Maco 300, Varmint XL-350, what are they worth anyway?

[mr_fx]

I am looking at a couple amps here in a few days, they seem to be functioning properly, they have no major blemishes that I can see, but they are showing their age.

So we have a Varmint XL-350 and a Maco 300.

How much would you pay for the Maco 300? how much for the Varmint XL-350? I need an idea before I go in so I am not going in half cocked

The good news is this guys says he has NO IDEA how to test this stuff or even how to run it. He says he purchased this stuff when he bought the contents of an unclaimed and unpaid storage unit.

 

[Zman]

I am looking at a couple amps here in a few days, they seem to be functioning properly, they have no major blemishes that I can see, but they are showing their age.

So we have a Varmint XL-350 and a Maco 300.

How much would you pay for the Maco 300? how much for the Varmint XL-350? I need an idea before I go in so I am not going in half cocked

The good news is this guys says he has NO IDEA how to test this stuff or even how to run it. He says he purchased this stuff when he bought the contents of an unclaimed and unpaid storage unit.

I had an XL 350 varmint and it wasnt what i was expecting so i sold it...

 

[joejoenikk]

Seems like since bigger transistors got less expensive than tubes all of the CBer's have gone to 12v amps. You can't buy most of the tubes, that the cheap old linears were constantly burning up, at reasonable prices anymore.

Sounds like you probably should avoid the whole area. If he could have found someone who was still into CB and was willing to take the shot then he wouldn't have called you. As far as actual ham customers, the more experianced won't recommend anything that will not run clean.(I wouldn't either.) Used amps are a pain in the butt.

But we have our common enemy and there are rules and because of that, I'll tell you....IF YOU SEE VACUUM TUBES>>>>>> THE OLD CAPACITORS MAY EXPLODE IN YOUR FACE AND THE VOLTAGES AND CURRENTS THAT WOULD GO THROUGH YOUR BODY IS VERY LIKELY TO BREAK ALL OF YOUR TEETH IF NOT KILL YOU!!

They are actually "well designed" but only from 1958 home brewed standards and actually manufactured much later...both Amps have a lot of variants...but in jeneral, if you don't know anything about all of that then you can invest your money into anything and pass those problems off on ebay just as well.(If you read the chats here ther is a bizillion of little parts we are allways looking for, still in production and only difficult to buy in the country of the purchaser, a much better place for your computer, time and money. HELP!! Radio Shack has deserted us!)

 

[SmackDown]

it would be impossible to get by the eBay police with those two amps because there's no band switch with which you could then claim the amp as an amateur linear. Their worth is in the $300 range each but only if there are no issues. JMHO YMMV

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