BEWARE: Tube Radios on eBay

[Jester]

Hi Folks,

If you've been on eBay lately, you will have noticed a glut of older tube-type CB's out there, from Courier Royales, Robyn T240D's, and various Johnson Messengers just waiting to be bid on.

Now some of you may have already known this stuff, but here are a few pointers and a story of a restoration of a Johnson Messenger Two:

About a week ago, I picked up a Johnson Messenger Two (aka the "blackface") for a fairly unreasonable price. The seller made the radio look like it was a restored gem, as the chrome was in very nice shape, and she (the seller) claimed the radio "worked well"...

WRONG!

Sellers are so full of crap...That is the first thing to remember. This lady said the Johnson DEADKEYED 12 watts and swung to 30 on a Dosy Meter. Actual Output? 3 watts.

As for working well, it transmitted just fine, but there was NO receive. I narrowed it down to a bum 6BJ6 tube (thankfully I had extras of that one) and there was also a diode of some kind out that a friend of mine found. Luckily we had that too...

After much elbow grease had been spent, the radio is in REALLY nice shape! I swapped a freshly painted case that I had from another blackface I own (also from eBay , also NO Receive) and if you saw it, you'd think it just rolled off the assembly line! Here is a pic of it, prior to the new body case: (pictures don't do this radio justice!)


Overall, I have purchased 5 Messengers ( 3 whitefaces, 3 blackfaces) and the success rate with these radios, as you will find, is pretty low. I would say it's maybe 30% of the time you will have a working rig that won't need work. Beware the following sales pitches or lines:

Owned by a ham operator.

Owned by a former ham radio operator.

This radio was "well cared for"

Works great.


Remember, its all LIES! Prepare to have a problem on your hands!

Well, maybe not that. Just be cautious, and if you can't fix it yourself, find a good tech. Because once you have a good working Johnson in the shack, you have a bulletproof relic that few radios today can even touch....

[TwentyTwo-Zero]

I know what you mean...if it sounds too good to be true...it is...

BTW - you forgot the "was owned by a silent key" line...

Another "line" to stay away from is the "got at an estate sale - in excellent condition, but untested"

[silverstreak]

dont forget to leave very bad feed back for the seller to warn others not to buy from he or she

[Tezterz]

"got at an estate sale - in excellent condition, but untested"

Yep, see a lot of those. Or ones that say with no power cord so I couldn't test .... etc.

Like Jester says, be prepared because there will be something wrong with it that they don't tell you about. That's why a lot of people won't but radios off of ebay.

[4 cycle]

I have purchased two Johnson Messengers and a few GE HELP portable radios on E-Bay, so far I have been lucky only one of the GE portables needed fixing!! I try to buy from the sellers that say the stuff is from so called estate sales!! You takes your chances on E-Bay!!

[350v8s10]

I have only bought two tube radios on eBay. I never have had a chance to test them. The prices were so cheap, that I really don't care, but I actually expect them to work. (I bought these as spare parts for the tube radios I bought from CBRT forum members.) I have been on eBay for 10 years. The advice that I pass on is to buy from sellers that have a feedback rate of near 100% (99.4% or better) and have been on eBay for over 1 year. I have had 100% success using this method. I need nothing from eBay. I only 'want' things on eBay, especially the 'bargains' . I consider a 'bargain' to be a great item at a really low price from a really reputable seller. If you look long enough you will find these going un-noticed by other bidders. About once a week I go through the listings and put a minimum bid on all the things I find interesting. Usually I am outbid within hours. No problem on my end. Then, every week or two I find a "you won" notice in my mailbox and see that I won something that either didn't interest someone else or just went thru under the radar.

[DanzKat]

My personal favorites are the sellers who put things in like "Radio in great working order" "Unable to test as I have no antenna!" uh.... what! How do you know it works great if you can't test it!!!!
Buyer beware!!!!

[TX_Dj]

DanzKat,

That means "I plugged it in, it turned on, and all the knobs work and when I pushed the PTT something "clicked" inside, it must be good... but what do I know, I don't have an antenna."

[PA629]

My favorite Ebay line is where they are selling, let's say, a Cobra 142 GTL and they say "Unable to test, don't have a mic.". Then 3 or 4 listings later, the same seller has a "Mint D-104 Silver Eagle, wired 5-pin Cobra, unable to test".

