SS3900F Prices?

The place to talk about specific radios, equipment and accessories. Do you prefer the latest generation of rigs and antennas or do you like the classics? Discuss it here!
cybernet
Super Member
Super Member
Posts: 457
Joined: 13 Jun 2009, 18:42

SS3900F Prices?

Post by cybernet »

Whats a Dirland SS3900F worth?? boxed in near mint condition??

Seems very hard to get these days, not seen one in a while for sale.
Taiwan ROC Club
User avatar
Mudslinger
Legend
Legend
Posts: 7483
Joined: 28 Jul 2010, 07:11
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Mudslinger »

I reckon it would fetch £150 pretty easily.

You can often get good ones for about £120
Mudslinger - Simon
26TM274
26CT612

There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
cybernet
Super Member
Super Member
Posts: 457
Joined: 13 Jun 2009, 18:42

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by cybernet »

Mudslinger wrote:I reckon it would fetch £150 pretty easily.

You can often get good ones for about £120

I know they sometimes come up on the France Ebay but have not seen one for a while.

I have the SS3900 HPEF, works great to be fair, very very good radios indeed.
Taiwan ROC Club
User avatar
Mudslinger
Legend
Legend
Posts: 7483
Joined: 28 Jul 2010, 07:11
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Mudslinger »

The Galaxy Pluto is basically the same, and they work very well also. But like most 3900 boarded radios they tend to drift a bit.

Some are worse than others,
Mudslinger - Simon
26TM274
26CT612

There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
User avatar
cb4ever104
Legend
Legend
Posts: 6551
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 21:26
Location: Alicante , España

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by cb4ever104 »

I don't like the 6 band "counter" radios . I prefer the older 5 band versions . But that's just me :)

Price in the UK ....... Around £130 I'd say .

S.
30TM060
Paul aka "Sammy". (108) PY60 Old Paisley DX Group (RIP Rab Markie)
Ex GM0 , now EA5 .
Handle "Fortune Hunter" back in "the day"
Radios ....? Anything that says "TAIWAN R.O.C" on the back.
User avatar
Mudslinger
Legend
Legend
Posts: 7483
Joined: 28 Jul 2010, 07:11
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Mudslinger »

I prefer the 6 banders. ;) The 5 band black Ronald I had was terrible.

Does the HPEF have a coarse tune? It looks like the outer part of what should be the clarifier does the power output.

If not then that's a shame.
Mudslinger - Simon
26TM274
26CT612

There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
User avatar
cb4ever104
Legend
Legend
Posts: 6551
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 21:26
Location: Alicante , España

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by cb4ever104 »

Mudslinger wrote:Does the HPEF have a coarse tune? It looks like the outer part of what should be the clarifier does the power output.

If not then that's a shame.
Well spotted Simon . I didn't see that . Doesn't look as if it has , which makes it pretty weird . I'm 99% sure it's just your usual 14B pcb , so the COARSE wires will be in there somewhere. Probably cut . That what happens when you have too many features , and not enough knobs :)

Sammy
30TM060
Paul aka "Sammy". (108) PY60 Old Paisley DX Group (RIP Rab Markie)
Ex GM0 , now EA5 .
Handle "Fortune Hunter" back in "the day"
Radios ....? Anything that says "TAIWAN R.O.C" on the back.
User avatar
Mudslinger
Legend
Legend
Posts: 7483
Joined: 28 Jul 2010, 07:11
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Mudslinger »

Just had another look. It seems the outer clarifier has been replaced with mic gain and the mic/RF dual control does the echo.
Mudslinger - Simon
26TM274
26CT612

There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
User avatar
cb4ever104
Legend
Legend
Posts: 6551
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 21:26
Location: Alicante , España

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by cb4ever104 »

