You will admit how old you are but

[The Prisoner]

Raise your hand if you remember these tool boxes. Watching an old tv show. TV repair man with all the different tubes.
I remember them coming to my house as a kid. Giant console with the record player and space for the records.

 

[RiverDave]

How old r u? Jesus

 

[Eliminator21vdrive]

I remember testing stations at the grocery store for those tubes!

 

[Tio Pancho]

I remember testing stations at the grocery store for those tubes!

This. All the different pin configurations on the big board.

 

[robert1050]

I rememer my dad unplugging all the tubes any time our B&W set would go on the fritz, our family piling into the car and going to Thrifty's Drug Store. While he went through the tubes and tested them, but,one by one on their machine, mom would buy my brother and I ice cream cones. Those were the days.....

 

[HNL2LHC]

I am so old I can’t remember what I did yesterday.

 

[TPC]

My last job site still had glass vacuum tube controls. 2007. Some of the controls were still working with the original tubes from 1959.

My last major project was changing out the controls with digital. About 1200 total.
Replacement glass tubes were expensive and I think they came from Hungary.

Theirs a tiny boutique hole-in-the-wall, bootleg "Glass Audio" sound shop in Woodland Hills that sells vacuum tube sound systems. They sound good. Deep, warm, air moving bass.

Front of the units is see thru glass to observe the glowing tubes inside.

Long ago near the shop was Wally's Stereo if I recall. Skip Young aka Wally from Ozzie and Harriet ran it if I remember and that's stretching way back. I could have that all wrong.

That whole area was full of audio shops at one time. Muntz, University Stereo, Packard Bell, House of Sight and Sound, Wallachs Music city.

 

[Clank123]

I rememer my dad unplugging all the tubes any time our B&W set would go on the fritz, our family piling into the car and going to Thrifty's Drug Store. While he went through the tubes and tested them, but,one by one on their machine, mom would buy my brother and I ice cream cones. Those were the days.....

And a triple scoop cone was 15 cents!

 

[RobJohnson]

Gasoline was a nickel a gallon too

 

[4Waters]

I'm not admitting shit

 

[rush1]

I rememer my dad unplugging all the tubes any time our B&W set would go on the fritz, our family piling into the car and going to Thrifty's Drug Store. While he went through the tubes and tested them, but,one by one on their machine, mom would buy my brother and I ice cream cones. Those were the days.....

Same hear , boy are those days gone .

 

[SBMech]

Nothing sounds as good as a Tube Amp IMO.

At least at lower volume levels....

 

[badgas]

And a triple scoop cone was 15 cents!

I'm 53 and seem to remember 15 cent triple scoops at Thrifty.

I just remember always being able to get a cone with pocket change or dime left in a pay phone

 

[sintax]

Hah not that that old, but I’m into tube audio, so yea, I know about that stuff, and have even built my own amps.

I’m still always on the lookout for good Hickok test units! 539 or maybe a 752

 

[TPC]

My dad sold his ‘57 Tbird when gas hit 35 cents a gallon.

Quit smoking Kent’s when they hit 25 cents a pak.

Had a fit when they wanted $1 for a 24 oz draft Hamms in Tombstone.

 

[Rajobigguy]

Gasoline was a nickel a gallon too

I don’t remember a nickel a gallon but back in the 70’s I owned a Shell station. The price for Super Shell (94 octane) was $.52 on full service and back then full service meant a lot more than some guy coming out, leaning on your fender and saying “yeah, what do you want”.

 

[Ricks raft]

Sadly I threw away hundreds of tubes. I still have some and the “tube caddy” tool box.
yes my dad was a tv repairman. I’m still in the business, but we don’t repair any more.

 

[TPC]

I'm 53 and seem to remember 15 cent triple scoops at Thrifty.

I just remember always being able to get a cone with pocket change or dime left in a pay phone

There was until recently a Thrifty Ice Cream shop across the Bridge from the Avi in the south Strip mall.
Still a Thrifty kiosk in the Avi. Still good Ice Cream.
Malted milk ball my favorite.

 

[badgas]

I’m still always on the lookout for good Hickok test units! 539 or maybe a 752

I'm sure my father in law has one. He has shop filled with old test eqiupment.

 

[badgas]

There was until recently a Thrifty Ice Cream shop across the Bridge from the Avi in the south Strip mall.
Still a Thrifty kiosk in the Avi. Still good Ice Cream.
Malted milk ball my favorite.

Heck yah !

"Chocolate Malted Crunch"

good stuff

 

[TPC]

Sadly I threw away hundreds of tubes. I still have some and the “tube caddy” tool box.
yes my dad was a tv repairman. I’m still in the business, but we don’t repair any more.

Probably do well on eBay.

 

[HNL2LHC]

I'm not admitting shit

The Cart Narc thread told us all we needed to know and…..by not admitting…..you really are!!!!

 

[Ziggy]

I clearly remember to tube testers inside Thrifty's or similar stores.
We had one of those big old tabletop console radios with shortwave, etc. That thing had tons of tubes.
I also remember smacking the side of the TV

 

[mobldj]

and that same tv repair guy had a big mirror so he could see the screen

 

[4Waters]

Sadly I threw away hundreds of tubes. I still have some and the “tube caddy” tool box.
yes my dad was a tv repairman. I’m still in the business, but we don’t repair any more.

Jeff?

 

[4Waters]

The Cart Narc thread told us all we needed to know and…..by not admitting…..you really are!!!!

The only reason I know about that is my mom's old neighbor had a tube caddy, he fixed my mom's TV once, he was an aerospace electrical engineer.

