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Radio ? (Read 38925 times)
Steve Deckert
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Radio ?
09/03/18 at 06:46:50
 

My wife came up with a Radio after the round floating pool radio drowned last year (go figure)  and it was so hateful sounding I simply couldn't find a low enough volume to make it tolerable...  and of course, had to marvel at what idiots thought this was an acceptable radio?

I remember it well, it was red.  It did stupid shit like blue-tooth and play CD's to further cheapen the quality and it had no knobs.  It was one of the FUN panels that you have to press and hold plastic bubbles in a special sequence in order to operate the FUN thing.

It motivated me to get a real radio, so early this Spring I went to eBay and found a great AM/FM stereo radio.  It was made from wood.  It had two wonderful paper cone speakers in it.  There were two transistors, one per channel.  They were so old they came in small tubes with three wires coming out of them.  Probably about 4 watts.  Gets louder than crap, and has deep rich tone with rather amazing low bass.  Just sounds great, just like it did in 1970 when it was new.

I have enjoyed the radio all summer by the pool and after spending the last 6 weeks building a pole barn in the back yard (for exercise) with no radio or music of any kind I decided today I was going to have a radio while I work.  I didn't want to remove the radio from the pool area because I had it screwed to the gazebo.

I decided I would just go buy a radio.  Knowing the hateful thing my wife purchased was in the house somewhere and could happily stay there I started at the hardware store asking a kid if they had any radios.  He said "Like Radio for....? ",  I injected "...for listening to the like radio man!  There was a long pause while he tried to wrap his head around the concept of a radio.  I had one of those life snapshots where you blink out for a second and wonder what universe are you actually in right now?

The journey ended at Walmart, the only bloody place anywhere that had radios!  Of course I knew not to go to Radio Shack.  I am standing there at Walmart looking at the shelf with 7 radios including the hateful red bastard my wife purchased.  Now I know why she came home with it.  There was really no other choices.  The 6 other radios were multi-purpose plastic ear punishment, none of which ran on batteries, except one.  

The one that ran on batteries was an emergency radio, this particular model was shrunk down to the size of a Hershey bar with a 1 inch speaker. When I see foreign crap like this I often fantasize about finding the team that designed it and shoving it somewhere, so I guess they've gotten wise to that and started making shit small enough not to hurt.

Anyway I had another one of those lifetime snapshot moments where I just stood there in front of the radio selection in complete disbelief.  I couldn't believe I was in the same universe I grew up in.  These morons don't even know what a damn radio is!!  They've never even heard a real radio!  

I came home after a two hour search without a radio.  I unscrewed the real radio from the gazebo and put it in the barn and life got good and stayed that way all day : ). But it has to piss you off how bad our kids are getting FUNed by not having anything of real quality.  People don't take care of their stuff anymore, everything is disposable and floating in the ocean... nothing is ever done right, just cheap.  Drives me nuts.



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ScottNC
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #1 - 09/03/18 at 07:34:19
 
Just finished a few hours listening and thought I’d check the forum, as always an excellent read here.
A good wish to all on this weekend.
Best,
Scott
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Archie
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #2 - 09/03/18 at 15:41:56
 
Considering the "quality" of the radio stations in my neck of the woods, those Walmart types are just about right.  I remember when radio made up most of my listening -- just like when T.V. made up (all)  my watching.  Now just vinyl and DVDs.
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #3 - 09/03/18 at 15:55:34
 
I'm lucky in that there is an excellent listener-supported classical station I can get via antenna, and a nice listener supported station that plays jazz and swing music most of the day.  Neither has much advertising or "jabbering" at all.  I decided that since I have a great system I wanted a great tuner . . . and I went with a Magnum Dynalab 90T SE tuner that has a tubed output and a balanced output. With Amperex 7308s and through my ZTPRE and the rest of the downstream components the sound is very good. I don't use it as much as my DirectStream DSD and Oppo UDP-205 but I do enjoy listening to it. It's hard to find great audio quality for a home system without gong this sort of "specialist" route.
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Archie
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #4 - 09/03/18 at 16:41:40
 
