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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 16, 2019 9:32:12 GMT -5
Passed by the New Holland Radio Shack today and saw this.... There are some signs that the remains of Radio Shack may rise up from the ashes, like a Phoenix, and make a go of it again. It won't be the big Tandy corporation anymore, and most likely, the only thing that ties the "new" Radio Shack to the "old" is the name. But at least we may get to see it continue in some places for a big longer. I'm all for it. Now if only there was one close by....... I wish there would be one closer too, but I think of traveling to New Holland as an adventure I could easily make a day out of. Stop somewhere for a good old fashioned PA Dutch meal, pick up a shoo-fly pie at Achenbach's in Leola (which is hands down the best I ever had), swing into Shady Maple for a few things and then cruise the back roads back to "civilization". That said, after reading about the New Holland RS and it's owner, I would really like to get up there and patronize his business.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jan 13, 2019 19:45:54 GMT -5
Passed by the New Holland Radio Shack today and saw this.... Attachments:
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Post by MonkeyMan on Dec 18, 2018 12:12:26 GMT -5
My latest acquisition, a Sony XDR S3HD radio, one of three Sony models that are considered THE best dxing radios available. The other two are the XDR F1HD, which is ridiculously expensive and overheats, and the XDR S10HDiP, which doesn't have an audio out jack. The one I picked up seems to be the best compromise overall as it has an internal fan and an audio out jack. This thing looks new. It came with the original box, which is in great shape, and all the original accessories & paperwork. My price? $25 and a drive to Reading. These go for over $100 on eBay in similar condition. I played around with it last night after getting it home. It does pull stations slightly better than my Pioneer SX-1050, but it's amazingly quiet. Looking forward to using it with a directional antenna during some tropo conditions. Pics from the web...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Nov 26, 2018 12:48:31 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Nov 19, 2018 9:00:49 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 26, 2018 10:50:37 GMT -5
Well, it was good to see that Monkey Man remembered to blow the dust of of his radios and join the roundup this week... Happy to be in there, and would have liked to stay longer. Next time I'll try to block off the entire two hours. I have no tube CB's, but while I was on the air my Nobsound (Chineese junk) tube amp and JVC T-X55 tuner were supplying the tunes.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 23, 2018 7:19:50 GMT -5
Writing a reminder, backwards, with a Sharpie, on my forehead... "CRR Wednesday night @ 8:00". Now, I just have to remember to look in the mirror.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 11, 2018 6:28:10 GMT -5
Gonna make an effort to get in there tonight. Evidently not enough of an effort........ Apparently not enough memory, lol. It was about 9:45 when I remembered, and by that point I was just about done with the day. Next week!
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 10, 2018 15:46:30 GMT -5
Gonna make an effort to get in there tonight.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Oct 4, 2018 11:02:22 GMT -5
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Post by MonkeyMan on Sept 29, 2018 10:34:43 GMT -5
I just phoned Stereo Hospital in Laureldale for an update on the SX-1050, to which the owner told me he was listening to it at the moment! He replaced some components in the speaker protection circuit, cleaned the switches and it was up and running. He wanted to put more hours on it before he officially declared it "fixed" and told me to call back Thursday or Friday for the total invoice. When I dropped it off he said if it was going to be over $100 that he'd call me before proceeding, a call I never received, so it seems as though I will not need to second mortgage the house. Well... I got a phone call from Stereo Hospital the morning I was going to pick her up and it was acting up again. The owner was adimant that he could figure out what was going on and fix it proper, so it stayed in the "Hospital". He called last week and told me he had traced it to the relay on the speaker protection board, which apparently had a failing coil, but then asked to keep it a few more days just so he could be certain. I agreed that was a good idea. Anyhow, he ran it for days with no hiccups, and I picked it up this morning. So happy to have it back. The total was just over $120, which I thought was very reasonable.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 25, 2018 7:12:21 GMT -5
Nope, no bites. I put it on eBay and it was sold within a week. Going to hit a few thrift stores today to see if I can find any more "opportunities".
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 24, 2018 10:25:52 GMT -5
Another recent thrift store score is a minty Onkyo NR1007 9.2 channel network receiver. This monster retailed for $1,600 back around 2009, but my price was $30. I don't usually go for equipment this new, but I couldn't pass it up. It is super-clean and appears to have been used very little. There are so many settings, but everything I tested seems to work. At 53 pounds I thought that I'd try to sell this one locally on Craigslist so I didn't have to bother with shipping. Upon further research I found that these were prone to HDMI board heat failures. So much so that Onkyo issued a recall and will repair them for free. After entering my serial number and checking a few boxes, Onkyo sent me a box with packing materials, along with pre-paid FedEx shipping. After they repair it they also ship it back to me for F-R-E-E, free. I figured a freshly factory refurb would be a nice selling point, and I scored free packing material to boot. Winning! Pics from the web... Well, after the factory recall was addressed it was just sold on eBay for $200, netting $165 after shipping. Not bad for a $30 investment.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 16, 2018 21:20:46 GMT -5
Not all of them have it, but this one and a couple other I have do. I have access to service manuals online, if you don't and want to give me the model, I'll see if it's available.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 16, 2018 18:57:57 GMT -5
Well, my addiction cannot be stopped. Last night I picked up a Technics SA-203 receiver, in excellent condition, for $15. And aside from some scratchy controls, it works perfectly. The tuner is very sensitive and quiet, and has pretty decent selectivity. It pulled in 95.3, a low power station out of New Holland that's usually covered up by 95.1 Allentown and/or 95.7 Philly depending on which rig I'm listening to. I'm going to open it up tonight to clean the pots & switches, and throttle back the FM muting. When the muting is switched off it automatically goes into mono, which alone is annoying, but with it on it's too heavy to find weaker stations that can easily be received in stereo. Power is rated at 30 watts per channel, but by the sound of it you would think it's twice that. This little thing cranks! And at approx. 12 pounds it's also heavier than it looks. I'm very happy with this purchase. SA-203 Brochure A lot of stereo receiver do that with the mute function. I have a 2 different JVC's that are like that. It's annoying when you want to scan for weaker stations. On the other hand, putting the receiver in mono mode narrows the bandwidth, such that weaker stations are not as noisy as they would be in stereo. IMHO, I'd rather listen to a cleaner mono signal than a noisy stereo one. Personally, I'd rather choose mono when I deem it necessary, so I cut it back and all is well. It now tunes four more stations in stereo with the mute function turned on. I got rid of the scratchiness in the volume control and vacuumed out a generous accumulation of dust. Mission accomplished.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 16, 2018 11:47:23 GMT -5
Well, my addiction cannot be stopped. Last night I picked up a Technics SA-203 receiver, in excellent condition, for $15. And aside from some scratchy controls, it works perfectly. The tuner is very sensitive and quiet, and has pretty decent selectivity. It pulled in 95.3, a low power station out of New Holland that's usually covered up by 95.1 Allentown and/or 95.7 Philly depending on which rig I'm listening to. I'm going to open it up tonight to clean the pots & switches, and throttle back the FM muting. When the muting is switched off it automatically goes into mono, which alone is annoying, but with it on it's too heavy to find weaker stations that can easily be received in stereo. Power is rated at 30 watts per channel, but by the sound of it you would think it's twice that. This little thing cranks! And at approx. 12 pounds it's also heavier than it looks. I'm very happy with this purchase. SA-203 Brochure
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 15, 2018 9:44:18 GMT -5
Caught another great opening Monday evening. Time was 6:00-7:12 pm...
- 94.9 WUPZ Chocolay Township, MI @ 733 miles - 93.1 CFOB Fort Frances, Ontario CA, @ 1,046 miles - 92.9 WSCD Duluth, MN @ 938 miles - 92.3 WJPD Ishpeming, MI @ 733 miles - 91.5 CKPR Thunder Bay, Ontario CA @ 873 miles - 92.1 WYRQ Little Falls, MN @ 1,016 miles - 95.5 WIFC Wausau, WI @ 1,259 miles - 94.7 WOZZ Mosinee, WI @ 797 miles
I heard many more, but these were all I could positively identify.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Aug 7, 2018 13:35:46 GMT -5
I just phoned Stereo Hospital in Laureldale for an update on the SX-1050, to which the owner told me he was listening to it at the moment! He replaced some components in the speaker protection circuit, cleaned the switches and it was up and running. He wanted to put more hours on it before he officially declared it "fixed" and told me to call back Thursday or Friday for the total invoice. When I dropped it off he said if it was going to be over $100 that he'd call me before proceeding, a call I never received, so it seems as though I will not need to second mortgage the house.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 25, 2018 7:58:49 GMT -5
It certainly did. She goes in Saturday for surgery. Internet prayers needed. Im guessing bad caps..... If it is going into protection that is most likely the cause, or part of it. Whatever it is, I'm hoping it won't break the bank. I'm willing to shell out what it might cost, although if the number if high I may have a tough time explaining it the the wifey.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 24, 2018 8:50:00 GMT -5
Age rears its ugly head...... It certainly did. She goes in Saturday for surgery. Internet prayers needed.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 21, 2018 11:43:28 GMT -5
Sadly, my minty Pioneer SX-1050 started shutting down after about 10 minutes of run time. Turn it off for a few, turn it back on and it's good for a few minutes before it repeats the process, possibly going into "protection mode". So, she has to go in for service. Hopefully I won't have to take out a second mortgage.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jul 3, 2018 12:28:48 GMT -5
I think the Tram is better looking, too. It's "the whole package".
