wmartin@Almsa-2 (Will Martin -- AMXAL-RI) (09/16/85)
I have an old (early 70's) set of looseleaf reference material to ham equipment from 1945 through 1973; it is called the HAM EQUIPMENT BUYERS' GUIDE, and was designed to provide specs, original retail price, and other info on receivers, transmitters, transceivers, and linears for the ham shopping for used or flea-market/hamfest gear. It is a handy reference. It was published by Alton L. Brand (WA9MBJ), at PO Box 311, Sycamore, IL 60178 (also have a street address of 415 E. Sycamore St., same town). I wrote to that PO Box address back in 1981, hoping to locate later volumes that would bring the reference up to include current gear. However, my letter was returned as "Undeliverable -- unable to forward" by the US Mail. This publisher also produced a twice-a-month classified ad newsletter called "Equipment Exchange - Ham Trader". I do not know if this is still being published, under the same or a different name, by the same or different people. Does anyone have any info on this operation? Are they still in business at a different address? Is "Alton L. Brand" still around, or was it taken over by someone else, or was this one of those one-man operations run by a retired person, which ceased when he died? If they are still available, or if you can get an old copy, anyone interested in older receivers and the like will find this "Buyers' Guide" a good source of info on that otherwise-unknown dusty box you picked up at a yard sale for $1.00! Regards, Will ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin