I found a floor radio. What's a floor radio? They Were Called Console Radios Once. Take a look.

Gentle reader,

Long before even I was born, there was no television. No Internet, almost no telephones and they all were attached to buildings.

Families were entertained by radio shows. To even call it a "show" confuses things. One had to use their imagination to fill in what they were hearing. It was a shared experience than carried over with TV. 

Then the Internet came along and companies figured out how to make it possible to access the Internet while on the move or without wires. Now so much of the western world and some of the eastern world spend their time bent necked looking a small screens. Sigh.

Below, is the "floor radio" I found at Salvation Army for $26.24. That's 25% off their $34.99 price being it was 25% off Wednesday.

Looks old, doesn't it? Well that's the idea. 

Note the three cut out areas behind the grille. I did not notice that at first. It wasn't until I took the back off did I see the three speakers.

Below is another Thomas reproduction radio atop the floor radio so you can gauge just how big it is. The small one and the others can be seen in my post about them from some time ago:

The Robb Collections: The Radio Collection 

Below is how it was wired in China. The device on the left is the cassette player. Basically it is crap. Yes it plays cassettes, but they don't sound as good as FM!

So you may be thinking, "The wires look OK to me." USA electricity is AC for alternating Current. That means the electricity is turning on and off sixty times a second. This can produce an audible hum of 60 Hertz in music or other reproduced sound. The AC power cord is parallel to and touching the speaker wires. A no-no. By the way, the three speakers, called "drivers" are top to bottom: Tweeter, Midrange, once called squawker, and woofer. Each provides a portion of the sound. Bigger is lower, smallest is highest in the sound spectrum of 20 to 20,000 Hertz or "Cycles per second". An electronic device called a crossover separates the music and sound and sends the signal portions to the correct drivers. Get it?

Below and above, you can see that I moved the AC cord to the opposite side of the cabinet. I also neatened up the black (input) and white (output) wires of the transformer. A transformer reduces the 120 volt AC voltage to whatever voltage is needed to work the device. On the board of the amplifier/tuner is a device that converts AC to DC voltage called a bridge rectifier.

Lastly, I loosely filled the speaker cabinet with polyfill which should improve the sound by damping the sound (half of it) that comes out of the back of the woofer.

Below is a photo I made of the floor radio "in situ" in the corner of the listening room. I'm toying with selling the rest of the radios in the collection as I only used one on Sunday nights listening to old time radio on WAMU 88.5 FM in Washington, D.C.

Thanks for looking,

Scott

Bought the ultimate SLEEPER car: Volvo V50 T5. Yes, a station wagon!

Gentle reader,

First off, a "SLEEPER" is an unassuming looking car that has speed and performance hidden inside. When seen in traffic or at a stop light, no one would suspect it's potential to "blow the doors off" of their own vehicle. 

When I was 16, my dad, may he rest in peace, pretty much forced me to go take the Colorado driver's examination. I told him I hadn't studied. So we went and I failed. This would have been 1972 or so. I was saving my money from my first job at a Mobil gas station. $1.65 an hour was minimum wage then. Plus, I didn't like station wagons! After many years of VW buses, they finally bought an American car: 1973 AMC Matador wagon. Pretty blue, but that's all I could say for it.

There WAS one station wagon in Denver that I would have gladly owned and would STILL love to have. Called a "300" by Chevrolet. It was a TWO_DOOR station wagon. Same basic body as their El Camino which was a pickup car based on the midsize Chevelle. The 300 was only made in 1964 and 1965. Historically, aside from the 1955-1957 Nomad which was a sporty fastback two-door wagon, they also sold a less expensive two-door wagon. I don't remember what they were called.

Well, over time and having kids, I came to own a few wagons: 1974 Chevy Vega (two-doors, four cylinder with four-speed manual trans.), 1975 Ford Torino, 1973 Chevy Laguna, and 1988 Chevy Caprice. The last one, had a 305 cubic inch Oldsmobile V8 with a Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor. I got those massive secondary barrels open one time before the computer realized it and slammed them shut. 

I forgot the most recent one and my first turbo (the V50 is my forth): 2002 Subaru WRX wagon in WRC blue. And before that one, "G-G" as the kids named it: 1985 Dodge Aries wagon. Red with red velour interior. Loved that car!

G-G would have been perfect if it had a manual transmission AND I could have gotten it to pass emissions testing!

The Subie was fun, and my wife was right, now that I look at the pictures. It wasn't much of a wagon. But still......

Since then, there have been many wagons that I've admired, Vovlo 1800ES which was a sleek two-door that the British refer to as a "Shooting Brake". Weird name, I know. Lately, they made a Jaguar X-type wagon that is gorgeous. Cadillac not only made their first wagon, a CTS, but one can or could get a "V" version with a supercharged V8 and six-speed manual trans! The Oldsmobile Vista Cruisers and  Buick's version called Sport Wagon are nice looking and desired by many. I have, in fact a book called, Station Wagons. 

