Hi there,
Yesterday I was picking my 8yr old daughter from a friends party. I got to talking to the mother of the friend, and in the course of the conversation I admired an old valve radio she had.
She went on to tell me that her father, who had dies about six months ago, used to be a T.V./radio service engineer.
This is the bit that will make you cry. She said that after he died they cleared his work shed, but didn't know what to do with all the old Valve kit, so they just threw it in a skip. It took three skips to clear the work shed. She said that there was a huge range of valves, some tansmitter size, and even some complete amplifies. She said that if she knew I was interested in that kind of stuff I could have had it all for free.
Now thats a tale to make anyone cry.
Shoog
Yesterday I was picking my 8yr old daughter from a friends party. I got to talking to the mother of the friend, and in the course of the conversation I admired an old valve radio she had.
She went on to tell me that her father, who had dies about six months ago, used to be a T.V./radio service engineer.
This is the bit that will make you cry. She said that after he died they cleared his work shed, but didn't know what to do with all the old Valve kit, so they just threw it in a skip. It took three skips to clear the work shed. She said that there was a huge range of valves, some tansmitter size, and even some complete amplifies. She said that if she knew I was interested in that kind of stuff I could have had it all for free.
Now thats a tale to make anyone cry.
Shoog
Sorry to hear that tale. It seems it would happen to everyone of us too.
I have told my daughter that the tube amps that I built will be left to her to enjoy the music.
My suggestion to the lady that she could post the tubes, amplifiers, radios etc on E-Bay so that we could make use of them and enjoy them.
Johnny
I have told my daughter that the tube amps that I built will be left to her to enjoy the music.
My suggestion to the lady that she could post the tubes, amplifiers, radios etc on E-Bay so that we could make use of them and enjoy them.
Johnny
Old radio size about 2 feet wide, 2 feet high, 2 huge 8inch speakers in front radio has dial with stations clearly marked by names...this is what i found in one shop here in Calicut...
a valve amplifier stereo too...very dirty,wooden cabinet.massive chassis ..the shop owner is least interested as if i will loose money buying it...So what do u feel !
Stop CRYING...come to Calicut!!!
a valve amplifier stereo too...very dirty,wooden cabinet.massive chassis ..the shop owner is least interested as if i will loose money buying it...So what do u feel !
Stop CRYING...come to Calicut!!!
ya know... it's gotta be a passive agressive thing with these women who are married for DECADES to a man who does this stuff. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE that they don't know what the stuff is worth, OR who the guy's friends in the biz or hobby are??
I've heard this so many times over the years.
These women must have really hated the guy or the work/hobby.
That's the only reasonable explanation I can find.
That or just plain DUMB as a brick.
Geez.
_-_-bear
I've heard this so many times over the years.
These women must have really hated the guy or the work/hobby.
That's the only reasonable explanation I can find.
That or just plain DUMB as a brick.
Geez.
_-_-bear
You'ld be surprised what people consider junk when it's outside their area of interest, even those who should know better. It's the reason after twenty years in radio I own a McIntosh MC240, RCA DX77, SK-46 and D50 microphones, a couple of Western Electric Birdcages, plus other cool stuff all for free. "You want that old junk!? Take it, please...". The stuff some places thew out makes me cry, like RCA field coil speakers in original cabinets along with matching RCA amps, 1930's Western Electric mixers, etc.
Sad as it is, I think this happens more and more.
Small repair techs are getting sparse as consumer goods tend to get cheaper every day.
No one is willing to pay for the business if the old ones stop or die.
So the wife, who didn’t inhale the solder fumes lives longer and tosses everything away after her husband dies. It happened twice in my area and I was happy to pay a tiny amount for the whole workplace of dead colleagues.
/Hugo
Small repair techs are getting sparse as consumer goods tend to get cheaper every day.
No one is willing to pay for the business if the old ones stop or die.
So the wife, who didn’t inhale the solder fumes lives longer and tosses everything away after her husband dies. It happened twice in my area and I was happy to pay a tiny amount for the whole workplace of dead colleagues.
