I'm THAT old

[oznl]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:03 AM, Crinklz Kat said:

This was the state-of-the-art when I was in high school. 

 

Everybody should be dumping LPs for 8-track tapes.

Awesome!  A Trash-80!  Might you that one has decadent dual FDD.  If you were hardcore, you used a piano-key cassette recorder and wrote your own games in Z80 assembler...

[Alyeskabird]

Oh heres a good one for you, who remembers building a crystal radio? Or thoes super dangerious chemistry sets?

I remember buying a c64, a really good computer for its age, had a gui before windows, or even mac, used a joystick for a mouse. Yes I remember the trash 80s. or how about the timex sinclair computers? Or that stupid little computer watch?

Oh the old osborn computers, back in the cp/m days. Goodness, scary to think that was considered a portable computer at the time. Another old one, I think I still have some 8 inch floppys hanging around somewhere.

Or remember the giant old tube tvs? The ones with all the tubes in the back that threw so much heat you could use them for a space heater in the winter. Huge heavy bits of furnature, often built in fancy wood cabinets so they would look nice in your livingroom.

[Jayme]

The first game I played was on the Balley Arcade System, unfortunately I cannot remember what the game was.

When I was younger I had just about every console and portable system that Nintendo made. I also have one of the first generation Playstation 1 systems.

Computers and Colored monitor screens weren't as accessible until I was in Junior high. I can remember the first computer I had access to was an Apple computer on a 2 clolor screen, it wasn't black and white but it was a sienna and black.

 

[rusty pins]

Pong.  We all thought that was so cool at the time!

[oznl]

5 hours ago, Alyeskabird said:

Oh heres a good one for you, who remembers building a crystal radio? Or thoes super dangerious chemistry sets?

I still have my crystal radio.  Still good until they turn off AM transmission.

As for your SECOND question, google this one...  It's real.

[ValentinesStuff]

I remember when the Japanese were selling cheap crappy consumer goods, not the Chinese.

 

 

I had a Kung Fu lunchbox.

[DailyDi]

2 hours ago, rusty pins said:

Pong.  We all thought that was so cool at the time!

Pong is still cool

[Little Sam]

2 hours ago, DailyDi said:

Pong is still cool

I was a little young for the original. I did play it for ages on Commander Keen's wristwatch, however.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I was within 50 feet of a Nike Ajax

There are about 3 people here who know the origin of "cowabunga" and "cool your jets" from personal experience

I remember a time before ALL of them

[foreverdl]

There used to be a company called Heathkit, I built 5-6 of the kits, mostly they were tv repair test equipment . But I built a stereo EQ, for a home stereo, I still have all of the HealthKits I built, but since tv has changed,,, I only keep that stuff just because , I may run across an od tv I want to bring back.  not much call anymore ti test a picture tube, or align the guns of the picture tube etc. The EQ is better than any of the newer stuff made now. The fun thing was the High voltage probe, it measured up to 50k volts, and most people don't know the picture tube was about 30kv dc volts but at low watts. I built several of the crystal radios, my first was when I was about 5 yrs or so old. 

[Little Sam]

3 minutes ago, foreverdl said:

There used to be a company called Heathkit, I built 5-6 of the kits, mostly they were tv repair test equipment . But I built a stereo EQ, for a home stereo, I still have all of the HealthKits I built, but since tv has changed,,, I only keep that stuff just because , I may run across an od tv I want to bring back.  not much call anymore ti test a picture tube, or align the guns of the picture tube etc. The EQ is better than any of the newer stuff made now. The fun thing was the High voltage probe, it measured up to 50k volts, and most people don't know the picture tube was about 30kv dc volts but at low watts. I built several of the crystal radios, my first was when I was about 5 yrs or so old. 

There's a pretty big market now, for larger Trinitron CRTs. Retro games enthusiasts will pay big bucks for them.

[foreverdl]

4 minutes ago, Little Sam said:

There's a pretty big market now, for larger Trinitron CRTs. Retro games enthusiasts will pay big bucks for them.

Sony was a very expensive TV with the triniton  crt, and most of all of the old sets are in the junk pile. You can find some in the second hand store . I still have several really old TV's and stereos. A 1959 Philco tv, and a couple 1930's radios and records and 1950's record player. I like to fix that stuff in my spare time on good days. I have probably 400 tv radio tubes.

[Alyeskabird]

Yah I remember thoes old atomic kits, never was able to get my hands on one, *chuckles* Probably a good thing really. Kinda a neet side though, there are a couple of people who have started making some of the old tubes again, mostly like the ones with the numbers, and a few others. 

[foreverdl]

1 hour ago, Alyeskabird said:

Yah I remember thoes old atomic kits, never was able to get my hands on one, *chuckles* Probably a good thing really. Kinda a neet side though, there are a couple of people who have started making some of the old tubes again, mostly like the ones with the numbers, and a few others. 

Yeah my son has played guitar for 20 yrs, and the only amps he will get are the tube amps. They took an old tube factory ( I think ) 💭  and they are making the tubes for them and they are very expensive , but they sell them in matched pairs.

[willnotwill]

On 11/16/2023 at 3:54 PM, diaperguy85 said:

I got my first cell phone in high school.... maybe sophomore year? I really don't remember. But I do remember not really wanting it lol. 

