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View Full Version : Ranger vs. AF-67



W1GUH
01-31-2011, 12:35 PM
BTW Mack, I finally found the PS-2 for my '67 (AND it came along with another '67) and soon's the weather warms up I'll be getting an inverter for plate-modulated AM in the car (even on 160!) Hurry up, wx!!!!

Anyway, the price for the AF-67 and PS-2 combo, with manuals was $200 at Deerfield last fall. They are in excellent+ condition (no discoloration on the 'AF-67 window), and the guy I bought it from said it was from a SK who fired everything up at least once a year -- so it should be ready to go.

So what would an excellent condition, ready-to-go Ranger go for today? How many multiples of $200? I'd say it's be at least $400? Anyway, more than the AF-67. But the transmitters are so similar. They're both a single plate modulated 6146 covering 160-10 meters. As far as I can tell from the schematic, the '67 has no clipper making me think it'll be easy to make hi-fi, like the Ranger. And, FWIW (maybe zero), the '67 has NBFM.

Is this just the "Johnson Cachet?"

N4VGB
01-31-2011, 02:32 PM
Excellent condition ready to go Ranger has been big bucks for a long time now, even in this bad economy the buyers are still waiting for them. The last 2 really nice Rangers that were sold by friends of mine went for $450 and $500 and that's been a bunch of years back.

I think the Elmac "red headed stepchild" status at hamfests for many years was strictly based on the looks of the piece and not performance. The Elmacs have been in an upward trend in pricing at our hamfests down here the last few years.

There has never been any doubt or denial of the oft proven fact that the Elmacs can be made into Hi-Fi sounding AM xmitters. There is quite the dedicated core of Elmac AM users in the Southeast area.

W1GUH
01-31-2011, 02:39 PM
Thanks, Mack. MultiElmac had an outstanding rep. in SE Mich in the early to mid-60's, but they were a local Detroit company and we had one of their distributors in the local ham club who was always right there to sell you an AF-68/PMR-8 setup! I've never heard anything bad about MultiElmac.

Pity their SSB transceiver (never came to market) didn't fly. It looked like a honey!

N4VGB
01-31-2011, 02:51 PM
SSB is just a fad, it'll fade away soon.

W1GUH
01-31-2011, 03:15 PM
Same with transistors.

kd8dey
01-31-2011, 03:18 PM
Everybody knows that "Real Radios" glow in the dark :)
(Make nice coffee warmers too if you set the cup close enough)