6m meteor scatter project follow on

[Gary Chatters]

Robert Bruninga wrote:

[...]
> I guess my overarching question would be whether there are
> enough surplus 6m radios throughout the USA to make it possible
> for hams to find them.  I know you are doing an outstantding job
> at gathering these radios here... Bu I wonder about hamefests..
>
> Or have the prime years when these hit the streets long past.
>   
This past year has been a good one for picking up old low band LMR 
radios suitable for conversion to 6M.  I check eBay occasionally to see 
what is there, even if I am not planning to buy.  Apparently the state 
of Indiana did a major radio upgrade.  A palette full of their low band 
Syntor X9000 radios showed up.  I bought a couple of individual radios.  
They were all in good working order.  There have also been other sources 
for the X9000 as well as numerous other models such as Kenwood TK-630 
and TK-690, GE/Ericsson/M-ACom Orion and Delta, plus other Motorola 
models.  Crystal radios such as the Motorola Mitrek still show up.

There is no telling what will show up next year.  Sometimes I see 
particular models being quite plentiful for a while, then disappear.  I 
expect there will be something available for quite some time.
> With all the rage being digital and 800 and now 700 MHz, it
> would seem that there should be thousands of low band radios out
> there if they are not already scrap.
>
> And for this purpose, they can be old xtal controleld
> clunkers...  In fact, most of the need is in RX only for the
> APRS igates...
>
>
>   
That does expand does expand your options.  A receiver strip from a old 
Micor or Maxar 80 with just the receiver side crystalled up would do the 
job.

73,
Gary