Can anyone suggest a on line place to purchase used equipment that is reputable.
What type of equipment are you looking for?
Base station set up usable in a condo setting
what frequency are you looking for in a base station setup?
Being a newbie I could use advice/guidance with that
I’m a little confused. Second hand gear is very different from new. Usually it’s also local, or within travelling distance if you don’t use ebay - so faebook market place or other similar sources - but where you are is critical. I’m in the UK, so my answers make no sense, but even for people in your own country, online new is fine - plenty of dealers, loads of stock, but second hand is usually one-offs, so outle X is great, but they don’t have what you want.
Second problem is if you don’t know what you want, how can you even search for second hand stuff, unless you have somewhere local to browse?
John asked what frequency - to work out of you want 27MHz, Ham HF bands, Ham VHF, then the general and licence free bands and UHF ham. We can’t suggest ham gear of you’re not a ham, or GMRS if you’re not in the correct country.
What exactly do you want to do?
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Well first off as I said I’m a newbie looking for advice. Sounds like that offends you, oh well. Second hand gear is not readily available where I live. Also I do not bother with social media so market place is not a option. I’m looking at Ham radio, and yes I can own it and listen I can’t transmit until I get licensed, is that not correct?
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I know Buy Two Way Radio has reconditioned equipment at times so check in with customer service. You can also try a site like MTC Radio. I haven’t bought from this shop but it is a place you can look for used equipment.
https://www.mtcradio.com/used-gear/
Before you buy anything you will want to do some research to see what you need for what/who you want to communicate with. Joining a Ham radio club would also be a great way to kill 02 birds with 01 stone… Get around people with experience to share and buy their old equipment as they upgrade. Ham clubs also gave ham fest and swap sales.
Google searches and YouTube are going to be your friends as you explore what’s available.
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Hi Graf, welcome to the forum! You certainly weren’t offending anyone. We were just confused, because in your opening post you just asked about locating used equipment but you didn’t specify what type of equipment or for what radio service, which didn’t give us anything to go on. You could have been asking about Amateur, FRS, GMRS, CB, MURS, Marine, we just didn’t know. That’s the reason for the follow up questions from the other members.
Now that you’ve clarified that you are searching for used ham radios, your question is a little easier to answer. Even so, ham radios do run the gamut from small handheld models that operate on the UHF or VHF ham bands, all the way to huge HF base station rigs that cover all the ham bands. In between those are UHF and VHF mobiles, low power QRP HF radios and other transceivers.
We are a two way radio dealer but primarily sell new products, not used. Occasionally we run across refurbs, or radios sold for parts, but it’s not our primary business. It doesn’t hurt to contact us to find something specific for you in terms of used equipment, and we are certainly happy to help you out where we can.
Having said all that, I would caution you about investing in used equipment online or from unknown third parties if you are new to radios, as they don’t come with any help or support on figuring them out after the sale. You pretty much get it as is, and it isn’t necessarily what you may expect.
I would personally recommend going to a local hamfest or attending a ham radio club in your area if possible and get to know the people there. A hamfest is a great place to pick up used equipment, you can often negotiate the prices, and you can often find some genuine bargains. Also, a lot of the hams who sell their used stuff are sometimes helpful about assisting you with setting it up. You won’t often find that sort of help on eBay,
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Thank you sounds like good advice
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As the ham community is sort of closed, it’s rarer to get ripped off because callsigns prevent people being anonymous in most countries. The thing to remember about ham radio is that the users tend to fall into categories, so sometimes more affluent people buy radios and just can’t get on with them. These are then bargains to people who know what they are and how to use them. Problem radios are rare, but the variation from simple to complex is huge. Ebay is for bargains, or non-dealer specials. You need to really know the market, or you can buy things with upward progress thwarted. The ham world is going digital - and this means computers. Some of my radio ads in the UK I’ve now added to - if you don’t find computers easy, please don’t buy this radio. The returns rate was crazy on a few when bought by older hams wanting to go digital, but so many just gave up.
HF, and increased radio to radio distance is a very different aspect of the hobby, and prices tend to stay high with 40 year old radios still making good money. By the late 70s, early 80s - they suddenly became more modern. Good examples are still worth having. If your needs are modest, basic second hand radios might still do the job. Rick mentioned the Hamfests - well worth visiting to pick up better priced items as long as you know your hobby. Buying from radio dealers like Rick, is still the best protected method because they offer good advice, special offers and will be there to keep you going. Second hand is a calculated gamble. Are you OK with this? If so, then the hamfests, ebay, or Facebook marketplace work - but there is risk. Ebay have rules for their business sellers, so can be OK - returns accepted, that sort of thing. Aliexpress is a common source of cheap new gear - BUT - again it is a risk. The price appears cheap, they accept returns, your purchase is protected. The downsides are things to consider. Private buyers in the UK, and I think the US is similar) get import/VAT tax added by whoever delivers it, plus often a handling charge for collecting the tax. Delivery can be long, and while you can send a faulty item or unwanted item back, YOU pay the charge. For me in the UK, sending a radio back to China will cost me £30-40, and take weeks to get there. There is a language barrier too, so even explaining the fault might be best with pointing fingers in a video, not a message. That is why many people hate buying from china. To be honest, I have imported hundreds of expensive radios of all makes and they’ve been really good, and I have had a tiny number of problems. However, I’m geared up for this, and I don’t get charged the tax as I’m registered here for no tax on import. You won’t be.
In your post you’ve expressed an aim with no real info - this is why we’re struggling to really advise. Why not tell us what you fancy buying, and we’ll tell you its great or to avoid it, or point out positive or negative things. We’re guessing what you want?
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If you are looking for a used radio to listen to until you are licensed then consider a good scanner and antenna setup (if possible). A good scanner will give you plenty to listen to, not only Amateur radio but a variety of other services too. Even once you are licensed the scanner will come in handy to monitor one frequency or band while transmitting on others.
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