Been finding some cameras of late. Fleshed out the now small collection.

Gentle reader,

OK, so none of you were any help regarding the vintage dolls and chimp in my last post. That's OK. If all goes well and I have any energy after working seven days straight this week, I'll be putting them and some other stuff on ebay on Sunday. 

Now, more as to what The Robb Collections is all about. Cameras! OK, and Cars!

Above is the cabinet, which, BTW, I originally built to house Nancy's Beanie Babies, as it stands today.

Above is a close-up of the cameras showing the newest additions amongst their new friends. That is, if cameras were like toys as Pixar imagined.  The little ones on the bottom, left are cute, but only the one on the right is an actual camera.

Above is the three 110 cameras added below the three Kodak top-of-the-line 110 film cameras.

Above, an Olympus IS-3DLX which I scored on ebay for $2.99. Works perfectly and is in terrific shape. A very expensive camera in it's day. I had the first model, the IS-1 which is smaller and has a less lengthy lens. When I had that IS-1, I lusted after the IS-3DLX. 

Another ebay bargain, 99 cents for this Olympus OM-2S program, less lens. Listed as not working and try as I might, it is still not working.  I got the JCPenney brand zoom lens for a few bucks on ebay. Made-in-Japan, by whom?

You can't tell, but this is the once very expensive G-40 flash that was exclusive to the IS series of cameras. Another 99 cent item and it works great!

This is the flash Olympus made for their OM line of SLR cameras. The T-32. TTL on OM cameras and unlike later models, the flash portion hinges upward, rather than the whole head. Too close to the body to avoid red-eye unless using the tilt.

This one I found at a local Saturday flea market for $10. An Ansco Karomat. Nee Agfa. Made in Germany right after WWII. Collapsible lens with a shutter that works when IT wants too. 

Above is an Argus C-Forty-Four. Their answer to the Leica. Although performance was not much better than the venerable "brick" the C-3. It does have interchangeable lenses, like the Leica. I had the girl's late grandfather's whole three-lens kit years ago and made some very nice shots with it. Found it and the three 110 models below at one of my favorite thrift store haunts.

This is called an "All Weather" camera, made by Kalimar. It was robust enough to handle a few feet of underwater use. Appears to be unused. Fingerprints are my grandson's.

I found the top-of-the-line Minolta Autopak 460T during an earlier trip. Some would argue that the 470 was the top-of-the-line, yet it was single lens and only sported a detachable flash. Not as versatile in my opinion.

The Vivitar is a 845 Tele Motor. It and the Minolta, each sport a second lens that slides in front of the standard lens. The Vivitar's is seen in place. Also, the Vivitar has a motor to advance the film. A little "impact adjustment" got the motor to wake from it's Rip Van Winkle slumber and work once again.  

OK, now the changes to the die-cast cars collection. See the new ones above? What? You don't remember what it looked like before? It's the Lambo and the Viper GTS. Same thrift store. All 1:18th scale. I don't think you ever saw the Porsche Caymen S either. Fun comparing it to the 1986 924 above which preceded the 924S that I once owned a real one of.

A dear friend and former co-worker who is a professional model maker and designer, once gave me a very nice and complicated Ferarri F-50 model which is still un-built. Above, is a same-scale die-cast one, far better than I could ever do. Same thrift store.

I once had a 1975 Vega Kammback (wagon) which I liked and never gave me any trouble. The die-cast one above is of course, not a wagon. They don't make them. Factory promotional models, if ever available, go for a lot of money. Again, I could not build one as nice. Both of the photos above were shot through the Lexan cover which keeps little grandsons fingers away.

This is an update. I have been trying to get an Olympus XA which is a small (and Olympus' last) rangefinder focusing camera to have a sort of all-Olympus grouping. I want to get an A11 flash to attach to it, because as you can see below, it looks so tiny between it's larger brothers. Also, I've been wanting a 50mm lens for the OM-2S rather than the 28-80mm JCPenney branded zoom lens. Then looking in the OM camera bag, I spied the 2X which is about the same size as a normal (50m) lens and thought, "That'll do."

The Argus C44 will go to a new home, hopefully, via ebay.
 

Below are images of another, in better shape, XA+A16 flash combo. I actually have had several of these and made images with them. Nice little camera.  The A16 is a little more powerful flash than the more common A11.

As you can see, the lens cover slides to the left and also acts as an on/off switch.
 
Sans flash, below.

Next time it will be more of Nancy's stuff. I have pics of all of her glass paperweights and ALL her Beanie Babies. More than 350 pics of those! Don't worry, I'll do group shots for the blog. I have yet to shoot her large antique bottle collection. I want to shoot them with the sun behind......

Thanks for looking!

Scott

Does anybody know these faces? Vintage dolls and a monkey/chimp are nameless!

Gentle reader,

This is off the usual path. We cleaned out the attic and under the stairs and had a big and successful yard sale. BTW, in future posts, I will he showcasing Nancy's collections. I have HUNDREDS of photos to edit to do so.

