Here it is 2022, and my electronics repair shop of nearly 30 years has no walkin customers at all. No TVs, no microwaves, only a few quality audio pieces and lots of junk, with broken screens, torn connectors and cables, just a few computers, etc. We can get the parts, ICs, caps, resistors, etc. but no one wants to pay for a quality repair. Now, our trained, experienced techs service equipment from insurance claims, medical equipment and industrial devices. Most of our scopes and meters wont help with the new circuits. We are down from 9 techs, to only two. And it doesn't look like it will last very long. And the schools are NOT training anyone to do this anymore. What a shame. What a waste.
@Barry7777777
5 жыл бұрын
I was just getting passionate about electronics when my junior high school shop teacher (who lived just a few blocks from me) invited me over to replace the deflection yoke on a little 13" black and white TV. He supplied the yoke and tools to do the job, as well as supervising me and telling me which wires to connect to what. This is the early 70's, so I said 15 dollars when he asked how much he owed me. He upped it to 25 and paid me in cash. Of course he was perfectly capable of changing out a yoke, so a special thank you to Richard Blowers for going out of his way to encourage my growth in the field. Thanks Mr. Blowers!
@heru-deshet359
3 жыл бұрын
A good role model.
@robertsutton8894
2 жыл бұрын
So when you said"15 dollars" he didn't say "You must be yoking"
@billmanson2624
2 жыл бұрын
What was your eventual career?
@bobboscarato1313
2 жыл бұрын
@@robertsutton8894 Very apropos!
@srtech2205
2 жыл бұрын
That's the Feel Good story of the year!!! Mr. Blowers sounds like a great man!
@jimross2565
2 жыл бұрын
This brings back memories. It was in the late 1950's and our television quit. My dad and I took it to a repair shop to have it fixed and I was fascinated by all the equipment sitting around. Another time, with the same set, my dad took it to be repaired and came back home with a story. This proved the honesty of the repairman. Another customer was there to pick his set up. His eyes got big when he looked at the bill. He then showed it to my dad. It read "One drop of solder, 5 cents. Knowing where to put it, 10 dollars!" Later, when I was ten years old my dad gave me an old truck radio to play with. I started tearing it to pieces, then started wondering what all those crazy looking things were and what they did. I went to the public library and started teaching myself electronics. When I was in the eleventh grade I repaired the PA systems in both the high school auditorium and the football stadium, and was even asked to teach electronics to the senior science class. Later I started repairing radios and tvs, first as a hobby, then as a profession. I also got my Ham radio license. I never studied for the exam but just walked in and took the exam and passed it.
@Nathriel
2 жыл бұрын
That's awesome. I've been learning electronics in my spare time. I'm in my 30's, but also have a home music studio. I bought reel to reel equipment to use and some of it I have had to repair. Real fun stuff! Oh, and I also have a HAM radio license :)
@ArekJP
3 жыл бұрын
This is absolutely amazing! Me and my brother as kids, we used to collect old radios and TVs from out neighbours in late 80s. We tried to fix them, learn how things works , taking them apart. We got some books of our parents friends dated 1950-60 and learned basics from them. By the time I got to electrical & electronical high school. I had a very solid understanding and knowledge of electronics to a level that I didn't have to study as I have already known 90% of material. To this day I love old radios. As a kid it was amazing to sit at night and listen to different stations from all over the world , Morse code... it was magical.
@heru-deshet359
3 жыл бұрын
Man, it still is magical!
@MyOwnWaySreejith
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing man.. loved reading it..❤️
@btcbob11392
2 жыл бұрын
When I was 10 years old in 1960 I had my " laboratory / fix it " shop in the basement. Many a scrounged radio, TV, toaster etc ended up on my work bench. I also learned how to change fuse's in the electrical panel cause I let the smoke out of many of them..
@Steve_K2
5 жыл бұрын
I'm 72 and learned tube theory in the Army in the 1970s. I've since taught radio theory, become interested in computing, have run and spliced fiber optic cable as a contractor overseas. This hour was so enjoyable. Mr Langhout's wonderful memory is inspiring (I forget what I had for breakfast today) and is to be thanked for preserving this slice of Americana.
@INRIKingOfKings
5 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your military service.
@suzyandhondo
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Steve, the family is indebted to David for producing this video.
@quam12972
2 жыл бұрын
Trained at Ft Monmouth 1962..got out spent 30 years in NYC Post production .Reeves. and Edtel.
@spvillano
2 жыл бұрын
I learned tube theory in detail in RETS in the late '70's, fully in detail via an old Air Force correspondence course the Army offered. Did OK before, it only made me a lot more proficient. Learned transistors and IC's, then VLSI, etc on my own over the years. They're electrons, not magic. ;) Left the consumer electronics business when they started to become throwaways, which was around when DVD's were maturing and the CRT era was coming to a close and went into IT. Wouldn't mind working on them now, but my arms are a tad too short. :/
@horacejrogers4714
2 жыл бұрын
Im 75, started learning electronics (tubes, etc) in ~55. joined the army in 67 for mos 35F and then got my EE degree after my enlistment. i really loved electronics back then. i had a real flash back when i was working on russian equipment in the 80's.
@bobvincent5921
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks. All of the memories this brings back of B/W turning into color sets with Shadow Masks then LED panels.
@-HustleUnion-
2 жыл бұрын
much much respect for keeping this awesome hobby alive. and for repairing instead of tossing
@Deandak-nx5mu
10 ай бұрын
Great Video Guys, Im 65 Now and i do remember this stuff. The good old days
@aturogs1954
2 жыл бұрын
Am 68 now. From the Philippines. Graduated from The National Technical Schools, Black/White Tv-Radio Technician's Course in mid-70's. It was a correspondence school based in the United States. They had a set of kits that we had to build. A black and white television, a 5-tube radio, a 6-transistor pocket radio, a Heathkit VOM, a tube tester and a signal generator. The lessons and kits were shipped to my address in study sequence. The lessons came in brochure-type prints straight to my door. The kits, I had to claim from the post office for a chargeable fee by customs. It was all such a nice experience growing up with them. The instructors were really friendly and started a little chat through snail mail, but I did not have the money to maintain it, and we lost touch by the time I graduated. I still have my diploma with me. I just wish they had not closed down and sort of maintained the school.
@kay110
2 жыл бұрын
I run an electronic repair shop in the UK, and must say your reproduction shop looks great - those were the days when you could repair things much easier. Its a shame that today we are so wasteful making and selling items that are just thrown away when they go faulty. One of the problems for the future, is lots go to landfill and will slowly start to decompose and release all the toxic sustances into the water table. I can see in many years time, there is going to be massive problems and subsequent clean-ups of the environment. Electronics is one industry that has changed beyond recognition over the last 70 or so years, and in many respects not for the better.
@terriecotham1567
2 жыл бұрын
Well said
@carlmannion708
9 ай бұрын
I guess thats the thing things are not built today with repair in mind . Its funny but with such great advances in technology that have given us smart phones internet facebook utube to name a few . Cant help that feeling that weve also lost somthing whether thats the nostalgia the warm glow of the vacuume tube .a wanting to go back to simpler times before internet where tv radio video was what we knew .
@laserdad
2 жыл бұрын
When I first saw this pop up, I thought no way would it be interesting enough to listen to for over an hour, but found it fascinating. Thanks for allowing us a glimpse back into electronic history.
@dxexplorer
2 жыл бұрын
Wonderful little film and stories... and the rest... is history. Just beautiful. 73
@PKEDRM
3 жыл бұрын
My granddad and dad owned Earle's TV Sales and Service in Frankfort, NY. The shop existed at least since I became aware as a grammar school student in the 50's and spent a lot of time helping in the shop as I grew up. Watching this video brought back so many memories! I have forgotten so much if what I learned! I worked my way from vacuuming out the chasies on the work bench (bugs love to set up housekeeping and die there in the accumulation of dust and webs) and testing/replacing tubes to answering calls and scheduling service calls. I had a script to go through so I could gather information that helped dad or granddad determine what equipment and parts to take with them. If they couldn't fix it in the home the Studebaker station wagon was a workhorse for moving those big TV's. So many memories sorting parts by color code, learning to solder, and making trips to the major distributors to purchase parts and watch presentations for new test jigs and new models that were coming out. I remember the excitement of stereo sound systems, color TV, remote controls, and more. I wish I had photos of the shop! All the time I spent in the shop kept me from going stir crazy because I had hip surgery at age 8 and had to use crutches and be very careful until my junior year in high school. Zenith, RCA, Magnavox, and Motorola were a few brands we sold. Then Motorola came out with their Works In a Drawer. Things changed rapidly after that. Yes, all those antennas! (We use one today!) Grandad did the roof work and had a small Zenith portable he would take up with him when he worked alone so he could easily adjust the antenna to get the best signal. One day he lost his grip and that TV fell from that second floor roof on it's face on the driveway. Granddad climbed down, thinking it was destroyed, but that Zenith fired right up and worked for years. That spoke volumes for the brand. Here is a question for you. Did you make house calls, and if you did - did you have problems dealing wit lonely housewives meeting you at the door dressed with seduction on their minds? Dad told me some of his horror stories! Dad did get some formal electronics education in our local college (about a year) but learned most of his trade by hands on with his dad, supplier educational presentations, and reading a lot. He later taught TV repair in our community college and earned college credits for the classes he taught - so he finally he got that covered sheepskin. Oh the memories! Oh! When I was in my early 20's my dad would borrow my German shepherd dog and she ride in his service station wagon after it had been broken into! She also spent the night in the shop several nights after it was broken into once. Great theft deterrent! I could go on and on, but I will stop now.☺️
@MyOwnWaySreejith
3 жыл бұрын
Loved reading it man… thanks a lot for sharing… 👌👌👌👌
@chesterdougherty2207
2 жыл бұрын
Awesome to read .I live in New Hartford.
@jgstargazer
Жыл бұрын
Susan: My dad said never go into a house during a service call when a female is alone. Take someone with you or wait till there are more people in the home. Too much to lose.
@PKEDRM
Жыл бұрын
@@jgstargazer I agree! Things were different back then, and my dad and grandpa were both very trusting. Dad told me that he judged each situation individually. Once he packed up and left when the woman of the house suddenly reappeared in a different outfit than what she had on when she answered the door! Often he would take ME with him because kids are a great distraction. When I was an adult he took my German shepherd with him - and she was the best deterrent ever. Even the men in the house kept their distance and didn't crowd him. Small towns yield some very interesting stories!
@jgstargazer
Жыл бұрын
@@PKEDRM: My sister would say "I'll go along so they won't kiss you" sister was funny.
@johnb5519
5 жыл бұрын
Great video. Brings back good old memories. Back then there were few channels but lots of good programs, and today we have a lot of channels with no good programs. Way better to watch videos such as this online now.
@quam12972
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you...
@randykelso4079
Жыл бұрын
Precisely correct!
@garymackey850
2 жыл бұрын
I guess my first real job in high school was in a TV shop...1969...I had finished a correspondence course from CTI out of Chicago and "went to work"... worked there until I graduated then went in the Navy as an Electronic Technician. I quit the TV repair field due to one of the senior technicians and my mentor....he said it wouldn't be long and all electronics would be throw-aways...I couldn't believe it but I so trusted this man I looked for something else after a couple years....He was so right! Thanks Fred...great advise and turns out I had an awesome career in the Navy.
@makarov138
2 жыл бұрын
I cut my teeth on this stuff back in the early 60s in Clarksdale MS. I was 14 years old. Radios and TVs fascinated me. Then Mr Fitzgerald showed me how to set up and check the tubes on the Simpson Tube Checker. For 35 years I was a radio and TV repairman! Best years of my life!!
@mosfet500
2 жыл бұрын
When I was a kid in high school I got a job in a radio TV shop, the year was 1963. My boss was an old Navy guy who learned electronics there and he was a very good tech. I used to fix all the new transistor radios that came into the shop. Back then the circuit boards were very crude and mostly I'd solder them back together. There would be a big pile every week when I came in to fix. I worked on tube stuff too and learned how to fix TV's and tube radios too. It was a great part of my life, I really loved it! When I graduated I went into the Navy and worked on the first top secret computers. I finally got my degree in electronic engineering years later but I never forgot that TV shop! Thanks for this video, it really brings back the wonderful memories!
@scottwheeler2494
2 жыл бұрын
At 60 I am just old enough to remember the repair shops. What I remember most vividly were the DIY tube testers in the 7/11’s. You would pull the tubes out of your tv or radio and take them down to the store. You would plug each tube into the right socket. Then you would select the correct switches for your test from a booklet and then press the button. Depending on the type, you would see a yes no light or you would read an analog meter. The booklet would tell you if you were reading a good tube or not. If you had a bad tube you just opened the cabinet under the tester. Inside were hundreds of the most popular tubes. Find the one you need and take it up to the counter. This was a great service to the owner. If he was a little handy, he might fix his broken tv himself, sparing the expense of taking it into the shop. I say he because it was almost always a male back then. Now of course it was a total crap shoot testing the tubes. Just as likely you would take your new tube back, stick it in and turn it on, only just to blow it up! At least that was my limited experience. That was a long time ago. Now a days, TVs are not a repairable item. At best you replace the entire circuit board - there are just three parts: power supply, circuit board, led screen. Each part would cost as much as the TV if you tried to buy it. So now I build kits to do stuff. Reminds me of my childhood. Makes me happy to know that there are still young people making stuff with their hands and minds. Digikey still sells parts to the little guy. The Chinese markets are mind blowing - their kids are not lazy and useless. Worlds gonna be different in the future.
@jimjungle1397
2 жыл бұрын
I remember the tube testers at 7-11 and at Radio Shack. I knew they were DIY, but I didn't know they had tubes for sale inside them. I think my father would test tubes and then go to the TV shop or Radio Shack to buy the tubes he needed. Maybe the prices were high at 7-11, because you were paying for the, "convenience." Everything was expensive at 7-11, until they got into a price war with High's, at least for milk.
@jbird4461
2 жыл бұрын
My Grandpa started Crawford Radio and TV repair after WW2 in Hibbing MN. He ran a radar station in England during the War and that is how he got started in electronics repair. He had a bomb land near him on his way to repair a radar station and sustain serious injuries. He rented the back of Abe Zimmerman's (Bob Dylans Dad) store in 1945 or 46. He finally had his own store in the late 50s. My Dad and uncle worked there. mainly installing TV antennas around the Range He retired in the mid 70s, but kept busy in the basement fixing radios at home. As a kid I remember a long wall of tubes and other misc parts and test equipment. I grew up west of the cities so I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with him. This video of yours brought back memories of my Grandpa and stories my Father told me of the good ol days. Thanks so much for posting this video!
@RobertBolanos
5 жыл бұрын
This bring memories by my TV days working in Cervantes TV in the late 1970s
@golgothaassassin5035
2 жыл бұрын
I build and repair guitar Amps in my spare time as a hobby, man I would really love to hang out in this shop and play with all the test equipment. what a treasure.
@jamesmann1243
2 жыл бұрын
Wow, what memories this brings, My condolences to Buddy's family!! I grew up in southern WVa, Beckley, to be exact, and we,( the family) knew an older gentleman named E.M.Smith. he had a radio/ tv shop in his garage directly behind his home.Mom and dad had an old Muntz television, 1956, model, that in 1962-63 had begun to get real tired. Dad and I would pull the chassis out of the cabinet, and off to " Smitty's" we would go. E M. Didn't make house calls, he owned part of Haley's electronics in Beckley, as his main vocation. Any way, we took the chassis to smitty, and his shop was exactly set up as the one in this video. Im now 63, and because of Mr. E M Smith, i now repair antique radios and televisions in my shop. The amazement and wonder in a 5 year old childs eye,seeing how circuitry, worked, and a gentleman who would spend the time, to show, and explain how systems operated was priceless, or was to me. RIP Mr.E M Smith, and your friend Buddy! May they repair that big TV in the sky!
@IrishvintageTVRadio
5 жыл бұрын
My friend closed his tv and domestic appliance shop here in Ireland, back in March 2018 after 44 years. He started out in Marconi at sea as a radio officer, at sea he met his future wife, an American lady and moved to the States where he served his time on tv with RCA. Then returning to Ireland work for various tv outfits before opening his own shop.
