Ham radio & test gear
Ham radio & test equipment — free pickup in Albuquerque
Abq Reclaimed picks up ham radio gear and test equipment free, by request — radios, tube gear, keys, antennas that are already down, oscilloscopes, meters, parts and manuals — including a silent key’s station. Text a photo of the desk or the bench. No cash.
Text or call (505) 250-3804 · by request, at my discretion
I'm Josh, and I handle every pickup myself, from your photo to the Reclaim Receipt. eBay seller since 2003 — currently an eBay Top Rated Seller, 99.8% positive feedback (1,800+ feedback score, 3,800+ items sold); a trailer, and a forklift for suitable loads. Text me a photo: (505) 250-3804
Send a photo
Text a couple photos to (505) 250-3804 with your neighborhood, or use the request form. Under a minute.
I confirm what I can take
I review every request myself and reply about what is a fit and whether I can make your date, if you have one. Nothing is promised until I confirm.
Set it out
On the day we agree on, leave small items on the porch or driveway — you don't need to be home for those. Heavy items, appliances and anything inside need someone there to give me access.
I haul it free
I pick it up at no cost and give it a second life through resale and reuse.
Radios and station gear I pick up
- Transceivers and receivers — HF and VHF/UHF rigs (Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu) and the classics (Collins, Drake, Hallicrafters, Heathkit, Hammarlund, National).
- Tube gear — boat-anchor receivers and transmitters, linear amplifiers, boxed tubes.
- Keys and paddles — straight keys, bugs and paddles (Vibroplex, Bencher).
- Station accessories — antenna tuners, wattmeters, power supplies, microphones, headphones, rotator controls.
- Antennas and coax — beams, verticals, wire antennas and rotators that are already down, and spools of coax.
- Shortwave, scanners and CB — shortwave receivers, scanners and older CB base stations.
- The paper — QSL card collections, manuals and old radio magazines.
Test equipment and the electronics bench
- Oscilloscopes — Tektronix, HP and others, analog or digital, working or not.
- Meters and analyzers — Fluke and Simpson meters, frequency counters, spectrum analyzers, tube testers.
- Generators and supplies — signal and function generators, bench power supplies (HP, Wavetek, Lambda).
- Parts — tubes, transistors and ICs in their drawers, parts cabinets, connectors.
- Bench tools — soldering stations, crimpers, magnifier lamps, nut drivers.
- The engineer’s desk — slide rules and HP calculators (more on the drafting room), microscopes (cameras & optics) and early computers (retro computers).
A silent key’s station
When a ham radio operator dies, hams say they’ve become a silent key — and the family is usually left with a room of gear nobody else in the house recognizes. You don’t need to know what any of it is. Text me a photo of the desk, the shelves and anything in the garage, and I’ll tell you honestly what I can take.
Two things worth knowing first. The ARRL’s Silent Key page explains how family or friends report the death and cancel the license with the FCC. And if you want the station sold for the family, the ARRL’s Estate Planning Workbook has inventory sheets, and fellow hams and clubs often help sell gear to people who’ll use it. If you’d rather it simply go, free and in good hands, that’s where I come in.
What to photograph
- The whole desk, bench or shelf, just as it is.
- The front panels — the model name is usually right there.
- Open drawers and boxes of parts or tubes (one photo each is plenty).
- Antennas, rotators and coax that are already down, and where everything is: a back room, the garage, a storage unit.
Heavy gear: the honest part
Boat-anchor radios, linear amps and rack-mount test gear are heavy. I bring a dolly and straps, and a forklift for suitable loads — photo first, and I’ll say honestly whether it’s something I can move.
What I don’t take
- Towers, and antennas still up — a tower crew or a fellow ham takes those down; I pick up what’s already on the ground.
- Batteries — lead-acid and gel cells from a station’s backup power go to a battery recycler or an auto-parts store that takes them.
- Anything radioactive — some old meters, tubes and Geiger counters carry a radioactive source; leave those for a specialist.
- Loose oil-filled capacitors and transformers — older ones can contain PCBs.
- Anything still tagged as government or company property.
- Giant CRT monitors and console TVs.
Want the money? Selling it yourself
Good HF rigs, Collins and Drake gear, Tektronix scopes and Vibroplex keys can be worth real money. If you want it, sell through other hams — club swap meets, hamfests and online ham classifieds — or ask a club for help. I don’t pay cash. If you just want it gone and in good hands, I’ll come get it free.
