View Full Version : Unbelievable Craigslist score


tc1961
10-07-2017, 01:59 PM
I have to share this!

Yesterday I was searching Craigslist in my area (south central PA) and I always search on "vintage". I came across an ad that had been up for 23 days and it looked like an NRI home study course with a couple boxes included. I was figuring it was already gone since the price was FREE. I was more interested in the reading material than anything else and hadn't really given any thought to the boxes at that time, I was drinking my morning coffee before heading to my first job, which coincidentally was about 10 minutes away(did not know it at the time, I knew it was in the same area) from where I was working. I emailed a reply asking if the material was still available. I arrived at my first job, replacing a set of gas logs and about 20 minutes into the job my phone rang and it's the guy who placed the ad telling me the stuff is still available. I told him I'm happy it's still available and I would be up to pick it up when I finished my job. He asked me what I was driving as there were quite a few boxes that went along with it. I told him I was driving a white E250 van and I was pretty sure I had the room. As I was working I started thinking about the boxes... I finished the job and headed to the address I was given, and it turns out it's a TV repair shop. I met the older guy, shook his hand and commented about not too many tv shops around and he agreed and says he's one of the last. He said a customer of his had brought this stuff into his shop because he no longer needed it and the TV shop guy must have taken it for whatever reason. TV shop guy got tired of looking at the stuff and put it on Craigslist. I remembered reading an old issue of Radio & Television News from the early 50's a couple days ago because I like reading about old technology and saw some of the home study course ads and though that would be cool to actually build a TV. As we started hauling boxes down from the second floor, I got the impression one of the boxes looked like a picture tube. My mind started racing. After loading the 10-11 boxes in the back of my van including a box with all the books. I then left that town and came back home, dropped all the stuff in my garage and then went back to work. This morning (after I finished a couple emergency jobs) I went out to the garage to see what I had.
Here is the list of things I got:
-complete NRI home study course with NRI journals and Conar catalogs
-solid state radio, unbuilt
-tvom, already built
-experimental learning chassis, partially built
-color bar generator, unbuilt
-oscilloscope, unbuilt
and finally...
-25" solid state color TV, UNBUILT

I can hardly believe it!!

Jon A.
10-07-2017, 02:30 PM
Nice haul! Good to know that stuff is in the hands of someone who appreciates it.

tc1961
10-07-2017, 02:45 PM
Nice haul! Good to know that stuff is in the hands of someone who appreciates it.

I'm still pretty much a novice at this stuff, but I love to read and I've been reading about tube radio theory and tube TV theory. My wife thinks I'm crazy frying my brain at work sometimes and then learning obsolete technology for fun. I can't help it, it's fun to learn. probably going to be a bit before I'm confident enough to tackle the TV, but my hope is to "take the course".

madlabs
10-07-2017, 03:19 PM
Wow! Green with envy! That is an epic score. Have fun with it!

Jon A.
10-07-2017, 03:34 PM
I'm still pretty much a novice at this stuff, but I love to read and I've been reading about tube radio theory and tube TV theory. My wife thinks I'm crazy frying my brain at work sometimes and then learning obsolete technology for fun. I can't help it, it's fun to learn. probably going to be a bit before I'm confident enough to tackle the TV, but my hope is to "take the course".
The way I see it, the obsolete technology is all that will last and those who are technically inclined and interested would benefit from learning to work on it because almost no one else will.

MadMan
10-07-2017, 05:21 PM
For free? Fucken neat.

Dude111
10-07-2017, 07:16 PM
Very nice,craigslist is nice!!!


PS:

Does anyone know who Craig is???

Titan1a
10-08-2017, 03:53 PM
Jackpot!

Sandy G
10-08-2017, 04:43 PM
Ya Done GREAT !!!

wkand
10-10-2017, 02:17 AM
This is truly an unbelievable score!!

wkand
10-10-2017, 02:20 AM
Very nice,craigslist is nice!!!


PS:

Does anyone know who Craig is???

Craig Newmark
Is the Creator of Craigslist. He is a computer programmer from New Jersey who lives in San Francisco

wkand
10-10-2017, 02:26 AM
I have to share this!

Yesterday I was searching Craigslist in my area (south central PA) and I always search on "vintage". I came across an ad that had been up for 23 days and it looked like an NRI home study course...


Here is the list of things I got:
-complete NRI home study course with NRI journals and Conar catalogs
-solid state radio, unbuilt
-tvom, already built
-experimental learning chassis, partially built
-color bar generator, unbuilt
-oscilloscope, unbuilt
and finally...
-25" solid state color TV, UNBUILT

I can hardly believe it!!

I'm sure I speak for many when I politely ask: "Pictures Please?"

Dude111
10-10-2017, 04:15 AM
Craig Newmark
Is the Creator of Craigslist. He is a computer programmer from New Jersey who lives in San FranciscoAhh Muchos Gracious :)

TVTim
10-10-2017, 05:04 PM
Score!!!!!

MadMan
10-10-2017, 10:28 PM
I'm sure I speak for many when I politely ask: "Pictures Please?"

I think you mean "Pics or didn't happen."

snelson903
10-10-2017, 11:23 PM
awesome save from the landfill , seem's my area's craigslist has dried up in the past couple of years ...

tc1961
10-11-2017, 04:26 PM
I'm sure I speak for many when I politely ask: "Pictures Please?"

Pictures coming

tc1961
10-11-2017, 04:34 PM
first 3, last one is the experiment chassis

tc1961
10-11-2017, 04:57 PM
The first three are the oscilloscope and the last two are the radio and the unfinished parts from experiment chassis

madlabs
10-11-2017, 07:31 PM
When are ya gonna start building the TV?

tc1961
10-12-2017, 01:19 PM
When are ya gonna start building the TV?

My competency level is not where I'd like it to be at this point, so it will probably be a while.
I'm planning to "take" the NRI course starting with the first lesson and proceeding till I get to the " Instructions for 25" Solid-State Color Television Experiments 1-5" book, then hope for the best as I start the build. The Last instruction book ends with experiments 31-35.

wkand
10-24-2017, 07:20 AM
Thanks for the pictures!!! What an awesome find.

philcophan
10-24-2017, 09:24 AM
OH WOW, just WOW!!! I thought I picked up the last ones in the wild... apparently not so. Proof again, this stuff is out there!!! Mine came with a Sylvania "color brite 85".. which tube do you have?

Jim

N2IXK
10-24-2017, 10:35 AM
Looks to be a repackaged Heathkit GR-900 TV. I scored one of them last year and had a great time putting it together (and posting the process here on VK). My set was also part of a home study course (Bell and Howell/DeVry), but I didn't get all the rest of the course materials, just the unbuilt TV kit.

Mine came with an RCA Hi-Lite 25VABP22, which had a pretty bad cataract from decades of damp storage. I was able to find a NOS Sylvania tube to put into it, though.

DavGoodlin
10-25-2017, 03:58 PM
Good hunting tc, Im surprised I didn't see it on CL. I think I have a spare sweep module, similar to an RCA XL-100.

Sandy G
10-25-2017, 04:30 PM
Dah-Yum,Me Olde Sonne..What numbers do you have fortonites Lottery ?!?