HRO 60s now worth over $1500

[ke7trp]

I think the economy is comming back.  Here is one about as nice as mine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/National-HRO-60-Receiver-fully-aligned-Ham-radio-Short-wave-/130604810841?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e68a74259

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Not at all, Clarky. One ebay sale does not a market (or economic recovery)make. Pretty sure we covered this recently.

As a refresher, here's one that sold on there 9 days ago:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NATIONAL-HRO-60-RECEIVER-NICE-WORKING-CONDITION-/280772063689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415f51b1c9

Pretty clean as well, just not as complete as far as coils, speaker, and other accessories. Much more in line with what most HRO-60s bring. Had the seller left the calibrator and whatever else inside and cleaned it up a bit more, he might've gotten $500.

Your link shows an example of one-stop shopping online for a clean, complete set. No different than we've seen over the last decade or so from folks looking to buy a collection, or a nice example to use. If you don't mind spending the money for convenience, ebay makes it easy.

[ke7trp]

Radio prices are up Todd.  I saw an HRO 60 go for 8 or 9 hundred recently. SX28as are pulling big bucks.  Collins gear is also way up. I was recently offered $2900 for my GK500c.  There seems to be guys paying the money for tested and working gear.  I will probably kick myself for not selling now but this gear is to important to me.

C

[WQ9E]

Some items will show a bit of a Christmas bump, probably because hams want to actually get something they want for Christmas

Other items, because of scarcity and widespread demand, will always command a good price.  Although a HRO-60 isn't rare finding all 13 coil sets is not easy nor is going through the painful alignment procedure.  This one also has the plug in accessories (NBFM and Calibrator) and the speaker.  It isn't worth $1,500 to me but that is because I enjoy the restoration process itself.  If I just wanted a plug and play HRO-60 to use then the price isn't bad.  From a pure economics point of view I would be money ahead to buy fully restored gear based upon restoration time versus what I can make from consulting work.  But from a quality of life viewpoint I genuinely enjoy restoration so it makes personal, if not macro, economic sense.

As far as the economy, it has been showing faint signs of life for awhile now.  But even in the depths of the great depression there was still a small market for luxury goods just as you will find a few Mercedes S class, high end plasma televisions, and expensive wine in the most depressing countries on earth. 

[k4kyv]

As far as the economy, it has been showing faint signs of life for awhile now.  But even in the depths of the great depression there was still a small market for luxury goods just as you will find a few Mercedes S class, high end plasma televisions, and expensive wine in the most depressing countries on earth. 

Look through the old QSTs, Radio magazines and R/9. Many of the most exciting technical advances in the radio art took place during the depth of the Great Depression.  That era is often referred to as the "golden age" of radio.  The Empire State Building was constructed during the depression. The original HRO receiver came out in 1935.

While superhet receivers and high level class-B plate modulation became available to amateurs during the early to mid-30s, the majority of hams were still lucky to accumulate enough pennies to acquire the wherewithal to build a 1- or 2-tube regenerative receiver and low power Heising modulated transmitter.  Phone itself was an "elite" facet of amateur radio and many hams looked down their noses at it, just as many AMers to-day look down their noses at slopbucket and vice-versa; the majority of hams back then transmitted with marginally stable self-excited oscillators, often one-tube, on CW-only.

US hams in those days could be described exactly as I once saw Soviet hams described in the 1950s: equipment was crude but proficiency was high.

Regarding the economy, I hope I am wrong, but I am afraid we might be in it this time for the long run. 

[ke7trp]

I hope not.  But you guys are probably correct.  I have seen a spike in biz and the spike in radio prices.  That might very well be the hollidays.

[KE7KPB]

I think I will keep my HRO 50IT. It is not a sixty but for free I am not going to complain at all.
I just need to finish the coil set.

[K9PNP]

Guess I'm just lucky.  At the Evansville [IN] hamfest last Saturday I picked up an operational HQ-170 for a little under $200.  One of the old timers, older than me, was selling off some of his excess.  From what I can tell from checking it, all it needs is 3 new tubes and re-capped.  No shipping on this, either.  Of course, I saw the overpriced junk there, too.  Maybe it is the holiday spirit.

