Yes, today was the annual Radio Flea Market in Holland, one of the largest fairs in Europe. Last year I bought a “new old stock” Hy-Gain Penetrator 500 5/8 vertical (production year 1979) for only 50 Euros (a true DX gun on 10 meters), and yes, this year I found something very special again!
Nostalgia find of the day was a brand new Robyn T-123B all-tube 23/46 channel CB Radio, with a 1973 serial number. I payed 175 Euros which is not really cheap, but definitely worth the money, given the original/unused/mint condition of this radio. It was displayed in the original semi-transparent plastic bag and I had to remove it to see what the guy was actually selling. I did not think twice!
This CB transceiver infected me with the radio virus back in ’74 (well, that was actually a Tenko 46T which is basically the same radio with a slightly different / less ugly front panel). Our Spanish neighbour had one, and he let me use it every now and then.
This T-123B has apparently never been powered on and is in totally mint condition. The accessory pack was still factory boxed. Everything was there; owners manual, schematics, power cables, a bracket for mobile and base use, the original hand mike, spare fuses and a bag full of washers and nuts & bolts. This “green machine” really belongs in a radio museum but I will reserve a special place for it in my shack. Of course I will test the radio later on and will keep you posted on the results. With different crystals I might even work on 10 meters!
I made a series of pictures of the contents of the box, including the inner workings of this radio, you can see them over here.
UPDATE: Yes, the old young lady works like a charm. Audio sounds surprisingly good and had a short test QSO on channel 14. But man, these ladies really get hot after a while. Tested on my 13.8V supply, did not dare to plug it into mains power yet 😉