I remember going to friend'shouses (before cell phones) and my mom telling me "call me when you get there/you're leaving/need pick up" and my friends doing the same! And like you said, making plans with friends to "meet here at 'X' time" and everyone would be there within about 10 minutes! Bizarre times 😋

Cell phones didn't exist until I was out of college for about five years.   A close friend got an early Motorola Dynatac and I wasn't too far behind with my car mounted phone.   Amusingly, he gave me a prototype Morisson Dempsey unit that provided an RJ-11 phone jack for my car phone.     I got a real long modular phone cord and a conventional desk set that I'd take out of my car and prop on the hood from time to tiem.

[Babygeebee]

17 hours ago, oznl said:

I still have my crystal radio.  Still good until they turn off AM transmission.

I remember picking up the BBC World Service via shortwave radio. Also Radio Netherlands, ABC (Australia), Deutsche Welle, and many others. Sadly there is not much on the bands now, especially broadcasts to North America. 

[oznl]

6 hours ago, Babygeebee said:

I remember picking up the BBC World Service via shortwave radio. Also Radio Netherlands, ABC (Australia), Deutsche Welle, and many others. Sadly there is not much on the bands now, especially broadcasts to North America. 

Ah don’t get me started.  The kid of an old-school ham radio operator (who actually worked for "Radio Australia"), I grew up in the 70s bathed in RF.  I can remember horrifying my grandfather by listening to “Radio Moscow”  (he was convinced I’d be subverted into communism by Uncle Ivan and then smash the state) or even just MW-DXing to listen to the then-forbidden fruit of broadcast AM stations from an adjacent state over a quiet ionosphere.

I can remember excitedly dropping in on the “Speedbird” transmissions: the HF (around 7.8Mhz) USB squawks of the long-haul British Airways 747 flying in to Australia borrowing my Dad's Barlow-Wadley PLL receiver (a miracle in the 70s/80s)

I can remember the thrill of gain on my home-brew Yagi array, being able to pull in lower VHF band TV from hundreds of miles away.

The internet killed it all.  I’ve got an SDR and Active Loop antenna up on the roof but there’s nothing to listen to.

I should write a eulogy for it all.  Or start a different thread 😆

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I most have learned and forgotten Morse 3 times since I was 7

In the late '70's early '80's it was CB all the way, The best time was at night when you could use skip to tald to someone in 'Bama from Rhode Island, about 2,000 miles apart

[willnotwill]

4 hours ago, Little BabyDoll Christine said:

I most have learned and forgotten Morse 3 times since I was 7

In the late '70's early '80's it was CB all the way, The best time was at night when you could use skip to tald to someone in 'Bama from Rhode Island, about 2,000 miles apart

I guess Children's Band makes sense for this group.   I got my Amateur Extra class license back when you had to do 20WPM to get it.

[Three Rivers]

Having a gas station attendant ask you, "Would you like your oil checked and windshield washed today"

[rusty pins]

On 11/17/2023 at 1:27 PM, foreverdl said:

There used to be a company called Heathkit, I built 5-6 of the kits, mostly they were tv repair test equipment . But I built a stereo EQ, for a home stereo, I still have all of the HealthKits I built, but since tv has changed,,, I only keep that stuff just because , I may run across an od tv I want to bring back.  not much call anymore ti test a picture tube, or align the guns of the picture tube etc. The EQ is better than any of the newer stuff made now. The fun thing was the High voltage probe, it measured up to 50k volts, and most people don't know the picture tube was about 30kv dc volts but at low watts. I built several of the crystal radios, my first was when I was about 5 yrs or so old. 

I live less than 5 miles from the old Heathkit company, long defunct.  I even built a few of their kits for remote control planes in the 1970's.  I had friends who worked there as well.  Ironically, the company started with a full size home built airplane kit called the Heath Parasol.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Parasol

[foreverdl]

57 minutes ago, rusty pins said:

I live less than 5 miles from the old Heathkit company, long defunct.  I even built a few of their kits for remote control planes in the 1970's.  I had friends who worked there as well.  Ironically, the company started with a full size home built airplane kit called the Heath Parasol.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Parasol

Cool, I didn't know they did airplane kits. I was trying to find a cheaper and fun way to get test equipment , as back then I was a TV Repair tech . I wanted to have fun with the kits, and have some of my own equipment . I still have most of it out in the garage , but it will do no good on the newer TV , flat screens .

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I remember when rubber panties WERE rubber panties

[Babygeebee]

10 hours ago, Three Rivers said:

Having a gas station attendant ask you, "Would you like your oil checked and windshield washed today"

Funny you should mention that.  On the drive home today I stopped for gas in a small town and an attendant actually asked that! I was floored. 🤯

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

10 hours ago, willnotwill said:

I guess Children's Band makes sense for this group.   I got my Amateur Extra class license back when you had to do 20WPM to get it.

It was for mobile communication, originally betweena vehicle and a home office or other base. Then it was used between drivers for traffic updates and emergency notices, with one channel reserved just for that and one for signing on, I think it was 9 and 19 respectively. Though, by 79, it did become Childrens Band with all the idiot teenagers. It is still used by truckers to this day. Red-Eye Radio 95% political talk and 5% trucking related talk broadcasts from the Unidien America Studios ane hearing Gary or Eric calling their product a "big mother" kicks over a few synapses in the memory banks. That term was archaic and out of style by '80. That's a big 10-4 good buddy; Say what's your handle

https://flashbak.com/your-official-guide-to-1970s-cb-slang-961/