Source Confirmed
Seller-confirmed
- Aeroflex 3500A, serial 300203357; seller range 2 MHz to 1 GHz.
- Seller claims P25/DMR/NXDN and explicitly excludes the power adapter.
Analysis snapshotSnapshot decision:BUY
Aeroflex 3500A Radio Communications Test Set — Auction Analysis
This Aeroflex 3500A powers on and its exact-unit menu confirms Analyzer, Oscilloscope, and Tracking Generator functions. P25, DMR, and NXDN remain unverified seller claims, the visible 2017 calibration is stale, measurement performance is unverified, and the seller explicitly excludes the photographed power adapter. The $411 observed bid remains below the roughly $1,100 blind ceiling.
Analysis snapshot · Historical — observed August 27, 2026. The scheduled close date of September 1, 2026 has passed. The price, evidence, economics, and recommendation remain exactly as recorded and are not current.
Decision at a glance
RecommendationBUY
- Maximum hammer bid
- $1,100
The auction bid ceiling supported by this analysis, if one is defensible; see costs below for buyer-premium treatment.
Why this decision
BUY at the preserved $411 observation, subject to a roughly $1,100 blind hammer ceiling; later bidding may eliminate the modeled spread, and digital options, calibration, battery, adapter, and measurement performance still require verification.
See costs and maximum bid for the displayed assumptions and buyer-premium treatment.
- Snapshot observed bid
- $411
- Bidders
- 3
- Blind-model resale
- $4,750
Snapshot provenance and timing · observed August 27, 2026 · scheduled close September 1, 2026
GSA Auctions sale 4-1-QSC-I-26-447, lot 017 · Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Snapshot observed August 27, 2026
Scheduled close September 1, 2026
Analysis prepared August 27, 2026
Published August 27, 2026 · page updated September 20, 2026
Prepared and published by Oleksii Udod for LotCaliper.
Continue after this auction
This auction snapshot is historical. Continue with related research, or review a relevant published analysis whose recorded scheduled close has not passed.
Relevant analyses with future scheduled closes
These are individually prepared, time-stamped analyses with recorded scheduled closes. Verify the official auction before acting.
Auction snapshot
At the August 27, 2026 observation, the high bid was $411 with three bidders. This immutable observation remains $411 after the scheduled close rather than becoming a live or final-price record.
Powered menus can prove installed functions, but they do not prove calibration or performance—and an explicit seller accessory exclusion outranks a non-warranted photograph.
Review and correction history
Independent review not recorded for this legacy analysis. No corrections recorded.
View review and correction details
Independent review not recorded
Published before the current independent-review gate; no completed independent review is recorded.
How independent review worksHow evidence is classified
Seller facts, photo-derived observations, manufacturer context, unknowns, and LotCaliper assumptions remain explicitly separated.
Photo Derived
Photo-derived
- Unit powers on; Analyzer, Oscilloscope, and Tracking Generator menu entries are visible.
- Calibration label dated 13-Dec-2017; microphone, bag, and an excluded PSU are photographed.
Not Established
Not established
- P25, DMR, and NXDN option licenses on this serial.
- Current calibration, RF/measurement accuracy, full self-test, battery condition, or guaranteed microphone/bag inclusion.
Manufacturer Context
Independent context
- VIAVI's legacy documentation identifies the 3500A as a portable radio communications test set; its integrated scope/analyzer functions are service-monitor tools rather than modern standalone bench instruments.
Lotcaliper Assumption
LotCaliper assumptions
- No incremental premium for unverified digital licenses.
- $4,750 conservative gross resale; $2,000 non-acquisition burden; ~$1,100 maximum hammer.
Equipment identity
Rf Telecom · quantity 1
Aeroflex 3500A Radio Communications Test Set; serial 300203357
Identity confidence: High
Identity evidence
Seller/model evidence and powered photographs establish one Aeroflex 3500A, serial 300203357; GSA preview item 374961.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
Configuration
Analyzer function
Confirmed · High confidence
Configuration evidence
ANALYZER is visible on the powered system menu.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
Oscilloscope audio/service-monitor function
Confirmed · High confidence
Configuration evidence
OSCILLOSCOPE is visible on the powered system menu; it is not represented as a general-purpose bench oscilloscope.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
Tracking Generator function
Confirmed · High confidence
Configuration evidence
TRACK GEN is visible on the powered system menu.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
P25, DMR, and NXDN option licenses
Not established · no source evidence establishes presence or absence
Configuration evidence
Seller claims the standards, but no Utilities → Options evidence establishes licenses on this serial.