Some items that did not find a new home were some vintage dolls and a black and yellow monkey or chimp. Below are photos. We are hoping someone can identify them. We hate to throw out these things when someone out there may want them. They are too old to let the grandkids play with them, plus they are boys.............

First up is a real cutie with blonde curly hair and a red gingham pattern dress and bonnet.

Now, the monkey or more likely, a chimp. Note the folded over ears. He's "fur" and early vinyl. Plus I just noticed is missing a nostril.

Now, what may be the oldest. I refer to it as a "peasant" doll. It has no real body. Nancy told me what both dolls faces are made of, but she's not here right now to tell me again.

 So, there you have it. If you can identify them for us, or even better want to give them a new home. Please comment or send us an e-mail. If you are clever, you will figure out how on blogger to find my e-mail address.

Thanks in advance,

Scott

 

Older ONKYO finds replace modern SONY receiver in here.

Gentle reader,

Again, thanks for taking the time to read my humble blog! I thank you also for your kind words. It truly makes me smile to hear (see?) from you!

Today, I'm going to show my latest change, not to the "listening room" system(s), but to the stereo I have here on the desk, inches from me. 

BTW, Gretchen, out miniature Dauschund, is on my lap, she can sense storms coming. Hates thunder and also the big guns at the local USMC base when they are practicing. So, it's a bit awkward typing......

Anyway, last week, I made my usual (25% off!) Wednesday stop at Salvation Army and for the 1st time in a LONG time they had a decent piece of audio equipment: An Onkyo A-RV401 integrated amplifier. In nice shape and since I still had my various cables in my bag in the car, and they had a pair of speakers that day too, I was able to test it. 

In here, since finding IT also at Salvation Army, a very nice SONY AV receiver, model STR-DE597. The slightly smaller brother of the STR-DE997 I use as the SACD multi-channel unit in the listening room, it was under utilized as a stereo only amp. 

The SONY is rated at 90 watts-per-channel, while the Onkyo is rated at 100. Not a big difference, you may be thinking. No, tisn't . However, the Onkyo while two channel only, outweighs the multi-channel SONY which also has receiver capabilities. Plus, since I only play stereo music in here, it is better suited.

But wait! It gets better! THIS Wednesday, on the way to Salvation Army, I was thinking it would be nice if they had the matching tuner. To my delight, they did! T-401 is it's model number. Alas, nothing to hook it to this week. So I took a chance.....

I like having clear FM reception in here, far from the stations. Thanks to the half-wave-length antenna I put on top of the house, I get it. The SONY excelled in pulling in the stations. So, I held my breath as I turned the Onkyo on, TADA! Works great. In fact being JUST a tuner, they packed it with features. 

I haven't looked for PDF files of the Onkyos so I don't know what all the various switches do, but the sound is AWESOME! I again thank my fabulous wife for buying me these BOSE 301 speakers years ago. They are still BOSE's top-of-the-line and have no business sounding as good as they do.

Oh, you want to SEE what I'm writing about? OK!

Below, is the two Onkyo components, from the front.

Below, is their naked rear views. Naked in they are unplugged and have no cables hooked up.

Below is the front of the just-replaced SONY.

Below is the naked rear of the just de-cabled, SONY. Note that the SONY, being far newer has the standard "F" connection for FM reception. The Onkyo has thumb screws for 300 ohm, 75 ohm and AM. So, I had to use the old (well, it's new, but old-fashioned) 75 to 300 ohm converter as you will see in the last photo.

As you can see, (above) the SONY has SO many connections related to video. It predates HDMI, so only has the analog component video HD inputs which are limited to 720p. Also, it supports eight speakers.

Below is the new "stack" with the SONY cassette player and CD players atop the Onkyo tuner, then the Onkyo integrated amplifier.

Below, the rear view fully cabled. If you are wondering, the antenna cable is way too long. I will come up with something more suitable.  Those RCA cables are the really nice ones that I bought from Parts Express: the #1 source for audio, video & speaker building components

 

Now, something completely off subject. My car, the Capri XR2 turned 111,111 miles, but I JUST missed it! However, I was driving out pickup, a 1997 Ford Ranger we bought in 2001 with 157,000+ miles on it and I had the camera ready when it turned: 222,222 miles! Fortunately, I was approaching a stoplight and was able to snap the following:

Pretty cool, huh? That old Ranger has been the most reliable vehicle. It's my first truck. I don't have the typical male truck/suv gene. 

Thanks for looking!

Scott

A GREAT way to mount your BOSE 301 speakers for excellent sound!

Gentle reader,

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I really enjoy your comments. It's nice to know my humble activities hold some interest for someone other than myself. My wife, who is the light of my life, just shakes her head at most of it, especially the audio stuff. She too has her quirks.....