@robertsutton8894
2 жыл бұрын
Reminds me of being told that at the 1st place I lived a neighbor used to work with Marconi. Never did find out if that meant the company or the man himself.
@bobboscarato1313
2 жыл бұрын
@@robertsutton8894 It was the company; my late brother in law who was from Germany worked for Marconi in Canada for 28 years and was servicing ACBM equipment. He was very detailed and if there was no schematic available he'll draw one and trace/troubleshoot and repair problem.
@davidnorbertgarza
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you and God bless you 🙌🏽🙏🏽 Great video! Loved it! I used to work after high school in 1976, 77 & 78 at a grocery store called "Kiles Korner" it was a Texaco station, full service, we had to pump the fuel and squeegee the windows, and if asked, check and put engine oil in, inside the store was a " Vacuum Tube checker" and a selection of new Vacuum Tubes! LoL, I'll be 63 this year, born in 1959, Godspeed from The Yakima Valley in Washington State...
@jwl9286
2 жыл бұрын
What a fantastic video! So many stories. Sure glad he grabbed those cables on the tower. I worked for the power company and used the belt to snap on to the structure to change a light bulb. Maybe 25 ft up and heard the snap! Luckily Mine snapped in rather than out. I never forgot it. What experience he has shared with us. Thanks so much!
@jasontipton8430
2 жыл бұрын
i would have been done if that happened to me but he went back up and finished the job
@memyname1771
2 жыл бұрын
I was born during WWII and grew up in the 1950s in my father's radio and television repair shop. Transistors did not replace all of those tubes. Transistors functionally replaced tubes in newly designed circuits in radios and televisions that replaced older equipment. Transistors were initially functionally equivalent to triode tubes. The most recognizable failed component smell was selenium rectifier! I had a 1939 Philco console radio with a working Mystery Remote Control that a customer abandoned, rather than paying the five or ten dollars for the repair. While abandoned radios were not a daily occurrence, it happened frequently enough to provide me with a junkbox full of components stripped from older radios. I used these parts for all sorts of personal projects.
@rodneykroetsch2924
2 жыл бұрын
I thoroughly enjoy this interview!
@maryrafuse2297
5 жыл бұрын
In Canada a lot of former RCAF Radar Technicians opened TV Repair Shops. They received their training in the Airforce and translated it into great paying employment.
@swarfrat311
3 жыл бұрын
Talk about a walk down memory lane! I ‘m 74 and have fond memories of assembling Knight, EICO, and Heath kit stuff. I also repaired radios and tv’s for the neighbors. Thanks so much for the memories and great video!
@siegfriedlechler7412
2 жыл бұрын
The store reminds me of my youth. I learned this in 1956 and I loved repairing old radios. Saba, Mende, Pioneer etc. Then came the television, our station was 100 km away, mostly there was only noise, and it was a special task to align the antennas in such a way that a picture really came out.
@fenech97
2 жыл бұрын
Great video. It's a miracle the guy that fell twenty feet from the top of the tower, that he is still alive. He did alot of great work in Electronics, which helped mankind, all because he got sick and while in that state, his dad taught him about Radio Repair. Thanks for sharing.
@dleland71
2 жыл бұрын
In the late '60s, 1967, I think, I wanted to know how a TV worked. I was 14 where upon I disassembled my first television set. Cataloging every component and learning what it did in the circuit. I tried to reassemble the TV, BUT was unsuccessful :). This quest for knowledge defined the rest of my life. I am now a retired computer network hardware/software wizard. Still fixing friends & neighbors computers. Thanks for the step back in time, I remember it all.
@BryanBB2007
4 жыл бұрын
Awesome! My dad was a well respected electronics repair technician through the 60s, 70s, and 80s and would well relate to this video. I remember his repair shops with the tubes even testing vacuum tubes myself. I helped install lots of television antennas and helped with TV pickups and deliveries for repairs. He had piles of parts he stripped from old electronic equipment and was able to repair units that might have obsolete parts. He built some of his own test equipment and shopped at Army Surplus for stuff he could put to use. He was fascinated as a kid, built his own radio and rigged up generated power for his parent's home. From kid up he studied electronics books he collected and eventually went to NAIT in Edmonton to certify himself as a licensed technician. He helped found the local radio station of Wetaskiwin, Alberta where we lived as the station engineer. His home hobby was ham radio. Thanks for the video!
@muzzcovw7674
Ай бұрын
Such a great video! As a teenager in the 80's I developed a hobby of repairing old TVs. One of my grandfathers friends had a brother who ran a TV repair shop in Bloomfield CT. He really helped teach me and help me understand the basics of diagnostic repair. I wish I still had the 1960 RCA color Roundie that he gave to me, it was such a cool basic styled set. Now years later I suddenly have the urge (and time) to get back into this hobby. I just picked up a REALLY nice 1959 Silvertone Medalist to begin the new adventure. The set looks to be very low hour but will get the recap treatment. The prior owner said it doesn't work... I don't plan to try to fire it up without being a little more careful
@scottyhughes9179
2 жыл бұрын
a very interesting video... thanks guys!! I learned a lot. I use vacuum tubes to this day in guitar amplifiers. I have been playing guitar for well over 50 years and have saved almost all the tubes I replaced, even some of the used vintage tubes are worth a pile of money... there are some that still work at 100%, and some that don't work at full spec, but they still give me a sound. Again, many thanks!
@clarencegreen3071
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for making this video. I came of age in the '50s so I can relate to most of this. The advances and progress in electronics over the past 70 years are astounding to think about, and this video really rattled up some memories.