I can get a nice public radio classical music station on my truck radio sometimes (very far away and poor reception) but other for profit stations have become homogenized playing the same pre-packaged tracks over and over again.  I grew up near NY City in the 70s where there were so many excellent stations.  Even in LA in the 80s there was so much more variety.  I don't like trend.  Someday it will be like consumerism in the movie "THX 1138!"   Tongue
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Lon
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #5 - 09/03/18 at 16:48:59
 
I know I'm lucky in that there are two stations that I want to listen to that are not pre-packaged commercial stations, and then there are two stations that broadcast NPR which is worth listening to on occasion. I stopped listening to radio for several decades because of the crass (in my opinion) music being pushed over and over and the nauseating DJ talk and "call in" babble. I agree that a great radio is not worth it if there's nothing but rubbish to listen to.
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Jeff of Arabica
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #6 - 09/03/18 at 16:55:52
 
I agree Lon.  There is one listener supported Jazz station in my area that I will occasionally listen to while driving, but that is it.  With the ease of access to exponentially more, and better content than one can find on the radio these days, it seems the only reason for someone to resort to radio IS to listen to the non-musical periphery.  Certainly one can use Pandora or the countesses playlists on streaming services to provide the endless and random playback of any genre making radio obsolete in that regard.  

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Lon
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #7 - 09/03/18 at 17:06:12
 
I guess so. . . . I don't stream though, don't use any musical services--and I know that makes me an oddball, but I have so many discs and I'm not as often wanting "random choices: in listening. Radio is a good occasional enjoyment as I like to experience the "character" of choices from a station that I like and to hear the local performances and activities read now and then (though I rarely attend or participate in any!) I'm happy to have the tuner that presents such great sound quality too. We get spoiled with the wonderful Decware-centric systems we have! I just won't settle for "okay" sound.
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Syd
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #8 - 09/03/18 at 17:42:10
 
I listen to radio quite a bit, put it on first thing in the morning getting ready for work, then in in the car, wouldn`t miss Sat morning`s D. Baker show, and in the evenings occassionally.
None of it`s music though !
Smiley

News and comment, dramas, comedic stuff, documentaries, and.......cricket if theres a test match on, and that`ll be on for 8hrs. Not that I`m glued to it for 8hrs but I come and go.

There must be some baseball fans out there that listen in.
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JD
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #9 - 09/03/18 at 18:58:29
 
I like Lon have a Magnum Dynalab tube tuner, they are absolutely wonderful. Thankfully in Boston i've got a couple great stations and even a couple pirate stations in my neighborhood that play music from the Caribbean...lot of fun.

Enjoy the hopeful day off.

JD
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #10 - 09/04/18 at 04:28:49
 

He said "Like Radio for....? ",  I injected "...for listening to the like radio man!  There was a long pause while he tried to wrap his head around the concept of a radio.

Best laugh in years!



These morons don't even know what a damn radio is!!  They've never even heard a real radio!

It is odd to me how fast this has happened. Only a single generation from our world to weird world.
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #11 - 09/04/18 at 06:44:26
 
In a weird coincidence, just the other day I was called on to buy a radio (Sangean WR-11) as a wedding gift.  It was on their registry!   I was very surprised .  A youngish couple (early 30's, I think,  farmers in Vermont).  A table radio but not battery operated I don't think.  No idea how it might sound.

This post got me thinking, though, about battery power for a Decware amp.  The specs say only 65 watts for an SE84UFO. Goal Zero makes some fancy 'solar generators' so add a phone running iHeart Radio (or one of those Dynalab tuners) and speakers of choice...  Could prolly run for several hours depending on the the size of the generator.  And the whole thing might weigh only about a hundred pounds.  Only half kidding, would it work?
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Dana
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #12 - 09/04/18 at 16:39:21
 
