Using the Consumer Price Index as an adjustment mechanism, prices have risen by 360% between 1977 and 2011. That is, to buy something worth $100 in 1977, you'd have to pay $360 today. Another inflation adjustment mechanism that most economists consider more useful is the Gross Domestic Product Deflator. It shows a slightly lower rate of inflation -- mere $293 in 2011 equivalent to $100 in 1977. Inversely, $1.00 in 1977 is the same as 27.7 cents today.
You can run any CPI or GDP calculation at http://www.measuringworth.com/. It will calculate inflation between any two years (US Currency) from 1774 to the present. In the following table, I have converted the prices quoted by Fred Jensen into equivalent current prices using the GDP Deflator. The prices are mind-boggling. What this shows is that amateur radio equipment is a MUCH better value today than it was in 1977. Can you imagine paying #25K for a linear amplifier? Or $16K for a transceiver? For rough comparison purposes, a fully loaded factory-assembled K3 (subreceiver, 100 watt internal amp, ATU, 2 meter transceiver, P3 panadapter, full set of 8-pole filters, etc -- the works) would cost about $8,000, or almost exactly half the cost of a KWM2A. And yet it has vastly better capability than the Collins rig. If you compare to the value of any other manufacturers' rigs, YMMV. Thank you, Eric and Wayne! ------------- Equipment COLLINS PART NO. LIST PRICE EQUIVALENT 2011 PRICE KWM2A TRANCVR 522-1792-000 $3533.00 $12,718 KWM2A TRANS W/BLKR 522-1792-011 4427.00 $15,937 75S3C RECVR 522-3317-000 3000.00 $10,800 32S3A TRANS 522-2956-000 3250.00 $11,700 30S1 LINEAR AMP 522-1286-000 7049.00 $25,376 30L1 LINEAR AMP 522-2375-000 1689.00 $ 6,080 With respect to Jimmy Carter's presidency, which someone mentioned in an earlier post, overall inflation during his term in office was about 40%, or 9% compounded annually. That is, $1.00 at the beginning of his term was worth 71 cents when Reagan took office. By comparison, inflation in the following four years, the first Reagan term, was 18%, and 37% for Reagan's eight years in office, or about 4% per year compounded. 73 Lew K6LMP ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