But enough about historical or present day wagons or as the British call them, Estate Cars. I've admired other Volvos, especially the V70 line, the top of which was the V70 R which is all-wheel drive with a T5 turbocharged five cylinder engine with 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. Electronically limited to 155 mph. We test drove the lesser, but still fun, V70 T5 with a five speed stick, but the seller wouldn't come down on the price. We were looking at a used V40 Volvo at a used car dealer, but sadly, even though they are all 1.6 liter turbo four cylinders, they only have automatic transmissions. That day and that dealer is where we found and bought the Capri XR2 four years ago, next month.

Now, to the present, my wife said she'd feel better if I was driving something, "from this Century." So I began a search. I drove: 2000 Honda Insight hybrid, cool car! Mazda 6 sedan, Mazda RX8, liked that one! Mini Cooper S, loved that one! Ford Focus SVT, and a couple other ones. I found a one-owner 2005 Volvo V50 T5 with six-speed manual transmission at Auto Buying Service:

Used Car, Truck, and SUV Dealership, Fairfax, Arlington | Northern VA   

I really liked everything about the car and bought it. It was well taken care off and had records to prove it. In like-new condition as you will see.

I never would have chosen a grey vehicle! But talk about NOT sticking out in traffic! They call it "Slate Grey". Below, you can see the V50's size relevant to the Capri XR2's. 

Nice clean, sleek front end. Can't tell if the headlights are HID or halogen. Like the Audi TT we had, the high beams are MUCH brighter than the low beams.

The only subtle clues to it's potential for speed is the "T5" emblem and dual tailpipes.

Versatile five doors. Note below, the "floating stack" which houses the radio and HVAC controls.

I love the three-tone interior, it's light and airy and made from sturdy fabrics rather than needy leather. Plenty of backseat leg room.

How DO they make those marks so precisely when vacuuming?

Above, the six-speed "stick" and floating center stack. Behind is ideal for a book on CD box, although a trash bin was an option for that location. Below, the proper number of pedals.

Below, the potent 218 horsepower, 236 pound-feet of torque turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5 liter engine. Properly setup with the intake in the front and exhaust in the back. Intake air enters a scoop to the right of that yellow sticker at the bottom of the photo, through the air filter and to the rear and though the turbocharger. From there, the hot pressurized air travels to the front below the bumper and through the intercooler. From there, up into the intake (right behind that same yellow sticker). See the little vent in the lower right (8 openings) air from the radiator fan is sent through a passage inside the hood to the little rectangular opening that is the battery cover. This sends cooling air to the battery. I've never seen anything like it.

Below, sensible 16" wheels with the first set of Michelin tires I've ever had. I hope they last, because at $135.00 a piece at Tire Rack.com, they will probably be my last!

Now, lest you are not convinced that the V50 is a performance car, take a look at the two articles below about the upcoming V60 wagon/S60 sedan. The V60 replaces the V50 AND V70 wagons. It falls between the two in size. 

So, you may be thinking, "OK, that Polestar V60 looks awesome, but my minivan has more horsepower than your grey Volvo." Possibly true. But the "anonymous grey" Volvo has the top engine available and the six-speed borrowed from the S60-R. It is a performance car in every sense important to me and disappears in traffic. I LOVE it!

That's it for now. Thanks again for taking the time to read my humble blog!

Scott

Double Sub-woofers and The Ultimate Olympus OM kit

Gentle reader,

Thanks once again for taking the time to read my humble blog. Also thanks for your kind words. They encourage me to keep shooting the pics and typing the words. 

My wife and I live our lives the fullest we can with limited funds. We obtain what we want to enjoy our interests without going into debt. Thus what I call "previously enjoyed" items once loved by others pass through our hands and stay for a while. Since out time on this earth is limited, we do not own anything, we are merely stewards of the many things that clutter our lives and hopefully enhance them as well.

It seems to us that plenty of you are interested in what we are able to find and fit into our small home. First off, I found at Goodwill a JBL sub-woofer, called Power Bass and model number PB10. It is comprised of a long excursion 10" driver and 150 watt amplifier. It was made in 2001 and retailed for $349. I got it for $27. 

It is to the left of the cabinet. I have removed the DCM Timeframe speakers and have run the wires from the modern Dynaco Stereo 200 power amplifier's "B" speaker terminals to the high level inputs on the PB10. With the DCMs gone, it is a little less clustered than it was. To balance the scene and remove the other sub-woofer from the cabinet, I moved it to the right side. Note that I placed the subs on wood. This means that no bass is absorbed by the carpet, but is released for fullest enjoyment. They are two of three dividers that were designed to go in the left side of the cabinets and divide LPs. This move freed a lot of space with more than 16" of vertical clearance. Thus, I was able to move many of the oversize books from this room and into the listening room where I tend to read while listening to music. Lastly, removing the 12" sub isolates the components from the bass. This prevents vibrations from injecting unwanted sounds into the music.

Also, I wired the 12" sub the same way as the 10" but with the Sony receiver's front speaker wires going into the inputs and the front channel speakers wires hooked to the sub's output. The sub amplifier's internal circuitry removes sounds below the threshold you choose and channeling everything above to the front speakers. I tested it with Telarc's mighty SACD of the 1812 Overture. The sub did the bass and saved the front speakers from trying to reproduce the incredible cannon shots. Cool!

