In a message dated 10/21/98 2:11:56 PM EST, Chad_Kurszewski@csg.mot.com
writes:
>
> But I'm a ham. I enjoy doing work and not spending money.
YES! That's part of the fun (as well as learning something about this
stuff)!!!
>
> I bought a pair of XA's for $450 total. I also spent $92 in replacement
> parts, for a new total of $542. A pair of new antennas would have run
> me $1582 for a difference of $1040.
>
> I timed myself as to how long it took me to refurb the antenna. Each
> triband element took 2 hours, times 5 elements, times 2 antennas = 20
hours.
> Add in a couple more hours for final assembly and tuning = 24 hours.
>
> $1040 saved divided by 24 hours = $43.33/hr
>
> I'm sorry, but I don't make $43/hr. It would have been worth taking
> 3 days off of work...I would have still "saved" $500 even after the
> lost wages!!!
>
Since you're not making the big bucks, guess you aren't a lawyer <g>.
I also bought my 34XA used. I took it apart, cleaned up all the connections,
and reassembled it, looking for anything that showed signs of significant wear
or deterioration. The replacement parts I did buy were about $50. After
reassembly, the SWR curves were remarkably close to those in the manual.
The antenna has worked great ever since (about 3 years now). Well worth
the hours expended.
73, Mike K3AIR
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