For Old Guys Only

[Trey]

Ahhhh, radio. I have found myself in some places where you simply have no contact with "the real world", and buddy, any radio broadcast you can understand is worth a clean pair of socks.

I cleaned out a basement a couple years ago, and found a box full of tubes. I knew what they were (because, obviously, I'm old) and I held on to them until I came across someone who was talking about his radios. That guy was awful happy to have that box, and even though I refused money, his wife gave me a dozen or so bottles of canned stuff she had put up. Ever had some old time ranch lady's canned goods? Better than fed notes... I promise.

 

[Mike B]

Tubes you say?

I listen to a vacuum tube amplifier every night.

I built this less than 2 years ago. Just wonderful -

 

[Trey]

Mike... dang. That's the way to do it!

 

[Ludwig II]

I have a no later than 1967 valve hi fi amp adapted for guitar use, it is so sweet. Valves are just magical.

 

[GeeBeeN]

Valve amps have always had the most intoxicating sound.!!

Geoff

 

[GeeBeeN]

Valve amps will live forever.!!

Geoff

 

[Ludwig II]

Don't forget the hot stink, either, all part of the experience.

 

[GeeBeeN]

A crystal set with germanium diode, and a 40 foot arial, plus earphones was a big step up from a piece of germanium and a cats whisker, with both you could pickup BBC in London, you could imagine being there.!!

 

[GeeBeeN]

TV Downunder started with 3 channels, ABC, Channel 7 & Channel 9, a few years behind the USofA.!! ... It was amazing, programs mostly came from America & Britain, with local content, live shows like Letterman, sports were Footy & cricket.

I remember the Coloured Pickup Sticks, Don't remember the rules, i'd like to try it on our Grandchildren. If you could scan the Rules and Email me a copy i'd be forever in your debt.!!

 

[Ludwig II]

The first Aussie product I can remember seeing here was A For Andromeda.

 

[Allen_Wrench]

Philco. That's who made the big wooden cabinet radio I remember. Bill Cosby once did a routine about them: "It had 187 knobs of which only two worked. Off, on, volume and the station selector. It took about eight days to warm up"

The one I recall had a lighted circular dial with a pointer and vague numbers and some symbols that no one could decipher. You just turned the dial until you got something. WLS out of Chicago was probably one of the strongest stations. Big band music or forigen stations that were neat but I didn't know what they were talking about. I know some of it was German and some Spanish.

Then you'd fine, 'The Shadow' and for the next half hour you'd sit transfixed on watching the dial and seeing the story unfold before you. Great stuff, great memories. I'm glad I'm my age and can remember things like that.

On a similar note; My wife has been going through her recently deceased Mom's personal possesions and came home today with some things she had as a child. A piggy bank, real ceramic, no way to get the coins out except to break it, or use a knife through the coin slot. She remembers her Dad and her laying on the living room floor getting quarters out. She says she must have been five or six years old. The bank still had several quaters in it. One was a 1957 vintage; she was 2 years old. Another was dated 1964.

She also found a complete set of 'Pick-up Stix' still in the original cylindrical container with the game instructions with a copyright date of 1937. We played a couple of games this afternoon. That brought back some memories.

My in-law's house is full of things that will be significant to folks my age. I'll let you know what else we find.

Tom

When my grandmother Cover babysat us, she let us listen to this. I inherited it when she died. It still works. It was fun to listed to Prairie Home Companion on it. And Car Talk. In the mobile home I have now, I need to find a 20 amp breaker to install, so it won't trip it when I warm it up. But I'll bet it still works. The picture below I got online, mine is it MUCH better shape. It's a 1937 Wards Airline model 62 tabletop radio.

 

[Ludwig II]

This is an example of my Hacker, the AL42.

I have one of these 100w, valve pre amp, solid state 2nd stage. It suits single coils better than humbuckers, a Phoenix PHA1.

And a solid state 1970s Roland 60, it is hard to make it distort unless it's so loud the windows fall out.

 

[Tinsmith]

I have my Grandfather's table top radio. It's a 1925 Colin B Kennedy "Royalty of Radio" Model 20, Type 440, with the horn speaker. Back in the 80's I hooked it up to a battery source and the tubes all lit up. It sits in the living room and the walnut case is beautiful.
Dan

 

[silverbear]

You have a time travel device taking you back to the future. To think there was a day when your grandpa deliberated and then decided to go ahead and make the purchase. I wonder what your grandmother thought when she saw it. I can imagine them listening to it for the first time way back before WWII or the great depression when airplanes ventured on great journeys, baseball was the national craze and the world was a more innocent place without ISIS or daily shootings in the headlines. You have a treasure, sir.
SB

 

[Tinsmith]

That radio retailed for $90.
Dan

 

[silverbear]

And at that time $90.00 was a whole lot of money.
SB

 

[Tinsmith]

You would be the one to know old fella! Probably would be lucky to get that for it now.
Dan

 

[GeeBeeN]

TV Downunder started with 3 channels, ABC, Channel 7 & Channel 9, a few years behind the USofA.!! ... It was amazing, programs mostly came from America & Britain, with local content, live shows like Letterman, sports were Footy & cricket.

I remember the Coloured Pickup Sticks, Don't remember the rules, i'd like to try it on our Grandchildren. If you could scan the Rules and Email me a copy i'd be forever in your debt.!!

 

[2door]

TV Downunder started with 3 channels, ABC, Channel 7 & Channel 9, a few years behind the USofA.!! ... It was amazing, programs mostly came from America & Britain, with local content, live shows like Letterman, sports were Footy & cricket.

I remember the Coloured Pickup Sticks, Don't remember the rules, i'd like to try it on our Grandchildren. If you could scan the Rules and Email me a copy i'd be forever in your debt.!!

GeeBeeN,
I scanned the rules for Pick Up Sticks. I hope you can use it.

Also here's a photo of an old radio that was my father-in-laws. He had it in his garage for years but it quit working. After he passed away my mother-in-law gave it to me. The tubes all seem to light up but there's no sound, not even static. Neat old cabinet though so I gave it place of honor in my garage. Maybe I should try to find an old radio guy who could fix it.

Tom

 

[silverbear]

Nice radio, Tom. It would be good if you could get it to talk again.

Tough rules on the pick up sticks game.

There is a traditional stick game among north American Indian tribes, which is very old (prehistoric) and still being played. Emotions can get high and betting is often involved. Nice to see old things kept alive.

https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app&gws_rd=ssl#q=Indian+stick+game

SB