PBS on 125°W is AWESOME! :)

[putney]

Did the cars in the 50s and 60s get 30 MPG ?

I had a 1969 Saab 96 that had a Ford V-4 and 4 in the tree. It got 38 mpg highway and had crazy power! (I lived in the mountains in Co.)

It also had a thing they called a 'free wheel clutch' that allowed the car to glide instead of slowing down when you let off the gas. I think the are now implementing this in newer auto transmissions.

 

[truckracer]

The world was a better place when everybody's business was not connected to everywhere else. Small towns are the best

 

[yuccabrevifolia]

I had a 1969 Saab 96 that had a Ford V-4 and 4 in the tree. It got 38 mpg highway and had crazy power! (I lived in the mountains in Co.)

It also had a thing they called a 'free wheel clutch' that allowed the car to glide instead of slowing down when you let off the gas. I think the are now implementing this in newer auto transmissions.

Loved that! I remember that weird free wheeling setup, but I thought it was in the differential. I think the early 60s Fords had these, a friend had a Galaxy 500 with a knob on the dashboard to engage it.

Mine was a 1969 Opel Cadette. 30 mpg plus with way too much horsepower for a very light weight top heavy car with poor suspension.. Best MPG I had until my 73 Subaru dl which regularly averaged high 30s.

I'm thankful for the ability to show my boys (13 and 7) what the world was like when I was a kid. TV has given us a real archive. It is a shame that mainstream networks don't recognize the value of this older stuff, and that it is relegated to specialty channels. I might even watch OTA if there were old reruns available.

 

[classicsat]

I am not as old as some of you. My gasoline memories go back to when they banned lead, and it was just under 50 cents/litre. I do appreciate older movies, TV, music, and other life trappings of the 50s and 60s though. My go to PBS is Detroit Public TV, which is on Shaw Direct which I subscribe to, get in HD, and needs no AC3 decoder for (my Shaw Direct receiver decodes AC3 itself). I used to watch PBS-X on analog, when I had a C-band dish up. The other night was a Stax-Volt in Norway TV special, recorded in monochrome on tape, possibly with Vidicon cameras. Last month they ran a special middle/late 1960s Rock And Roll acts from Ed Sullivan. Pledge drives are good for something.

 

[Cadsulfide]

The 40th anniversary of the Kent State Massacre is May 4th this year. Somewhere along the way we all lost our innocence.

 

[Inno]

The music of the time was ageless. And the cars were better built. TV was free and three channels (seven in Los Angeles). I remember coming home one night and yelling "I'm home" to any one that would listen, and my Mom yelled back "... QUIET, Maverick in on." We walked to school, and candy bars were 4 cents each (today a dollar or more for smaller bars).

Well, those are some of MY memories.

Photto

Funny, I'm in my mid 30s and I long for a simpler time.......even though I didn't live in one.
I really think you have something here with the cars being better built. I believe they were built better, it's just that technology has found ways to make sub standard acceptable. The cars of today are not built better from a structural standpoint but they are engineered better......not sure if that is clear.
Lets put it this way. A fridge made in the 50s was designed to last for 50 years(or more in some cases) but it lacks the refinement of the newer, more efficient models of today. Today's fridges are much more efficient and convenient but only last 10-15 years. Cars are much the same.

 

[Tron]

really think you have something here with the cars being better built. I believe they were built better, it's just that technology has found ways to make sub standard acceptable. The cars of today are not built better from a structural standpoint but they are engineered better......not sure if that is clear.
Lets put it this way. A fridge made in the 50s was designed to last for 50 years(or more in some cases) but it lacks the refinement of the newer, more efficient models of today. Today's fridges are much more efficient and convenient but only last 10-15 years. Cars are much the same.

Same goes for electronics... Today, the electronics we use are more or less disposable. Even if they would physically last longer, they become obsolete. So there is no need to build a cell phone that will last 5-10 years, since it will be useless by then. I'm by no means an "environmental nut", but we as a society are going to have to do something about the massive amount of electronic garbage that we are producing due to planned obsolescence.

 

[Inno]

:rant: Rant warning. :rant:
I live in a small town (about 9000 people) with a surrounding population of probably another 7,000. I'm not an environmental nut either but I have seen tons and tons of electronic waste just put into the landfill due to exactly what you are saying, obsolescence. This is TVs, computers (very high numbers!), stereo equipment, cell phones and the batteries that run them all. It is too cost prohibitive to recycle all these things and all we want is the next newest gadget or toy........it's crazy! I was an electronics tech for over 15 years and in that time I have seen shocking amounts of "obsolete" equipment just trashed in favor of something newer or "cooler". The new stuff is not only obsolete quicker but it is either not repairable or if it were repairable parts are not available because it is simply designed to be thrown out.
I think the biggest problem is that the price of these gadgets is so low that they have no inherent value. I remember as a kid (not that long ago) having a AM radio that I bought myself with my own money. I wanted the AM/FM radio but I could not afford it. I took care of that radio and really treasured it and it lasted me a good long time. How many kids will still be listening to the Ipod they have in 10 years? Probably not a single one!
The onus is on the manufacturers to increase the price of these items to cover the cost of recycling them! Make the manufacturers responsible to recycle each and every item they produce that is obsolete in less than 5 years or make them pay a penalty which will go towards further recycling programs.
There is no end in sight folks..........all the warnings, all the environmentalists, tree huggers and do gooders are powerless against a society that believes they need all the toys and they need them at any cost. It eventually will end but probably not until something really really bad happens. Something that forces society to change.

:rant: Rant off

 

[Phottoman]

Agreed, Inno. Does anyone here remember the Citizens Band era?

Photto

 

[classicsat]

CB, barely. Our neighbors had that, with the paneled living room, component stereo, shag carpet, and disco lights. We had no living room, just a kitchen with a small sofa and an all tube B&W TV on the fridge, and an AM only radio.

 

[Inno]

We had CB back in the day. We had a base station and a big antenna outside. My Dad had one in his pickup. Pretty much every cabin on the nearby lake had one. Before cell phones it provided basic communication for everyday things and emergencies.

 

[TRG]

Funny how these posts veer off course some times. This one was kind of fun to read. Here are a couple of quick comments of my own.

1. First, in line with the original post I also love PBS programing on 125W. I especially enjoy Montana PBS on Thursday and Saturday nights. One of these days, if a FTA receiver company decides to build a HD STB with all the essential features I want I'll check out the PBS_HD.

2. Old TV shows rule. Thank the FTA gods there is programming like RTN on the birds for us to enjoy. I hope WhiteSprings comes back someday.

3. My 2 channel stereo system and a couple of radios I own use vacuum tubes. IMHO they sound more natural than transistors. Some people think I'm a little weird.

4. My brother had a nineteen sixty something Rambler American that got 35 miles to a gallon, sometimes more. But back then the speed limit was only 55 mph.

5. My friends and I used to tear around on 125 cc motorcycles when we were kids. After a few days of riding we'd have to fill them up with gas. When we were done pumping we'd give the attendant a dollar bill and get change back.

6. I have lots of opinions about politics and the direction this country has chosen. But this forum is not the place for political discussion so I'll keep my comments to myself.

Thanks for the memories guys!

 

[AcWxRadar]

Funny how these posts veer off course some times. This one was kind of fun to read. Here are a couple of quick comments of my own.

1. First, in line with the original post I also love PBS programing on 125W. I especially enjoy Montana PBS on Thursday and Saturday nights. One of these days, if a FTA receiver company decides to build a HD STB with all the essential features I want I'll check out the PBS_HD.

2. Old TV shows rule. Thank the FTA gods there is programming like RTN on the birds for us to enjoy. I hope WhiteSprings comes back someday.

3. My 2 channel stereo system and a couple of radios I own use vacuum tubes. IMHO they sound more natural than transistors. Some people think I'm a little weird.

4. My brother had a nineteen sixty something Rambler American that got 35 miles to a gallon, sometimes more. But back then the speed limit was only 55 mph.

5. My friends and I used to tear around on 125 cc motorcycles when we were kids. After a few days of riding we'd have to fill them up with gas. When we were done pumping we'd give the attendant a dollar bill and get change back.

6. I have lots of opinions about politics and the direction this country has chosen. But this forum is not the place for political discussion so I'll keep my comments to myself.

Thanks for the memories guys!

TRG,

I had a specific purpose in mind with the original post that I made, and that was to get more people interested in the PBS channels on 125°W. So, I simply made a comment upon what I observed on PBS in one instance and left it as an open-ended invitation to any dialog that anyone wished to pursue.

