Other Interests?

[grenouille]

My father's vinyl classicals are still with me and I play them from time to time, more interesting for me is collection of old radios, Radios from the 50s & 60s.

Hye

[Wahoo]

May 12, 2012 3:41:20 GMT -5 grenouille said:

My father's vinyl classicals are still with me and I play them from time to time.

Your fathers collection ? ? ? ;D I've still got my collection of vinyl and my QUAD II amps tuners and more than a few turntables including 2 1/2 P.T's and a Garrard 401.

Here's a photo of a very similiar R/R deck to the last one I bought in the '70's.



Danny

[daveh]

Danny, I've a reel-to-reel tape unit somewhere, but I'm not sure of the make.

I did start a few years ago to convert my old vinyl to digital format. I only did about ten or so LPs, and have never got any further with the project. Perhaps next year.

[grenouille]

Danny,

The vinyls came with a Quad 33 (s/n 8012) and Quad 303 power amplifier and a Luxman turntable.
The Quads connection to the mains is a particular plug and all these was lost during our move to France so the 2 Quads are for display only as I do not want to modify the connection of the plug, am still looking and hoping one day I will find them, by that time I hope they will fire up.

I enjoy my vinyls on a Technics turntable and Hitachi audio system. Sometimes I use my Telefunken Radio's system to play my turntable. Regards

Hye

[daveh]

Hye,

A Quad system was always the one to aspire to. My father bought an Armstrong mono system in the 1950s with a Quad speaker enclosure. It had a valve amplifier: transistors hadn't really come in then. There was a pre-amplifier too, with all sorts of equalisation and filters. I have still got the amp and pre-amp somewhere. There are several other amplifiers and receivers lying round too. I'm not sure if I have the old WWII era German receiver which my father had brought back from (possibly) Norway. Most of the other "old stuff" my parents ditched some years ago. I do have some systems from the 1970s or 80s as well as more recent Sony separates. What I use most though is a little Sony unit with FM and DAB radio, CD, USB input, iPod dock (not that I have an iPod), Internet radio and the ability for streaming.

Dave.

[grenouille]

Dave,

The Hitachi system I have is pretty outdated, about 20 years old but it still gives good performance, the system is hitched to AR speakers from my father and these speakers goes back at least 40 years. My Telefunken radio is from 1960 with the green magic eye, still going well.

I listen quite a bit to my short wave radio which is from the early 70s, mostly for news from all over the world, remarkable reception.

I enjoyed my other SW radio, a Zenith until about 10 years ago. The tuning is by pully system and unfortunately the string burst, have searched to get a replacement string but no luck up to now so this radio is sitting on my table in silence. Its a pity Zenith stopped making SW radios, they were the pioneers uhtil first Germany and then afterwards Japan surpassed them.

Zenith and then Grundig was really big and solid until the little Sony no bigger than a VHS casset outperformed all of them, Regards

Hye

[daveh]

We had a Grundig tape recorder in the 1950s - standard size reel-to-reel with that green magic eye you mention, Hye. In this case in acted as a level meter so the volume could be adjusted. If I remember correctly if the two side just touched when the sound level peaked the recording wouldn't be distorted.

Grundig, I think, went the way of some of the other well known names like Pye and Bush and ended up just a name on lower end products.

The string in the tuning systems was always quite taut. It certainly needed to be strong. I have a friend who used to be a radio operator at sea from the mid 1950s. He will, I'm sure, know what the answer is. He can't mend just about everything that can be classed as proper wireless.

[grenouille]

Some of these names still exist but they have probably changed hands and you are right Dave, they have ended up just a name on lower end products.
I recently bought an Akai Radio alarm, who would have thought of Akai making such products when they were once the leaders of professional tape recorders.
Even Robert's Radios (correct me if I am wrong) have sourced all their products from Taiwan. History will repeat itself, soon China and Taiwan will source all their products from the third world countries, Japan is doing it now.
Buy a Nikon or Olympus or even a Pentax and you will find a Made in China or Thailand lable on them.

Hye

[daveh]

Hye,

Yes, I think Roberts have sourced from the likes of Taiwan. Of course, even when assembled in the likes of Britain most of the components will be from Taiwan, China or suchlike.

The Pentax P30t was made in (I think) Thailand. If I could find mine I could tell you for certain. Mind you, it wasn't really a Pentax anyway.

Dave.

[grenouille]

Dave,

I think it was from the A series onwards that plastic was introduce into the manufacture of Pentax cameras and they were then shifted to South East Asian countries. Recently I bought a Pentax RZ 10 as a pocket camera and it had Made in Indonesia label.

Hye

[jimrh]

Is it too late to post to this thread? Last entry was 8 months ago. Well, here goes...... My other hobbies are ANY aspect of photography, (shooting (all formats) , darkroom, digital, history, everything!) Old movies, and music. (Vinyl, CD, radio, anything!) Right now I am playing Van Morrison! I am also a member of the Michigan Company of Military Historians and Collectors. I am not a Vet but most members are. We have some from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and all periods in between. About 40 members, of all walks of life. It's fascinating to meet once a month with these men and women. Check our website at www.thecannonreport.org I'm the company photographer for our monthly guest speaker and annual formal banquet. It's great fun.

[Rachel]

I have some interest in older audio equipment and vinyl records. Here are some pics of part of my collection.







I should use them more than I do

[vintageslrs]

Very Nice Rachel!

I also have vintage audio gear and do use it quite a bit!

Bob

[hansz]

Just for the curious:
Photography: Zeiss Ikon, some Canon and the history of the Carl Zeiss concern.
Sports: Tennis, a bit of Golf lately and fitness.
Geology (minerals, rocks, fossils) mainly during the holiday season.
HAMradio (my callsign is PB0AAC - not very active these days: no outside antenna...)
Music: Chairman of the KOVutrecht choir, Classical music like Bach and Pink Floyd.
And last but not least, the family which is also the major investment area...
Hans.

[daveh]

Rachel, I have an old Armstrong mono power amplifier (valve) with a separate pre-amplifier somewhere in storage in the loft. My father bought it in the late 1950s. I've just done an internet search - the A10 mark2 - www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/Aseries/Apage3.html

p.s. well done Jim for resurrecting the thread.