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.

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.

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!"  

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.  

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 !


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.

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.

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.

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.

So does that mean you didn't get my text?  

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.

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?

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.

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.

Dana,  PM sent.

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.




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.  

Steve said:  "no one can write or sing good music anymore"

Is this what you meant?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUedtfxLj4Y

DANA, thanks for the link! she is GREAT!!!

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!!

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!

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

Quote:


Except when it's Donnie's of course!  

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.

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!  

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

Yes, that's what he should do, and then name it the Zuner (Zen Tuner).

Quote:


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

-Steve