peter
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Retired, collector of vintage radios and test equipment for restoration and repair.
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Post by peter on Aug 1, 2021 0:14:15 GMT 12
Has anyone noticed the prices being bid for some Heathkit stuff on trade me recently?? Today a capacitor checker with magic eye went for $151 while a laboratory sig gen went for $75. Last week a couple of Heathkit VTVM went for up to $120. I had thought it was just one new bidder in Chch maybe starting a collection but he was outbid in the sig gen, and the two who were after the capacitor checker were new names I did not know. Interesting - if anybody can throw any light. My wife will be happy at any rate as I've been collecting Heathkit stuff for years along with Avo test gear and she's already been salivating at the thought of the cash she can get for the Avo gear alone when I'm gone. Good thing I'm the cook or the food might start tasting a little peculiar!!!
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Post by Admin on Aug 1, 2021 10:52:39 GMT 12
I’ve noticed this as well and it started around the time of the first lockdown. It’s been happening not just for vintage electronics, but Cars, car parts and even construction items hat I’ve seen. For example: I had a power conditioner that I was going to list at a buy now for $200, I decided on a start price of $150 and it sold for over $800! It’s not just on trademe either, while watching another online auction site, a cordless screwdriver with a retail of $40 went for $90+15% fee+GST. A timber trader I once worked for used to struggle for 50% of retail for their 2nds on trademe, I notice they are regularly getting higher than retail prices for their seconds /damaged items....too many bored people with $$?
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Philconut
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Post by Philconut on Aug 1, 2021 18:34:35 GMT 12
What about the two Jensen 0.22uf caps for $50 each!
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Post by DHockey on Aug 2, 2021 8:11:05 GMT 12
The Heathkit and Sprague capacitor checkers are very popular with the guitar amp and audio crowds. They get talked about a lot in forums and Youtube videos. This has driven prices up a lot in recent years. VTVM’s have also become a lot more desirable due to (in my opinion) them featuring in Youtube videos from the likes of “Mr Carlson’s Lab” and other vintage electronics channels.
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Post by brunoaudio on Aug 4, 2021 13:07:41 GMT 12
What about the two Jensen 0.22uf caps for $50 each! Mental! The whole guitar/audiophile tonecap thing is rather amusing. People like using NOS Sprage Bumble Bee caps in the preamp circuits of guitar instrument amps, they even pay good money for pulls!
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peter
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Retired, collector of vintage radios and test equipment for restoration and repair.
Posts: 97
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Post by peter on Aug 9, 2021 3:19:46 GMT 12
What about the two Jensen 0.22uf caps for $50 each! Mental! The whole guitar/audiophile tonecap thing is rather amusing. People like using NOS Sprage Bumble Bee caps in the preamp circuits of guitar instrument amps, they even pay good money for pulls! Shame on you Sir - have you never heard of 'tone-sucking capacitors' which degrade the sound immensely in your guitar so that punters in pubs and at concerts say things like 'eugh!! hear that terrible sound' or ' ooh clearly not bumblebee caps but orange drop spragues in his Les Paul - how absolutely INFERIOR'. These guitarists will realise, you see, that along with all the good wood being lost in a fire at Gibson, Fender, Guild etc there was also worldwide loss of the good plastic for making non tone-sucking caps. Now they are being fobbed off with low grade capacitors in an industry conspiracy!! So with that, and the non vintage valves in modern amps, how can the poor modern guitarist make a decent sound?? The Philistines among us of course say hurtful things like 'practice and some decent songs might help', but they know find the magic missing caps at umpteen $ per unit together with vintage NOS valves and all their trials will be over! The magic tone WILL be there! The sellers of the cap pulls, NOS valves etc. must be laughing all the way to the bank - almost as good as the rort a few years back on Ebay with a marvellous juice you painted on your Integrated Circuits in the Solid state amps and lo they would have that desired valve sound!! God knows how many poor kids were taken for a ride at $50 or so per bottle. Along with oxygen free speaker cables one of the greater cons of our times!! I've played electric guitar since 1968 and never noticed these caps in any of my instruments - LOL.
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Philconut
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Post by Philconut on Aug 9, 2021 8:20:37 GMT 12
I hope it wasn't worrying about this that kept you awake! Have you come across the "Voltex" yet? A wee device that you plug in to a plug close to the meter box & it corrects the sine wave and therefore saves you hundreds on your power bill.- even greater savings are possible if you are stupid enough to buy a second one which must be plugged in as far away from the meter box as possible.