[Maverick]

I don't buy radios on ebay anymore. Blown finals, etc, etc, etc.

So that's a johnson? there's one on the local CL for $40. I'm gonna get it.

[King Mudduck]

"Sellers are so full of crap...That is the first thing to remember. This lady said the Johnson DEADKEYED 12 watts and swung to 30 on a Dosy Meter. Actual Output? 3 watts."

You should have known from that along that this was one to be avoided! Very very few of the old tube radios will even come closest to this, most are in the 10 to 15 watt peak unless you get into the Collins, Drake, Yaesu, ham radio but then that's another radio all together. Anyone who plays with the older radios know that you would be very lucky to by one off of eBay that will not need work and if you do you will most likely pay a lot fro it but if your smart about it and dont get that " i gotta have that biding war " mindset then you will be just fine.

I got another mark 2 a few months ago that was listed as needing work but over all good condition so i put my bid on it and ending up with the radio. I knew that once it was here that i would have to spend some cash on it but to my surprise when i opened the box it came in it looked like a new radio. It ended up being a one owner radio with all the paper work and original box and not one scratch on it! All the tubes were factory and even still had the inspection stickers on the inside of the radio. You want to know what was wrong with it? Nothing but one bad tube that caused the radio not to receive and a bad cap that would not allow it to squeal when keyed up. Paid $150.00 for it and after i fixed it i sold it for $475.00!

You just have to know what to look for and what you are looking at!

[Sisco]

Overall, I have purchased 5 Messengers ( 3 whitefaces, 3 blackfaces)

Click: [Please login or register to view this link]

I am not good at math, but according to Google Calculator.. 3 whitefaces + 3 blackfaces = 6 messengers!

What to heck are you smokin?!? [ external image ]

(Just kiddin man)

Rick

[Slim Jim]

my favorite is when the seller says that they have no antenna to test it with, but it transmits just fine.

[kg95]

also look out for 'working but as-is'
you will get no help from paypal etc
if it says as-is anywhere in the ad
working or not

[pipsqueek]

??? Beware tube radios??? Beware EVERYTHING on epay. Ya gotta do the caveat emptor thing. There are also great deals out there. Just try and ferret out the good from the bad. All the lines that were given are signs of a crumb, also 99% feedback and below doesn't even deserve a second look. I don't look at newbie feedback things either (even though we all start out somewhere). I'll let others do the trial and error.

Radios are one thing, I can't believe folks do cars sight unseen for $$$$. I gotta kick the tires myself before I shell out.
pips

[kg95]

Actually I got a 97% feedback rating.
I got 100% positive feedback from my buyers - all green
I got a reduced feedback rating
as a buyer complaining about:
1) multimedia that skips
2) one seller where I bid and won on 2 of her items - I said I only wanted the cheaper one - she couldn't understand
3) and the guy who sold me a radio that needed to be fixed
(it still needs to be fixed, it works only on the bench
**Censored** the wrong way and its blowing fuses)

My rating has not hurt me as a seller.
Fortunately, most people look into it more than that.

[ksphotoguy]

I jumped at a Cobra 2000 base on ebay that I probably should have known better than to buy but like a moron, I bought it. I left a neutral feedback for the seller as many of the obvious flaws were never mentioned or pictured. Of course I get a neutral feedback from the seller because I didn't ask the right questions.........what a crock of SH*T. The thing won't transmit but it receives great. Guess it's off to Sparky's to see what the problem might be. I have bought the last of the electronics off that crooked Fu*king ebay. I am thru with them.

[TX_Dj]

99% feedback and below doesn't even deserve a second look

That's all fine and good... but a user with 100 feebacks and 2 negatives will show up as 98%. I am more inclined to see how many repeat customers a seller has, which is a better measurement of how good they may be. If one user buys 10 items and leaves positive feedback 10 times, it only shows up as "1" extra feedback in the number displayed next to their name.

I'm far more wary of someone who has less than 100 feedback than I am of someone who's got more than 100 feedback, 5+ years old account, and a small number of neutral or negative feedback. When I sell, I won't let anyone bid with less than 100% positive at least 50 unique feedback w/o permission.

