You can't fix something you don't understand, and unique things require a lot of time to figure out.
This applies in many areas. I learned a ton about Atomic Clocks the first time I fixed one... the second time I did it, it was only an afternoon, instead of a week spent in my friend's shop over the course of a month.
So, yes... the main investment is the knowledge learned. It is foolish to waste that effort.
At one point we had 3 of them working, and 3 rubidium clocks and 2 GPS disciplined 10 MHz oscillators... it was wild.
In theory, we could have run one upstairs, and one downstairs to see if we could check relativity... but the tubes have an finite lifespan, so it wasn't worth it.
The Cesium clocks have since been sold... and the memories remain.
You can't fix something you don't understand, and unique things require a lot of time to figure out.
This applies in many areas. I learned a ton about Atomic Clocks the first time I fixed one... the second time I did it, it was only an afternoon, instead of a week spent in my friend's shop over the course of a month.
So, yes... the main investment is the knowledge learned. It is foolish to waste that effort.