What's Everyone been up to???

I miss all the gabbing, chit-chatting and activity that used to be here like last year. Maybe everyone's got all their toys fixed and there's no need to do as much posting anymore, or folks have been on vacation. Speaking for myself, I've been very busy with other endeavors and put the electronics on the back burner.

Oh, I did pick up a nice self-contained Akai reel-to-reel with sound-on-sound and an 8-track player/recorder in the side. You can dub internally back and forth. It looks like a shorter version of my Roberts 770-SX that was given to me back in 1978, except the Roberts has two mono tube amps stacked atop one another. The Akai is solid-state. Both units have the little flaps on the side that open so you can hear the internal speakers.

I also picked up a HUGE suitcase style reel-to-reel machine. I think it says STEREOCORDER or something like that on the front. It's a tube model and has built-in 5x7 speakers on the sides. It has some hinges on it like it could have had external speakers at one time. The thing must weigh at least 30 pounds. Oops, got home this evening and took another look at it. The lid says Sony "SUPERSCPE" and has been sitting on the kitchen floor since June, haven't given it a checkover yet.

Anywho...hope things are going well with everyone and maybe things will pick back up in the fall.

BobbyBasham
Tucson, Arizona

Nice of you to say hello, I posted quite a bit of stuff on here the last few days tellin everyone about a few of the monsters I've had. I'm only 21 and have already had 5 consoles! I find that hard to believe, I've gotten rid of a lot of them simply because I don't have the room. I miss the one my Aunt gave me which was a Magnavox made back in 1960, or 1961, it was a nice tube machine, but I love the Astro-Sonic that I have now, I have had many other stereos(not consoles) as a kid, and none of them could even compare to the sound of my Magnavox. My very first stereo console was a 1979 Sylvania(which stunk!) my other 4 were Magnavox, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The one Magnavox I had was a Solid State built in 1977(that was the date on the back of it anyway) That sounded wonderful. Everything worked on that, and that also had an 8 track player. I'm not sure if that was called an Astro-Sonic or not, I don't believe so. I'm currently looking for a Magnavox Stereo with a TV in it but I'm having no luck finding one of those. Well, I hope you enjoyed your summer, and I'll be checking back up on here soon.

Take Care

Bobby Basham wrote:I miss all the gabbing, chit-chatting and activity that used to be here like last year. Maybe everyone's got all their toys fixed and there's no need to do as much posting anymore, or folks have been on vacation. Speaking for myself, I've been very busy with other endeavors and put the electronics on the back burner.

Oh, I did pick up a nice self-contained Akai reel-to-reel with sound-on-sound and an 8-track player/recorder in the side. You can dub internally back and forth. It looks like a shorter version of my Roberts 770-SX that was given to me back in 1978, except the Roberts has two mono tube amps stacked atop one another. The Akai is solid-state. Both units have the little flaps on the side that open so you can hear the internal speakers.

I also picked up a HUGE suitcase style reel-to-reel machine. I think it says STEREOCORDER or something like that on the front. It's a tube model and has built-in 5x7 speakers on the sides. It has some hinges on it like it could have had external speakers at one time. The thing must weigh at least 30 pounds. Oops, got home this evening and took another look at it. The lid says Sony "SUPERSCPE" and has been sitting on the kitchen floor since June, haven't given it a checkover yet.

Anywho...hope things are going well with everyone and maybe things will pick back up in the fall.

BobbyBasham
Tucson, Arizona

It must be a nice experience

Hi Bobby,

Like most of the jukebox forums worldwide, here in the UK all that seems to be happening is things are put on hold until all the summer holidays have finished and winter projects are undertaken.

Regards
Alan

Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

Bobby,
I have fixed my 63' True Tone console, I have that thing playing loud and Proud out of both channels and I'm going to share
my experience with every one along with photos of what I fixed soon. I can tell you I wish I knew a Good Tech and I bought
some things that I did'nt need to buy......live and learn.

deash wrote:Bobby,
I have fixed my 63' True Tone console, I have that thing playing loud and Proud out of both channels and I'm going to share
my experience with every one along with photos of what I fixed soon. I can tell you I wish I knew a Good Tech and I bought
some things that I did'nt need to buy......live and learn.

That's why people like ME are around, preaching that the wise thing to so is let US do the dirty work.
Plus, we like to take your money LOL.

Seriously, it's a job left best to us guys.

Bobby Basham wrote:
I also picked up a HUGE suitcase style reel-to-reel machine. I think it says STEREOCORDER or something like that on the front. It's a tube model and has built-in 5x7 speakers on the sides. It has some hinges on it like it could have had external speakers at one time.

That sounds like a Sony TC-300, which is pretty much the same as the international model TC-521. The hinges held flat panels, which protected the speakers when stored, and could be adjusted to direct the sound from the side-firing speakers toward the front. In its time it was a fairly popular machine.