I've thought about using flat-screen-TV brackets to mount these BOSE 301 speakers for a while now. They were on CRT-TV wall-mount brackets in the den. I found at Micro Center - Computers, Electronics, Computer Parts, Networking, Gaming, Software, and more! That they had Inland Inland 14"-37" Swivel TV Wall Mount 710S 501460 - Micro Center brackets on sale at half price that are PERFECT for mounting BOSE 301 speakers. BOSE provides four screws on the back of the speakers and sells their own brackets. However, their brackets place the speakers directly on the wall. Never a good place for them. 

Below is the newly installed BOSE 301 right speaker mounted on the Inland 710S bracket.

Below is the newly installed BOSE 301 left speaker mounted on the Inland 710S bracket.

 Below is the left speaker from the right side.

 Below is the right speaker from the left side.

Below is a view of the bracket mounted to the back of the BOSE 301 speaker. I did NOT use the factory locations of the mounting screws. Above and below the screws that are located in the black section of the back of the speaker is a pair of posts that seemed designed for screw holes. They line up with two of the factory holes in the Inland brackets. I mounted them then drilled two other holes in the wooden portion as you can see.

Below is the front of the box. Note the curved notches on the mounting surface of the bracket. They coincide exactly with the protrusion on the back on the BOSE 301's rear tweeter. Cool, huh?

Below is the right speaker. Stand swiveled and speaker offset. 

So, there you have it. The latest iteration of my obsession with making the best of my listening experience on a budget. 

Thanks for looking!

Scott 

Revised November 20, 2017

 

 

New camo pants and experimenting with Monster Interconnects

Gentle reader,

Again, thanks for taking the time to look at my blog. It does my heart good to see how many of you are doing so!

If you look to the right, you'll see the "top ten" blog pages by interest. Third one down, about camoflauge, see it? Well, after seeing the movie BATTLESHIP, I realized that I did not have any U.S. Navy pants. I saw some at the local gun show, but they were too short.

My favorite thrift store (The Village, in Dale City, VA) to the rescue! I stopped in there and to my delight, they had a pristine pair in my size: $6.90 later and they are MINE!

 Like the USMC's camo, the U.S. Navy also has their logo imbedded in the digital pattern. As seen above.

Also, like the USMC's, they have elastic waist and cargo pockets. Unlike all the other branches, they have a ZIPPERED fly! While I am used to button flies, one can't beat a good old zipper.

Enough about that! If you saw: The Robb Collections: Audio Nirvana....at LAST! You have perhaps noted how MANY times that I have sworn that I was truly done tweaking the stereo. Well, I came across, at The Village, that same day in fact, a set of Monster Cables that are around sixteen feet long. See below:

They are the pair on the top. Turns out that they are for automobile applications. I substituted them for the THX Certified versions that are the bottom ones in the photo. They sounded fine, yet got me to thinking. (Something my wife says I do too much of.) The upper ones are twisted within the blue braided covering for RF rejection purposes. One can see, that the untwisted portions inside the "pants" (that's what they call them!) are quite thin. 

I decided to twist the bottom ones myself. Whether it does any good or not, I do not know. THEN, I started researching Monster's various cables. They make some very expensive ones. Some forums pooh-poohed these cables as being good, but not excellent. On to ebay I went where I found some 1000 series (the current ones are 400s) eight feet long for $10. a pair, used. I bought two pairs and some Monster THX Certified connectors. Both arrived and I found the cables are in fact, FOUR feet long! I am in contact with the seller....See them below:

 Above are the connectors. Nice looking, aren't they? Note the THX on the labels of the ends.

The cables are marked as to the direction the signal should travel. Above. Below is a comparison of the THX 1000 ones verses the automotive ones. Quite a bit thicker. These 1000 series are universally highly praised.

So, once I have enough wires to make up about sixteen feet to travel between the pre-amp and power amp, hopefully, the music will sound EVEN BETTER.

Lastly, on to another, this time a Salvation Army, find: A pair of Polk Audio Monitor Series bookshelf speakers. They are EXACTLY the same models as the one I found for a center channel in the six-channel SACD playback system. The experts recommend that all five ear-level speakers in any surround-sound set-up should be identical, including the center channel. Now, how many center channel speakers have you seen that are identical to the rest? None? Right, the vast majority are designed to be placed horizontal. Again, the experts have been saying for DECADES, "Don't lay speakers on their sides!" Or words to that effect. I don't remember the reason, but I suspect the answer is only a few clicks away. See below the three MATCHING Polk Audio speakers:

Now, the situation is, I love the sound of the BOSE 301s that my wife bought me. However, they are quite different from the Polk center channel, which yes, I HAD laid down on it's side. Heck, the 301s are designed that way! Now, as you can see, all three are standing upright. I took the grille off the center one so you can see the quality drivers. RUBBER surround on the woofers, no foam, no sir! I will properly "couple" the speakers to the TV stands they sit on with Blu Tack. I roughly aimed the stereo units aimed at my listening seat with the laser. The sound? AWESOME! Amazing amount of bass for their size. 

Thanks for looking!

Scott