Are you a Genuine Radio Collector

[w0rw]

Are you a Genuine Radio Collector, Investor Collector (Flipper), Hoarder, Socialite or User?

1. A Genuine Collector is one who finds, acquires, and restores equipment and accessories to transport themselves back to a bygone era,
A respite from ordinary life. It is a pervasive human trait driven by a desire to create order amidst natural attrition of aging artifacts.
A key driver is the association of the equipment with one's youth or career.

2. An Investor Collector (Flipper) is a predator on Genuine Collectors. They only have superficial knowledge or interest of the equipment.
They infiltrate collector networks for personal gain. Capitalizing on the altruistic collectors, Driving the up the auction prices.
Who would do that?

3. A Hoarder? There is a narrow dividing line between hoarding and collecting. Both are driven by a compulsion to assemble and accumulate equipment but the collector will continuously improve the quality and diversity of the core collection but the hoarder only gains satisfaction from more of the same. In the extreme, it is a mental illness.

4. A Socialite uses his equipment to develop networks of fellow collectors, give talks at clubs. writing articles, generating polls, etc.

5. A User; More concerned with the operation and frequent use of the equipment.


The idea for this subject and a lot of the information came from Richard Dismore's (F4WCD/ZS6TF), article in Signal Magazine, Issue 69.
Used with his permission.

Paul w0rw

[KL7MJ]

Can we be part of more than one category? I have my older radios gathering dust in the basement, but several newer QRP rigs that I try use as often as I can.

[w0rw]

Yes, you can be in several categories.
You might even be an 'Inherited Collector', If you got all of some one else's gear and don't know what to do with it.
Just makes you think.
Paul w0rw

[W5OTR]

Hoarder-- checking in.