What I’ve sold lately
Things like these have already gone to buyers through me:
- Vintage radio, audio and synths: a 1940 Stromberg-Carlson tube radio, an HMV portable gramophone (sold for parts), a 1987 Roland MT-32 sound module, Roland CR-80 and Boss DR-770 drum machines, a Shure 516EQ microphone, a new-old-stock Shure phonograph cartridge, a Sony Sports Walkman radio.
- Slide rules, calculators and drafting tools: a 1947 K+E log-log slide rule and a K+E Jet-Log, a Post Versalog, a Dietzgen pocket rule and an Aristo Multilog; HP-15C, HP-17BII, HP-32SII and HP-20S calculators; a vintage TI Programmer; a Casio CFX-200 calculator watch; a Brown & Sharpe vernier caliper; an ACU-ARC radius ruler.
- Industrial controls and network gear: an industrial time-delay relay, an ABB contactor, a Telemecanique selector switch, a Square D operator panel, a Modicon micro controller, a VoIP network gateway.
Real item types from my eBay sales since January 2025 (1,500+ sales; list checked October 2026) — no prices, no buyer details. eBay seller since 2003 — currently an eBay Top Rated Seller, 99.8% positive feedback (1,800+ feedback score, 3,800+ items sold).
A few of them, in my own eBay listing photos:
When this gear turns up
- After a death in the family — clearing the house after a loss.
- An estate — estate cleanouts.
- A parent moving to a smaller place — downsizing.
- A garage or workshop — garage cleanouts.
- A storage unit — storage unit cleanouts.
Where it goes
Working radios and test gear get checked, cleaned and resold to people who’ll use them; parts go to people restoring the same model; what’s truly dead is recycled for its metal. Your Reclaim Receipt says which way the main pieces went.
Before you ask — the honest limits. Abq Reclaimed is just me, and I run a couple of other small businesses. So free pickups are limited and entirely at my discretion — I can't take everything, and some weeks I can't do pickups at all. Send a photo and I'll tell you honestly whether I can fit it in; if I can't, I'll point you elsewhere. (Prefer to drop off? We can sometimes arrange that by appointment.) When I do collect, I send you a Reclaim Receipt afterward telling you where your stuff went.
Good to know
Common questions
Who takes ham radio equipment after someone dies in Albuquerque?
I do, free, by photo request — radios, tube gear, keys, test equipment, parts and manuals from a silent key’s station. You don’t need to know what anything is: text a photo of the desk and shelves to (505) 250-3804 and I’ll tell you honestly what I can take. If the family wants the money instead, fellow hams and clubs help sell gear; I don’t pay cash.
Who buys used ham radio equipment in Albuquerque?
I don’t — Abq Reclaimed is free pickup, not a buyer. Ham gear sells best to other hams: club swap meets, hamfests and online ham classifieds. If you’d rather it just go to someone who’ll use it, I’ll pick it up free.
Do you take oscilloscopes and other test equipment?
Yes — Tektronix and HP scopes, meters, frequency counters, signal generators, power supplies and tube testers, working or not. Photo the front panel and the model label.
Will you take down an antenna or a tower?
No. A tower crew or a fellow ham takes those down; I pick up antennas, rotators and coax once they’re on the ground.
What about boxes of tubes and parts?
Yes — boxed tubes, parts drawers and cabinets, connectors and coax. One photo of the open drawers is plenty.
Do you pay, and is it tax-deductible?
No and no. Abq Reclaimed is for-profit: the pickup is free, I don’t pay cash, and it isn’t tax-deductible. You get a Reclaim Receipt saying where things went, not a tax receipt.
A radio room, a workbench or a silent key’s station to clear?
Send a couple photos and I will tell you honestly if it is a fit. Free pickup across Albuquerque, by approval.
Keep exploring
More I reclaim
Also: Vintage & industrial lighting · Vintage signs & neon · Sewing machines · Cameras & optics · Stereo & hi-fi · Ham radio & test gear · Bikes · Sporting goods · Instruments · Industrial equipment · Medical & mobility parts · Vintage & collectibles · Appliances · Copper & wire · Quality clothing & shoes · My want list
Clearing out? Pick your situation: Moving · Week-by-week moving plan · Senior downsizing · Clearing a parent's house · After a loss · Estate sale leftovers · Storage unit · Business closing · Military PCS
Estate cleanouts · Garage cleanouts · Moving or clearing a house? · Full what-I-take list · Where to donate anything in ABQ · Where to sell or donate in ABQ · Get-rid-of-used-stuff guide · Where to sell scrap metal