[Trouble]

So called "Estate Sale" equipment gets my flag up.

[Tin_Star]

So called "Estate Sale" equipment gets my flag up.

Yeah, "Estate sale" is an elegant way to say it was bought for $1.00, off a neighborhood garage sale table.
There are lots of "Dumpster Divers" on eBay too. Alaway ask LOTS of questions about the item.
If you get a bunch of "I don't know anything about it" stuff, just figure it has issues. It was probably dug out of somebody's trash pile.
Of course, "It works great, but being sold as is".
It isn't worth the shipping charge.
You just bought someone else's trash.
I hope you got it cheap...

[Foxhunter]

Well I could almost write a complete guide to buying and selling on Ebay as I'm sure many other members could too. I've got about 1/4 of some of my items on Ebay. I won't, but here's a few basic points I see.

If you want to buy an item unseen and unheard, you should bid under the total assumption that it will need repairs of some kind, either mild or extensive. Basically you have to be "a gamblin' man" and roll the dice.

Really, buying any older, used tube rig or amplifier with an unknown history possibly several decades old, is tricky at best. The same could really be said buying one from Craigslist, a yard/garage sale, or even from a private sale. People are something. You must view it as the same as "buying as used car". Odds are there will be some hidden problem that will only show up after you've driven it a week.

I once believed (from being naive or hopeful) in the "estate sale find". No longer. The same old story is told time and time again. "It belonged to a silent key and I bought it from his widows (or my Uncles) estate. Above his station desk was an Electrical Engineering degree from XX State University" blah blah blah. Most of the things I'd think are basement or attic "cleanout" items or yard/garage sale/flea market finds. Really again the "used car" example----you'd have to believe a used car salesman telling you "a little old lady drove it back and forth to the grocery store once a week" lol. No different.

Now that's not to say that really nice things can't be found either, and also that real collectors die and their life-long collections get broken up and sold. The best you can do is develop a kind of radar and BS detector, and make an informed and educated guess. Gamble.

That said, get a decent purchase price and plan on having it sent to the shop. If ok then you're that much more ahead. Most of these old tube rigs will need to be re-capped and/or re-tubed (at the very least) at some point simply because of their age. If not needing it already, at some point in the not-too-distant future it is certain. Collecting and owning used tube gear or even the base station & mobile rigs from the '70's etc is often a very expensive hobby. Think----after 20 years or more, how many different well-meaning owners have been "under the hood" changing this and modifying that etc on & on. These old radios by now have "an extensive" history. Finding a shop willing to work on them can be very difficult too. Parts sometimes aren't exactly plentiful either. Buyer beware.

[Swamp Rat]

I've gotten a few bad base radios on Ebay myself.a pair of Robyn ss_747B's with SSb, a Cobra Cam 88 tube type with a few dead channels.The Robyns ? One had dead channels and the other one had a volume issue.And 1 Cobra 135XLR that needs a off / on switch.Those lines they use, I read those so often I see them in my sleep....

[Swamp Rat]

Ive got a few of those myself.I got at least 4 bases that had dead channels,etc.A Robyn SS-747B with SSb, Cobra Cam 88, same thing,They will tell you anything on Ebay.Ive seen those lines so often,bought at estate auction , from a silent key,etc.All those Regency Imerials,Rain Gain's, etc dont have a power cord,etc.Once I saw a President Madison , nice looking, but,the owner was selling the factory speaker separately in another auction.really makes sense dont it ?If it belongs to that radio , it should stay with that radio.It shows just how greedy some people can be by thinking they can get more...

[tubehead]

guys,

we are talking about 40+ year old rigs here. EXPECT to fix something. tube radios are for two kind of people... those that can fix it themselves and those with deep pockets. its just like owning a classic car. if you're gonna use it as a daily driver, you better make sure everything is maintained.

[Sporty Mike]

I've never bought anything from E-bay, because I've never bought anything from E-bay!!! Everytime I see something that seems to be on the level and I like it, I scroll down and it says " No first time bidders". So, you're telling me that to be able to buy something worth having, I first have to bid on, and purchase ( so as not to be penalized for failure to pay) some crap that might not be worth it? Sorry, I guess I'll stick to face to face transactions at the Hamfests and swapmeets.


Mike