I've got an old Ronco in storage somewhere that I forgot about. I made dried fruits and jerky with it in the past and it worked as advertised. I'm glad you remended me about it, I think it may be good fodder for e-bay.
I've got an Excalibur 9 tray. Fantastic machine! My recommendation would be to buy an America Harvest model for $40, comes with 4 trays, but expandable to 12 trays. Wal Mart carries them in my area. Try this one out and if you find yourself really in to dehydrating, go for the Excalibur. They are $200.
I also have an american harvest.It comes with a box of 12 assorted jerky seasonings.Mine works great for deer and beef.If you use ground meat you might want to pick up a jerky press (looks like a little caulk gun)I use my machine all the time.;c