Help! - I need feedback. I have a rig dilemma!

[AF9J]

Hi everybody,

As you may have read,  I finally got my Heathkit MT-1, Cheyenne, "Shy Anne", going.  I also recently got my hands on a Globe Scout 680 (I've always thought Globes were kind of cool in a funky sort of way), and a Heathkit VF-1, VFO to use with it, since I wasn't sure I'd get Shy Anne up and running by this time.  Now I have a dilemma.  Recently, I discovered (due to a much anticipated work bonus not materializing this week) that I have financial crunch looming within the next month and a half or so.  So, it looks like I'll have to sell some things, to make sure I can meet some bills that are coming due within the next month or so.  One of the things I'll have to sell, is either the Cheyenne, or the Scout.  I'd love to keep them both, but at this time, it's just looking like it isn't going to happen. 

I value the opinions of the members of this forum (oftentimes, you see things I may miss).  So, I'm asking for your 2 cents worth on the issue.  Which do you think I should keep, the Scout (which uses  Heising Modulation, but uses either crystal control, or an external VFO), or the Cheyenne (which has an internal VFO, an external power supply, and controlled carrier modulation [some people think controlled carrier is lame, other say it sounds pretty good if it's set up right]).  Realize this, this will be THE AM rig.  Down the road, as funds allow, I will look into getting or building an amplfier, to maybe boost the carrier up to 100W or so.  So please, feel free to post your comments.   Thanks everybody.

73,
Ellen - AF9J
   

[W1EUJ]

Usually I find that there are other places to make cuts to save money. When I paired back my cable to basic service, I saved alot of money per month on the cable AND electricity. Try to find those oppotunities first. The small return on selling a radio spread over the year, and the regret you may feel in the future for the loss, make it something you may only want to do if you are desparate.

Perhaps you could sell your rig on a conditional basis, such that the owner promises to sell it back when you have the money back, or when you say it is OK. It would need to be somebody you could find when that time to buy it back occurs. I offer to loan in return for the Globe 680, which would look nice in the radio display cabinet I now have in my basement (as a peice of art), next to my SX-28 rebuild and TCS-12. Certainly radios that are not the cornerstone of any station I have. Of course, you would have to trust the loaner quite a bit to do that.

Dave Goncalves

[k4kyv]

Usually I find that there are other places to cut to save money. When I paired back my cable to basic service, I saved alot of money per month on the cable AND electricity. Try to find those oppotunities first. The small return on selling a radio, and the regret you may feel in the future for the loss, make it somebody you may only want to do if you are desparate.

I agree.  I would much rather trade a piece of radio gear for "payment in kind" than to sell for cash.  Money is money, regardless of where you get it, kind of like sand on the beach.  It all looks and smells the same, and amounts to numbers in your bank statement.  But each piece of radio gear is unique, and increasingly irreplaceable.  Once gone, it is gone, usually never to return again.

I don't know how many times I have felt like kicking myself because I sold a piece of radio gear, or failed to purchase something at a hamfest, over a few bucks.  I nearly always found that a year later, there would have been absolutely no discernible difference in my finances had I gone ahead and purchased or kept the radio item.

The only time I would consider selling something outright would be for an item that I didn't have a lot of attachment to to begin with, and I needed the storage space, or if someone made me a cash offer far beyond the value of the item, that I just wouldn't be able to refuse.

I recently purchased a bundle of pre-WW2 radio magazines (package deal only) to fill in some missing issues in my collection.  They weren't cheap, but I don't think the price was unreasonable. I am now going through them, issue at at time, and picking out the copy of each issue in best overall condition to keep in my collection, and plan to sell the rest at or near the same price per issue I paid for the bundle, if I cannot find someone willing to trade for ones still missing from my archive.  But I wouldn't get rid of my entire collection even if someone offered me several times per issue what I recently paid for my latest acquisition.

[W9GT]

Ellen,

A friend and fellow radio amateur once told me:  "Don't ever sell your ham gear, unless you are going to use the money for another piece of equipment.  You will probably never get it back and it will be just that much harder to justify spending the money on new gear the next time."  I think that was good advice.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[kf6pqt]

Yeah, seriously you probably only have $60 or so cash in that Cheyenne. ( i know as I had accidentally bid against you on it!) After all the work you're doing to get it running, your non-cash investment is a lot higher. You're still likely only going to get 40 to 60 bucks for it on ebay (a loss already) and you'll have to waste a bunch of time shipping it.

Radios, like old cars and old motorcycles are usually always a bad investment, financially!  They do pay off in fun once you get them running and can enjoy them.

I too would say keep the old radios, and find another way to raise or save some cash. If you were indeed through with the hobby, then sure, liquidate. But you're likely not, are ya?