Beyond that, I am really thrilled with this area of the SatelliteGuys forum as we can be free and loose and everyone can just chat along with their own thoughts and emotions. I like it very much when we can all do this together and open our eyes and our minds to new (or old) ideas and just have a little fun investigating some avenues, any avenue, in pure fun. Like sitting around the kitchen table with a few friends having a pint of ale and saying whatever comes to mind when someone else triggers a thought within us.

The subject matter might vary so wildly that it doesn't make sense to some, but it makes perfect sense to me, as it is simply a discussion between friends where it is allowable to change the subject in midstream and go off on a tangent simply because a thought popped into your head. You never know what you might learn or discover and in the end, it is simply just pleasureable and happy and whole lot of FUN!

Yes, you never know where conversations like these might lead you. Sometimes it may be just idle chatter, sometimes it could lead to a new friend or to a fond memory that you can share with someone you didn't even realize you had a connection with. There seems to always be something great to explore and discover here! That's the best fun in this hobby for me.

RADAR

 

[cruzin]

Ive had a 1.0 true focus dish pointed at 129 since it went off the air and I think I will re aim it at 125.

 

[Inno]

Funny how these posts veer off course some times. This one was kind of fun to read. Here are a couple of quick comments of my own.

1. First, in line with the original post I also love PBS programing on 125W. I especially enjoy Montana PBS on Thursday and Saturday nights. One of these days, if a FTA receiver company decides to build a HD STB with all the essential features I want I'll check out the PBS_HD.

2. Old TV shows rule. Thank the FTA gods there is programming like RTN on the birds for us to enjoy. I hope WhiteSprings comes back someday.

3. My 2 channel stereo system and a couple of radios I own use vacuum tubes. IMHO they sound more natural than transistors. Some people think I'm a little weird.

4. My brother had a nineteen sixty something Rambler American that got 35 miles to a gallon, sometimes more. But back then the speed limit was only 55 mph.

5. My friends and I used to tear around on 125 cc motorcycles when we were kids. After a few days of riding we'd have to fill them up with gas. When we were done pumping we'd give the attendant a dollar bill and get change back.

6. I have lots of opinions about politics and the direction this country has chosen. But this forum is not the place for political discussion so I'll keep my comments to myself.

Thanks for the memories guys!

I know I helped to steer if off course but I don't think I got too political. Hope not.

In keeping with the original topic, I have a guitar amp that uses all tubes, very nice sounding! I also have a hybrid home stereo amp that has tube pre-outs and transistor outputs. I have some work to do on it but I am looking forward to hearing it.
All the things you talk about I really wish I had lived through. Sounds like a much simpler time where hard work really did pay off.
Most of the music I really enjoy came from the late 60s and thru the 70s. Back when you needed talent not just good looks to record a hit. Actually you didn't have to be attractive at all back then. But you did have to be able to sing, no voice altering electronics to make you sound good!

 

[Mr Tony]

Ive had a 1.0 true focus dish pointed at 129 since it went off the air and I think I will re aim it at 125.

well worth it

 

[TimLones111]

Our own local PBS (Akron, Ohio) station reran a local special about ABC "voice" the late Ernie Anderson and how he "owned" Cleveland as Horror Movie Host "Ghoulardi" on WJW-TV 8 from 1963-66 during their pledge drive a couple days ago..The interviews with local broadcasters, Ghoulardi fans in their youth, kept saying how TV years ago was much simpler with 3 channels, and how many local talents were "stars" just in the Cleveland area..Successors to Ghoulardi, Hoolihan (Bob Wells), Big Chuck Schodowski and "Lil John" Rinaldi, kept the movie franchise going for 41 more years (to 2007)..And they are the most personable, kind and friendly "tv stars" you'd ever want to meet..Comes from their upbringing, where they appreciate fans and the memories they provided..

This may have to do with the topic, or not, but I think it comes down to having good memories of our youth watching TV..

 

[Dee_Ann]

I remember the JFK assassination. That is ALL that was on TV 24/7 for over a year.
There were three channels, ABC, CBS, NBC. Period. No others existed.

The milkman brought milk to our house in a wire basket, the bottles were glass and there were cardboard tops to seal them and a paper thingie over that.
He would actually knock on the door then walk in and set the bottles on the counter by the door and take the empties.