The reason there aren’t any radios is because it’s all about your phone.  Why limit yourself to radio within a 50 mile radius when you can have access to stations all over the world in hi resolution sound?  Most of the stations you do listen to are probably steaming on the net anyway.
http://radiobit.50webs.com/ is a small sample of what’s available with hi bitrates.
Want to listen offsite?
For $40 you can buy a 45Watt amp with Bluetooth, add the speakers you want and stream to it from your phone.  (actually there are/ were phones with FM radios built in but I digress…)
Disparaging the younger generation because they get it and you live in rose colored past does not do yourself justice.    When the internet fails you will get the last laugh but if that happens unless you’re radio has a crank you’re not going to be much better off.
I remember how cool the first transistor radios were, the Walkman, the Ipod.  They’ve all been replaced by your phone.  I listen to the radio everyday as I commute to work and every day they tell me to tell my smart speaker to play NPR.  
It’s the end of an era I get it.  This is a site that promotes the use of tubes for god’s sake.   Not only that everyone wants tubes from over 50 years ago but hanging on because it’s better and hanging on because it’s familiar are two different things.  Just remember the way you look at them for not getting the past is the same look the younger generation gets when they try to tell you about the present.
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Lon
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #13 - 09/04/18 at 16:45:11
 
Cool. I hate phones, I don't have mine connected to the internet. I get how innovative it all is and how wonderful it all can be. I'm just so glad that at last I don't have to be in an office where coworkers are babbling on the phone, the radio has babbling coming from it, and where I was tied to answering a phone and a computer screen, and had to have the phone with me at all times, even at home, even in bed, when someone might need to ask me a question, It was hell being an agency's Radar O'Riley. . . .

Now that I'm retired I don't have to have a computer switched on or a phone nearby in order to have music and I love that!
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Dana
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #14 - 09/04/18 at 17:10:18
 
but you're missing out on so much.  I've always wondered when you said you didn't have a camera was that you really didn't have a phone.  The phone is a tool and useful one. It can help you find you're way when you're lost.  Find Italian food in new city answer a question that's been bugging you like How do I know that actor? Using the phone you can take a picture of a bar code and find the best price.  The probably the best function of the phone is that it has an off button so it's useful when you want it to be.  I'm really envious that you're already retired I've still got two years until but I'm still going to use my phone after I retire which is weird because I hardly ever use it as a phone.
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Lon
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"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23309
Re: Radio ?
Reply #15 - 09/04/18 at 17:39:29
 
I have a laptop that I can use to locate a restaurant if I want, identify an actor, find out whatever I want to, no need for a phone to do that. I rarely go out shopping beyond the shops in the nearby town and have never once felt the need to use a barcode image to find a better price. I have a wife who doesn't want to travel, and we live in a wooded neighborhood directly across the street from hundreds of acres of a state wildlife preserve and we view it as heaven so we don't leave often--most of both our families are within an hour of us and we know the area. I've lived on another continent before and traveled in my youth to many countries and lived in six US states and my wanderlust is not strong, and I could use my car's navigation if I wanted to (I haven't yet) in a new place, and I have maps, old school way to find places. I spent most of my time since 1980 even without a car, living in Texas til '13 I only had a motorcycle because i love that simplicity and directness and the weather allowed me to indulge that love. Phones aren't much use on two wheels.

I have a phone that does not have internet nor a USB out so I can take a picture but I can't do much with it. But it's okay, I'm not really into pictures and I view a phone as mainly an emergency use tool. And I enjoy paying only 20 dollars a month on a phone account Maybe it's just personality and behavioral differences but I do not WANT to always be "connected" and I enjoy my collection of discs and getting more discs and I don't need a phone to find or play music. I actually have begun to long for the time before the internet . . . I feel the internet has harmed our societies and the way we do business and even our manners, and is not a good thing for our future. . . so I'm happy to use it in the limited manner I do.

I get the radio I want to listen to and spend the time I want to with it in fantastic sound via a tuner and don't need internet radio. I know it can be cool, my Dad sits with his laptop and listens to classical music on German and Swiss stations often (he has been relearning the German he learned in college and used in Seminary). But I don't have the same interest in radio from everywhere.

