Blast from the past - remind us of a thing
Discussion
brownspeed said:
Bringing us neatly onto "sub-premium" electronics brands such as ALBA, STEEPLETONE, RADIO SHACK and my personal fave- the WINTHRONIC from Woolworths
Back in the day, my personal stereos were all ALBA, Saisho & Matsui as I couldn't afford a Sony. Hence I had about 6-8 different personal stereos in not many years 
Would have been cheaper in the long run to have just saved for a Sony, but that of course wouldn't have met my immediate need.'Buy cheap, buy twice' they say, but not much use when you are in your teens with limited money, even less patience, and no access to credit.
cuprabob said:
CammyN said:
Car Stereos.
There was a time when you bought a new car, first thing you did was have a better radio cassette fitted, often a Kenwood or a Pioneer and something with a removable front that you took out of the car.
Took my grandfather to buy a new car, he had zero interest in cars. Bought him a Rover 214. Only thing he asked the salesman was
'Does it have a radiogram;
I had a Kenwood back in the late 80s that the whole unit slid out )There was a time when you bought a new car, first thing you did was have a better radio cassette fitted, often a Kenwood or a Pioneer and something with a removable front that you took out of the car.
Took my grandfather to buy a new car, he had zero interest in cars. Bought him a Rover 214. Only thing he asked the salesman was
'Does it have a radiogram;
The barman always asked 'it is not stolen is it?
konark said:
98elise said:
My current home (built in the 60's) had crittall windows when we moved in. It was impossible to heat the house in the winter. The windows didn't seal properly and sucked the heat out regardless. Replacing with double glazing was done before the second winter.
We had crittall windows in our 1950s council house. Frames were colder than the glass in winter. Council replaced them with plastic double-glazing in the 1980s. Then many of the thin concrete lintels began to crack. They hadn't realised the steel windows had greater structural strength allowing wider windows.We have a non-opening metal framed window that I suspect to be a Critalls window. They were based at Silver End, which is just up the A12. I believe they still operate out of a Witham address.
CammyN said:
Car Stereos.
There was a time when you bought a new car, first thing you did was have a better radio cassette fitted, often a Kenwood or a Pioneer and something with a removable front that you took out of the car.
I put a Kenwood cassette player in my E30 BMW 316. Only half the front pannel came off so smaller to slip into a pocket.There was a time when you bought a new car, first thing you did was have a better radio cassette fitted, often a Kenwood or a Pioneer and something with a removable front that you took out of the car.
brownspeed said:
Bringing us neatly onto "sub-premium" electronics brands such as ALBA, STEEPLETONE, RADIO SHACK and my personal fave- the WINTHRONIC from Woolworths
wasn't Radio Shack (Tandy) an electronics shop which just happened to sell some radios along with just about anything you could wish for/need in terms of wiring/fuses/plugs/circuit boards?DodgyGeezer said:
wasn't Radio Shack (Tandy) an electronics shop which just happened to sell some radios along with just about anything you could wish for/need in terms of wiring/fuses/plugs/circuit boards?
Yes, but it had its own brands - Archer, Optimus and Realistic for example, that represented consumer electronics including badge-engineered versions of some mainstream brands.
motco said:
My house that I bought in 1977 had those. They were 1938 installation at the house construction. As you said, cold and also rusty which broke the glass. Vey Art Deco in style but impractical.
That house and the Austin Princess(?) take me right back to one of my childhood homes and cars...psi310398 said:
DodgyGeezer said:
wasn't Radio Shack (Tandy) an electronics shop which just happened to sell some radios along with just about anything you could wish for/need in terms of wiring/fuses/plugs/circuit boards?
Yes, but it had its own brands - Archer, Optimus and Realistic for example, that represented consumer electronics including badge-engineered versions of some mainstream brands.A what?
A hiffy. There, look. It's written on it.
Oh, yes. Hiffy.
Ordinary folk addressing one another formally as Mr or Mrs. First names were for immediate family or friends.
My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
DickyC said:
Ordinary folk addressing one another formally as Mr or Mrs. First names were for immediate family or friends.
My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
I remember travelling to meet the girlfriends parents for the first time. I said to her "What do I call them?" she said "Mr and Mrs Smith of course."My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
Abbott said:
DickyC said:
Ordinary folk addressing one another formally as Mr or Mrs. First names were for immediate family or friends.
My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
I remember travelling to meet the girlfriends parents for the first time. I said to her "What do I call them?" she said "Mr and Mrs Smith of course."My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
cuprabob said:
CammyN said:
Car Stereos.
There was a time when you bought a new car, first thing you did was have a better radio cassette fitted, often a Kenwood or a Pioneer and something with a removable front that you took out of the car.
Took my grandfather to buy a new car, he had zero interest in cars. Bought him a Rover 214. Only thing he asked the salesman was
'Does it have a radiogram;
I had a Kenwood back in the late 80s that the whole unit slid out )There was a time when you bought a new car, first thing you did was have a better radio cassette fitted, often a Kenwood or a Pioneer and something with a removable front that you took out of the car.
Took my grandfather to buy a new car, he had zero interest in cars. Bought him a Rover 214. Only thing he asked the salesman was
'Does it have a radiogram;
I did move that from one car to another as well, same thing, release unit, into glove box, lock car.
The front panel jobbies came along later I think.
Abbott said:
DickyC said:
Ordinary folk addressing one another formally as Mr or Mrs. First names were for immediate family or friends.
My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
I remember travelling to meet the girlfriends parents for the first time. I said to her "What do I call them?" she said "Mr and Mrs Smith of course."My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
EmailAddress said:
dickymint said:
Abbott said:
DickyC said:
Ordinary folk addressing one another formally as Mr or Mrs. First names were for immediate family or friends.
My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
I remember travelling to meet the girlfriends parents for the first time. I said to her "What do I call them?" she said "Mr and Mrs Smith of course."My grandparents did it right up until my paternal grandfather died. Then my mother's parents invited my widowed gran to Christmas Dinner and my grandfather called her Nan. Both my grandmothers studiously avoided the names situation.
No person in society has any standing above any other until proven otherwise.
The only person I would presume to defer to would be the one true Queen Elizabeth II.
Any one else can have first names.
Beyond that it's Victorian subservient b
ks.dudleybloke said:
Putting car stereos in the freezer to wipe the security code you didn't get when buying the car.
Definitely worked on old Ford stereos.
Did that really, really work?Definitely worked on old Ford stereos.
10 years previous: Putting Skyway plastic BMX Mag Wheels in the freezer to straighten out a buckled rim (potentially an urban myth)
DickyC said:
When I was a child, my parents briefly owned a Toyota Hiace camper van. My dad called the van a 'High-Archie'. He explained, years later, that he thought 'Hiace' was a real Japanese word and tried to come up with an authentically Japanese-sounding pronunciation for it. Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff