The AM Forum

not the best vids - but this is only the tip of the iceberg there. This one collects everything! Lots of good old electronic stuff, suitable for parts and classical builders (and a lot of unrelated electronics and other items). Unfortunately he wants to remain secret right now and I was rushed with the camera and sometimes poor lighting. I tried to get mostly the stuff we might use but it's well-mixed and there are some very interesting assemblies and equipment so I just shot all of it along the pathways inside the building. There is much more, maybe 10x as much  :o, for another update at another time.

Uploading now. Might take a couple hours as the vids all-together are some 4GB

http://bunkerofdoom.com/hoard4/index.html

From what I saw... 90%+ junque.
The jukebox is the best thing I noticed.
The old TV stuff? Junk, unless someone has a museum or a kid who wants to spend all
day disassembling them for the power iron and a few other parts... the old TV station NTSC
stuff? Nobody wants anymore. :(

Otherwise, just random parts of some, but limited value due to the effort required to "harvest".

I'd take the shelves! :D

IF you run into an old portable SONY R-R VCR with 3 speeds, I need one to rescue a tape
that was recorded "slow" speed. They were made for schools and the like.

Ah well... <sigh>

Gads. When I look at that stuff I am grateful I stopped accumulating parts and equipment over 20 years ago. When ya have enough you gotta know when you have enough.

There but for the grace of God goes many of us potential ham hoarders...

[The story that is widely circulated is that the phrase was first spoken by the English evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford (circa 1510–1555). He is said to have uttered the variant of the expression - "There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford", when seeing criminals being led to the scaffold.]

T

I'm showing this to my wife. Hopefully she will stop complaining and realize I really don't have that much "stuff"!

Wonderfull!!  these days people don't appreciate anything, until THEY need one, look at the prices they get for just common parts now.
looks like there is something for everyone there, very Cool.

Neat find, but I do feel sorry for loved ones who are left having to sort, sell, or junk the mounds of stuff accumulated by "collectors" over the years.  I hopefully have several decades left on this beautiful planet, but concern for my wife and daughter does limit how much I "collect".

The only things that are mine were at the end, starting with video #8, the scopes mentioned, the large-ish chokes, panel meters, TS-505 VTVMs, and boxes of mosly unused classic radio parts back there in the dark.. Those are extensions of my 'junkbox' and yall know I collect rackmount scopes. This spring I'm going to go through all of those boxes of parts and probably dispose of a lot. Meaning, if there are 100 of those ceramic fuse holders, 75 of them probably have to go. All that whole aisle of stuff in the last video #12 came from a closed old-time surplus store. Too bad it was so dark and we were out of time.

What's my own philosophy? Example the TS-505 VTVMs:
Compare its high input Z to a Simpson 260 and its ability to measure 500MHz RF volts to any DVM. I have 4 of them in the shop, calibrated and working. I will never wear 4 out.
No one has wanted to pay even $5 for one, It's like they are too lazy to even get the 5 tubes out? It uses a 1mA meter BTW. Does anyone casually measure RF voltage any more? It's to where not enough people build anything. See above about disposing.

What I have stored with him has got to be moved out. One receptacle or another.
Should I have an AM Parts Party and invite the local AM Gangstas?

===

The shelves - that would be possible once the place is more emptied!


Everything else in the videos is his.
(also see one of his other hoards: http://bunkerofdoom.com/hoard/index.html ) I am saying, there are 4 or 5 of these.

Not all his stuff is junk but this is the junkiest facility, I guess. Much could not be reached or seen so can't be judged. One thing I do want to retrieve from there is a VPH-1292 3-CRT projector. It has 9" 09MFX3 tubes, >700 lumens, and makes 2000x1600p -I have seen full bandwidth analog HD from a 1" reel to reel VTR on this. It's mounted in a custom sealed transport case and should be perfect. When the lid is off, moving a lever causes the unit to hydraulically rise up from the case, ready to use. When not in use, well, it's a 250 LB coffee table I guess. I used to repair them and have aligned that one. He wants it gone.

I believe the true 'scrap+trash content' is more like 60-70%. That would exclude working vacuum tube gear, tube sets-for-parts, and loose parts. Numbers are only opinions anyway.

Things like the tacky old lamps, antique fans, etc. who knows. Collectors used to buy the fans. For a while, tacky 1950s-60s lamps were in fashion. He was repairing Sony VTRs, but no one uses tape any more, so those are headed for the dumpster, along with all non-pro/non-broadcast/non-vacuum tube CRT monitors, as there are small groups who want those older or better items.

But look at it this way, my other friend there found a working solid state 10 watt professional amp, free, go figure.

Unfortunately my collector friend has hoarded every single item for years and years. He has held on to too much stuff long beyond where it has any use. If 80-85% goes away, that would be great!

Buy her a nice present. Does she cook? Like an antique electric mixer? Saves a lot of time! I can get you a deal!

Is that a 1/2" tape, black&white open reel to reel VTR? Takes about a 6" reel or so?

there are two kinds of sony, incompatible format but same tape and look similar, early and late. 1969 the division. early ones were skip-field, didnt record sync but regenerated it. Later were alternating field full electronics and sync. All one speed except the variable speed deck for slow motion, all record at 7.5 ips IIRC. maybe google "sonly 1/2" reel video recorder"
https://www.rewindmuseum.com/images3/sonytcv2000.gif

Also the 'Concord', another 1/2" machine with has a proprietary format but same physical tape.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/H~AAAOSw0O9bJBtg/s-l300.jpg

People have to try the tape to see which format it is.