So, enjoy your phone! I don't want to use one more than I minimally do. I know what I "may be missing" but I'm perfectly fine missing out on what is of little import to me. And I've been retired for ten years now and so happy to have found the routines and methods I have to live th fulfilling life I'm living. And my way.
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Dana
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #16 - 09/04/18 at 18:35:45
 
So does that mean you didn't get my text?   Wink Grin Shocked Cry
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Lon
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"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23309
Re: Radio ?
Reply #17 - 09/04/18 at 18:38:13
 
LOL. Don't so much of that.


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Re: Radio ?
Reply #18 - 09/04/18 at 20:50:59
 
Geno - Lon, You guys are giving me a chuckle!
I (at the moment) only listen to LPs, CD's and Radio. No digital streaming...yet! My phone is a dinosaur and I can get text but no data. Just to be able to readily explore new music I would go the direction of computer or other source based internet radio, or streaming options. One of these days I may do that but am not that compelled/motivated yet!
Not always but, I usually explore music at Youtube-Music.
Didn't own a TV till I married and inherited my wifes...if I have an option there  it's music first...either listening or, playing my guitar or Uke.
P.S. retired at 61.... 3 years now.
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Archie
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #19 - 09/04/18 at 23:57:30
 
Clearly there are two kinds of people.  I belong to the group that prefers the low/no tech.  I have a question I ask that seems to flush out the different groups.  "If you have to get rid of one of the following -- as if it never existed or will exist, would you get rid of the Complete Works of Shakespeare or the Internet?"  I'm amazed how many choose to keep the Internet over Shakespeare!   Cheesy
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4krow
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #20 - 09/04/18 at 23:57:35
 
OK, can't let this one go! As much as I dig some of the stations, the issue at hand is finding a decent quality radio. Most of you missed it, and eluded to stations, phones, streaming, and the like. I probably couldn't be a bigger supporter of the topic, but, that said, Steve is absolutely right. Just try to find a quality RADIO, and you will be best off getting an old tuner or older table radio. I have gone through a few of these as well, because it IS hard to find a decent tuner. My Magnum Dynalab was a POS. I was sooo disappointed! Best name in radio, or so I heard. I bought it second hand from a shyster who didn't come clean about it's troubles. When I took off the top to see what was the matter, I was even more disappointed. What a POS. The last good tuner that I owned was made by SAE, but their later models were crap as well. What to do? What to do?
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Archie
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #21 - 09/05/18 at 00:09:26
 
That's why my toaster and blender are at least 50 years old.  Some technology hit it's peak long ago.
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ZLC
Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart
ZMC1
ZP3 (25th A Mods)
ZR2 (25th A Mods)
CSP3 (25th A mods)
ZMA (25th A mods)
Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s)
Silver Cabling
DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT.
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Dana
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Posts: 684
Re: Radio ?
Reply #22 - 09/05/18 at 00:27:18
 
I got off on a rant I'll admit but my post was really about not disparaging the younger generation for not understanding what a radio was and the reason why.  if you want a quaility radio you'll have to try craigslist.

like this
https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/ele/d/grundig-majestic-4090-table/6681068509....

There's no profit in making a quality radio as the market only exists for the few die hards that can't get their current one's fixed.  I curretly have a 40 year old Kenwood KT-7500 sitting on the shelf that's not hooked up that I'd let go for a song.  In it's day it was awsome but then agian in my mind so was I.



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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Lon
Seasoned Member
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"Love without
guts is
worthless!"
Philip K. Dick

Posts: 23309
Re: Radio ?
Reply #23 - 09/05/18 at 00:52:37
 
4K: What to do, what to do?  For me the answer was to pony up for a Magnum Dynalab. I'm sorry yours was so horrible. I really like mine, and have no complaints. Got mine dirtily from them.

You're right, I don't think there are good options out there and vintage would likely be the way to go on a budget, though they do make good stereo component radios out there and they charge a lot. If you just want a radio for talk, news or some background music I would have thought there were some decent options but I guess I was wrong. . . . But I haven't looked for those types of radios as that's not what I wanted one for.
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4krow
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #24 - 09/05/18 at 01:04:56
 
Thanks Lon, I know that MD made great equipment, but my model was their bottom of the line. Had not had issues, I would gladly not have pitched it.

 Dana, since my Yamaha FM tuner is getting very unreliable, I am interested in the possibility of buying yet another tuner. Do you have a price in mind? I saw photos of that model, and man, yes it is beautiful. Been a long time since those were made.
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #25 - 09/05/18 at 01:12:06
 
I looked on ebay and they run about $100 shipped.  I don't have the wood case but I checked and the knobs turn.  A good cleaning would help it I'm sure.  In its day the tuning knob was quality and you could swing from one end of the dial to the other with a single spin.  I can send you a picture of it if you'd like (my phone works  ;) .

Make me an offer.
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #26 - 09/05/18 at 01:26:15
 
Dana,  PM sent.
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #27 - 09/05/18 at 02:43:27
 
replyed I think.  I tried to anyway
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #28 - 09/05/18 at 03:19:33
 

The reason there are no radios available in the mass marketplace is indeed due to phones, which are in fact not phones, but pocket computers that are connected to the internet.

The reason there is precious little good pop music past the late 1980's is again, because of computers. I would assume the same technology caused the complete lack of good Television as well.  No one can write good wholesome comedy or drama anymore, no one can write or sing good music anymore, so this wonderful beast we've created called the transistor has made people lazy and ignorant.

When the power goes out and the ignorant are separated from the old-school, the first thing they will do is want to Google "how to start a fire", followed by what plants can I eat, and sadly when they remember there is no Google the question goes around the entire group to see if anyone has ever Googled that, and if so do they remember what it said?  Of course several actually did Google it at some point in the past, but no-one remembers it because why do you need to remember stuff, you have your phone... you have the internet, you have the almighty Google for that.

All phrased to make a point of course.  Yes, it is not our youth that are to blame, they are the victims.   Invite them into your home to listen to your stereo.  If they have any functioning brain cells left that haven't been microwaved by the phones and cell towers, they will be tickled to see there is something more, something called.... quality.  

You should see their faces light up when I pull up to McDonalds in my 70's muscle car.  They intuitively know there is something special about it... and become completely distracted with smiles.

My cry in the wilderness is simply the result of watching quality and craftsmanship be replaced by instant disposable crap-for-profit and creating a generation of spoiled idiots who can't write music or television and an ocean full of plastic.

Smiley


The real cry is for our youth, who have been cheated out of all the good stuff, and it makes me sad when something as simple as a good sounding radio is an alien concept.  

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Re: Radio ?
Reply #29 - 09/07/18 at 03:45:55
 
Yes!
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #30 - 09/07/18 at 04:56:22
 
Steve said:  "no one can write or sing good music anymore"

Is this what you meant?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUedtfxLj4Y
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #31 - 09/07/18 at 15:53:14
 
Thread Hijack & Rant alert!!!

Television killed the radio which was killed by the VCR then the DVR and finally streaming.  With TV you could watch the stories not just imagine them in your head.  The VCR allowed you to watch your  stories on your own schedule and watch one story while recording another.  It also had the big plus of fast forwarding through the commercials on the recorded show.  The DVR one upped it by letting me record everything  at once and then fast forward through the commercials of shows that were still live and finally streaming allows you access to just about everything without having to remember to set it  with the commercials already removed.

Music and talk shows were the radio’s last footholds and have been replaced with commercial free streaming services that allow you to determine your own playlist and pod casts. I hate that I can’t come up with a better analogy but lamenting over the quality of the radio is like wondering why you can’t find a good buggy whip at the Woolworths five and dime anymore.

As far as the quality and the craftsmanship of the stories and music produced today on these devices I choose to disagree.  Game of Thrones, The Wire, Breaking Bad, even The Good Wife compared to  Perry Mason, Streets of San Francisco, Rawhide, Gun Smoke or  Bonanza.  Political shows like the Smothers Brothers have nothing on the old Daily Show which spawned at least three political leaning shows airing today.  Comedies like My Three Sons, Leave it to Beaver, Mr. Ed, My Mother the Car, The Partridge Family are these the well-crafted works of the past you’re referring to?  I’d put them up against The IT Crowd, Silicon Valley or Misfits.  If Green Acres was your cup of tea you give Schitt’s Creek a try (almost the same show without Ava Gabor).  If you don’t mind subtitles or can speak Swedish Born/Broen “The Bridge” is excellent crafted TV.  If your a Star Trek fan try The Expanse for quality science fiction.

