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Octopembriclox
Mar. 16th, 2006 04:29 amThe other day I decided that I needed a proper transistor radio with a speaker, not one of the little headphone radios that seem to be about all you can get anymore. Today I bought an AM/FM transistor radio at the thrift store. It's some Sears model, I'm guessing from the mid 70s, since they're obviously no longer trying to make it as small as possible. It's of a size a bit above what I'd call a shirt pocket model. The case design isn't at all playful or 'space age' - just a rather military-looking square black case with a linear tuning scale. It wouldn't have meritted a second glance when I was in high school - these were common as dirt.
You pop the case back off by sliding a penny into the slot on the bottom. I'd forgotten about that :) It uses a big old 9V (and they're careful to specify it correctly as a "dry battery 006P", another bit of periodica that I'd forgotten).
Once the back is off, all of the components are on display. I especially like that the seven trimmer pots are each carefully painted a different colour. This was made to be fixed if it broke, not just tossed and replaced. I'm sure that somewhere there's a manual for it.
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I got a "Tintin" book for 50 cents as well :)
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Flying Bomb brand batteries. These would so go in everything I owned!
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Toshiba seems to stand for "Tokyo Shibaura Electric".
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Oh my... In some part of my mind still, when I look at beautifully designed space age stuff, I can see this overlay of the bright plastic lying half melted in the ruins, or standing in the corner of a crowded fallout shelter, trying to carry calming voices through the storms of static. It's like an alternate reality that came so close that memories from that would-have-been time sometimes intrude.
It amazes me, all of the 20-somethings who want to return to the 60s. If Iran's not stopped soon, they're going to get their wish, I'd imagine. The ending may not be so happy the second time around.
You pop the case back off by sliding a penny into the slot on the bottom. I'd forgotten about that :) It uses a big old 9V (and they're careful to specify it correctly as a "dry battery 006P", another bit of periodica that I'd forgotten).
Once the back is off, all of the components are on display. I especially like that the seven trimmer pots are each carefully painted a different colour. This was made to be fixed if it broke, not just tossed and replaced. I'm sure that somewhere there's a manual for it.
*****
I got a "Tintin" book for 50 cents as well :)
*****
Flying Bomb brand batteries. These would so go in everything I owned!
*****
Toshiba seems to stand for "Tokyo Shibaura Electric".
*****
Oh my... In some part of my mind still, when I look at beautifully designed space age stuff, I can see this overlay of the bright plastic lying half melted in the ruins, or standing in the corner of a crowded fallout shelter, trying to carry calming voices through the storms of static. It's like an alternate reality that came so close that memories from that would-have-been time sometimes intrude.
It amazes me, all of the 20-somethings who want to return to the 60s. If Iran's not stopped soon, they're going to get their wish, I'd imagine. The ending may not be so happy the second time around.