@432b86ed
2 жыл бұрын
Love the stories, the camaraderie, and the history. It's hard to imagine an era down the road where a couple of old timers get together and reminisce about cell phones and laptops. But it _will happen_ someday.
@knottreel
2 жыл бұрын
I worked in a shop that looked a lot like that, except we didn't have an inventory of tubes. The boss didn't like us to keep a large parts inventory. Whenever we needed something we'd drive into town to the TV parts store. You can't do that anymore. Those were some of my fondest memories. That's an absolutely beautiful re-creation.
@heru-deshet359
3 жыл бұрын
Sweet! I have about 60% of the tubes pictured here with much of the same equipment. I have it as a hobby.
@alphabeets
4 жыл бұрын
That was a fantastic video. Thanks so much for documenting this and talking with the real Wizard of Oz!
@neilmorten6416
3 жыл бұрын
Great video! I was born in the early 1960's in the UK, and as soon as I heard the opening music I instantly recognized the radio shows. "Ray's A Laugh" and "Much Binding In The Marsh", bringing back memories of my childhood, BBC Radio and my parent's Rediffusion branded 405 line black and white TV!
@algrabenbauer
Жыл бұрын
This brought back so many memories of me working at the bench in a TV shop when I was in 7th grade. I learned how to use the BK 415 sweep generator and was quite fast at alignment on the IF and Chroma circuits of tube type TV sets starting in 1968. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.y Grandfather had one of the Hoffman sets like yours with the bass and treble controls. They had push-pull 6V6 audio outputs. I used to crank up the volume on American Band Stand!
@danielson101
2 жыл бұрын
very nice!,i was born in 57 and can relate to a lot of the stuff,i love the history,
@repairfreak
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video. I got interested in my dads fascinating Helicrafter shortwave radio receiver when I was a small boy. Then when in my late teens learned how Tvs, Radios & Vcrs worked. I started a repair shop out of the house and my customer base grew rapidly. Back in the late 80’s tvs were still CRT based units with solid state components. I found it very enjoyable doing component level repairs. I worked on just about everything electronic I could fit on my bench. There was a great sense of reward in the detective work involved in the repair of devices. Unfortunately later on, many Tvs and radios became disposable, for the price for repair could sometimes exceed more than 1/2 the price of a new set. It became harder and harder to turn a profit, unless repairs could be done quickly, with inexpensive parts being the cause, and a upfront diagnostic fee became a necessity. The upfront fee helped weed out the serious customers from the uncaring, and also put some coins in the pocket to get started diagnosing. Then the surface mount revolution took over with micro size chips, transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc. This then further complicated the component level repair task. Things such as Televisions became for the most part circuit board swap outs, which took much of the fun out, “unless it was bad electrolytics in the power supply section.” Also as of recent, many manufactures of Televisions don’t even contain schematics anymore in their digital based service literature found on thumb drives and cd’s. These newer service manuals contain flow charts for diagnosing issues and provide component propagated circuit board assemblies for purchase only. Since I have found joy in the restoration of old tuner/amp equipment, and the repair of vacuum tube based guitar amplifiers. At age 55 I still love fixing things after about 35 years of self-taught learning.
@n8ux1963
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this walk through radio, tv, and cable tv history. I was co-owner of Somerset Electronics Co. in Somerset Kentucky from 1994-2005. We did third party equipment repair for cable companies. It was founded by Joe Alcorn, WA5GSP (SK), in 1980. I started working for Joe in 1983. Headend, trunk, line extenders... Jerrold B-T, DBC (Delta Benco Cascade - a Canadian company - we were U.S. authorized warranty repair center). I held on as long as I could, but changes in technology (fiber) required investment in bench equipment that we just could not afford. Combined with a glut of surplus equipment in the early 21st century, and a couple of BIG mso bankruptcies that left us holding the bag... and MANY other factors; satellite tv, internet - I could go on - forced me to close the doors in 2005. But I have great memories of the evolution of cable tv and satellite tv - from BUD to directv and others. Thanks again for the romp down memory lane. de N8UX
@kenliving5723
2 жыл бұрын
What an interesting man , he explains the electronics well, brings back great memories of when you could fix things.
@sonic9282
3 жыл бұрын
ah what a great video. love learning about this being younger guy that loves saving old radios and tvs
@kd5txo
2 жыл бұрын
My recollection of our local Radio and TV repairman was that if you were in a pinch and needed some specific little part: He would be the guy who would go rummaging around and always seemed to be able to dig that exact thing up...and sell it to you for cheap. To me, he was good as gold !
@josephconsoli4128
2 жыл бұрын
Very nice and interesting video. As a kid in the '70's, I recall going to an small old radio and TV repair shop. The front area was filled with old radios from ceiling to floor that the owner had taken from customers that didn't want them any more. I recall going from console to console and turning the weighted tuning knobs. I was fascinated by them and it sparked my interest in the hobby.
@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject
3 жыл бұрын
This is a great recreation of vintage TV repair shop! I used to fix TVs back in the mid-1960's, and this brought back many memories. Great information in your video, and excellent vintage tubes and equipment. Thanks for sharing this! ~
@francispotter5300
4 жыл бұрын
What a nice guy , your father sounds like my father , he would give th tools and help me learn to fix things , still miss him has been gone since 98 thanks for sharing your talents 😎
@markmed9091
2 жыл бұрын
As a kid , I’m in my 60’s , I loved going into these shops . I loved the smell and noticed the energy of these stores . Growing up in small town America , the owner knew your parents name and they knew the kids name too . They came to the house to fix the TV or the washing machine. They showed up in time and fixed most of the items on the spot . Hearing the phrase that “ it has to come into the shop “ was a devastating phrase ! I miss those people and the era they lived .
