D-104 elements

[Glen Zook]

Virtually all of my eBay experiences have been fine
both selling and buying!  I don't bid on anything
unless I am either very sure of what it is or else I
don't spend much on it!

I got a virtually new (actually unused is more like
it!) WRL SM-90 screen modulator for the Globe Chief 90
series for the minimum ($10) from eBay a while back.
The seller didn't know what he had and listed it as a
"microphone preamplifier".  I came across it with less
than 5 minutes to go and there wasn't a single bid!
Fortunately, I recognized it.

Now, everyone has heard "horror stories" about kit
building.  Well, this particular one qualifies.  The
basic kit consists of a circuit board with two tubes,
mini-box, octal plug, and octal socket.  Whoever built
this kit had neatly "plugged" all of the components
through the circuit board and cut the leads off to
about 1/4 inch.  Then, a single "dot" of solder was
put on the end of each lead!  There wasn't any solder
at all on the circuit board!  The octal plug was done
the same way, the wires put through the pins and then
a "dot" of solder on the outside.  The octal socket
was similar, except that the wires had been "bent"
around the terminals before the "dot" of solder was
put on!

The seller was not an amateur radio operator and had
gotten the item at an estate sale along with several
other items.  When I told him about the construction
he offered to return my money as well as the shipping
charges.  I told him that there was no problem with me
rebuilding the unit and that I was very satisfied
because I had been looking for an SM-90 for years.  We
both got a good "laugh" at how the kit was built.  Of
course it was like new!  It could never have worked!

Glen, K9STH


--- Don Buska <d.buska at Advantest.com> wrote:

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the eBay mic
Glen.  I guess we hear mostly the eBay horror stories
on the reflectors and have to wonder just what
percentage it really is.

=====
Glen, K9STH

Web sites

http://home.comcast.net/~k9sth
http://home.comcast.net/~zcomco

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it!
http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/

-----------------------------------------------------------
This list is a public service of the City of Tempe, Arizona
-----------------------------------------------------------

Subscription control - http://www.tempe.gov/lists/control.asp?list=BOATANCHORS
To post - BOATANCHORS at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV
Archives - http://interactive.tempe.gov/archives/BOATANCHORS.html