The hatching of a cunning plan

[bsa-bill]

I like a bit of music whilst I tinker/fettle in my shed, trouble is I have a music centre in there that takes up a lot of space, I also can work on the bike while listening to radio coverage of Newcastle United games, that said the music centre has been passed by with new technology, tapes are a thing of the past and CDs are going the same way.
In my car I have a do doh that plugs into the power socket ( used to be called cigar lighter ) and plays MP3 files then  transmits them to the car radio ( holds 400 tunes and cost about 15 pounds on Ebay).
Space being at a premium in my shed I have been looking for something smaller that would play MP3s and radio but nothing I've seen is suitable, - I have been using my wives laptop to transfer these MP3s as my PC is too new for the particular player (wont work with Vista) - can you see where this is going.
I casually asked whether she would like a new laptop - something bigger better and quicker (and Tesco have 20% (vat) knocked off at the moment),so I have a heap load of brownie points,  more room in my shed, a laptop to play my music and a bonus - I also found on Ebay a gizzmo that sticks in the laptop USB port and turns it into a freeview TV ( about £14 posted), try  it out this afternoon it all works just fine fantastic picture too.

Oh so nice when a plan works out

[kiwipom]

good one Bill, all you need now is an armchair, cheers
Bob

[LJ.]

It's alright for some with their mods & cons... All I have is an old valve radio! 



Actually I love the sound it gives out, I've been meaning to connect up a CD player to the accessories input to play old tyme jazz. Music out in the shed is an absolute must, I think.

[pato08]

Hey L.J.  I see you do have the latest "paper towel dispencer" though ??

[Goldy]

Your in the technological age then bill. All I have in the garage is an old tv, and old hi-fi ( I think thats what they called them) and an electric kettle. What I really really want is central heating. All the best

[bsa-bill]

Hi Lj and Goldie - well I'm not fully in joined the Techie club as yet and I have'nt found a digital way to heat the shed yet either.

Just have to agree with LJ re the old receivers, I searched for ages on the old electronic flea market for an old radio but they were all too expensive or "was working the last time it was used" so why not try it again before listing then !!
But they do have a soothing quality of sound  I suppose this is why Vinyl records are still valued by many.
However there is a move a foot to go radio digital  ( it might never happen as the car radio issue is a big issue) and if that gains sway what will happen to all our old radios?
I could not but notice LJ you have one a prize     I presume it was not for the Radio 

Continue to enjoy that old "Wireless" mate - let us know what's happening down Ambridge

[LJ.]

Hi Pato... Some would say the paper dispenser is for a crap bike, I think not though and use it just mearly for mopping up oil.  Of course you're right Bill in that it was indeed the bike that won first prize. 

I found the best way in heating up the shed and that is to use inch and a half builders polystyrene sheets from Wicks builders merchants. you only then need a minimum amount of heat so really works out cheap. Trouble is though is that condensation appears heavily on the bike until it also warms up. Cant win really.

[bsa-bill]

Yes LJ condensation is a problem especially with metal roofs as I have on my shed, I help it a lot by using the polystyrene you speak of but put up some of the big type bubble wrap first so holding the polystyrene off the tin, also have a tube heater that is only 80 watt, it's on a timer so just comes on through the night, doesn't heat the shed enough to make it workable in there in cold weather but keeps the condensation at bay, I now have a froststat that I got cheap so once I get that wired in it will save running the tube heater when not needed ( whenever that will be)

[RichardL]

LJ,

Before being bitten by the BSA bug pre-2003, I was all into tube/valve audio equipment.  I really like the looks of your radio. Grundig, is it not? I restored one of the huge Grundig models of the '50's for my brother-in-law. The mechanical memory system for the motorized tuner was really interesting and a challenge to figure out and then restore (sort'a like an antique bike). I got into tube audio in order to restore some McIntosh hifi gear I got from my mother. This is the same gear I listened to the Beatles on when their records first hit the U.S. I had to buy a tube tester on eBay. When it came, I thought it was so great, I ended-up beinjg a collector of tube testers and now have five that work and one from the '30's just for display, being art deco in design.

Expecting a blizzard here this week. Very anxious to be back on the bike. The whole winter has been filled with home remodelling and I  want all that behind me when the weather returns to something more fit for humans and vintage motorcycles.

Richard L.

 

[MG]

Aha, same story here, Richard.  

Before buying the Beezas, I have restored no less than 12 tube radios, and I bought (and modified) a stereo amp with 2x2 EL34 in push-pull operation, plus building a set of suitable speakers for it (backloaded horns driven by broadband speakers). Still using that combo and some of the radios regularly and luv them!!!
You can't beat the sound of a tube amp (ok, maybe a Beeza twin on full throttle can)!  
Isn't our admin one of those HiFi freaks as well?

Err, before it goes completely off-topic here:
Well done Bill, nice one!

[bsa-bill]

Cheers MG now on the subject of amps, a little over a year ago I decided I could be the next Knopfler ( as you do) and went to see the bloke who runs a music shop in Berwick , nice bloke been in a few bands and encourages the local bands no end, and the occasional old wannabe 
I told him what I was after doing and he sort of guided me towards a Chrome plate Strat type. and he had an amp that he thought a lot of because as he put it "it 's got a tube", it's a Kustom Conteder if that means anything to you, anyway a year on and I haven't got into it yet apart from a couple of times playing about.
But I will at some point when the project is finished set some time aside every day to practise and see where I go with it, my hands are a problem, I'm prone to get hacks in the end of my fingers -  not good for guitar playing.
My Dad had an old Radio my uncle got for him it was a cracker (superhet I think if that makes sense) and with one of those magic tuning eyes, unfortunatley after Dad died and we cleared the house my brother dropped the Radio whilst carrying it, I had my eye on it - damn, the old man was a bit casual in his attitude to electricity, the radio sat on the floor beside the bed so he could reach down to it, nothing wrong with that except he has removed the case !!!!!

[A10Boy]

I've got a wartime bakalite valve wireless set in my garage. I can listen to the cricket or sounds of the 60's while I'm fettling the old bikes.

The kids think it's very funny that I call my Wirelss a Wireless! They recon that my wireless is a radio and that a wireless is something to do with the computer thing.

Have you ever heard anything so daft? Kids!