What price a second hand Barrett 950 ?

Can't answer your question Stephen but i thought that HF was on the way out and sat phones will be the go soon? If i'm wrong please correct me.

You offer book value ... so check with accounting what they have in the books ..
I guess 5 year depreciation .. so 3 years over, it is 2/5 of the purchase price...
thats a fair price for both sides and they have no hasel selling it ...
regards
gmd

While the 950 is now superceded, it is a proven performer with hoards of happy owners (I'm one). In my view, a unit complete with antenna and all cabling ready for installation is worth $1800 -$2000 max (got mine for $1500 3 years ago - I was lucky but) - all parts and service are still readily available via head office and various national agents. Anthoney Benbow at Barrett in WA [08 9434 1700 /
service@barrettcommunications.com.au ] might tell you when the unit was first retailed - and indicate a price on the extras you need (probably only retailed by agents though). I reckon any more than $2000 all up and you might be better off with the current 2050 with the latest features and the 3 year warranty. Re your employer - they may want a lot less than you think to quit "the thing" - why not ask them what they want first ? (as mentioned above ).
Re Barnesy's comment on Satphones - they have a place for sure and are rightly preferred by many for their circumstances - but I can't see HF going anywhere yet - I'm one of a sizeable group of VKS737 volunteer base operators - we are currently working hoards of contacts a week on all skeds.
PS: I did hear anecdotally that the new 2050 has no significant user features over the 950 - just new design factors etc.

Over the last several years I have toyed with the idea and cost value of getting HF.

Before the advances in technology and Iridium SATPHONES the rationale of HF as a means of outback emergency communications is becoming a little redundant. Recently SATPHONES have become more affordable (in some cases cheaper than HF, not including call costs) and they can even be hired. Call costs aside when your in an emergency.

Given that a call the 000 would probably be responded to as fast as calling on the HF. You will soon be able to get EPIRB that gives your GPS location.

Can anyone please provide supporting evidence that could justify the requirement for HF in an era of continual technology and communications advancement.

Wizard

New price of mine was $2950. I remember being told once that the autotune was worth $1600. So I'd guess the set and head unit to be worth about the same new.

Electric Bug in Adelaide sell the second hand Barrett 950 with autotune for $2450 which includes 12 months warranty, programming and tuition.

There are also alternatives to autotune. I have a "SuperRod" aerial, which is a 9 metre extendable fibreglass rod with a wire up the middle. I can set it up in less than a minute. It is the correct tuned length for 8022, but operates well on the other frequencies. The benefit is that it has many times the performance of an autotune or whip - I always transmit with a nice strong signal. Downside is that you can't use it while mobile. I do hook it through my autotune, but it also works just as well when connected directly to the set. So I carry it as my backup aerial. Electric Bug make them up.

Cheers
phil

Hi Stephen,

I'd suggest as previously stated that the value to the business is what you ought be offering as opposed to what may be a fair value if you were buying it off a private seller.

The business will have depreciated it at possibly as much as 30% a year over it's life and may have been completely written off from an accounting point of view.

Without autotune and needing reprogramming I'd think it'd only be worth a couple of hundred bucks to them tops, despite the fact that it is worth much more as a private sale.

I travel with both HF and Satphone routinely, but if you gave me a choice and said I could only take one which would it be? I'd take the HF any day and twice on Sundays. I continually toy with selling the Satphone (Motorola 9500 on Iridium with a Telstra GSM mobile SIM on $10 plan) but basically only keep it for loaning to mates and taking when I travel with others in their vehicle. It doesn't owe me anything and I own it outright so I may as well keep it.

I use the HF for VKS737 scheds, messages and talking to other members. Several guys I travel with have bought HF gear and joined since I did so now we chat when travelling. I also use it for phone calls via Radtel Network from time to time so the Satphone is lucky to even get turned on.

I've helped on occasion when other members have broken down in remote locations and coordinated the extraction of a girl with a broken leg from the high country.

You can't beat VKS737 for service and you can be phone patched to police, fire, ambulance and RFDS as well as many other useful contacts like Pink Roadhouse and other common outback services if you need to in emergency situations via selcall.

HF is a long way from dead by any stretch of the imagination. Most who knock it haven't REALLY used it, or if they did never invested the small amount of time to learn the basics needed to use it properly. Those that do in my experience never look back.

I've come across several new members or old members who've not used their gear in my travels, and in half an hour in a caravan park I've had them on a sched, given them the basics and set them loose. I've had several write later and thank me.

Talk to the boss, bag yourself a bargain and go for it.

Dave