/Hugo
What indeed was sad, from a personnal perspective, is that this old man had a passion which he probably couldn't share with anyone, and yet just around the corner was I who had the same passion. We could have been friends, and I'am certain he would have enjoyed sharing his lifetimes worth of experience with a keen novice, adding quality to both of our lives.
Shoog
Shoog
It's odd that as society becomes more fragmented, with far more people now living alone, that one small counterbalance is the Internet. Whilst it can be blamed for making some people more anti-social it gives an opportunity for others with non-mainstream hobbies and interests such as this one to share experience and allow them to find each other in real life.
James
James
When a buddy of mine (Fred Nachbaur) passed on a while back it was really depressing.. Not only because the world lost a great guy..but because we also lost the vast knowledge he held in his head,which alone was priceless,not to mention the fact he was a great guy to know,and is sorely missed. I owe much of what I know about tubes to Fred.
Although the original story was sad, that enthusiast didn't make provision for proper disposal of his goodies. I have made arrangements for where all my goodies shall go in order that they will be properly appreciated and I know other people who have done the same. You really can't expect a grieving widow to worry about men's toys at a time like that.
Bad luck
Today I paid a quick visit to the local electronics store during my late lunch break, where they sell some surplus stuff from time to time. I have been there asking for some tubes at least hundred times before and they have never showed me anything useful.
But today, out of the blue, they had put up whole stand with small red plastic boxes filled with all kind of Russian NOS tubes. Every box had a paper tag on it with a big hurry letters of tube type and its price - 5 kronor each ( 0.40 US$ ) - no matter the type. 
Although most of them were some kind TV tubes, unknown to me, one box caught immediately my attention 
as there was a somewhat familiar written on it - 6S45Pi.
I peaked into the box and found it empty.
I approached the seller to ask, "from where the all these tubes appeared suddenly? Has some old radio repairman or shop brought them in?"
“No, we have had them for ages, we were just cleaning our warehouse”, the clerk unwillingly muttered.
"Dou you perhaps have some more there”, I urged.
“F’course?! But all the examples represented are allready on the selves”, was the answer, like I was asking for piece of used wire.
“Do you by the chance have any of this particular 6S45Pi left?” – I didn’t give up my hope.
The salesman buried is eyes into the computer screen and whistled: ” Nope, these are gone” Steered the monitor for some more and announced happily at last: “Oh yeah, now I recall that, one guy just bought couple of dozens of them not long ago today! It seems we got rid all of this stuff”. 
Desperate, I crabbed the remains of some odd but promising type of TV damper tubes for several
and left the store. At home I googled around to find datasheet of my purchase and found out, that these particular damper tubes are emitting 
X-rays when operating
. What great shopping time. 
Cheers,
Argo
Today I paid a quick visit to the local electronics store during my late lunch break, where they sell some surplus stuff from time to time. I have been there asking for some tubes at least hundred times before and they have never showed me anything useful.
But today, out of the blue, they had put up whole stand with small red plastic boxes filled with all kind of Russian NOS tubes. Every box had a paper tag on it with a big hurry letters of tube type and its price - 5 kronor each ( 0.40 US$ ) - no matter the type. Although most of them were some kind TV tubes, unknown to me, one box caught immediately my attention as there was a somewhat familiar written on it - 6S45Pi. I peaked into the box and found it empty.
I approached the seller to ask, "from where the all these tubes appeared suddenly? Has some old radio repairman or shop brought them in?" “No, we have had them for ages, we were just cleaning our warehouse”, the clerk unwillingly muttered.
"Dou you perhaps have some more there”, I urged.
“F’course?! But all the examples represented are allready on the selves”, was the answer, like I was asking for piece of used wire.
“Do you by the chance have any of this particular 6S45Pi left?” – I didn’t give up my hope. The salesman buried is eyes into the computer screen and whistled: ” Nope, these are gone” Steered the monitor for some more and announced happily at last: “Oh yeah, now I recall that, one guy just bought couple of dozens of them not long ago today! It seems we got rid all of this stuff”. Desperate, I crabbed the remains of some odd but promising type of TV damper tubes for several
and left the store. At home I googled around to find datasheet of my purchase and found out, that these particular damper tubes are emitting X-rays when operating. What great shopping time. Cheers,
Argo
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