@riverraisin1
2 жыл бұрын
My dad ran a tv shop in the 60's. He made house calls, always carrying his tube tester with an assortment of replacement tubes. If it was something more than a simple tube swap or loose connection, it had to come back to the shop where it could take days or even weeks to fix. He even brought TV's home to work on during off days. Yes, people didn't like losing their one TV. Although often times he had portable TV's to lone out until theirs was repaired.
@golgothaassassin5035
2 жыл бұрын
I remember building antenna's for better signal as a kid, no rotator system we turned it by hand haha. There are still kids learning this stuff out there. Thankfully you can still find the old RCA tube manuals, and find some tube that will work with a little biasing. I really wish I could just run down to the old repair shop and test my tubes and pick one up. I loved the comment he made about the Shadow( The Shadow Knows ah ah ahhaaa), you can still find and listen to the old episodes on KZitem.. you have to build your own tube testers now haha.
@Rbj4525
Жыл бұрын
This was time well spent. Thank you.
@AudioFileZ
2 жыл бұрын
When you were a kid in the sixties the TV repairman still made house calls! It was like a seeing a rocket scientist work to a young mind. Those glowing tubes were mesmerizing too.
@danmacdonaldbooks4774
2 жыл бұрын
that guy is a character. ;) enjoyed radios and tv history. I remember using it at the end of tubes or close to it in the 1970s early '80s
@maryrafuse2297
5 жыл бұрын
It's a shame we don't take our flat screen TV's to the shop to be repaired. Most only need a few new capacitors and will work perfectly again. Amazing how we keep the Chinese economy working.
@greggaieck4119
3 жыл бұрын
My name Greg interestsing stories about old days tex me
@jameslester3861
2 жыл бұрын
My senior year in high school I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living. One day the TV repairman was at our house and I was watching him fix the set and I decided to go to Vo-Tech school and take radio and television repair. There was a good state vo-tech school seventy five miles away in the “big city” so when I graduated I moved there and studied from 1977-1980 and got a diploma. I got a job with the school system there as their audio-visual equipment repair tech. I was the best job I ever had. I maintained AV equipment for thirty schools. In 2000, everything was becoming computer based and I was able to get transferred to the computer support dept. and worked there for thirteen years and retired at age 56. I had dreamed of someday having my own TV repair shop but it wasn’t meant to be. Repairing analog electronic stuff was great.
@gregfaris6959
2 жыл бұрын
No digital multimeters in the 1950's TV shop.
@Renejames1117
Жыл бұрын
Excellent video, super informative, love your workshop 🎶
@chesterkuzia7286
2 жыл бұрын
My interest and life-time career in Electronics started when I was 6 years old taking the back cover of off our Zenith 21 inch television set and removing the vacuum tubes. The interlock saved my life! Oh well .... Dad was not too happy.
@vilazoroland9044
2 жыл бұрын
absolute gem of a story.... love it
@goodun2974
2 жыл бұрын
At 1:03:20, that's not a "peanut" tube, it's a T-3 subminiature tube, sometimes called a "pencil" tube. The first one shown is gray and not clear glass because it has been sprayed with a metallic shielding compound.
@oldroscoe2590
2 жыл бұрын
4 years later and KZitem sent this my way.... a late Thank You, I really enjoyed watching this and it brought back a lot of memories.
@40ny
2 жыл бұрын
It was fascinating to hear Buddy's stories and you can tell from the comments how special these TV and radio repair shops were in peoples' lives back then. I grew up in West Cork, Ireland and we got our first TV, a black-and-white Philips, in about 1967. My first memories are of watching I Love Lucy also, and Green Acres, Get Smart and The Virginian. There was a TV repair shop across the street (back in those days everything you ever needed was just across the street!) and when the TV broke Mrs. Hayes would come across and take a look at it. "What seems to be the problem?" she's say...then she's hit it a couple of good hard thumps and usually it would start working again. "There we are, all back to normal!". But if it didn't work we'd then bring it across to the shop and her husband, Mr. Hayes, would take a look at it after coming back from putting up TV ariels, and he's hit it a bit harder, maybe with a hammer, and sure enough it would work fine again. I miss those days when anything could be fixed either by hitting it hard with a hammer or giving it a good kick. The other TV repairman in town took my brother under his wing and taught him some radio repairs and introduced him to ham radio. As a result, my brother went on to study electronic engineering and has had a fantastic career out of it, so these people are much loved and respected.
@jim_cathymcclendon6091
3 жыл бұрын
You know I really enjoyed this, I remember as a little boy looking in the back of the TV and watching the tube glow orange. Later I found an old portable set that I brought home and tore apart in my bedroom never had so much fun in my life
@quam12972
2 жыл бұрын
I did the same thing..
@idadru
2 жыл бұрын
I found my first CRT TV on the curb in years the other night. It's amazing how hard it's gotten to get a decent old TV without spending an arm and a leg. I carried that sucker on my shoulder all the way across town. Hopefully it works, I got a Nintendo with it's name on it.
@iandeare1
2 жыл бұрын
In 1938 my father was an apprentice scientific instrument maker with Standard Telephone and Cable (London) by 1939 he was RAF Aircrew Air Gunner/Signals. He wanted to be a Watchmaker, but never lost his interest in electronics... Some of which I apparently acquired by osmosis... I made my first electric guitar pickups aged about 14, or 15 years!