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 25, 2018 19:08:16 GMT -5
More Es today. Heading to my parents place after work @ 4:00 I noticed some mixing on 88.5, so I started tuning around. Caught 94.9 WZTU and 93.1 WFEZ, both of the Miami area, and both at approx. 1020 miles. Heard many others, but could only confirm these two.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 23, 2018 16:08:10 GMT -5
I'm certainly hoping to catch more. That opening was amazing. I had my Tecsun PL390 with me and as soon as I caught wind of what was going on I grabbed it and turned it on. I couldn't believe the multiple stations on a single frequency fighting it out. The tuning scheme on that radio is a bit tedious, so with beer in hand I went out to the car to use that radio. Stations were coming and going so fast it was difficult to log anything, but I managed. When it started to fade I wrapped it up and went back in, very excited. As I explained what I was doing the rest of the family looked at me like I was mental.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 22, 2018 10:44:51 GMT -5
I was on vacation this past week, but thanks to the internet I was alerted to a massive opening on the FM band. This was Wednesday evening, June 20th. All occurred between approx. 7:30 to 8:00 pm. My location was roughly 15 miles south of Wilkes Barre, Pa. next to a small (160 acre) lake. There were multiple stations fighting it out on frequencies up and down the dial, so I scrambled to find a pen and paper to make notes. I heard so many more, but was only able to confirm these...
- 92.7 KGFX Pierre SD, “River 92” @ 1,256 miles - 93.3 KSJZ Bedford ND, “Mix 93” @ 1,196 miles - 94.1 KNEB Scottsbluff NE, “The Brand” @ 1,433 miles - 93.1 KQID Alexandria LA, “Q93” @ 1,112 miles - 95.5 CKGY Red Deer, AB, Canada, “95.5 Real Country” @ 1,933 miles
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 5, 2018 20:48:53 GMT -5
The KLH woofers have a reverse (conical) or valley design and are coated with a black tar like substance. The tweeters may be ferro-fluid cooled but I didn't notice any coming out. Maybe I missed that. These were the ones I saw... Hmm, I'm not sure those are the ones I saw. The tweeter I saw, and maybe it was the other speaker, definitely looked like it was wet. Dark, like there was something on it and/or coming out of it. The one in the pic looks good.
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 4, 2018 9:13:10 GMT -5
Another recent thrift store score is a minty Onkyo NR1007 9.2 channel network receiver. This monster retailed for $1,600 back around 2009, but my price was $30. I don't usually go for equipment this new, but I couldn't pass it up. It is super-clean and appears to have been used very little. There are so many settings, but everything I tested seems to work. At 53 pounds I thought that I'd try to sell this one locally on Craigslist so I didn't have to bother with shipping. Upon further research I found that these were prone to HDMI board heat failures. So much so that Onkyo issued a recall and will repair them for free. After entering my serial number and checking a few boxes, Onkyo sent me a box with packing materials, along with pre-paid FedEx shipping. After they repair it they also ship it back to me for F-R-E-E, free. I figured a freshly factory refurb would be a nice selling point, and I scored free packing material to boot. Winning! Pics from the web...
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Post by MonkeyMan on Jun 4, 2018 8:59:10 GMT -5
There was a nice pair of ADC speakers at Liberty Thrift Sanatoga last Saturday. It was 50% off day and they could have been had for $20 (for the pair.) Just no room at the ranch for any more or I would of snagged 'em. ADCs had the famous sounding KLH 8" woofers in them. I believe I saw those. The tweeters appeared to have peed themselves and the woofer surrounds were questionable at best. Besides, I'm in the same predicament as you. If I buy any more speakers I'll need to build another addition, which I'll probably have to sleep in.
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Post by MonkeyMan on May 24, 2018 15:48:05 GMT -5
Too good not to share. This is a Philco wireless remote from the early 1940's. No doubt this was some high dollar equipment for the time... youtu.be/5SDWNGrm9Gk
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Post by MonkeyMan on May 19, 2018 16:22:30 GMT -5
Scored a pair of Bose 301 series 2 speakers at the local thrift store for $20. A little rough but fully functional, and they're going for 5 times what I paid on fleaBay. Attachments:
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