Good luck,
Jason kf6pqt

[W1RKW]

Ellen,
Here's my 2 cents. To answer your question directly, keep the Scout.  However, I also have to concur with the previous posts too.  Will your employer allow you to do some OT?   Decisions, decisions..... It's never easy being a ham.

[AF9J]

Unfortunately Bob,

Like you I'm salaried.  So, OT isn't there.  I have to do some thinking. Everybody, please keep on giving your 2 cents worth.  This kind of stuff helps me one way or another.  Thanks people,

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[WA1GFZ]

us fat guys always consider skipping a meal or two to save a radio..

[W1GFH]

I agree. Don't sell if you can avoid it. However if you do decide to sell, slap the Cheyenne on eBay or QRZ, stating a "firm" asking price that you can live with. (Take a "glamor shots" picture of the rig, all shiny and looking good. State in your ad that you have repaired and tested the rig and confirm X watts output and clean modulation on all bands.)

[k3sqp]

Ellen,
I  lament the many boat anchors that I have sold thru the years for various reasons.
My new plan is to borrow from a bumper sticker.
"not till they pry it ( Boat anchors) from my cold dead hands"
Frank
K3SQP

[WB2RJR]

Ellen,

Once my older brother had to sell his house because he couldn't afford the $97/mo. mortgage payments. I sold a car once, actually just let someone take over the $132/mo payments on it because I couldn't afford it.

Once I had a guy offer me $200 for an old '68 VW I had that ran.

I thought about it and said....what do I need $200 for and what will I do with it? Like Don said, money is like sand on a beach. Years later my older son needed a car. You know that 16 year old hyper thing.

I spent 7 weeks with him rebuilding that VW. He learned a lot and we spent almost no money. I told him we have to restore the body like we lived in a third world country. & 7 weeks and 200 or so dollars and he had a car he drove and knew how to maintain for 5 years.

My younger son is working on it now, as his brother gave it to him. It still runs but needs some work. He wants to drive it too so he's fixing it up. I bought it in 1978 for $350

Best $200 I didn't accept, and I'm sure my sons would agree.

Think about it, this is not a large amount of money you're talking about. I'm sure you can find a way to save and keep the rigs.

Don't eat for 2 weeks, whatever.

Good luck!

Marty WB2RJR AMI#20

[Carl WA1KPD]

us fat guys always consider skipping a meal or two to save a radio..

I consider skipping the meals

But then I have them and buy the radio

[kf6pqt]

Yeah, you can eat really healthy tasty stuff for pennies... Lentil soup, stew, etc....


Heck, what are we talking about, you're a lady, have some gentleman take you out for a really NICE dinner! Just nod and smile once in a while, and you can pick the restaurant, AND order whatever you want!

Juggling multiple dinner-taker-outers is very certainly feasible, yet complicated.

[KB2WIG]

kf6pqt 's Ideas aren't off the mark......  beans, rice etc are cheap and healthy.. buy the dried beans, there cheeper than the canned stuff, Frozen vegies are not too bad, around here 1Lbs. generic frozen mixed vegies are $.79.    Eggs are cheep; tins of tuna, macaroni are the makings of casaroles (spelling?)  potatoes by the bag - ya gotta peel 'em -.... fresh vegies from farm stands..... day old bread -  microwave  it

canned tomatoes & a little garlic make a spag. sauce

Short term measures like these may keep you in  boatanchors


My wife thinks i'm cheep when I cook stuff like that above...

Then there is always the part time waiter/ waitress job nights or on the weekend for "free" food.... When I was in the restaurant business, food  didn't consume a lot of the budget.............    klc

[kf6pqt]

Skip the starbucks, if you're a caffeine addict... I buy beans from Trader Joes for $7 a can and grind 'em myself, and that lasts like 8 or so mornings, and that comes out to almost 3 big mugs full per morning, and I hardly ever drink that third cup.

If you smoke cigarettes, QUIT NOW, COLD TURKEY!  You'll only be miserable for a week, and you'll be RICH afterwards.

*Cheap beer. PBR goes on sale for less than $5 a 12er.

Drive like you've got an egg taped to the gas pedal!  This is the hardest one for me!

Snack food is expensive as hell, but bags of peeled carrots are cheap. Also helps with the quitting smoking!

Biggest thing, once your books are back in the black, AGGRESSIVELY pay off any debt you have, credit card interest is totally a negative investment.

And probably most difficult for any female... NO NEW SHOES!!!!!!!!!

Don't sell off any of your guitars, either, you'll feel a lot worse about those than you will a silly ol radio. (but dont sell the silly ol radio either.)