[Jim, W5JO]

Has anyone ever met or heard about a shill bidder?

[KA2DZT]

Has anyone ever met or heard about a shill bidder?

I looked at the bids.  Doesn't look like any shill bidding on this auction.

I have a HRO-M about 1941 with all the coils from 50kHz to 30mHz.

[W1ATR]

Maybe this seller missed clarks' economy bulletin.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NATIONAL-HRO-60-RECEIVER-NICE-WORKING-CONDITION-/280772063689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415f51b1c9

[ke7trp]

shill bidding happens alot I am afraid.  Years ago a guy got busted on ebay for doing just that.

I remember seeing an SX115 go for huge money once.  I cant remember the exact amount but it was 1500 to 2000 range.  The very next week about 6 of them popped up on ebay all looking for that kind of money. The SX115 market tanked and they where down to $600 for a while.

C

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Maybe this seller missed clarks' economy bulletin.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NATIONAL-HRO-60-RECEIVER-NICE-WORKING-CONDITION-/280772063689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415f51b1c9

This one only came with 4 coils, not 13 coils, no matching speaker, no crystal calibrator, and no NBFM.
This receiver also has more of grunge look to it.

[ke7trp]

Pete,  he is a little slow..  Forgive him 

I think what got these bids up is not only, the sum of the parts is the fact that it is "aligned" and tested.  To most of us, that means nothing as we will promptly, test it and align it again to make sure it is right.  But to some guys, that is a real PLUS having some satisfaction in know that it might work when they get it.

C

[KM1H]

Considering that the coil sets other than the stock 4 typically go for $75-150 a pop, the speaker for $100 or more, $75 for the calibrator and toss in the NBFM for $25-50 that wasnt a bad price.

For that sort of money a HRO-500 is a better deal and those have been climbing also, and comlpletely redone they are a great performer.

Even the NC-183D is up as it becomes the 2nd choice for those who cant afford a 60.

[WQ9E]

Even the NC-183D is up as it becomes the 2nd choice for those who cant afford a 60.

The NC-183D does have a few advantages of its own (over the HRO-60) including the ability to use AGC on CW, band spread at any frequency (for the SWL), and wide frequency coverage without having to find/change/store coils.   I like my HROs but a properly performing NC-183D is not a bad choice at all.

[ke7trp]

I am looking for an NC183D.  I always overlooked that reciever.  I am sure I will find a nice one someday.  I sure like the 60.  With the outboard Product detector and Sync detector wired into the NFM socket, It sure is a great performer!

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Maybe this seller missed clarks' economy bulletin.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NATIONAL-HRO-60-RECEIVER-NICE-WORKING-CONDITION-/280772063689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415f51b1c9

This one only came with 4 coils, not 13 coils, no matching speaker, no crystal calibrator, and no NBFM.
This receiver also has more of grunge look to it.

Not only that, it's the same link I posted earlier. 

Radio prices are up Todd.  I saw an HRO 60 go for 8 or 9 hundred recently. SX28as are pulling big bucks.  Collins gear is also way up. I was recently offered $2900 for my GK500c.  There seems to be guys paying the money for tested and working gear.  I will probably kick myself for not selling now but this gear is to important to me.

You'll never kick yourself for keeping a piece of gear you enjoy using, Clark. Been there myself. You'll never lose money on it either, if it's not an "investment". 

But radio prices really aren't up, not at all. It's easy to cherry pick the high examples of clean, complete, or rare sets we see and claim so, but reality shows otherwise. The October NEAR-Fest produced several KWM-2As in nice shape including one with the supply and speech processor, for $500. It was purchased by a 'fone member.

And as a prime example, there was a time not so many years ago that a so-so SX-88 would bring $4K or more, even needing restoration. Though I haven't checked in recent days, there has been a fairly nice example on QTH for a while now unsold, with a $2700 asking price. A couple others have also sold recently for well under $3K. At their high point some folks were paying $10K.

