What Old Time Vendors and Parts Do You Remember?

[steve]

I was thinking today of our first few electronic projects and parts.
Our first tuner using a 1n34A detector diode, and then the first little receiver
using a diode and a CK722 pnp transistor.

Thinking of Poly Paks, Allied/Knight Kits, Lafayette, Klaus Electronics.

https://1980computer.blogspot.com/2016/01/poly-paks-mail-order-electronic-parts.html

I still have hundreds of used tubes, and brand new tubes in a caddy from the 50s/60s.

What do you remember from way back when?

cheers

steve

[_Scotty_]

I remember being able to go into my local TV repairman's shop, this in the 80s and
I could buy NOS RCA and Sylvania tubes 12X7, 12AT7,6L6 and 6SN7GTs
for cheap and he kept them on hand. Of course I was living in a very small town at the time.
it was easy to keep my tube preamp and tuner fed.
He also had an up to date tube tester that worked.
Scotty

[tmazz]

TV repair shop? I remember going down the the local Pharmacy to test tubes with my father. But that was the 60s, not the 80s.

My first venture into electronics was an am radio that I built with my Dad for a Cub Scout project. It was breadboarded on a 18x12 inch piece of wood and the thing I remember most about it wa the tuner was a paper towel roll wound with transformer wire with a hacksaw blade that you slid  back and forth across it to find the station you wanted.

Unfortunately he passed when I was still a child so he and I never really got to have any real engineering type discussions. He also had a great love of music and I an sure that had he lived long enough to experience any of my high end equipment we would have shared many long late night listening sessions. (He always wanted a nice stereo and all my mother cared about was that it match the living room furniture, so we ended up with something in a Danish Modern cabinet that looked very nice but sounded like dog cr@p.)

[Nick B]

Tube testers bring back good memories. At age 12 or so, I’d head over to the grocery store and use their tube tester. We had one tv and a console stereo, a German brand…either a Grundig or Loewe Opta…

[Response Audio]

I was using a tube dealer back in the mid 90’s where I was buying JAN Philips 12A*7 tubes for about $3 ea. Some beautiful sounding JAN 6550 tubes for $80 a quad.
If I only knew…

[steve]

Thought of some more.

Radio Shack Catalog,
Mcgee Radio, Dlectronics Catalog,
Fair Radio Sales Catalog,

I have literally move than 500-700 used tubes, including a tube caddy with new tubes etc.

Don't know what to do with them.

steve

[Nick B]

Thought of some more.

Radio Shack Catalog,
Mcgee Radio, Dlectronics Catalog,
Fair Radio Sales Catalog,

I have literally move than 500-700 used tubes, including a tube caddy with new tubes etc.

Don't know what to do with them.

steve

Any idea if you have some valuable, popular tubes in your stash? If so, why not offer them for sale in this time of tube shortages?

[steve]

Great idea Nick. I have some tubes I will list in classified.

cheers