I don't want to ruin Russ's listing on this radio , but the fact that it doesn't have a coarse control for me is a major issue . I'd probably open it and disconnect the SWR CAL and RF POWER controls and rearrange them a bit , moving the MIC GAIN and adding the COARSE with the CLARIFIER at the same time . Obviously I wouldn't do it if I was selling it as he is , but I really don't like it the way it is . The problem after that is that the front facia won't line up with the controls . It's a toughy . My useless 2c.
30TM060
Paul aka "Sammy". (108) PY60 Old Paisley DX Group (RIP Rab Markie)
Ex GM0 , now EA5 .
Handle "Fortune Hunter" back in "the day"
Radios ....? Anything that says "TAIWAN R.O.C" on the back.
Rob26mu747
Super Member
Super Member
Posts: 180
Joined: 28 Oct 2011, 11:39

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Rob26mu747 »

That's my old radio. I only sold it just over a week ago for £120 which I thought was fair. Yes it does not have a coarse tune. It has a mic gain in its place.

Dirland did 2 versions. One with mic gain and one with coarse tune. I had both versions. I sold that one and I have kept my 3900 hpef with coarse tune. My hpef with coarse tune must be worth £170 then.

Not quite the same radio as a 3900 f but same board. The hpef is the same radio as the ranger voyage vr9000.
User avatar
163TM847
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4145
Joined: 16 Mar 2009, 19:30
Location: S.Wales

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by 163TM847 »

I had a SS3900 HPEF once and as you say there is no coarse control and too add the coarse was a right pain, Some resistors have to be swapped and a proper value coarse/fine control fitted.
User avatar
14CS06
Top Poster
Top Poster
Posts: 1794
Joined: 04 Mar 2012, 09:15
Location: JN33LN - ALPES-MARITIMES-06 France

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by 14CS06 »

Hello

Mods for coarse / fine

Image

http://spectrum26.pagesperso-orange.fr/ ... coarse.jpg

Image

Image

Image

@+
Claude
Last edited by 14CS06 on 13 Apr 2018, 18:42, edited 1 time in total.
Photo Collector CB RADIO
User avatar
Mudslinger
Legend
Legend
Posts: 7483
Joined: 28 Jul 2010, 07:11
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Mudslinger »

Rob26mu747 wrote:
Not quite the same radio as a 3900 f but same board. The hpef is the same radio as the ranger voyage vr9000.

Are you sure its the same?

I know that they are similar but the Voyage is a much newer radio and uses cheaper components.

the one I had drifted terribly where as the Dirland 3900's tend not to be too bad.

The Voyage also has a coarse tune like the 3900F
Mudslinger - Simon
26TM274
26CT612

There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
Rob26mu747
Super Member
Super Member
Posts: 180
Joined: 28 Oct 2011, 11:39

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by Rob26mu747 »

Mudslinger wrote:
Rob26mu747 wrote:
Not quite the same radio as a 3900 f but same board. The hpef is the same radio as the ranger voyage vr9000.

Are you sure its the same?

I know that they are similar but the Voyage is a much newer radio and uses cheaper components.

the one I had drifted terribly where as the Dirland 3900's tend not to be too bad.

The Voyage also has a coarse tune like the 3900F

What I meant to say that the hpef (with coarse control) looks like the voyage vr 9000 as it has echo and the addition of cw mode over the ss 3900f. The voyage vr 9000 is far newer and uses a different circuit board and the hpef uses the ept360014b same as the 3900f but with the addition of echo and cw. The hpef is far better than the vr9000.

The dirland ss 3900 hpef with mic gain seem to be the common ones as I've seen a few for sale in France. The coarse tune models however seem to be a lot more rarer and I've only seen 3 including the one I have.

Both my hpef variants came from France.
User avatar
cb4ever104
Legend
Legend
Posts: 6551
Joined: 28 Jul 2011, 21:26
Location: Alicante , España

Re: SS3900F Prices?

Post by cb4ever104 »

Thanks for the info Claude . It looks like a nightmare to reconnect the coarse .
30TM060
Paul aka "Sammy". (108) PY60 Old Paisley DX Group (RIP Rab Markie)
Ex GM0 , now EA5 .
Handle "Fortune Hunter" back in "the day"
Radios ....? Anything that says "TAIWAN R.O.C" on the back.
Post Reply