BEWARE OF THE "VULTURES"/ PASSOP VIR DIE "AASVOELS".
Radio Amateurs hou nie daarvan om daaraan te dink dat hulle eendag almal stil sleutel gaan raak nie. Nie een van ons weet wanneer die dag sal aanbreek nie, dit kan vandag nog wees of oor 'n paar jaar. Ons kan egter terwyl ons nog die sleutel slaan die nodige maatreels tref om dinge makliker te maak vir die wat agter bly.
Die wat agter bly is baie keer die vrou en kinders wat nie radio amateurs is of oor enige elektroniese kennis beskik nie. Hulle sit gewoonlik met baie toerusting en parte opgeskeep en weet nie altyd hoe om daarvan onslae te raak nie, meer presies hoe om die hardverdiende kontant terug te kry wat die radio amateur in toerusting bele het. Die grootste probleem is egter om van die sogenaamde "junk" ontslae te raak.
Voor die weduwee of naasbestaandes uiteindelik besluit om die toerusting te verkoop, duik onverwagte probleme somtyds op. Die weduwee of die persoon wat die toerusting verkoop kry te doen met 'n verskeidenheid van kopers.
Kom ons kyk na verskeie radio amateurs se ideas en opinies rondom elkeen van die kopers.
1. THE " BAD VULTURE" BUYER.
"Twice I have handled estate sales of a deceased friends ham gear. Both times the vultures were his other so called friends."
"Vultures "Make a visit" to the house and offer their sincere condolences and then ask to buy the equipment. Pure vultures indeed."
"They "buy estate sales" Meaning they knock on the doors of the widows before the silent key is even buried."
2. THE SO CALLED "FRIEND" AND APPARENT HONEST BUYER.
"It's pretty bad when your so called "friends" turn on you and your family at their time of grief. I have heard of these so called "friends" buying equipment under the table before the actual sale takes place. The equipment are bought at a "stealing price" to the detriment of the poor widow."
"I am talking about lending of equipment to closest friends and suddenly they pass away while the equipment is still in their possession. The Collins 75 A4 had my name and call-sign engraved on it. Unfortunately the rig was sold by the daughter before I knew of his death. The vulture who bought the rig did not have the decency to contact me. So long for being kind to a fellow radio amateur.”
"His favorite ploy is to tell the widow that he would like to have it but can't raise the money now and that he will pay the amount in installments. To the widow he seems like a kindly old gentleman and she agrees. Beware this will just cause further grief. She might receive a payment or two. Thereafter is is up to the widow to try and salvage the money. Real kind old vulture !"
3. THE REAL HONEST BUYER.
"When a seller at a ham-fest tells me "its from an estate" I cannot resist but to help only after I confirmed the death of the silent key. I pay the sum asked knowing that I helped a widow in grief."
"I just went out today to buy a couple of radios from a widow. These radios had been advertised at a fixed price. I went there and paid her the price it was advertised at. Did not try to bicker with her. Just handed her the cash and took the radios."
"I have never made an offer for an estate. I have always paid the asking price for the gear. At swap meets, I usually ask the price and walk away if the price is too high. I very seldom have offered less that the seller is asking, especially if i knew he was selling it too cheaply as it was."
4. THE "BARGAIN" RADIO AMATEUR BUYER.
"Most radio amateurs don't want to pay a fair price for anything they buy, in fact, even the ham magazines always say to try to bargain the price down as that is the practice."
"Don't you think that the individual radio amateur is the one who should make the decision as to whether or not the price being wanted is sufficient for his purposes."
5. THE "GOOD VULTURES"
"As sometimes happens in nature the junk gets left for vultures. So let it be the rule with junk equipment of a silent key. Sell the junk not collectors items to vultures."
"Maybe sometimes even the good vultures do good by keeping the old gear in circulation awhile longer."
"Don't knock the "Good Vultures" when the blame squarely aims at the radio amateur who was a compulsive collector of junk."
"At least a "Good Vulture" cleans out the shack of all of the useless stuff."
Al die vorige genoemde kopers kan eendag opdaag by u verkoping van toerusting nadat u stil sleutel geraak het. Die probleem raak soveel groter as die naasbestaandes nie kennis het van die stokperdjie nie. 'n Verdere probleem is dat selfs sommige radio amateurs wat die boedel verkope hanteer geen benul het van die waarde van toerusting nie.
Wat kan ons as radio amateurs doen voor ons stil sleutel raak ten einde die weduwee en naasbestaandes te beskerm teen aasvoels en oneerlike kopers.