Disco killed the  music on the radio not the computer. Tons of incredible music is being produced today.  The use of computers allows musicians the mechanism of publishing their work without being taken advantage of by record producers of old.  

My son went on YouTube and taught himself how to solder.  He builds weird sound generators for Atonal Electronica Music but who am I to judge.  I love the idea showing the youth of today what stereo can do but I’m not sure I could sit through an hour of Radio Head.

As absolutely cool your muscle car is you realize a Tesla would leave it like it was standing still.  Strait line, around corners safely with air conditioned seats.  A Honda Civic TypeR does 0- 60 in 4.9 seconds 14.0 quarter mile and gets 28 MPG and can easily last 200,000 miles and in addition is can almost pull 1 G in lateral acceleration and can go from 60 to 0 in 99ft. That being said I would give anything for a Green 68 Fastback Mustang with the badges removed not because it’s better but because how it would make me feel.

Today’s youth are just fine.  If they needed to start a fire they could take their Vape device apart and use the igniter out of it.  If you really want to see where the talent of today is try this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPHVLxm8U-0
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #32 - 09/07/18 at 20:08:31
 
DANA, thanks for the link! she is GREAT!!!
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #33 - 09/07/18 at 21:41:58
 
Dana,

Great post, Excellent "Blast to the Past!"

Best,
Scott
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #34 - 09/07/18 at 23:41:17
 
I guess that we all have to admit that time and fashion waits for no one. What was norm for our generation is considered quaint and silly to the next.
As I sit here typing this a Rolling Stone song that is over 50 years old is playing, 50 years! Think of it this way, if when I graduated in 1978 someone was to play a song from 1927 I would have thought it as being old fashioned.
Radio has now been replaced by streaming, hell my Mom streams her music. We must adjust and move forward. Who knows what the future holds? It might be really cool, or not, you can never tell.
I'm a almost 58 year old fuddy duddy, might as well get used to it.
Hey kid get off of my grass!!
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #35 - 09/08/18 at 00:05:00
 
I don't agree that music and television etc. are bereft of quality now. I just finished watching the latest episodes of "Better Call Saul" and it is one of the finest TV shows I've ever known. I love the music of Sabaka Hutchings and Yazz Ahmed, two modern jazz players who write and play excellent, already nearly timeless music. Life is good in that way!

I still prefer radio to streaming and playing silver and black discs to that. That's my prerogative!
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #36 - 09/08/18 at 00:13:23
 
What if had told your 1978 self that you could go and look up what the popular songs were in 1927 and then play them on your stereo.
https://popculturemadness.com/Music/Charts/1927.php
Hoagy Charmicle and Gertrude Larwence are both on spotify and playing for my enjoymnet right now.  What a world!
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Tom Waits:
And the newspapers were fooling,
And the ash-trays have retired
'Cause the piano has been drinking,
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking,
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #37 - 09/08/18 at 00:16:37
 
Quote:
We must adjust and move forward.


Well, we can't go back in time but that doesn't mean what is here now and coming up is necessarily good.  Compared to an 18th or 19th Century person, my survival skills are very poor but I bet they are better than 99%+ of current Americans.  Someone may be able to make a fire using their vaping device but I doubt they'll have anything to cook!   Wink

Hell, we're over populated anyway.   Cool
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #38 - 09/08/18 at 00:22:23
 
First off, Ms. Hadwin was fantastic!  Not my style but I could see myself learning to like it.

Radio, I have vivid memories of my pals and I running home from school to plop down on the living room floor to listen to "The Story Lady".  She would start off reading a story and slowly each of the characters would gain a voice.  This continued till there was no more story lady reading, just the characters.

Our imagination was all that was needed and no one made a sound till it was over.