[AF9J]

I don't eat out very often.  I also don't smoke or drink (I'm lucky if I drink coffee once every 3 months).  Most of my bills are due to a heavy debt load incurred during hard economic times several years ago.  It was those times, that were a major factor in me being QRT from 2001 until late 2004.  Throw in the occasional monetary blip (can you say a semi annual car insurance payment due in October?), and, unless I want to wind up eating Ramen noodles for the next 3 months straight, like I did a few years ago (when circumstances were similar to what they are now), I'd better take some action on this now.  Also, I will not lie, the Cheyenne is cool, but I like the Scout much more.  The Cheyenne would spend most of its time gathering dust, and I can't economically justify it at this time as a spare rig.  Thanks to everybody for you input.  It's helped me (both the pro and the con) to better crystalize my thoughts.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[Blaine N1GTU]

well,
there are 1715 users on this board, $10 from each of them would be $17,150
$5 would be $8575
that should take care of your $$ issue

just think if everyone on the internet just sent $1
nice....

I agree with the earlier posts, will selling a radio you care about for $50 really help out that much?
what happens next month when you have no radios to sell.

[AF9J]

Hi Blaine,

October for me,  is when annual and semi-annual  bills come due. So, it's typically a tight month.  I thought I was out of the woods financially (so I spent more than I usually do).  I guess I'm not quite out of the woods yet.  Oh well.  I'll get by.  Besides, if I think something will not see much use, I prefer not to hang onto it.  I've even been this way with guitars.  I typically buy or make things to use. I'm not really the collector type.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[AF9J]

well,
there are 1715 users on this board, $10 from each of them would be $17,150
$5 would be $8575
that should take care of your $$ issue

Just to play it safe (I thought about this on the way to work this morning) - I hope that was tongue-in-cheek Blaine.    I would be very uncomfortable with donations, and would send it all back.  Things should start to settle down within the next year or so (a couple of loans I took out, will pay off at that time).  Can we end this thread people? 

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[WBear2GCR]

Perhaps the "key phrase" might be "second job"??

I know that sux.
And I know I am not full of beans myself to the point where I can do an "Engergizer Bunny" impression, but a mellow second job can help close the gap. When I was younger, I and working near NYC, I really dug the night shift jobs because they were always mellower, laid back and the a-holes who were hyper and retentive during the day just were not there at all making an otherwise awful place to work into a not too terribly half bad place to work at all...

just an idea.

                   _-_-bear

[AF9J]

I've thought of it Bear, but the present job doesn't allow it during the week.  Besides, I've gotten the impression from my headache (I suffer from cluster headaches) and asthma specialists that I'm pushing myself physically too much as it is (I work out).  Too much physical stress aggravates both of these conditions.  It also jacks my blood pressure up into high range.  I've already done the 60 plus hours per week routine, walking around acting like a burnout in the past.  I'll get through this.  I hate to say this (it'll probably sound heretical to some), but hey, I think amateur radio is great (otherwise I wouldn't have stayed licensed for all of these years [30 as of next year]), but it's not my life.  I'll get through this OK.  I just forgot that I need to be austere a little longer.  I know everybody is trying to help.  But, I think I'll take my lumps on selling the Cheyenne and the HP-23A power supply.  Just having everybody make comments on the whole situation has helped me quite a bit.  You're really a great bunch.    Well, back to work for me.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[W1RKW]

Unfortunately Bob,

Like you I'm salaried.  So, OT isn't there.  I have to do some thinking. Everybody, please keep on giving your 2 cents worth.  This kind of stuff helps me one way or another.  Thanks people,

73,
Ellen - AF9J

I'm salaried too but I do get the OT option after 50 hrs unfortunately.  It isn't time and 1/2 but it's regular time. Too bad your employer doesn't have that option. Oh well.

How about this, doing small repairs for people in your complex or in your general area???   Free under the table cash.  Or fixing guitars or guitar amps and what not...?  You're pretty knowledgeable in that area.  Or how about giving guitar or music lessons?

[AF9J]

It's a thought Bob.  My problem is, that I have no contacts for getting into it.  I just realized that about $100 worth of my asthma meds are coming due for refill next month.  Most uncool.  Still, I'll get by.  I've been down this road before.  Thanks for the suggestions.    Having any luck catching Little Piggy?

73,
Ellen - AF9J
With Sarah the black polydactyl (she has extra toes) cat laying alongside the computer, purring up a storm.

[W1RKW]

Hey, If you post guitar lessons on a bulletin board at the local grocery store or library you could pickup 1 or 2 young kids who're wanting to wail on a guitar.  Figure $20/week/30 or 60 minute lesson, you're good to go for the month. 

I forgot to mention math tutoring too.  You're an engineer, can always do the math tutoring route too to help those youngins.

I bet you could pick up someone pretty quick and make a little quick easy cash.

Little Piggy is being a PITA.  Either I'm an idiot or she's very smart.  She knows what I'm up to.  Come hell or high water she's going for a trip to the vet in the next few weeks.