Even though sales were disappointing, the LCARC Swap wasn’t a complete waste. I finally connected with a guy that I’d been trying to meet for a while. A couple months ago, I posted on a website that I was looking for a keyer for my IC-735. Shortly thereafter, I received and e-mail from a guy who didn’t have what I was looking for, but offered to sell me one of several external keyers that he had. He also had a couple of paddles for sale.
The funny thing is that even though he had a “”1″” call, he lived in Ypsilanti, which is the next town over. He, too, thought, he’d have to ship as I have a “”6″” call, so he naturally thought I lived in California. It’s kind of funny that it took a post on a national website for us to make contact.
Anyway, I expressed some interest in one of the paddles he had. We had a hard time meeting up, though. Once, I called and he happened to be out for the day. Another time, I had to cancel as something had come up on my end. This went on for several months.
We finally did connect at the swap. As I was checking in, he came in right behind me, and I noted his name and call on the registration card that he picked up. Apparently, he goes to all the swaps. His business is liquidating the estates of silent keys, something he’s been doing for 20 years.
This gentleman’s name is Jan, and his call is K1ND. He’s an extremely pleasant guy to talk to, and he’s an honest dealer as well. If you see him at any of the swaps you attend, make sure you take a look at what he’s selling.
The Bencher paddle he sold me looked as though it had never been used. The terminals have not been soldered, and it came in the original box, with all the original paperwork. The anodizing on the base is in perfect shape, too. I bought for half the new price, and it looks like I got a great deal.
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