This took place in the late nineteen forties.  Radio fascinated me then and I have been on a wonderful ride into the present.  Yes I stream music on multiple sources.  Absolutely love the ability to instantly access any song or video of my choice.

I do miss Heathkit projects and past technologies but here we are and to me it seems we must roll with it.

Just my opinion if I'm allowed.

Dennis
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #39 - 09/08/18 at 03:14:55
 

Dennis said:  "Just my opinion if I'm allowed."

Toleration of opinion is what makes this my favorite chat forum.  
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #40 - 09/08/18 at 16:54:24
 
Quote:
Toleration of opinion is what makes this my favorite chat forum.


Except when it's Donnie's of course!   Cheesy
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #41 - 09/09/18 at 04:41:38
 
Quote:
Television killed the radio which was killed by the VCR then the DVR and finally streaming.  With TV you could watch the stories not just imagine them in your head


I believe what killed Radio was actually digital, not television.  Just my opinion.  

And none of this explains why in today's Walmart there are only grotesque plastic jack of all trade machines that sound like hateful crap.  So radio isn't popular.... lets make sure it stays that way.  I mean how hard would it really be to reproduce a vintage stereo AM/FM radio that sounds good?  There is NO reason.  

Imagine this.  You're at a Walmart display of all 8 or so radios.  But this time, you can actually turn them on and listen to them (imagine that... old school nonsense) and there is one setting on the shelf that is actually made from wood instead of plastic that is a remake of a 1970's model.  You turn it on after listening to two or three of the plastic models that look like Transformers (from the movie) and realize... holy shit, this actually sounds good!  You don't have to download anything, save anything, buy anything, do anything, update anything, sinc anything, charge anything, subscribe to anything... you just listen to DJ's who play music to you that is spontaneous.. an experience you can not have when you choose every track you listen to.

If this $70 wooden vintage stereo AM/FM radio was setting on Walmarts shelf today, the Youth that we love would actually get a fair chance to evaluate the experience of owning and enjoying a nice radio.  That's all I am trying to say.

And, btw, the link to the 13 year old girl blew my mind for the whole day... that took balls and talent and what talent she had!  Great stuff!

Steve
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #42 - 09/09/18 at 12:42:38
 
I truly miss the old Atwater-Kent, four foot tall real wood radio my Grand Mother had in the living room.  That beast (the radio, not Gandma) could pull in anything that was in the atmosphere.  Many hours spent turning the tuning dial.

My issue with radio today is the constant advertising and other nonsense.
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #43 - 09/09/18 at 17:22:12
 
I completely agree about the advertising, so NPR is my main listening. As with any broadcast, I have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #44 - 09/09/18 at 18:04:19
 
Steve, I understand everything you just posted as, in this, we are kindred spirits.  However, you don't understand our modern mass consumer culture!  

Cheap, fast and cool are the rule.  I mean, Walmart, especially, was built on the "race to the bottom" mentality.  Cheap, plastic crap from China!   Tongue

If the average American did things like us, the US economy would collapse.   Grin
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #45 - 09/09/18 at 20:19:27
 
So, Steve, does this mean that we can look forward to a Decware AM/FM tuner in the future?
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #46 - 09/10/18 at 00:58:56
 
Yes, that's what he should do, and then name it the Zuner (Zen Tuner).
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #47 - 09/10/18 at 02:02:18
 
Working as a young man in audio sales in lower Manhattan; a man comes into the store... He looks at me behind the counter, and in a heavy accent, says, " Do you have Ze Grundig R-r-r-radio?..."  I take a cigarette from the pack, put it between my thumb and forefinger, pretend to take a long drag, then say, " Maybe yes, maybe no..."  

I nearly got fired... (m.)
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #48 - 09/10/18 at 02:07:04
 

Quote:
If the average American did things like us, the US economy would collapse.   Grin


If the average American did things like us, the Chinese economy would collapse. ; )

-Steve
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Re: Radio ?
Reply #49 - 09/10/18 at 02:22:11
 

No AM/FM tuner in the future sorry.  We're too small to make things that won't sell.  That said, I may do a stereo console some day for those who like or need to put their speakers against the wall with a TV in-between.

Steve
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