----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Christensen" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 7:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Collins, Drake etc.
So, truth be told, while Collins gear was clearly the
high priced spread, even Drakes were still out of reach
for us average joes who made do with Heathkits...
Toward the end of its life, the R-4B + T-4XB was right at
$1K. I can't imagine spending that during my teenage
years in the mid 1970s. To me, it was like a car
purchase. By 1975, what was the street price of the
S-Line combo? I imagine Collins offered little in the way
of discounts. I make this assumption based on the back
pages of QSTs I've been reading from the late '50s. For
example, every single dealer who supplied the KWM-1
advertised it for exactly $820 in 1958. It sure seems
like Collins had strict terms and conditions on just how
much a dealer could discount, if any at all -- much the
same way other high-end products are sold today in order
to retain an elite branding image. I imagine this was
less of an issue with Drake.
Paul, W9AC
Its hard to know what actual discounts might have been
offered. At the time strict "fair trade" price control by
manufacturers was still legal, dealers had to abide by their
agreements, at leas for advertised prices. What is not clear
is how much effective discounting went on in the form of
trade-ins or extras supplied "free" when equipment was
bought. I suspect a lot of price competition went on under
the table. OTOH, I don't know how much mark up there was on
ham gear, maybe not a lot. Most commercial electronics had
enough so that a 40% discount over "list" price could be
offered. There may have been more on consumer gear. Ham gear
may not have had enough volume to allow this.
Speaking of old ham magazines, I was just looking at
the December 1946 edition of QST. This one has the
announcement for the Hallicrafters SX-42 in it. Eight full
pages of advertising from Hallicrafters (four double trucks
in a row) plus about eighty ads by individual dealers
featuring the SX-42, probably co-operative with
Hallicrafters, having exactly the same cut of the receiver
and the same price. Some other dealers also advertised the
receiver but did not feature it exclusively. This was a very
heavy weight campaign. I think the SX-42 was Hallicrafters
first really new receiver after the war and was obviously a
prestige item for them.
--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
[email protected]
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