I somehow feel I need a RF gen. Hens teeth, those, at least in this part of the world, and at decent prices.
(as soon as I get that, I'll find that I need a boat anchor SA. I know, I know.)
TE restoration news: Won a pair of 3A fuses, allegedly NIB, for the 8060A. Even with slightly exaggerated shipping price, cheaper than new ones from Mouser, who want 8,30€ a piece if I buy 10; the ones I won were 2€ plus 10€ shipping, for 2.
Now, if this works out, I'll have 2 working 8060A.
It somehow is with these fuses, as it is with arresting gear for working at height, with approved medical equipment, with aircraft parts, and so on. As soon as a spare part is crucial to getting a system approved, the price magically triples. At least.
I'm OK with things that need tighter QC costing more, that's not the issue here. It costs money to manufacture to a higher standard, and if we're talking about things like NDT of critical components, of course, that is expensive. But this much? For a bunch of end caps and wire?
I can't shed the impression that there is a sizeable "because we can" in the price... (And that's without even getting close to conspiracy theories.)