 

[TPC]

When I replaced those glass tube controllers I used a replacement solid state unit that a guy created that was an exact change out.

He got rich on those units. Sold zillions.
Excellent and brutally reliable - easy changeout once you understood the applications and electronic configuration and they were a super clever design.

His shop was in Green Bay Wis.
Heading there Tuesday morning driving to his familiarize seminar at 6:45 am a DUI checkpoint.
The Packers were on MNF the night before.

Common Words that have returned from the1950’s:
Solid State
High Fidelity.

 

[The Prisoner]

How old r u? Jesus

58 We had a tv set up like this in the early 70’s. When it broke, you didn’t run to the store and get a new one like today.

 

[The Prisoner]

And we had to get up a change the channel although I remember my aunt had this style. They were loud hence, pass the clicker

 

[4Waters]

And we had to get up a change the channel although I remember my aunt had this style. They were loud hence, pass the clicker
View attachment 1115875

"Who's we, that's why I got married and had kids"- Dads

 

[jetboatperformance]

I remember testing stations at the grocery store for those tubes!

Used to go to Safeway with the old man to "test" and then replace tubes ....................... Plus I was the "remote" control ..... "Tommy go change that to Channel 6 .... click click click "

 

[The Prisoner]

"Who's we, that's why I got married and had kids"- Dads

“We” got screwed. Our generation who had to to man the tv as kids, couldn’t order the next generation around as remotes became more standard.

 

[The Prisoner]

”hey honey, help me find the space command tuner!”

 

[nganga]

A inmate and I were exchanging pictures of old tools we got from our dads. Yankee drivers, egg beater hand drills, old handmade chisels, planes, etc.

Good stuff

 

[rivermobster]

Totally remember those days...

I fixed the yard duty teachers TV in 8th grade. I woulda done most anything for her.

 

[MK1MOD0]

Before my time , but cool. I’m betting those tubes are worth some coin now a days.

 

[Outdrive1]

And we had to get up a change the channel although I remember my aunt had this style. They were loud hence, pass the clicker
View attachment 1115875

I’ve told people about those remotes and I just get a dumb look. Lol. Yes the remotes made noise to change the channel. You could also shake your keys and get the same effect.

 

[Mandelon]

My dad rigged up an inline lamp switch to the TV speaker. Mom hated the loud commercials. The lamp cord ran along the bottom of the wall. Remote's didn't have MUTE back then. Only Channel Up, Channel Down and off.

 

[Shlbyntro]

58 We had a tv set up like this in the early 70’s. When it broke, you didn’t run to the store and get a new one like today.
View attachment 1115870

maybe if you had an F150 you couldve. prolly wouldve needed airbags for the weight tho

 

[H20 Toie]

For $10
I could fill up my 70 Chevelle
Have lunch
Still have money left over
That’s how old I am

 

[Willie B]

… My dad would pull the tubes out of the 21 inch Zienith black-and-white …put them in an empty shoebox …and off we would go to the tube testing machine at whatever market was being used at the time…
…My dad would take this same 21 inch and put it out on the front porch for the neighborhood kids to watch on hot summer nights… Air conditioning… Nobody in this neighborhood had air conditioning in the early 50s…

 

[LazyLavey]

I was a kid the family had a friend/tv repair guy.... We called him TV Doc...

Worked out of his garage in the SFV.

Coke bottle glasses...... blind in one eye couldn't see out of the other but damn could he fix a TV!

 

[Outdrive1]

@Wheeler is so old, his first tv was an am radio. True story.

 

[RichL]

A inmate and I were exchanging pictures of old tools we got from our dads. Yankee drivers, egg beater hand drills, old handmade chisels, planes, etc.

Good stuff

I still have the Shop Smith I got from my grandfather . He used it while building his house in the 50's and I brought it home after he passed in the early 80's. Picked up quite a few of his hand tools as well.

 

[The Prisoner]

A inmate and I were exchanging pictures of old tools we got from our dads. Yankee drivers, egg beater hand drills, old handmade chisels, planes, etc.

Good stuff

I forgot about those. My dad had one when I was a kid. Don’t know why. He wasn’t a fix it type of guy.

 

[Christopher Lucero]

Gramps taught me to use these long ago. He died in 1994. I inherited these and some other tools. One hilarious tool I got from him was his old brush motor aluminum body Craftsman drill. (one here on eBay) Sparks would fly out of the vent holes. It helped me build my backyard deck 20 years ago, but it was sorely and woefully dangerous because the of the brushes.
Still using these dimension/angle tools

These two are 'heirlooms'. gramps was why I became an Engineer. (EE) I keep my Electrical Test stuff in his old lunchbox.

 

[Wheeler]

@Wheeler is so old, his first tv was an am radio. True story.

Keep it up and I'll post pix of @Flying_Lavey at Wendy and Williams Party!

 

[Wheeler]

View attachment 1115956
I forgot about those. My dad had one when I was a kid. Don’t know why. He wasn’t a fix it type of guy.

I have one of those. If you don't believe me I'll break it out along with my Yankee! I even have a collection of the first cordless hand saws!

 

[Wheeler]

I rememer my dad unplugging all the tubes any time our B&W set would go on the fritz, our family piling into the car and going to Thrifty's Drug Store. While he went through the tubes and tested them, but,one by one on their machine, mom would buy my brother and I ice cream cones. Those were the days.....

hopefully he used the numbered stickers prior to removal of the tubes.

 

[TomD]

"Who's we, that's why I got married and had kids"- Dads

...Yeah, then dad would say get me a beer while your up, but dad I'm not up, you will be!