The laundry man came to our house too. He didn't walk in though. He rang and mom answered. He picked up our dirty laundry in a big bag and brought back our clean laundry all folded. And he brought dad's suits back all pressed and stuff.

When I got sick the doctor came to our house to see me. What ever happened to that?

My favorite shows were The Munsters, The Addams Family, Ed Sullivan show, Art Linkletter, Disney, I dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, The Monkee's, The Partridge Family, That Girl, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Patty Duke, Donna Reed, Hazel, The Flying Nun, and most of all, Red Skelton. Actually, that's a short list of the shows I liked from the 60's and 70's..

We didn't get a color tv until 1970. So I was at grandma's house, a LOT, grandpa worked on a ship and made a lot of money and he bought a big console color tv.
My dad did well but he was just too cheap to buy one.

My first car was a 1965 Dodge Polara convertible. I got my drivers license not long after the Arab oil embargo ended. There were price wars going on and I once paid 29 cents a gallon for regular leaded gas. However the average price then was 32 cents a gallon. I could go out dancing two nights in a row Friday and Saturday on a $5 bill and have a great time.

I had an 8-track tape player in my car and we went through like 3 copies of Heart Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen riding around partying our selves silly.

I also had a Quadraphonic stereo system in my first apartment. It had reels, a turntable and an 8-track. That was soooooo cool...

About that time a bunch of religious nuts came knocking on doors and convinced me that Led Zeppelin was trying to send backwards Satanic messages to me on my albums so I burned them all. Brilliant. Collectors items now.

Wow... The world sure has changed a lot. I'm not so sure it's for the better, to be honest.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Hi Dee!

Hey, you caught my attention with some of the TV series that you listed as your fav's. Those were many of mine, too!

I just recently caught a couple of programs on the Biography Channel. One was about Elizabeth Montgomery and one was about Barbara Eden, both of these gals were a major part of my growing - up years.

I remember rushing home from school to watch Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeanie and Gilligan's Island. These were my favorite standby's then, and they are still my favorites today. These were fun shows and I loved them!

I have always admired Elizabeth Montgomery. I thought she was really neat and even as a kid, I wasn't merely infatuated with her as a female cause she was pretty, but I admired her because I knew that she was a good actress. Same so with Barbara Eden, but I kinda had a slight crush on Barbara because she was so pretty. But, I think I liked Barbara moreso simply because I sensed that she had a really fun personality on and off the screen. She was just so "bubbly" with personality while still being a real person.

However, my favorite show had to be Gilligan's Island! This for several reasons.

One, I felt like I was Gilligan's brother and the Skipper (do you remember his character's name on the show, beyond "Skipper"?) was like a composite of all my older brothers. So that was a fun thing for me when I was growing up.

Two, I like the Professor. He was cool because of all his engineering gadgets, so I eventually followed that lead in my careers. Studying physics and electronics and chemistry.

Third, and this is my favorite, I liked Mary Ann! I was in LOVE with her with a massive crush! Her character in the show was so wholesome and with midwestern family values that I just couldn't help but look up to her in that way, but she was also so beautiful and even sexy, without being overboard, that she simply captured my heart.

When I was a teen in high school, a girl in the class below me caught my eye, she looked so much like Mary Ann to me that I fell in Love with her at first sight. I didn't realize the connection then, but looking back through the years, I bet Mary Ann and Gilligans Island had a great role in why she appealled to me.

I dated her for many years, but we didn't end up together for life. However, her picture is on my "mantle" so to speak to this day, it is right in front of me right now. She doesn't know that. But, I like having her face look at me every day. She was pretty special, I will love her till I die.

Amazing what an influence just a simple show could have upon a person's life.

Gordy

 

[classicsat]

Seen T.A.M.I. on TV the other night. Not my past, but good entertainment anyways. They used "Electrovision", which apparently was image orthicon video cameras, but they recorded to film.

On other memories:
We had bread delivery. Every couple weeks a man would come and deliver a dozen loaves of bread, and he had some dessert treats and potato chips for sale.

For TV, my growing up era was late 70s to all the 80s. I didn't get to see most 60s/early 70s TV until I got satellite TV. As far as I can remember, we had B&W TV until we bought a real color RCA set in 1983 (still have that set).
Never really had a remote for the family TV setup, even with a remote capable VCR, until 2001 with the Star Choice digital satellite receiver.