I am sure we have all seen the prices of radio's the last 2 years especially sky rocket.
So I was on our favorite online auction sight just looking for general parts and accessories. I almost had a heart attack when looking at mic's I used to give $20 to $30 for NOS selling $200+. I have 16 or 17 of them sitting in their boxes in my closet!
NOS does not mean these mic's will actual work when you decide to put a connector on them either. You take that into account when you purchase a 20,30,40 year old mic mostly wanting the body and the PTT switch. As the price climbs though into the $60 range suddenly that roll of the dice seems a bit less attractive.
A lot of the mic's I purchased where used in a lot of civil aviation in Cessna's, Mooney's, Beechcraft , Arrows etc....I can only guess no one is making anything that is FAA/PMA certified and that this is now driving up prices. That is just a guess on my part though.
I like the indestructible heavy plastic and Bakelite bodies, heavy mic cords and the mechanical reed/spring type PTT designs. I liked the noise canceling cartridge design that was also very wide in audio bandwidth often 150-5000Hz. In the $20-$30 price point you did not mind so much if the mic cartridge/capsule was shot you could gut that part and put in something else!
Even old craptastic worn out vintage non-ptt mic's are insane now!
Things are really getting crazy. If you thought the price of egg's was getting bad do not look at OEM car parts. I tried to get an OEM transmission filter for a 2007 Camry and the part is listed as either "Indefinitely Discontinued" or " Indefinitely Out of Stock" "Supply Shortage No Back Order" depending on if you go to a Toyota Parts Department or try to order online! That is almost unheard of with Toyota I was ordering full length steel break lines for a 1995.5 Toyota Tacoma just 2 years ago.
If this keeps up much longer we will be rolling our own capacitors or only Brain Surgeons will be able to afford the hobby. Do not get me started on reloading components like small rifle primers!
So I was on our favorite online auction sight just looking for general parts and accessories. I almost had a heart attack when looking at mic's I used to give $20 to $30 for NOS selling $200+. I have 16 or 17 of them sitting in their boxes in my closet!
NOS does not mean these mic's will actual work when you decide to put a connector on them either. You take that into account when you purchase a 20,30,40 year old mic mostly wanting the body and the PTT switch. As the price climbs though into the $60 range suddenly that roll of the dice seems a bit less attractive.
A lot of the mic's I purchased where used in a lot of civil aviation in Cessna's, Mooney's, Beechcraft , Arrows etc....I can only guess no one is making anything that is FAA/PMA certified and that this is now driving up prices. That is just a guess on my part though.
I like the indestructible heavy plastic and Bakelite bodies, heavy mic cords and the mechanical reed/spring type PTT designs. I liked the noise canceling cartridge design that was also very wide in audio bandwidth often 150-5000Hz. In the $20-$30 price point you did not mind so much if the mic cartridge/capsule was shot you could gut that part and put in something else!
Even old craptastic worn out vintage non-ptt mic's are insane now!
Things are really getting crazy. If you thought the price of egg's was getting bad do not look at OEM car parts. I tried to get an OEM transmission filter for a 2007 Camry and the part is listed as either "Indefinitely Discontinued" or " Indefinitely Out of Stock" "Supply Shortage No Back Order" depending on if you go to a Toyota Parts Department or try to order online! That is almost unheard of with Toyota I was ordering full length steel break lines for a 1995.5 Toyota Tacoma just 2 years ago.
If this keeps up much longer we will be rolling our own capacitors or only Brain Surgeons will be able to afford the hobby. Do not get me started on reloading components like small rifle primers!