@can-cruiser
2 жыл бұрын
The smallest production tube was the "Nuvistor". Came right around the time transistors were becoming more popular..
@kenw.1112
2 жыл бұрын
I love Repairing electronics. Worked for a TV /radio shop right out of high school until the owner retired. I have repaired all the old tube radio/TVs. I am 62 yrs old now and still am a technician and ham radio operator. I like tube equipment a lot !
@rjkee5157
2 жыл бұрын
I know them well. My father was a TV and Radio repairman. I helped with the heavy lifting. Those old TV's were really heavy. He taught me electronics and that led me to become a computer expert. I got to visit a lot of the other shops in the area so I saw a lot different setups. Brings back fond memories.
@pattyeverett2826
2 жыл бұрын
Reminder, you can get digital broadcast TV also. Works fine for me.
@sandienochs6132
2 жыл бұрын
Oh wow, thank you so very much for posting this. I’m 72, it was a big deal to go see our T.V. repair man. I thought he must be one of the smartest men alive.
@petercrowl9467
2 жыл бұрын
My dad sold and serviced TV's from right after the war up until about 1963 as a side job. He was a fireman full time. I went on service calls with him from time to time. "Hand me a 6sn7!". Sometimes he'd have to pull the chassis and take it in to his bench in the basement. SOme times if I was sick and had to stay home from school that chassis would come up to my bedroom for a day or two till I was better,. Good memories.
@LarryRobinsonintothefog
10 ай бұрын
Takes me back to when I was a kid working in a TV repair shop in the 1970's. Even though it was a time of transitioning from vacuum tubes to transistors, we had a wall of tubes (though not as large as in the video), a book that said which tubes could be substituted, and Sam's Photofact schematics. I forgot the benches with the power strips. The next shop was smaller and didn't have all the stuff.
@bill-2018
2 жыл бұрын
I remember Mazel Radio in Manchester when I went with my Dad to test a valve out of our t.v. All sorts of gear on the shelves. We had an old m.w./l.w. valve radio and I got interested in the stations marked on the dial. A neighbour gave me some radio magazines and I saw a one valve radio kit: the H.A.C., Hear All Continents. A pre-drilled chassis and all parts supplied and I got two extra coils to cover about 1 MHz to 30 MHz. I was aged 13 so 1968. A wire around the kitchen and one on the water pipe, 2,000 Ω headphones my neighbour gave me, a 90 Volt battery and a 3 Volt cycle lamp dropped via a resistor to 2 Volts, a few squeals then a bird whistling. Odd! Then they announced, "This is Radio South Africa". I heard local radio amateurs on Top Band and thought I want to do that one day. Aged 19 I studied and sat the radio exam and here I am. I made an xtal a.m. transmitter for 2m, converted a Pye Bantam for 4m, an xtal one valve transmitter, and other things. In 2017 I obtained a 1944 Wireless 19 Set which needed much work, I like 60m and low H.T. gives me just under 3 Watts out, furthest so far about 280 miles. I have collected old parts and a few used 2 Volt heater valves, PM2DX types, and want to make my own one valve set. G4GHB
@autorotator
Жыл бұрын
story of falling from the tower was bone chilling and made me think of my lineman grandfather.
@mcsniper77
2 жыл бұрын
I really hope repairing things comes back into popular culture. In many cases we are throwing good things away and replacing them with garbage.
@SteveHacker
2 жыл бұрын
This is SSSOOO good, so priceless, and so valuable. I could watch stuff like this all day and night, and would always choose watching it over TV, movies, or sports! I wish my small town had a guy like this I could learn these old ways from. Yes, the technology is obsolete, but that’s not the point. The EXPERIENCE and nostalgia are PRICELESS! There are many great KZitem channels of guys working on this gear now; many of them young guys. There’s still value in this knowledge. I would love so much to be part of that group of people.
@quam12972
2 жыл бұрын
Sorry to report, Buddy died a few months after the shoot...
@SteveHacker
2 жыл бұрын
@@quam12972 😞😞😞
@hoosiernick
4 жыл бұрын
I loved it. Lots of memories of growing up with a dad that served in the Signal Corps in WW2 and worked on radios and TV's in the 40's and 50's. Nick WD7JAZ.
@jeromecabral8440
3 жыл бұрын
When I was about 12 I decided I wanted to learn how to service old tvs and I thought it was very interesting.
@Denver1976Man
2 жыл бұрын
I grew up testing tubes and helping my dad in his TV repair shop in the 60s. Until Quasar came out with works in a drawer. Wish I still had my RCA toys I got. 110 tickles I was shocked so many times. My dad learned electronics in the Navy. I could not tell you how many old tubes I shot with a 22. Good times. And I can solder like a champ..lol We would put antennas up the mountain and then run 2 lines all the way down to the customers houses about 8 inches apart. I was a runner with a stick to untangle when birds would hit them. Sounds like our lives were a lot alike. Just a different part of the country. Great Video. Thanks for the memories.
@charleslauter5035
3 жыл бұрын
I was a radio and TV repairman in the early 1950s. I liked working on the sets but not installing TV antennas. That work involving crawling in attics and under houses. So I joined the US Navy as an electronics tech. That’s another story. CAL
@april7_
2 жыл бұрын
My dad used to do TV and Radio repairs from 1960-1980 and I remember it looked much like this, lots of tubes! He was very active Radio Amateur also. Think he got 5 Band DXCC in 70's. Great memories from my childhood!