GSA Auctions · Text · observed August 27, 2026
Power adapter
Seller excluded · High confidence
Configuration evidence
Seller text explicitly excludes the adapter, overriding the non-warranted photograph.
GSA Auctions · Text · observed August 27, 2026
Hand microphone and padded carrying bag
Possible · Medium confidence
Configuration evidence
The microphone and bag are photographed but are not treated as guaranteed inclusion.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
Condition
Powers On
The unit powers to its system menu and exposes installed Analyzer, Oscilloscope, and Tracking Generator functions.
Evidence confidence: High
Condition evidence
Powered menu photograph.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
Untested
The latest visible calibration evidence is dated 13-Dec-2017; RF, analyzer, tracking-generator, audio-scope, connector, and self-test performance remain unverified.
Evidence confidence: High
Condition evidence
Rear calibration label and absence of measurement-performance evidence.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 27, 2026
Market evidence
Market evidence strength
Medium
Public auditability
Limited Legacy
Evidence recency
Not Recorded
No structured comparable-evidence metadata was preserved for this dated snapshot. Public auditability is limited; the numeric resale snapshot cannot be independently audited from comparable records on this page.
Legacy evidence counts were not preserved. Unknown is not reported as zero.
Sensitivity and robustness
Survives
The published decision survives the selected downside check under the stated bounded assumptions.
Blind/as-is model
- Max hammer
- $1,100
- Gross resale model
- $4,750
At the preserved $411 observation, modeled profit is about $1,626 and ROI about 67%. The result does not update with later bidding.
Costs and maximum bid
| Transaction / operating cost | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Selling Fees | $713 | LotCaliper assumption: 15% of modeled gross resale. |
| Shipping | $100 | LotCaliper pickup, packing, rigging, and inbound-logistics reserve; not a carrier or GSA quote. |
| Testing Repair Reserve | $800 | LotCaliper functional-test and diagnostic reserve. |
| Risk Buffer | $1,100 | Missing power adapter, battery and repair exposure, unverified digital options, calibration, and return risk. |
- Buyer premium
- Not modeled
- Return requirements
- $500 minimum profit · 30% minimum ROI
- Computed bid constraints
Profit floor: $1,537
ROI floor: $1,105
Binding: ROI floor
- Snapshot blind/as-is max hammer
- $1,100
- Modeled result at recorded bid
- $1,626 profit · 67.40% modeled ROI
This is a reseller ceiling, not a prediction of the auction's closing price. Any buyer premium or other unquoted acquisition charge must be deducted before bidding.
Installed functions, option uncertainty, and economics
The powered menu materially improves exact-unit configuration confidence. It does not verify RF generator level/frequency, receiver sensitivity, analyzer accuracy, tracking performance, audio-scope accuracy, connector condition, or full self-test.
- Utilities → Options is the highest-value follow-up for the seller-claimed digital standards.
- Exclude the pictured PSU because the seller explicitly says it is not included.
- Treat the photographed microphone and bag as photographed, not guaranteed.
Recommendation and rationale
Snapshot decision
BUYBUY at the preserved $411 observation, subject to a roughly $1,100 blind hammer ceiling; later bidding may eliminate the modeled spread, and digital options, calibration, battery, adapter, and measurement performance still require verification.
Confidence
- Identity
- High
- Configuration
- Medium High
- Condition
- Medium Low
- Market Support
- Medium
- Costs
- Medium
Market support assesses how well the available evidence supports the resale assumption. Exact third-party marketplace records may be omitted when source-use rights are unclear. Each dimension uses the published methodology rubric; a confidence label measures the strength and boundedness of its evidence, not the likelihood of a profitable outcome.
Risks and unknowns
High · Digital Options Unverified
P25, DMR, and NXDN licenses are not confirmed on this unit.
Utilities → Options evidence is absent.
High · Calibration Stale Or Unverified
Only a December 2017 calibration label is visible.
No current calibration evidence.
High · Measurement Function Unverified
Power-on does not establish RF or measurement accuracy.
No independent functional or accuracy test.
High · Power Adapter Excluded
The seller explicitly excludes the photographed power adapter.
Seller text outranks a non-warranted photograph.
Medium · Battery Condition Unknown
Battery condition and runtime are unknown.
No load/runtime evidence.
High · Photo Vs Text Contradiction
A photographed accessory is expressly excluded by seller text.
Evidence hierarchy requires the exclusion to control valuation.
Sources
View cited public sources
- GSA Auctions API / Data.gov
Official public provenance for auction facts; no unverified direct item URL is invented.
- VIAVI 3500/3500A legacy product page
Official legacy product and documentation context; linked and paraphrased.