Neem kennis van die volgende:
"Protect yourself and your survivors by having a complete inventory and access to honest radio amateurs who will assist your survivors in disposing of your equipment."
"I make note of all serial numbers and model numbers. I also wrote down what i thought would be a fair price for someone to pay for my equipment and i arrived at those prices by getting a good idea of prices being paid at flea markets and advertisements on the internet."
"I make a copy of the ad from where I purchased the equipment. If used equipment, a copy of an ad and with the real purchase price (not the price you told your wife to stay out of trouble) and a note reading "purchased used".
"I familiarize my wife with the old and new equipment. I then take a series of photos of the station setup the way i normally keep it. I circle the individual items on the photo and give each item a "key number".
“The number relates back to the typed list with current prices. If I make changes I re-photograph it again and re-do the key. My wife can use the "Key" to establish the value of all my equipment."
"I have arranged with my close friends to dispose of my equipment. The group of no less than three knowledgeable radio amateur friends will go over to the home and price everything.”
“Note: They are not eligible to purchase anything at that time. They make a list with prices and present it to my wife. After her approval, the list will be made available to radio amateurs on a first come first served basis."
"List your equipment on your will/family trust and how you want the equipment donated, sold or whatever."
"Do not allow the wife to sell equipment with no manuals, schematic diagrams or an indication whether the equipment is working or not. Clean the muck and dirt from the equipment and "junk". Neat equipment sells easier."
There are three types of amateur radio estate sales you might consider:
First the Estate Garage Sale where everything is sold at once and not just the radio amateur stuff. Radio Amateurs are provided beforehand with the list of equipment. The sale is handled by a professional auctioneer or "amateur radio auctioneer". There is no opportunity for the buyer to gauge the family.
There is the Amateur Radio Estate Sale where it is run by a friend. Never allow a club to sell your gear as a conflict of interest will result in bad prices.
Then the third is the family selling the stuff to licensed radio amateurs through an ad in the paper."
"Why not make sure some of the radio equipment you cared for over the years goes to someone who will really appreciate it and use it. That way even after you have passed on, you can still say "I appreciate your friendship and I'd like you to have all my equipment."
"If you are not married and have no children or heirs donate your equipment to new amateurs or an active group so they can benefit from it."
Ek dink u sal saam met my stem dat baie van hierdie keuses die probleme wat weduwees of naasbestaandes dalk kan ervaar, beperk kan word. Kom ons kyk nou na die radio amateurs wat graag toerusting opgaar vir een of ander dag wanneer hy dit sou nodig kry. Baie van hierdie radio amateurs het groot hoeveelhede toerusting versamel deur die jare.
"Radio Amateurs are the worst junk collectors on earth, and I mean junk, not good stuff. There is the exception to this rule. If you clean out what you don't use and stop with the "I have to keep everything, you may get a decent price for unused stock while it is still in decent working shape. "
"How many radio amateurs do you know that cannot sell their beloved "junk" even if they have reached the age of 70 plus. Even at that age they still collect and collect. Wonder if they will be taking it with them when they become silent key. Maybe they've heard that DX is good up there where ever they are going.”
Die manne is nogal redelik uitgesproke. Daar is egter talle radio amateurs wat nie "junk" opgaar sonder rede nie. Hulle is daadwerklike versamelaars van skaars en outentieke toerusting wat met groot liefde en sorg gerestoreer word tot hul oorspronklike toestand en glorie.
Wat staan my te doen as ek reeds in die aandskemer of geleende tyd leef. Diesulke radio amateurs het sekere voorstelle wat hulle maak. Kom ons kyk na 'n paar voorstelle:
"As you get older, it may be wise to begin unloading the more obscure stuff out of your shack and just go with fewer and newer pieces of equipment. You need no more than a single HF radio and a 2 Meter set."
"I have also begun unloading the non-essentials. I found it is best to sell them while I'm in control, rather than wait and let her do it when I'm gone."
"As for us radio amateurs, we should have the foresight to get rid of our equipment before we die. The radio amateur that kicked the bucket should have taken care of business after warning signs that he might soon be silent key."
"If you are 70, and have a basement full of stuff with no plans...............shame on you. Sell it all now and get a good price."
So daar is die hele storie. Ek laat die opinies in alle radio amateurs se midde. Miskien is die opinies vir u en u naasbestaandes van waarde. Dit kan naasbestaandes help om 'n besluit te neem sou u dalk u plig in die verband versuim het.
Onthou wees 'n aktiewe radio amateur en tref die nodige voorsorg.
Johan ZS1I
Mossel Bay