@nomoniker7917
Жыл бұрын
Very large Thank You to the two gentlemen that appeared in this & to whomever else helped with this fantastic presentation. This is marvelous history, more people should see & hear all this. Its the story of the modern age, so interesting.
@pattyeverett2826
2 жыл бұрын
There is a couple of things that need to be noted for those who might want to start restoring the old tube radio and TV sets. The main one is that a lot of the series string TVs and Radios have the chassis connected to one side of the AC line. Some 1930s radios are extremely dangerous, they have metal cases that are connected to the AC line. These need to be worked on using isolation transformers. The other is that not all TV high voltage sections are equal. Some 1940s models did not use the flyback system. They used a separate oscillator. The high voltage these sets can be lethal. Of course the high DC voltage old TVs and radios also can be lethal. In TVs, picture tubes(CRTS) can implode, sending glass flying everywhere, so be very careful with these.
@DeadKoby
2 жыл бұрын
Although I never learned the TV/Radio end, I did learn how to fix old tube audio amps for guitars and stereos. Tube circuits are really cool, and I am glad to have the know-how on getting them fixed.
@moglitoashoe9265
2 жыл бұрын
i love this it is very Nostalgic and reminds me of my Dad's generation tyvm 73s
@joemackey1950
2 жыл бұрын
My late brother-in-law owned a radio/tv repair shop in the '50s. That was were I first saw a remote tv, c. 1957. In the mid-60s my mother brought a used colour set. The delivery guy asked where we wanted it, since it needed to be demagnetized and if moved more than a few feet it had to be done again. Last time I saw a tube tester was in the mid-80s at a RatShack when checking a horizontal tube that always seemed to go bad. They only seemed to last about five years each. Took to a repair shop every few years until I learned what the problem was and able to do on my own.
@riverraisin1
2 жыл бұрын
Does anyone else remember those silk looking banners advertising TV and radio brands? They often had tassels on them and hung on the walls in TV shops back in the day.
@w8lvradio
5 жыл бұрын
Very Interesting. Carl Fuhr was our TV Man in Sandusky, Ohio. I can still see him with his Tube Caddy (emblazoned with the "RCA" Logo) walking up our sidewalk, on one of his many trips to our home to repair our TV set. People today don't realise how EXPENSIVE televisions were, relative to the income of the day. So my Dad had a second-hand set. We didn't get a colour set until 1969. Carl gave me a Sonora Shortwave radio during one of these many repair visits. And so radio became my avocation. Now for over fifty years. You might consider giving a kid a radio. Sometimes they can be had new for less than twenty dollars these days! You just never know where it might take him... Or her! Thanks for the memory. I still have that radio. Trivia: Sonora was based in Chicago. Their jingle was "Sonora: Clear as a Bell!" 73 DE W8LV BILL
@INRIKingOfKings
5 жыл бұрын
Great memories. I started tinkering with tv's and radios when I was about 8. When I got to high school I never was into athletics and my P.E. teacher found out I worked on tv's. After school I rode my bike to his house and fixed his set. He knew I couldn't stand PE and he asked my if I would keep his tv maintained he could make me the locker room monitor permanently. I quickly agreed and that continued through all 4 years of high school.
@countryhamop4580
4 жыл бұрын
Oh to have had someone like that at MY high school! I hated PE too, but fortunately it was only required through 10th grade.
@francispotter5300
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your videos Doug in Ga , my father had a little, radio shop in Charleston Wv back in the 40's on a street called Brown's alley brought back good memories 😎
@sjgoff
2 жыл бұрын
Those men have forgotten more than I will ever know.
@Norm475
2 жыл бұрын
I remember those days well. Usually, when the TV went out it was one of the tubes. I seem to remember the verticle hold would go out quite frequently and the picture would continue to scroll. My dad and later on myself would pull all of the tubes and take them to Snyder drug, they had a tube tester and sold tubes. It seems like we had to do this once or twice a year.
@nickymullally95
2 жыл бұрын
Great video and memories...keep up the good work...best wishes from Ireland...73 Nicky/Ei9JF.
@josephrogers5337
2 жыл бұрын
The radio from the 20's was called a TRF or tuned Radio Freq. It was done at each stage and you would have a dial with numbers. Locate the station you wanted. log down all the best settings. When you wanted to change stations you went to the log and changed each dial to the logged setting. Then Came Super Heterodyne That all was turn was the first knob . About that time amplifier's for the audio allowed electromagnet speakers. At first the speakers had a powered magnet from the radio and at last Permanent magnet speakers were developed. Quit a bit of history there. The history of FM is really interesting
@bill-2018
2 жыл бұрын
I have one of those field coil winding speakers.
@libertyrights1291
2 жыл бұрын
Great Memories! I still have tons (literally) of similar test equipment, radios, TVs, tubes and parts. It is probably time to part with them.
@scorsagain
2 жыл бұрын
I remember going into the TV and appliance store with a bag of tubes from our TV and using the "Test Yourself Tube Tester" to find the one tube that I had was bad. Then buying a new one and going back home and putting the tubes back in the TV to get it working again. Got me hooked on electronics.
@WSNO
2 жыл бұрын
I do this with my stuff on a scale of for me. I am also a collector so i get to fix a LOT of stuff. I recognize it all, and i love it! Yes, i am 27 and even in the age of streaming and wifi i use tubes and vhs and cassettes. Very old-fashioned (interests and fashion-wise only, i'm transgender and thrive being out and open) Wonderful to have tastes of the old days! Its my goal in life to bring these arts and skills back to the future, made just as well as they were back in the day and for affordable prices
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