Things I miss from my youth

[PeteS in CA]

I had a clock radio growing up, a 5-tube super heterodyne rather than transistor.

[DB]

I had a clock radio growing up, a 5-tube super heterodyne rather than transistor.

I still have a couple of vacuum tube testers and a number of different vacuum tubes...

[mountaineer]

Going to sleep with a transistor radio under my pillow so that I could listen to rock, country or at 9:05pm each weeknight, Jean Shepherd's broadcast on clear-channel WOR in New York. It was theater of the mind for a young kid just learning about the world from one of the greatest storytellers, ever.

Nothing quite so intellectual for me. I had the transistor radio under the pillow to listen to Pirates games when they played on the west coast.

[DCPatriot]

Nothing quite so intellectual for me. I had the transistor radio under the pillow to listen to Pirates games when they played on the west coast.

When I was a Little Leaguer, I'd listen to the Buffalo Bisons AAA International League games on the radio.

The games were broadcast as "live", but in truth, they were not.  Rather they were simply acting upon a PLAY by PLAY ticker tape sent from the ballpark over the airwaves.

...it was like finding out there was no "Santa Claus". 

[Lando Lincoln]

Man, you need to get you out of town - Up to the tippy top of the Sierras down there. Nothing better than stars from a mountaintop way back in the sticks. The light show will keep you up at night. Add in some Northern Lights, a UFO or two, and it's better than TV.

What a grand show!

Glorious in the purest sense.

[libertybele]

Glorious in the purest sense.

I got to see the Northern Lights dance for hours when I lived in AK -- but just on one occasion.  It was truly magical.

[Wingnut]

Going to sleep with a transistor radio under my pillow

That jogged a long ago memory.  I too would go to bed with a small transistor radio and plug in the ear piece. There was an AM radio station somewhere in the midwest, Maybe St Louis, that would play old-time radio dramas.  My favorite was The Shadow.  The signal was weak and you had to constantly fiddle with the tuning thingie on the side of the radio to bring the signal back in!

[andy58-in-nh]

That jogged a long ago memory.  I too would go to bed with a small transistor radio and plug in the ear piece. There was an AM radio station somewhere in the midwest, Maybe St Louis, that would play old-time radio dramas.  My favorite was The Shadow.  The signal was weak and you had to constantly fiddle with the tuning thingie on the side of the radio to bring the signal back in!

@Wingnut
 
See if this brings back any memories for you...

[Wingnut]

@Wingnut
 
See if this brings back any memories for you...

LOL  thanks! 


https://archive.org/details/the-shadow-1938-10-09-141-death-stalks-the-shadow

[Cyber Liberty]

LOL  thanks! 


https://archive.org/details/the-shadow-1938-10-09-141-death-stalks-the-shadow

I bought a bunch of cassette tapes of The Shadow before I took a cross-country vacation with my son back in the 90's.  It was a great way to pass the time driving through the Western states!  Dramatizations of Classics too, like Journey to the Center of the Earth with Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek).

[roamer_1]

THIS ONE 

Mamma got it from the Sinclair station for free - Fill up so-many-times... Anyway, she gave it to me. Man! I put some miles on that thing.

[Cyber Liberty]

THIS ONE 

Mamma got it from the Sinclair station for free - Fill up so-many-times... Anyway, she gave it to me. Man! I put some miles on that thing.

I had one of those!

[Wingnut]

My AM one came from redeeming Mom's S & H Green Stamps.  The underground currency of the average 50's and 60's housewife!

[roamer_1]

I had one of those!

Might be fun to buy one and gut it out, to mount a raspberry pi inside... Wouldn't that be a cool retro-mod?

AM/FM/WIFI and a Tb of storage... Funny what would fit in that thing today... 

[Cyber Liberty]

My AM one came from redeeming Mom's S & H Green Stamps.  The underground currency of the average 50's and 60's housewife!

Thank Goodness for Sperry and Hutchison!

[Wingnut]

Thank Goodness for Sperry and Hutchison!

Amen.  Except if you Licked too many you'd get the runs!

[Cyber Liberty]

Amen.  Except if you Licked too many you'd get the runs!

I was glad when they came up with the 50-point stamps!

[Wingnut]

I was glad when they came up with the 50-point stamps!

    

They were a Godsend.   But man you had to spend a ton to get those.

[Kamaji]

THIS ONE 

Mamma got it from the Sinclair station for free - Fill up so-many-times... Anyway, she gave it to me. Man! I put some miles on that thing.

Daddy won a radio, he tuned it to a country show ….

Alan Jackson, Chasin that Neon Rainbow

[GrouchoTex]

I got a birthday present, I guess I was 12 years old, an acoustic guitar, paid for by S & H green stamps.

[GrouchoTex]

You know what I miss? Thousands of fireflies! On the 4th of July. I remember it vividly. Now you're lucky to find one.

I went camping at Austin State park near Sealy on 4th of July,(20+ years ago?) which isn't really that far from Houston. It was hot, of course, but I remember all the fireflies.
We used to get them in our back yard, but it is rare now, kind of like seeing the stars like I had mentioned earlier.

[Cyber Liberty]

   

They were a Godsend.   But man you had to spend a ton to get those.

There were six people in my family....

[MeganC]

I had a clock radio growing up, a 5-tube super heterodyne rather than transistor.

My husband bought and restored a WW2 era Grundig with tubes that have to warm up for a minute or so before it starts working.

You're reminding me to get it out and see if we can play Christmas music on it! 

[bigheadfred]

My husband bought and restored a WW2 era Grundig with tubes that have to warm up for a minute or so before it starts working.

You're reminding me to get it out and see if we can play Christmas music on it! 

Can you roast hotdogs over it?

[mountaineer]

I bought a 1947 Magnavox console AM/FM/SW radio at an estate sale for $15 several years ago, and used to listen to it all the time. Such rich sound!
Unfortunately, ever since I moved it halfway across country, it hasn't worked. Apparently, a tube or two has been jiggled or otherwise messed up, and I have no place to find out what the problem is.

Remember testing tubes at the hardware store?

[Wingnut]

My husband bought and restored a WW2 era Grundig with tubes that have to warm up for a minute or so before it starts working.

Can you roast hotdogs over it?

The one at my Grandparent farmhouse doubled as a space heater

[MeganC]

Can you roast hotdogs over it?

 

[MeganC]

I bought a 1947 Magnavox console AM/FM/SW radio at an estate sale for $15 several years ago, and used to listen to it all the time. Such rich sound!
Unfortunately, ever since I moved it halfway across country, it hasn't worked. Apparently, a tube or two has been jiggled or otherwise messed up, and I have no place to find out what the problem is.

Remember testing tubes at the hardware store?

A lot of people update those old consoles with new equipment.

[roamer_1]

You know what I miss? Thousands of fireflies! On the 4th of July. I remember it vividly. Now you're lucky to find one.

BTW, this makes me sad.
I remember my yoot in Illinois (and Kansas, and Missouri), where in a good year, the fireflies would have enough sparkle to light up the night.
The only thing anywhere near as magical is the Northern Lights.
It hurt a bit to hear they are all but gone, even though I ain't seen nary a one for more than half my life now.

[Bigun]

Can you roast hotdogs over it?

With my Alpha 1500 watt amp you can!

[Sighlass]

You know what I miss? Thousands of fireflies! On the 4th of July. I remember it vividly. Now you're lucky to find one.

It used to be thousands here too, down to a couple of hundred. We still do a contest on who can find the first firefly/lightning bug each Spring. I honestly think over-mowing kills a lot of them, they like darkness and tall grass.

[Sighlass]

I always thought the AM radio that require ZERO energy to operate was cool. One earplug and connect to a large chunk of metal that acted as the antenna. Then I discovered my uncle's world radio from the army.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

It used to be thousands here too, down to a couple of hundred. We still do a contest on who can find the first firefly/lightning bug each Spring. I honestly think over-mowing kills a lot of them, they like darkness and tall grass.

I read that LED lights may be to blame. Maybe glycophate too.

[verga]

My husband bought and restored a WW2 era Grundig with tubes that have to warm up for a minute or so before it starts working.

You're reminding me to get it out and see if we can play Christmas music on it! 

my younger cousin never realized you had to wait for the tubes to warm up, and would crank the volume WAY UP. Grandpa would just about have a heart attack when it come on.

[Free Vulcan]

I miss cars you can work on with a modest set of tools.

We had a '76 Nova that blew the engine because of a leaky oil filter, we had a big walnut tree with a huge limb at a perfect 90 degree angle that we threw a chain over and used to hoist the old one out by hooking the chain to the tractor and then the new on in.

Put everything back together and got it running with what dad had in the toolbox. Car ran great till we sold it.

Try doing that today with anything much past '95.

[MeganC]

my younger cousin never realized you had to wait for the tubes to warm up, and would crank the volume WAY UP. Grandpa would just about have a heart attack when it come on.

OMG YES!!!! 

[berdie]

I miss when almost everyone decorated the outside of their house for Christmas. Of course, some people still do but not like it used to be.

I shouldn't complain. I can't get up on the roof and string lights any more either, lol. At one time my sparsely inhabited street went all out. It was beautiful. One of the neighbors did wood work and made Christmas scenes for everyone's front yard, all different. They were true pieces of art. I still have mine in the shed somewhere. All the roofs and trees in the front yards with lights. One year a neighbor who enjoyed a Coors (or two or three or ten) put Santa and his reindeer on the roof. BUT...Santa was pulling the reindeer, lol. I'll never know if it was his quirky sense of humor or the Coors...but it became a yearly thing.

[roamer_1]

I miss when almost everyone decorated the outside of their house for Christmas. Of course, some people still do but not like it used to be.

I shouldn't complain. I can't get up on the roof and string lights any more either, lol. At one time my sparsely inhabited street went all out. It was beautiful. One of the neighbors did wood work and made Christmas scenes for everyone's front yard, all different. They were true pieces of art. I still have mine in the shed somewhere. All the roofs and trees in the front yards with lights. One year a neighbor who enjoyed a Coors (or two or three or ten) put Santa and his reindeer on the roof. BUT...Santa was pulling the reindeer, lol. I'll never know if it was his quirky sense of humor or the Coors...but it became a yearly thing.

I can understand the thinking... If you've ever been in a horse drawn buggy, the horse farts will dang near knock you out. I'd imagine reindeer ain't no different... 12 of em. That's enough to make anyone get out and push. 

[Luis Gonzalez]

I miss cars you can work on with a modest set of tools.

We had a '76 Nova that blew the engine because of a leaky oil filter, we had a big walnut tree with a huge limb at a perfect 90 degree angle that we threw a chain over and used to hoist the old one out by hooking the chain to the tractor and then the new on in.

Put everything back together and got it running with what dad had in the toolbox. Car ran great till we sold it.

Try doing that today with anything much past '95.

I had a Nova. Decided to rebuild the carburetor one time to clean it up... which I did.

Assembled it back together and ended up with three extra pieces.

Drove the car for another two years after that, then sold it.

Carburetors don't need all those pieces, I guess.

[Smokin Joe]

I had a Nova. Decided to rebuild the carburetor one time to clean it up... which I did.

Assembled it back together and ended up with three extra pieces.

Drove the car for another two years after that, then sold it.

Carburetors don't need all those pieces, I guess.

Did it improve performance or mileage?  (You usually only get one of those)

[Bigun]

I had a Nova. Decided to rebuild the carburetor one time to clean it up... which I did.

Assembled it back together and ended up with three extra pieces.

Drove the car for another two years after that, then sold it.

Carburetors don't need all those pieces, I guess.

LOL! Try a big Holley sometime! Maybe 15 little BBs, three different sizes of which the naked eye cannot discern the difference.

[verga]

LOL! Try a big Holley sometime! Maybe 15 little BBs, three different sizes of which the naked eye cannot discern the difference.

Had a 66 MGB with the dual progressive link Holley on it. that was one of the first years they had that type of setup. Very quick off the line, but not much of a top end as I recall. I miss that car.

[libertybele]

I had a Nova. Decided to rebuild the carburetor one time to clean it up... which I did.

Assembled it back together and ended up with three extra pieces.

Drove the car for another two years after that, then sold it.

Carburetors don't need all those pieces, I guess.

That reminds me of the time I needed to fix the vacuum. No, it wasn't a car but nonetheless I thought I would save hubby some time and fix it myself.  Darn if I didn't get it put together and a couple of nuts and bolts were left over -- I stood the vacuum up and it fell apart .... of course .... just as hubby was walking through the door. 

[roamer_1]

LOL! Try a big Holley sometime! Maybe 15 little BBs, three different sizes of which the naked eye cannot discern the difference.

LOVE me some Holleys. 600 or 650 w mechanical secondaries particularly - I can put them things together with my eyes closed. Though I have to admit, been running Carter AFB/Edelbrock for the most part... unless you are running on a track or a quarter, that set-it-and-forget-it Carter is a very preferred alternative.

[PeteS in CA]

I do miss my first car, a 1967 4-door Plymouth Valiant. Nothing fancy or hot (225 slant 6), just a decent mid-60s commutermobile. Besides tooling around Phoenix for a couple of years I also did a couple of round trips from anf to the Sacramento area with it. One thing I liked was that because I could see the corners of the car I could park it pretty precisely.

[Bigun]

LOVE me some Holleys. 600 or 650 w mechanical secondaries particularly - I can put them things together with my eyes closed. Though I have to admit, been running Carter AFB/Edelbrock for the most part... unless you are running on a track or a quarter, that set-it-and-forget-it Carter is a very preferred alternative.

 

[Kamaji]

I do miss my first car, a 1967 4-door Plymouth Valiant. Nothing fancy or hot (225 slant 6), just a decent mid-60s commutermobile. Besides tooling around Phoenix for a couple of years I also did a couple of round trips from anf to the Sacramento area with it. One thing I liked was that because I could see the corners of the car I could park it pretty precisely.

I loved the Plymouth Valiant/Scamp series, up through the mid 70s.  My first car was a 1970 Plymouth Scamp - the two-door version of the Valiant - with the 225 slant six.

[libertybele]

I do miss my first car, a 1967 4-door Plymouth Valiant. Nothing fancy or hot (225 slant 6), just a decent mid-60s commutermobile. Besides tooling around Phoenix for a couple of years I also did a couple of round trips from anf to the Sacramento area with it. One thing I liked was that because I could see the corners of the car I could park it pretty precisely.

That's what my mother drove when we were kids; a Plymouth Valiant.  She absolutely loved that car. IIRC it was either yellow or cream colored.

[Smokin Joe]

Yep!
Incidentally, that's how I knew the Methylene Chloride they used to spray CS into the Branch Davidian Compound at Waco wasn't harmful. It was the main ingredient in a bucket of Tyme Carburetor cleaner, and anything but harmless.