they'd add some value none the less. Mods please delete if inappropriate.
Pro 2022 "not working" $20. Opened up the case, brushed out some debris, resoldered a few suspect looking joints, and all is good again.
Yaesu FRG7, perfect condition $10. For some odd reason these things are fetching top dollar around here locally at the moment, some >$400!
Kenwood TS430 $5. But it was in very bad shape, had been exposed to salt water. Needed about $50 in parts to fix, and another $20 in cosmetic stuff to make it look good.
Sorry to take my reply off topic with two non-scanners there, but thought they'd add some value none the less. Mods please delete if inappropriate.
talkpair
Member
I'm glad I'm not the only one that uses equipment from thrift stores, auction sites, garage sales, and dumpster diving expeditions.
My gear isn't pretty, but it sounds great. There's just some kind of a rush you get by bringing discarded junk back to life. I don't see a reason to buy a new $300 scanner just to park it on a single analog channel.
The last scanner I bought brand new was probably back in the early 1990's.
Everything else I use is is stuff I bought from eBay, and all of it is at least 20 years old.
From the looks of the shack photos I've seen here, most would be ashamed to be seen having the equipment I'm using sit on their curb on trash day.
Perhaps we need to start posting some "Ugly Shack" photos.
My gear isn't pretty, but it sounds great. There's just some kind of a rush you get by bringing discarded junk back to life. I don't see a reason to buy a new $300 scanner just to park it on a single analog channel.
The last scanner I bought brand new was probably back in the early 1990's.
Everything else I use is is stuff I bought from eBay, and all of it is at least 20 years old.
From the looks of the shack photos I've seen here, most would be ashamed to be seen having the equipment I'm using sit on their curb on trash day.
Perhaps we need to start posting some "Ugly Shack" photos.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2007
- Messages
- 7,465
Mystery wrapped in a radio.
I picked up an old RS Pro-2006 scanner for $10 at my local thrift shop here in New England. It was in an old tattered box with a repair tag from a radio shop in Ohio taped to the top of it that said "Constant beeping noise, won't hold programming when turned off." There was a hand written note at the bottom of the tag that said, "Not worth repairing".
Underneath the repair tag there was a listing of frequencies labeled "Coolidge, AZ" also taped to the top of the radio, and at the bottom of the cardboard box was a cash receipt for a replacement antenna from a Radio Shack in Sarasota Florida. This scanner had been around the block a few times!
Figuring that a dead 9V battery was the only problem, I opened up the battery compartment and did find a dead battery, but also - there was a safe deposit box key taped to the bottom of the compartment underneath the battery!
The only markings on the key were "Safe Deposit" on one side, and "ICL Trust" on the other.
The radio (with a new battery) has been running perfectly for 5 years now, but I always wondered what kind of secrets that key held.
I picked up an old RS Pro-2006 scanner for $10 at my local thrift shop here in New England. It was in an old tattered box with a repair tag from a radio shop in Ohio taped to the top of it that said "Constant beeping noise, won't hold programming when turned off." There was a hand written note at the bottom of the tag that said, "Not worth repairing".
Underneath the repair tag there was a listing of frequencies labeled "Coolidge, AZ" also taped to the top of the radio, and at the bottom of the cardboard box was a cash receipt for a replacement antenna from a Radio Shack in Sarasota Florida. This scanner had been around the block a few times!
Figuring that a dead 9V battery was the only problem, I opened up the battery compartment and did find a dead battery, but also - there was a safe deposit box key taped to the bottom of the compartment underneath the battery!
The only markings on the key were "Safe Deposit" on one side, and "ICL Trust" on the other.
The radio (with a new battery) has been running perfectly for 5 years now, but I always wondered what kind of secrets that key held.
GKolo
Member
Thrift Store a Code 3 Vcon siren with the slide switch for light controls and all the push buttons on the face for what i thought said 89 dollars but since i had 4 other sirens i didnt pay much attention at that price, But i looked again and it said .89 cents. It works like new.
Now it is just sitting in my garage on a shelf since i retired.
Now it is just sitting in my garage on a shelf since i retired.
K9WG
Member
2 brand new icon T7-H handhelds in the box, given to me by a co worker who said his father had way too many radios and instructed him to give them away to a friend.
I donated one to another good friend, who needed a dual bander, and kept the other one for my self, I figured I might as well pass the good luck around a bit.
mike
I donated one to another good friend, who needed a dual bander, and kept the other one for my self, I figured I might as well pass the good luck around a bit.
mike
See sig, all the units listed but 3 were bought at the flea market or yard sales. The first scanner I bought at the flea market was a working BC100XLT for $20, recently given to a family member.
The Pro-60 was $25, currently running Trunk88.
The Moto HT1000 w/charger, speaker/mic and good battery... flea market $15.
The other Moto's and TK's were in a plastic tote with a spk/mic, 2 Moto chargers, and a double Kenwood charger. I also added a dual bench power supply and an extra mic cord all for $50.
She had placed an ad on Craigs List that just said "Radios for Sale".
I bought bateries for the 2 MT1000's and the 2 TK's off ebay and all the units have been reprogramed to Ham bands. Also, the TK's and the 99 Ch MT1000 will scan the local VHF police/fire rescue traffic.
The only new units are the Pro-164, the Sporty's JD100 (gift from about 10 years ago), and 1 of the HTX202 (my 1st Ham radio). The other HTX202 was off ebay for $25.
All the above units are operational but I have other's that I picked up from the flea market for less than $5 each, BC100, a couple of CB's, one of these days I'll take a closer look into fixing them or parting them out.
The Pro-60 was $25, currently running Trunk88.
The Moto HT1000 w/charger, speaker/mic and good battery... flea market $15.
The other Moto's and TK's were in a plastic tote with a spk/mic, 2 Moto chargers, and a double Kenwood charger. I also added a dual bench power supply and an extra mic cord all for $50.
She had placed an ad on Craigs List that just said "Radios for Sale".
I bought bateries for the 2 MT1000's and the 2 TK's off ebay and all the units have been reprogramed to Ham bands. Also, the TK's and the 99 Ch MT1000 will scan the local VHF police/fire rescue traffic.
The only new units are the Pro-164, the Sporty's JD100 (gift from about 10 years ago), and 1 of the HTX202 (my 1st Ham radio). The other HTX202 was off ebay for $25.
All the above units are operational but I have other's that I picked up from the flea market for less than $5 each, BC100, a couple of CB's, one of these days I'll take a closer look into fixing them or parting them out.
sphipps
Member
I've found so many "smokin" deals at hamfests, flea markets, and thrift stores over the years that I wouldn't even know where to begin.
Probably my best deal was a Yaesu FT-901B that I bought for $100 at a hamfest... and sold on Ebay for close to $1000. That was many years ago.
Once I bought an acoustic guitar at a pawn shop for $40. It just looked like it was worth something, so I couldn't resist. Ended up being a handcrafted Spanish guitar by a well known maker. Sold it for $600 to the first offer that came along... and found out later it was worth more like $3k.
There's a flea market dealer that specializes in radios / electronics in a neighboring town that I "hit" up every two weeks or so. Anything I buy from him I can easily make my money back 5 or 6 times over. He buys bulk at auctions and is satisfied getting $5 or $10 out of stuff. I've found many a "gem" in his booth. I was out of work at one time for about 6 months and all I did was buy and sell items from his booth. I made a better living doing that than I did at my old job.
Probably my best deal was a Yaesu FT-901B that I bought for $100 at a hamfest... and sold on Ebay for close to $1000. That was many years ago.
Once I bought an acoustic guitar at a pawn shop for $40. It just looked like it was worth something, so I couldn't resist. Ended up being a handcrafted Spanish guitar by a well known maker. Sold it for $600 to the first offer that came along... and found out later it was worth more like $3k.
There's a flea market dealer that specializes in radios / electronics in a neighboring town that I "hit" up every two weeks or so. Anything I buy from him I can easily make my money back 5 or 6 times over. He buys bulk at auctions and is satisfied getting $5 or $10 out of stuff. I've found many a "gem" in his booth. I was out of work at one time for about 6 months and all I did was buy and sell items from his booth. I made a better living doing that than I did at my old job.
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I was given a Motorola Radius M1225 today ....... with mic and mounting bracket......Now what do I do with it???????????
k7ltc
Member
I found an IC-751 with power supply at a community garage sale two weeks ago and bought it for $10. It is fully functional and not a mark on it, and I am now integrating it into my shack.
sphipps
Member
10 bucks! That's the find of the year! Congrats.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
k7ltc
Member
It was the find of the year/decade for me. I never get that lucky. I still can't believe it but it is in my shack and I tested it by doing some CW with it.
sphipps
Member
That deal still blows mine away... but today I walked into a pawn shop and was surprised to see a Uniden 396XT on the shelf behind the register. This place always has low end used scanners that are usually priced around MSRP or higher. I usually don't pay much attention to them at all. On a whim I asked about the price and was shocked to hear "how's 75 bucks?". My credit card flew out of my wallet in record time. The thing looks and works perfect. The pawn shop had no idea what they had. I think what "threw" them was the 396XT doesn't have the model number printed on its case and they didn't really know how to operate it... so they couldn't figure out how to look up its true value on Ebay.
The 396XT I bought used on Amazon Warehouse Deals about a month ago is on its way back. Nice radio... but missing too many original accessories to justify the price. Plus an extra 275 bucks in my pocket is a no brainer
Just picked up a PRO-89 today for $5. Scanner w/ duckie and stubby ant. only .....no accesories.
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