The recent SX-28s that sold for big dollars on ebay were completely stripped and rebuilt to better-than-new condition by a fellow in Florida who was restoring them. From what I hear, he's not doing anymore. You can generally find a dozen or so in typical condition for sale any given day for $100-$300.

And the same goes for the Collins A-Line gear that Howard Mills rebuilds and repaints. High prices for equipment that is better than when it left the factory, and likely bullet-proof for the rest of our lives. When you think about the time you'd have to put into one yourself, it isn't such a bad price - unless you value your time at $1/hour or so.

I remember seeing an SX115 go for huge money once.  I cant remember the exact amount but it was 1500 to 2000 range.  The very next week about 6 of them popped up on ebay all looking for that kind of money. The SX115 market tanked and they where down to $600 for a while.

The high water mark on those was around 2004 when one brought a bit over $6100, shortly after another had sold for $4K. They've also plummeted back down below the $1K mark. In the last year I've seen several in the $500-$700 range, some probably still unsold.

Don't confuse an asking price with the eventual selling price. I can ask $5K for a 75A-4 if I choose to. Doesn't mean it will sell for that. Even if it does, like the HRO-60 there are 10 or more that sell for a fraction as much for every high end price.

And Carl - if you're paying $150 a pop for HRO coils beyond the stock 4, I'll sell you my excess once I get a full set for the HRO-5C. They appear frequently in the $15-$40 range outside ebay. I've even got the E coil for a 50 or 60. 

[KM1H]

Im talking only about the 60 Todd, there is often a feeding frenzy on some of the coils including the AD which is rather useless in use; I just have the basic 4 plus an AB and AC.

Carl

[Opcom]

the 'catalin craze' of a couple decades ago made some $13.00 AA-5's worth $4000. Sometimes I wonder if a 'craze' is not started by a few shills and a guy or two that has a stack of the particular item.

[W1DAN]

OK,

I will sell my HRO-60 with 13 coils and buy this:

http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/atq/2718037869.html

Such a deal!

Dan

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Im talking only about the 60 Todd, there is often a feeding frenzy on some of the coils including the AD which is rather useless in use; I just have the basic 4 plus an AB and AC.

Well dayum. There's goes my 'get rich quick' scheme, down the drain!    I've only got one of the later gray coils.

I need to find a full set of the 'bright face' or 'silver face' coils used on the post-war HROs. Instead of a frame and paper chart, they have an aluminum chart/plate in its place. Actually, I just need the plates.

Sometimes I wonder if a 'craze' is not started by a few shills and a guy or two that has a stack of the particular item.

It's probably a bit more involved, Patrick. The Collins craze wasn't a big deal in the early 90s, despite the CCA collectors well in place by then. It wasn't until the mid-late 90s and the advent of eBay and widespread use of the internet that prices on Collins and other items took off. Far more than shills, it was primarily fueled by the newbie BA collectors who showed up from the mid-90s onward. Those with enough funds became desperate to catch up, buying a collection as fast as they could. It was kinda funny to track some of it via the original boatanchors email list. Someone would mention how great a particular receiver was, and within a few weeks or sometimes days the price had jumped. I especially remember the SX-115 and AR-88 in this respect. When you want to fit in as 'one of the guys' or appear as an old timer when you just got licensed a few years prior, it takes some hustling and convincing. Bragging rights can be expensive, too.

Then you have the other side: folks who remember the days of $50 R-390As and $25 SX-28s who think the stuff is overpriced or people are suckers if they can't buy it for next to nothing. Thank God for the somewhat-still-free market.

Somewhere in the middle is the vast majority who enjoy finding, repairing, and using the stuff. Desirability to them equals utility as much as anything else. Many were fortunate to find what they wanted before certain brands or models became fashionable. Others who came along later with a more measured approach learned how to seek things out beyond eBay, gaining priceless knowledge along the way.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

$1880 final bid.

[MikeKE0ZUinkcmo]

Yep, and I'm a happy camper.  No shill bidding here, its not needed.

Mike

[K0ARA]

  Congratulations!!!!