Here is a picture of what I mean. Bypass the 2 girlie pix.

http://slbender.exactpages.com/sonygirl.html

I've been so busy with teaching the summer session (double speed) that I haven't been doing much else. I was busy writing state legislators in the spring, to get then to put the new flashing yellow arrow signal on the lawbooks.

Stereo-wise, I have been working on a switchbox so I can play all of the old quadraphonic formats on my setup. The box is done, but installation is going to be a huge job.

OK--I'll bite--what's the "flashing yellow" signal ? Ron Rich

I finished my switchbox and installed it. Details in "My Pride & Joy" forum.

What's a flashing yellow arrow?

It is a new kind of left turn traffic signal. The signal face contains the following four arrows (from the top down):

Steady Red Arrow - Stop and stay
Steady Yellow Arrow - Your right of way is ending
Flashing Yellow Arrow - You may turn through gaps in oncoming traffic (turn after yield)
Steady Green Arrow - Turn protected from conflict

At first look, this is no different in function from the 5-light signals in use now. But note these:

- To the left turning driver, the flashing yellow arrow means exactly the same thing as the circular green.
- But the circular green and the flashing yellow arrow have very different meanings for drivers who are not turning left.

The circular green lets other traffic go too. The flashing yellow arrow does not.

Advantages of the flashing yellow arrow face:

- Prevents a dangerous sequence called yellow trap:
--- Left turns allowed to go on on circular green
--- One direction on the street turns circular yellow, but the other direction remains circular green
--- A left turner seeing the yellow might turn in front of live traffic that has a green
--- Crash!

- Preventing yellow trap gives the traffic engineer a larger selection of signal sequences to choose from.
--- Lead-lead (both left turns lead)
--- lead-lag (one direction leads, the other lags)
--- lag-lead (the other direction leads)
--- lag-lag (both directions lag)

- Allows the signal to change operation by time of day or by traffic demand, among:
--- Exclusively protected left turns (green arrow, but no flashing yellow arrow)
--- Protected/permissive left turns (green arrow and flashing yellow arrow)
--- Exclusively permissive left turns (flashing yellow arrow, but no green arrow).

- Allows the crucial lead-lag signal sequence with permissive turns:
--- The left turn in one direction on the street goes before (leads) the opposing straight ahead,
--- The left turn in the opposite direction on that street goes after (lags) the opposing straight ahead.

- Allows the signal to change sequences according to the progression plan needed at the time, among:
--- Lead-lead (both left turns lead)
--- lead-lag (one direction leads, the other lags)
--- lag-lead (the other direction leads)
--- lag-lag (both directions lag)

- Having lead-lag allows more two-way streets to have progressed green lights (signals turn green as you come to them).

- Longer periods when permissive left turns can be made (flashing yellow arrow can be used while other signals facing the same way are circular red).

- Gasoline savings, from the other advantages

The following 40 states (+ DC) have flashing yellow arrows:
AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA IA ID IL KS KY LA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC NH NJ NM NV NY OK OR SC SD TX UT VA VT WA WI WY

The following 2 states have added the flashing yellow arrow to their laws, but have not yet installed any signals:
IN OH

The following 8 states do not have flashing yellow arrows:
HI MA ND NE PA RI TN WV

Been working on restoring two QRK 12C broadcast turntables which are going back into broadcasting service again, they're still used. They had been neglected for many years under the station's old owners. I've got one of them back to like new again in every way. Almost finished with the other one (idler wheel is off being rebuilt). Tonearms being used here are Gray Research 108 viscous damped transcription arms.

We've been away for a week, visiting our daughter and family who live near Windsor.
Son-in-law and two of their four children are into rowing and belong to a small club. They are very competitive.

It's quite pleasant rowing on the Thames at this time of the year, did a bit myself.
It brought back memories of my youth, very little has changed in this part of the world.







Here I'm acting as cox for him and the fourteen year-old.

It's nice that folks still chime in after a four-year posting.

DoghouseRiley, did you listen to "Handel's Water Music Suite" while rowing down the Thames? I think the King (or whoever) enjoyed it so much, that he commanded a repeat performance from the orchestra while they were still on the boat.

I'm getting the itch to get back into repairs, it's been on the back burner for a few years since I'm a first-time homebuyer. Gotta get my priorities in order, but I'll eventually be hitting up Mouser, Digi-Key, Parts-Express for semi-conductors.

Hoping to take two weeks off at the end of September into October and get some things done. I may sleep the first week 'cause I'm really feeling beat-up about now, dreaming about work every night, all night.

I plan on extending my back patio, upgrade a pair of appliances, add an extra outlet for a brand new freezer sitting in my garage for three years, and get a mini chicken coop and run for my future golden girls brown egg layers...maybe wash my truck after five years..LOL! Maybe regain some sanity in the mix. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona