Buyer beware Paul W1DIO

[kb0sfp]

If you have an opportunity to do business with Paul W1DIO, Beware!
My story begins with an inquiry sent in regard to the below ad placed on QTH.com. Note the key words in this ad("All Functions work as they should", "Electrically, to me 100%"). Also note Paul's prompt reply time to all my messages during the negotiation process. That response time will stretch out after the radio has been received, then will stop all together until a paypal complaint is filed.

Listing Number: 1163414
Date Ad was Placed: 11/06/14
Name: Paul
Phone Number: 702-755-2946
Callsign: W1DIO
Category: RADIOHF
Heading: SGC SG-2020 Very Nice with SGC Mic
Ad Message:
F/S: I have a Very Nice Condition SGC SG-2020. All Functions work as they should. Physically a 9.5 of 10. Electrically, to me 100%. To someone not familiar with how the SG-2020 functions, may differ. Complete with Original Mic and Power Attachment. SGC SG-2020 Manual on CD. Complete in it's own Box. Asking $495.00 Shipped ConUS, all others pay actual Shipping & Handling Cost. Any questions, call Paul or email.All Payment types considered.
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Nov.6/2014
I'm very interested. Does it have a rear panel SO-239 connector(early, or in-line(late). Pigtail DC connector(late), or panel connector(early). ADSP 1 or 2? Thanks KB0SFP
From: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
To: 'Dennis KB0SFP' <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2014 10:52 PM
Subject: RE: QTH.COM Ad -- SGC SG-2020 Very Nice wit...

Hi Dennis,

Has SO-239 Antenna connector on back. No pigtail power leads, has the
Phoenix Connector. No ADSP 1or 2. Stock. Really Nice!! 73

Paul (W1DIO)
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Sent: Friday, November 7, 2014 7:29 AM
Good Morning, Dennis,

Early to bed, early to rise!.
Dennis, if you're really interested, the $450.00 will be my beat. As you know, shipping is always a cost factor these days. Looks like to me, you know how these radios were meant to work. Again, really nice condition. I realize the ADSP option cost, but having dealt with real DSP working with counter-measure equipment, there is no way these ADSP Options really do the work other than a little filtering. You can do that with the onboard RF Gain quite nicely. Thank you 73

Wing (Paul) Chung - W1DIO
wpchung cox.net
702-755-2946
From: Dennis [mailto:spike.dennis yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 7:55 PM
To: Paul
Subject: Re: QTH.COM Ad -- SGC SG-2020 Very Nice wit...

Would you consider $400 even?
No adsp is significant. KB0SFP
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From: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
To: 'Dennis' <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, November 7, 2014 12:08 PM
Subject: RE: QTH.COM Ad -- SGC SG-2020 Very Nice wit...
Well Dennis, I'll hold to $450.00 Shipped! Still listed at $495.00 Shipped. Just talk to KB0CH, Wayne in MN. on 15 meters. He gave me a 5x5 and very good audio. I ask about his frequency setting, it was 21.300.01 on his Icom 7000 with a dipole. The readout on the SG-202 was 21.300.0. $25.00 more and it's yours! 73

Wing (Paul) Chung - W1DIO
(as it turns out, the above was a lie)
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From: Dennis <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
To: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
Sent: Friday, November 7, 2014 1:17 PM
Subject: Re: QTH.COM Ad -- SGC SG-2020 Very Nice wit...
OK, you've been paypaled.
Let me know when you've shipped, the method used, and any tracking information. KB0SFP
From: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
To: 'Dennis' <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, November 7, 2014 1:26 PM
Subject: RE: QTH.COM Ad -- SGC SG-2020 Very Nice wit...
Okay, Dennis, Great!

I'll try to get it out this afternoon. I'll let you know when , who and how.. Thank you again.

Wing (Paul) Chung - W1DIO
wpchung cox.net
702-755-2946
From: Paul <[email protected]>
To: 'Dennis' <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, November 7, 2014 3:10 PM
Hi Dennis,

Just a line to let you know, your SG-2020 has been shipped. Shipped USPS Priority Mail, Expected Delivery, Monday 11/10, Tracking Number (9505 5213 7341 4311 0002 33). Thanks again, Dennis. 73

Wing (Paul) Chung - W1DIO
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014 7:40 PM
The radio arrived today in good shape. I have just completed an initial checkout. While the radio appeared to you to be working fine on 15mtr USB in fact it wasn't. Had you checked the opposite sideband you'd have seen a problem.The radio will not operate as-is on LSB, and there is significant amounts of the opposite sideband being transmitted when on USB. Also output power on LSB is about 1/2 that of USB.
All this may be caused by the BFO xtal oscillator being off frequency. This can usually be corrected but the alignment procedure is very tedious, time consuming, and some times results in the damage of the fragile trimmer capacitor associated with the BFO xtal oscillator. I have done this several times in the past, but never on a radio I spent this much money on. KB0SFP
From: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
To: 'Dennis' <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 10:14 AM
Hi Dennis,

Tnx for the heads-up. Unfortunately, I never operated the SG-2020 on any bands lower than 20 meters. I'm limited to a D3 Cushcraft Dipole, under the roof, here in a retirement community. As you can see in my Bio on QRZ.com, I'm an Icom , I align and tune these all the time. Basically there hasn't been a radio I've purchased that didn't need touching up. I no nothing about the circuitry of the SG-2020, so never really looked into any faults. I do know the SG-2020 has it's own peculiarities. In our first discussions, I sensed that about you and you were aware of those peculiarities. I think the SG-2020 is a very coveted radio and should market quite well. Thanks again. 73

Paul (W1DIO)

(Note how we are now from "All Functions work as they should", and "Electrically, to me 100%" to "touchup" and "peculiarities". He also knows nothing about the circuitry of the 2020 but the sale included a full set of manuals on CD. Also as I'm informed it's OK the radio doesn't work. Would it have been OK then if anybody else bought the radio?)
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From: Dennis <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
To: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 10:26 AM
I did make some limited attempts at aligning the BFO last night. I haven't as yet been successful. The radio will still not function on LSB at all. I will try again today. This is a very tedious, and repetitious, process that involves adjusting the BFO osc on one SB then the other, over & over again until they are balanced.
I hope that none of the discrete crystals in the filter(or the BFO) have failed(or aged off) shifting the band pass characteristics. If even one has that means a trip to SGC which cost a minimum of $150 labor.

I'll let you know.
From: Dennis <spike.dennis yahoo.com>
To: Paul <wpchung cox.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 10:38 PM
I'm unable to get LSB to operate. I've spent several hours trying. Either the BFO xtal has aged off freq too far, or the xtal filter has a problem.

As to "market quite well", they don't if they don't work. KB0SFP

(Note, Paul W1DIO did not respond in any way to the above two messages. He has gone silent. Also note that I am a communications electronics engineer with nearly 40 years experience, and I have worked on a number of SGC products. What makes this case even worse, Paul will also claim to be an engineer with over 30 years, he just not familiar with the SG2020 or it's operation.)
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In our continued correspondence after a claim was file with paypal, Paul would make comments like:

Paul wrote "On the first email, I would have taken it back. I didn't answer your last two because it was weeks after and felt it was no longer my concern."

Of course, none of the above is true, and in fact the claim was filed with paypal less than a week after the radio was received primarily because Paul would not longer respond to my messages.

Paul wrote "I know the radio worked, but not to my liking, meaning tuning and filtering and gain control. I look for instant gratification when I tune in a signal. Not to have to use the radio the way SG-2020 was designed".

By his own admission, the radio was not right. It acted the way it did because it was crewed up! It had no AGC action at all and the RF gain had to be turned almost all the way down. It did not work LSB either TX or rec. In USB the radio was transmitting double sideband. Now I ask you all, does this constitute "All Functions work as they should'? The radio was received, and remains, unusable.

I requested a partial refund of $200 which would reflect a little more than what a none functioning SG-2020 is worth. this would also be the repair cost at SGC would be in the event that was necessary. At this point Paul has made no effort to act on this partial refund.

Paul W1DIO regularly list equipment for sale on many of the Ham forums. I strongly advise that you use extreme caution when dealing with him. I have retained all correspondence with him on this deal and will happily make it available to anyone that ask.

Dennis Starks
Military-Radio-Guy
KBØSFP
HFpack/Milpack, Monitor all:
3996usb, 5357usb, 7296usb,
14342.5usb, 18157.5usb, 29.4fm, 51.0fm

[kb0sfp]

Dec 6/2014 my initial $450 was refunded as a result of a claim filed with paypal. I'm still out $24 in return postage cost that Paul has refused to reimburse.