A used transceiver can look perfect in the photos and still have a tired transmitter. Most listings tell you it powers on, and maybe that it receives, and neither of those covers the part that costs the most to put right. This is the list we run through on every listing, from the first photo to the day the box arrives. Each model page adds the checks for that radio, so find yours in the catalog once you know what you're after.
"Powers on" only proves the power switch
A radio that lights up and hisses has shown you its supply and its receiver audio. It hasn't shown you the transmitter. The test that does is simple. The seller connects the radio to a dummy load, a resistor that stands in for the antenna and turns the power into heat, with a wattmeter in line, and keys it up on several bands. Ask for a photo or a short video of the meter on 80, 20 and 10 meters.
The top band matters because weak stages tend to show there. K4EAA, who restored Kenwood hybrid rigs for years, wrote that a soft 12BY7A driver tube always showed up during alignment at 28.5 MHz. One owner writing on WB4HFN's Drake pages bought a Drake TR-7 on eBay described as excellent. Into a dummy load on a Bird wattmeter it made only 40 watts on 10 meters, and on CW the output dropped to zero after a minute or so. A listing that only says "receives well" would never have caught that.
Why a dummy load and not an antenna? It makes the reading repeatable, and it keeps the test off the air. A transmitter keyed with no load at all can reflect its power back into itself and overheat, and Kenwood's TS-480 manual warns that transmitting without an antenna or matched load may damage the radio. Heathkit's HW-101 manual asks for a 50-ohm dummy load rated for 100 watts and says not to use light bulbs, because their impedance changes with power and frequency. If a seller says they tested into a bulb, test it again yourself.
Receive on every band
Ask whether it hears signals on every band, not just the one the seller used. K4EAA's restorations started by testing receive on all bands and all modes, then transmit on all bands, before any repair. A dead band is easy to miss if you only listen on 40 meters.
On older sets one band can go quiet on its own. Heathkit's troubleshooting chart for the HW-101 traces a band with no signal to one of its eight heterodyne oscillator crystals, one per band. Drake's R-4C covers 80 through 10 meters with the crystals it shipped with and has 15 more crystal positions for other 500 kHz segments, so a band you want may simply have no crystal fitted. Weak receive on a tube set often comes down to tubes, low supply voltage or alignment, which is how the HW-101 chart lists it.
The finals and what wears them out
The final amplifier makes the power, and it takes the punishment when an antenna goes bad. Modern rigs use transistors and protect them by cutting power. Icom's IC-718 manual says the rig drops its power when SWR rises above about 2 to 1, to protect the final transistor. Kenwood's TS-480 manual puts its protection point at 2.5 to 1 and adds that you shouldn't rely on it. A rig run into a poor antenna for years can still read well on receive, which is why the wattmeter photo matters.
Tube rigs use tubes you can name. The HW-101 runs a pair of 6146s, the Kenwood TS-830S a pair of 6146Bs with a 12BY7A driver, and Drake's T-4XC a pair of 6JB6s. Heathkit's chart blames output that falls off on restricted air flow, a wrong bias setting, a bad load, gassy 6146s or another weak tube. On Drake's TR-4 and T-4 series, an article by WA8SAJ explains that failing bias capacitors in the AC-4 supply can leave the 6JB6 finals conducting flat out until they glow red and burn. Ask when the tubes were last tested and whether the bias has been set since.
Transistor rigs have their own stories. A write-up by SV8YM hosted on rigpix describes IC-7000 driver units that went into self-oscillation and scorched. Model pages note faults like this where we could source them.
PLL, display and dial faults in the title
Read the title for words like "PLL", "no display", "dial lamp out" or "for parts". In a synthesized rig the PLL sets the frequency. Icom's IC-718 service manual describes a VCO held on frequency by a lock voltage, and setting it calls for a frequency counter, an RF voltmeter and the service steps. A listing that mentions a PLL lock fault is a repair project, and a radio with no display can't show you that anything else works. Treat both as parts radios unless you have the bench to fix them.
Analog sets have their own version. Dial lamps burn out, and K4EAA's rule was that when one goes the others aren't far behind. Drake's PTO tuning is meant to run dry, and a WB4HFN article explains that oil makes the nylon gears swell and bind. Dried grease in the ball-bearing raceway makes it feel sluggish too. Both are fixable, but ask for a video of the dial turning across a band so you know what you're getting.
Filters and options
Optional filters change how a rig handles CW and crowded bands, so a listing with them is worth more to the right buyer. The IC-718 takes Icom's FL-52A 500 Hz and FL-53A 250 Hz CW filters, the TS-830S takes Kenwood's YK-88C, and the R-4C takes Drake's FL-250, FL-500 and others. Built-in tuners vary within one model line. Kenwood's manual says the TS-480SAT has a built-in tuner and the 200-watt TS-480HX doesn't. Ask for a photo under the top cover, or for the seller to read the part numbers off the filters.
Mods in the title
"MARS mod", "CAP mod" or "wideband TX" means someone changed the radio so it transmits outside the ham bands. On a Yaesu FT-857D, a mod collection on rigpix shows soldering four jumpers to open transmit across 1.8 to 56, 137 to 164 and 420 to 470 MHz. Army MARS says its members may modify their own radios for government frequencies while in MARS service. A ham license alone doesn't cover those frequencies. Ask exactly what was changed. Our guide to licenses and MARS mods has the details.
Power supply, mic and manual
Most modern 100-watt rigs run on 13.8 volts DC and need a separate supply that can deliver 20 amps or more. Many tube rigs need their own matching supply, like the HP-23 for the HW-101 or the AC-4 for Drake's T-4XC. A listing with no supply is a radio you can't switch on yet. Our power supply guide lists what each type needs. Check for the microphone too. Icom shipped the IC-7300 with an HM-219 hand mic. Manuals for most of these rigs are posted on rigpix, and Heathkit now sells reprints of its old manuals and schematics.
Packing and shipping
Heavy gear breaks in transit. Heath's SB-220 manual told owners not to ship the amplifier assembled unless it was packed in Heath's own Service Pack, because the weight of the transformers would almost certainly damage it otherwise. That amplifier weighs 50 pounds, and Hallicrafters' SX-101A receiver weighs 70. Ask how the seller will pack it before you pay, and look for photos of the box if they have them.
When it arrives
Unpack it the day it comes, while you're inside the return window. Check the model number on the back panel against the listing. Connect your own supply and dummy load, key it on each band and read the meter. Then listen on every band with an antenna. If the output or receive falls short, you'll know while you can still send it back.