I also ran the RCA cables from the Adcom preamplifier to the low level inputs of the 12" sub. I turn it on if something, like the 1812 SACD, calls for extra oomph. 

Lastly, I moved the matching wooden CD racks to atop the sub-woofer cabinets. No rattling that I could detect. Also the little dragons on each are closer the simulated Bonsai trees.

NOW for the second part. As you may recall, from my blog back in January of 2013 about my getting a new Olympus OM-10: The Robb Collections: Coming full circle 

Well, I have been gathering lots of lenses and also scored a very nice OM-2S Program which came with three lenses. I am going to be passing on two of them, but keeping the 50mm f1.8 lens that came with it. 

Perhaps you have heard the term, "Mirror Lens". The official title is "catadioptric". Fancy word that explains that the light passes around the small black disc on the front, bounces off a curved mirror on the back "wall" of the lens, bounces again off the small curved mirror inside that small black disc and into the camera. 

The vast majority of mirror lenses are inexpensive and abundant and usually have a fixed aperture of f8. Most lens companies have made them, even Nikon. As you also may recall, the majority of the OM-mount lenses I have gathered are Soligor brand. The best Soligor lenses are called "C-D". What that means, I don't know, but the cost more new and still do used. So, I bought a Soligor C-D 500mm f8 mirror lens and a 77mm hood for it. It came in a nice little felt lined case. Again, cool. 

Well, a mirror lens that has often avoided my capture was made by Lentar. It to is f8 but that is where the scene blurs.

Above and below are the cases that house each lens. Obviously, the Lentar is larger and appears more complicated.

Above and all below show the massive size differences. But note below that the actual glass appears to be the same diameter. It should be since they share the f8 speed.

Bigger and longer. Also, the Lentar has a tripod mount collar. It can be rotated for vertical shots.

Note the intrusion in the Lentar's exit pupil. That is part of the mechanism that holds neutral density filters that act as virtual aperture blades, each halving the available light. Rotating the knurled ring moves the filters in and out of the light path.

The "X" refers to the amount of light reduction. Pretty cool, huh?

So, below shows the whole kit and caboodle of the Olympus kit I have painstakingly assembled:

There are fourteen lenses here. Although only 13 of them have glass in them. The 14th will be explained below.

Below are the three super-wide lenses. The left one, attached to the front of a 50mm lens, turns it from 50mm to 7.5mm and produces a circular image that is 180 degrees wide. Keep your feet out of the image! The right lens is a 12mm fisheye lens. It is also f8, but being a normal, non-mirror lens, it has aperture blades. The middle is the Holy Grail of Olympus OM mount lenses: 18-28mm zoom lens. 

Now, if you have a DSLR, you may be thinking, "Heck most cameras come with an 18-55mm lens, so what's the big deal?" On all but "full-frame" i.e., the sensor is 24mm by 36mm, just like 35mm film, digital SLR cameras use a sensor the same size as the now defunct APS film. Or 50% smaller. So, an 18mm digital lens is the same "size" as a 35mm film lens of 27mm. Wide, for sure, but not 18mm wide. 

On any 35mm camera, an 18-28mm lens is really wide. I was constantly looking for an 18mm Sigma or Spiratone lens when I saw this Samyang 18-28mm and snatched it up! Samyang lenses are made in South Korea. Home of Hyndai and Kia.

The "bubble" inside the lenses are the inside edge of the front elements.

Above and below are the three zoom lenses that start in the wide angle end: Samyang 18-28mm, Soligor C-D 28-80mm and Tamron 28-200mm lens. The widest range of the three.

 

Above and below are the big-boy zoom lenses. Soligor C-D 70-220mm with a constant f3.8 aperture. A real beauty that is so heavy, it has a tripod mount built on it. Middle, same length, but in fact longer focus is the Sologor C-D 85-300mm zoom. The beast on the right is the second rarest of the group, also a Samyang, it is 100-500mm zoom. It too has a tripod mount. 

Below is a 7-element 2X tele-converter. Mounted on the camera first and then the intended lens is mounted to it. With a 50mm f1.4 attached, it becomes a 100mm f2.8. 2X models have either four or seven elements (pieces) of glass in the lenses. A 2X halves the amount of light, a 3X cuts out even more light. Seven element 2X converters are higher quality and it will show. 

So, frankly, with this and one of the 500mm lenses, it will be like having a 1-meter (1000mm) f16 lens. If you can find a 1-meter lens, be prepared to pay!

The one on the right is in fact three "tubes". No glass inside, each also goes on the camera first then a lens, usually 50mm, mounts on it. They are 12mm, 20mm and 36mm. Combined it is 68mm. The drawback is the further the lens is from the film, the less light reaches the film. Each tube mechanically connects the lens' aperture to the camera.

Lastly, below is the OM-2S Program mounted on the motor drive and 50mm f1.4 lens. I'm keeping the OM10 as a backup body. It has the slightly slower 50mm f1.8 lens that came with the 2S.

Finally, before I can use either film camera, I need to replace the ancient light seals as they have turned to goo. 

Thanks for taking the time to read and view my blog.

Scott