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peter
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Retired, collector of vintage radios and test equipment for restoration and repair.
Posts: 97
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Post by peter on Aug 9, 2021 23:39:54 GMT 12
I hope it wasn't worrying about this that kept you awake! Have you come across the "Voltex" yet? A wee device that you plug in to a plug close to the meter box & it corrects the sine wave and therefore saves you hundreds on your power bill.- even greater savings are possible if you are stupid enough to buy a second one which must be plugged in as far away from the meter box as possible. Dang!! I missed out on those bargains. if you buy a 3rd one can you sell the free extra power it doubtless produces back to the power supplier?? Never mind!! I can always buy the plug in ultrasonic sound thingy that gets rid or mice or rats, OR the square wave generator that supposedly knocks cancer cells on the head (rebadged from Dick Smith unit from $10 to $90). Did you know by the way that a digital multimeter has a variation of + or - 3%? that's why it never reads zero but only a number from 1-3 according to one electronics store when a customer bought it back claiming it was faulty.
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Philconut
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Post by Philconut on Aug 10, 2021 19:39:36 GMT 12
I hadn't thought about that! I will go & buy three of these amazing devices right away and start making money.
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peter
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Retired, collector of vintage radios and test equipment for restoration and repair.
Posts: 97
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Post by peter on Aug 15, 2021 19:31:29 GMT 12
Gawd!! - happened yet again! A RCA VoltOhmyst VTVM - nice little valve unit but the most I ever paid for one as late as a year or so ago was $30-40 - today went on trademe for $151!!!
Almost as good as the Avometer 8 mk 6 or 7 of a year or so back offered at $300+ although that never sold.
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Post by Peter Walsham on Aug 15, 2021 21:53:33 GMT 12
Hello Peter
Do you know of any one who can do meter movement repairs?. I have a couple of RCA Senior VoltOhmyst's here that have sticky movements (along with a couple of multimeters). I have made contact with a guy, but he seemed to be not very interested in helping, as he didn't answer follow-up emails.
Peter W
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Philconut
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Post by Philconut on Aug 15, 2021 22:05:16 GMT 12
I'm watching with interest the single caps, especially the old electrolytic ones, listed at $20 each! I left a comment on the 0.39uf mustard cap that had an asking price of $30! Of course no answer and, surprise surprise, it didn't sell. It has been relisted at $20. Nuts!!!!!
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Post by davidballantynezl1tfg on Aug 16, 2021 8:01:54 GMT 12
The seller has not made it clear but I presume $20 for the box full? David
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Post by Radiotech on Aug 18, 2021 14:19:40 GMT 12
The same issue applies on eBay - Heathkit stuff has skyrocketed in price. I bought a Heathkit IT-28 capacitor checker a couple of years ago, and managed to get it for a reasonable price - but all the others I looked at were going crazy on the prices. Some people were wanting (and in many cases getting) upwards of $400 NZD for them. The 'Mr Carlson effect' is partly responsible. He's an electronic technician that has a very popular YouTube channel and as soon as he features a particular item for restoration on there the prices of them go warp-drive on eBay as a result. Just a word of warning if you are planning to buy a Heathkit item from the US - many units were released only with a 120 volt primary winding on the mains transformer, while some (even with the same model number) came with the international version transformer that has dual 120 volt primaries meaning they can be series connected for 230 V. Even if the construction manual shows the international transformer as being fitted, check before you start bidding because I have seen units like this where the book says it has the international version yet when the item arrives it has the US-only transformer fitted.
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peter
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Retired, collector of vintage radios and test equipment for restoration and repair.
Posts: 97
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Post by peter on Aug 19, 2021 5:22:38 GMT 12
Hello Peter Do you know of any one who can do meter movement repairs?. I have a couple of RCA Senior VoltOhmyst's here that have sticky movements (along with a couple of multimeters). I have made contact with a guy, but he seemed to be not very interested in helping, as he didn't answer follow-up emails. Peter W No sorry - I've allways simply replaced dodgy meters and been lucky with the voltohmysts I have. However if the problem is the meter will not balance/go to zero rather than just sticky suspect the 10uf electrolytic capacitor in the balanced valve circuit. One of mine came right after I replaced it.
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