REMEMBER WHEN ?

[WØTKX]

Yea, he was the guy that scowled at me 'cause I never bought much. :stickpoke:

In Denver, we still have Fistells. Place is a mess, but they have weird stuff.

http://www.fistells.com/

Last purchase for me there was about two years ago... some 4 pin XLR connectors... they had 'em!

[kf0rt]

Yea, he was the guy that scowled at me 'cause I never bought much. :stickpoke:

In Denver, we still have Fistells. Place is a mess, but they have weird stuff.
http://www.fistells.com/

Last purchase for me there was about two years ago... some 4 pin XLR connectors... they had 'em!

Haven't been to Fistell's in eons -- really surprised they're still in biz. They have dust in that place that hasn't moved since 1965.

[W9WLS]

I used to get the Olsen catalog's also.
Catalog's back then were "The Poor Mans" Dayton, you couldn't wait for the next catalog issue or the next QST or 73 or CQ mag to come out just to see what new "TOY'S" were on the market (or going to be).

[NQ6U]

The 1939 RS catalog looks like an AM'ers paradise. Tubes, UTC mod xfmrs, HV Mica condensers, variable transmitting caps, etc. I guess back in 1939 RS lived up to its name.

Modulation transformers: "Varimatch Transformers never become obsolete." I wish that were true. Try to find one of those these days and you'll pay an absurd price.

[X-Rated]

Some followup on Burstein Applebees. What I heard was that the company was put together by 2 guys. I can't remember their names, but one day they got really old and decided to pass the company along to their heirs. The Applebee's thought it would be good to keep the company going, but the Burstein's wanted to just cash out. I guess the Applebee's did not have enough capital to keep the electronics business going so they put together a restaurant chain and headquartered it there in the Kansas City area where Burstein Applebee's was located.

The Burstein's did not think that a restaurant called "Burstein's" would be very popular, so I don't know what they did.

Dammit. What was the name of that restaurant chain?

[XE1/N5AL]

In Minneapolis, we had Acme Electronics. Used to ride the bus to get there, and drool on the surplus test gear.

My oldest brother used to work there in the late 50's/early 60's.

Did he ever complain about having to wipe drool from the surplus test gear? :)

[N7YA]

Some followup on Burstein Applebees. What I heard was that the company was put together by 2 guys. I can't remember their names, but one day they got really old and decided to pass the company along to their heirs. The Applebee's thought it would be good to keep the company going, but the Burstein's wanted to just cash out. I guess the Applebee's did not have enough capital to keep the electronics business going so they put together a restaurant chain and headquartered it there in the Kansas City area where Burstein Applebee's was located.

The Burstein's did not think that a restaurant called "Burstein's" would be very popular, so I don't know what they did.

Dammit. What was the name of that restaurant chain?

I think they called it "Slightly Better Dennys".


Wait, thats what I call it.

[kb2vxa]

The comments about Rat Shack's funky parts reminded me of some Rat Fink Funnies. (Sorry Ed.) Remember the cheap grab bag specials? A friend owned a stereo shop (sales and service) and I often helped him out on the bench mostly testing and sorting transistors that apparently came straight unbranded and unmarked from a manufacturer bypassing the sorting shop. Primitive solid state audio didn't care beyond pnp or npn and if it got hot a heat sink cut from a beer can (Remember steel?) fixed that. The profit margin on sales is always marginal but repairs made up for it big time. Remember AudioVox under dash 8 Tracks? (;->)

Then there were those gold pin guaranteed for life tubes, heh heh heh. I was using a sweep tube in a home brew transmitter before I knew that unless it's a 4-400A the plate isn't supposed to glow and the transmitter ate them like candy. At this point maybe I should mention I was using a water cooled TV vertical output transformer for modulation... simmering away in a pan of water that is. About every two weeks the tube went south and I got a new one, this went on for months until the manager Eddie Crisco (yeah, Crisco) decided I wasn't using it for horizontal output...

At Radio Shack you have questions, we have blank stares and managers that pass for shortening in a can. (;->)

[w2amr]

I bought my first receiver at a Lafayette store. Don't remember the town, but it was down from us on State Route 10 in NNJ.

Starfire VI. My dad insisted that this would be 'good enough' for me to use... and it was, for a beginning SWL. No BFO, no selectivity, so it was worthless on the ham bands.

I wanted something a little better, but he wouldn't let me spend the money (well, I was 12 at the time). Figured it would be a waste, that I wouldn't stay with the hobby, or that I wouldn't keep the receiver.

I still have it. And it still works.

We had a Lafayette store about 20 min from here, I loved that place. Couldn't wait for the next catalog.

[KG4CGC]

When I was 12, on a trip to Florida I could read the whole RS catalog. On the way back I'd read the whole Lafayette catalog as well as flyers from Olson. At least I think there was still an Olson in South FLA in 1975. Then there was the Service Merchandise catalog.