When astronomy became my main hobby some fifty years ago, one aspect I never dreamed I'd be doing in any way was radio astronomy. It seemed too out there, too abstract. Yet technology has progressed to the point that radio [...]
So, I’m one of those who likes to leave a scanner on all the time. It comes from a habit I developed as a kid. My father was a police officer and in those days, police transmissions were not encrypted. [...]
Tubes, tubes and more tubes...for the ham as well as the audiophile! Stay tuned for this late December, 2023 auction...
As we were cleaning up equipment for photography and testing, KFØCOM discovered an original JPL/NASA DSIF (Deep Space Instrumentation Facility – pre-Deep Space Network) tag! It was affixed to the reverse along with a green and white inspection/calibration sticker with JPL stamp and handwritten dates 1/17/68 and 10/8/69 with “JPL 17” and “JPL 168” code stamps next to them – indicating this unit was in service during the heart of the Apollo program!
Spring officially began in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20, 2023 with the vernal/Spring equinox as the entire world experiences an equal amount of daylight and darkness, as shown on the Geochron Atlas 4K.
"On Thanksgiving Day 1961, Wes Schum was unstoppable. His Central Electronics Company had produced the world's most advanced single-sideband transmitter, setting the amateur radio world ablaze. Three months later, it was all over. 60 years later, learn why and what could have been." - credit: excerpt from back cover
It was around 1960 when Hallicrafters put into limited production its ahead-of-the-curve 'transistorized' FPM-200 transceiver. This was a hybridized unit with 41 transistors, 49 diodes, 14 power rectifiers and 5 tubes, and would put out 70 to 100 watts PEP SSB, 60 to 90 watts CW, and 15 to 20 watts from 80 down to 10 meters. It also featured a combination R.F. output and S-meter, CW sidetone, vox, 100KHz crystal calibrator and crystal lattice filters, a dual conversion receiver and more.
We get a lot of questions about how our auction process works and how we acquire and curate the equipment we sell. Let us start by saying, we don’t purchase collections outright. The simple reason is that you, the consignor, will benefit more if we sell your items at auction on your behalf. When you consign items, our seller’s commission is all we take. If we purchased your equipment or collections for resale, it would be like selling anything to a reseller. A calculation would have to be made - in our favor - accounting for risks and unknowns we would be taking, such as how much of the equipment would need servicing and to what level. Auctions work best.
One of the most satisfying aspects of amateur radio is receiving or communicating with commercial and amateur radio stations from afar.
Welcome to the Schulman Auction blog. Whether you’re a ham radio op, a vintage audio enthusiast or collect or repair antique radios, we hope to have a variety of posts that pique your curiosity and provide relevant information on the above topics as well as provide information on our auction process. From cool new arrivals to behind-the-scenes operations from our auction facility of how we test, process and bring some exciting auctions to our customers, we’ll be providing regular content for your viewing.
