Interesting conversation!
Well, I have here today the Collins KWM-2 and S3 line, a 'B' line, a
'C' line (Full Sherwood). Hallicrafters SX-117/HT-44, and
SX-115/HT-32B....along with my only modern rig....a TT Orion II.
I could not afford any of this in my early days (1964) of hamming. Used
Knight Kit/Heathkit & very used older stuff (HRO-7 etc)
I actually use all of this on a regular basis.
Here is my rundown:
1) Collins = nice to operate, very reliable, great for SSB, not for CW,
looks cool, easy to maintain. and I like the 6146's
2) Drake = superb in every way, PBT is a real +, needs very little
maintenance, very stable....has nearly as good of contest/weak DX
performance as TT Orion
3) Halli's...just fun to use and performance is really goos as
well...better than most may think/remember
4) TT OII, really a superb TXCVR in all ways....super easy to use, no
multi=level menus, top notch rcvr. no tune, nice big knobs , manual
never needed
The vintage stuff is just more fun!
I like working on the stuff if needed....it's the technology I
understand and can work on.
73,
Lee, KC9CDT
-----Original Message-----
From: Garey Barrell <k4...@mindspring.com>
To: drakelist <drakelist@zerobeat.net>
Sent: Fri, Jun 17, 2011 9:33 am
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Collins, Drake etc.
Richard Knoppow wrote:
----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Christensen" <w...@arrl.net>
To: <drakelist@zerobeat.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 7:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Collins, Drake etc.
So, truth be told, while Collins gear was clearly the high priced
spread,
even Drakes were still
out of reach for us average joes who made do with Heathkits...
Toward the end of its life, the R-4B + T-4XB was right at $1K. I
can't
imagine spending that
during my teenage years in the mid 1970s. To me, it was like a car
purchase.
By 1975, what was
the street price of the S-Line combo? I imagine Collins offered
little in
the way of discounts.
I make this assumption based on the back pages of QSTs I've been
reading from
the late '50s. For
example, every single dealer who supplied the KWM-1 advertised it
for exactly
$820 in 1958. It
sure seems like Collins had strict terms and conditions on just how
much a
dealer could discount,
if any at all -- much the same way other high-end products are sold
today in
order to retain an
elite branding image. I imagine this was less of an issue with
Drake.
Paul, W9AC
Its hard to know what actual discounts might have been offered. At
the time
strict "fair trade"
price control by manufacturers was still legal, dealers had to abide
by their
agreements, at leas
for advertised prices. What is not clear is how much effective
discounting
went on in the form of
trade-ins or extras supplied "free" when equipment was bought. I
suspect a
lot of price
competition went on under the table. OTOH, I don't know how much mark
up there
was on ham gear,
maybe not a lot. Most commercial electronics had enough so that a 40%
discount
over "list" price
could be offered. There may have been more on consumer gear. Ham gear
may not
have had enough
volume to allow this.
Richard -
I worked part time for a Ham distributor in the 60s. At that time, the
distributor paid 75% of list
price. Several of the manufacturers had a program where a salesperson
could
purchase ONE of any or
all items at 50%, for their own use. This is how I got my first
4-Line. There
was little
discounting over 10%, usually in the form of 'increased' trade-in
value. Most
Collins gear that I
sold was at list price, I suppose those who could afford it didn't care
what it
cost! :-)
73, Garey - K4OAH
Glen Allen, VA
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