I would like to have a 25" or (22" round) tube type TV. Thing is, something goes wrong, there are no more CRTs, ever, and even though i used to service those neat old sets, they are all doomed.

I do have a 21" black and white set that is unchecked, and a black&white 10 or 12" am/fm/TV/phonograph that I restored 30 years ago and was working, but last time was turned on did not work. I have extra CRTs for that one.

Just as with an old radio, never just plug one in and try it.. they will damage irreplaceable parts fast if something serious is wrong.

I will say this. The locations are sort of a secret but if you want to do some shopping it can be arranged and the man isn't greedy.

I have seen the youtube-and websites of the people and groups dedicated to restoring the old tube Television sets. I have seen the internet sites for the groups and companies that still rebuild pictureTubes.
one cool thing about HAM Radio is that you can transmit analog signals and the old tv sets can be modified etc. to receive,etc. etc.
those vtvm you mention sound very cool.
of course an old VCR and a1950's tv set is all you need for a fun Saturday night.

Yes. B&W.
1/2" tape reel to reel seems right.


Given that this was borrowed from a school likely in 1970 or 1971, PROBABLY  it was pre 1969.
I recall 3 speeds, switch selectable. Could have been two speeds.
Unfortunately, we recorded on the slow speed to buy us more time...

Also the 'Concord', another 1/2" machine with has a proprietary format but same physical tape.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/H~AAAOSw0O9bJBtg/s-l300.jpg

People have to try the tape to see which format it is.

[/quote]

Assuming I still have the tape, I'd need a machine! :D
I did try it on a later SONY 1/2" machine and there was no sync...

We had to move our labs from one location in Hudson County NJ to another in Newark NJ. I had 30 years of audio / video - consumer / broadcast equipment. I cherry picked the facility and walked away with some new vintage Technics audio gear in sealed boxes, several musical keyboards and a garage full of test equipment. The 1", 1/2" and 3/4" video equipment along with production switchers, TBC's and countless broadcast cameras went into the dumpster - it hurt, but no one wanted it. Today's younger generation doesn't know what this stuff is or how to use it - let alone fix it. Maybe the guys from American Picker would be interested?

just curious,but what are you asking for the TS-505 vtvm's, how many are available?

I did not see this until now, sorry. I will ask to have them counted and let you know. or next time I can get to gainesville. It is very hot this summer. IIRC they are most in decent repairable shape, of course in a pile that size there are always a parts unit or two.

Pat, I am trying to give away an HP 175 scope, it is of course heavy and big. It worked (displayed the probe cal trace/delayed sweep settings worked) but that was several years ago. If you or someone else around here/there want it, and can figure a way to get it/pay to ship it, it is yours/theirs.

Ed

That's where you call a scrap metal guy and have it sold for weight.

I cleaned out California Electronics in El Cajon decades ago.  The Chinese came in with Connex boxes and paid by the pound.

I thought I was a hoarder.  This will give my wife and children hope.

--Shane
KD6VXI

Man, I worked on a ton of that Sony junk, displays, BVU/BVH ¾ and some half inch and all sorts of cameras from the Sony Broadcast Batacams to Ikegami HL-79 all the way back to the RCA TK-76 and 44.
Worked in TV broadcasting back in the bad old days in the eighties and nineties where we use to actually repair things before now days where we end up changing and replacing technology before it has time to wear out or brakes.
Maybe that’s the advantage of working on all these boat anchors today is that you can still practice skills learned years ago.

Hi Ed,
I like it for the 50MC bandwidth and 12KV accelerator - a bright display is promised there.

The problem is shipping from MI, in which case the 70LB weight may not be so bad, but the oversize carton and the rest, the only way would be fedex and use their packing service so they own it. Very expensive at that point.

It's too far from me to make a road trip practical since I am doing a lot of work on the house and getting an estate ready for sale.
I appreciate the toughness of the vacuum tube inputs like the 1750 plugin that scope comes with.
I never scrap that kind of stuff unless it can't be fixed and it's not worth using it if it did work.

A scrapper will poormouth it and might offer (around here) the average of 12 cents a pound for old test gear because of all the materials that have to be separated out of it. If they see the CRT they may not like that. Check 'dirty aluminum' prices in your state. Then call and tell them it's electronic test equipment.

If you are going to take it to scrap/trash, at least pull all the small vacuum tubes out. There are a couple dozen, many dual triodes of industrial quality.
Better to donate as-is it to goodwill or DAV & take the tax deduction, or offer it on facebook marketplace for a few bucks to hobbyist/experimenter with a meeting at a public place close to you.

No harm in plugging it in to see if it still works, it has a fuse, and you can put a ammeter in series to ward off evil influences.
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Those skills pay off in the mind-sharpening department and also when you want a piece of gear to do something special just for you, beyond or instead of what it does for the masses. Self-repair and hardware hacking is to be encouraged.

This is what Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF would call a “schmeg pile”!

Saturday, I should be able to contact the guy where the VTR might be, and where the TS-505s are. So I should know soon.

PMs sent on the TS-505 VTVMs and the 1/2" VTR to play that old tape.