[Boatanchors] Another Parts Store Closes...

Sun Aug 30 11:19:55 EDT 2015

As past president of the Collins Collectors Association I will add a comment
and suggest a slight modification.

Re: Part of your good comments. . . " When we are gone and others like us no
longer exist, the large solderable parts will be gone as well."

Our ranks have never been bigger and growing. Contrary to our (and many
others) fears that as the oldsters die off, so will the collecting and
repair of old radio,  we are seeing quite the opposite. Many young hams and
collectors of things antiquated are joining our ranks and buying their first
piece of Collins.  They are just asking different questions - more
fundamental ones - like how does a tube work or even what is a tube. These
are neophyte questions, but coming from motivated and intelligent people. 

So, the market (and the collector or maintainer) is not disappearing but
just shrinking maybe and changing nature.  The market is certainly getting
smaller, but it does still exist and will remain even after we are all gone.
Our challenge is to leave a trail of understandable educational material
aimed at that market and the hope is that these hordes of radio parts will
wind up somewhere where they can still be found....albeit probably at
increasing cost. 

The Collins Collectors Association is working hard to leave a resource of
"Experience" and educational material so that the next generations can pick
up where we left off.

Bill

Bill Carns, N7OTQ (Trustee K0CXX)
Past President, Collins Collectors Association
Founding Board, Collins Radio Heritage Group
Editor, Signal Magazine
Wimberley, TX
512 618 2762  (Cell)
512 847 7010  (Home)

-----Original Message-----
From: Boatanchors [mailto:boatanchors-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of
Van Lincoln
Sent: Sunday, August 30, 2015 9:51 AM
To: William <w_b_morton at hotmail.com>
Cc: boatanchors at puck.nether.net
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Another Parts Store Closes...

Good Morning William:

This is Van Lincoln.  I read your message and felt your pain.  All I can add
to your note, is that the market is changing, and a large chunk of the OLD
electronics business is going away due to the digital age, and that it will
never return, except for what old-timers manage to keep in existence, and
foster along with their memories.  The days of the soldering iron and its
attendant large sized parts is rapidly drawing to a close.  The only users
of the large parts trades, repairs and equipment, are those who are reliving
their memories in the old days.  When we are gone and others like us no
longer exist, the large solderable parts will be gone as well.

On the other hand, the knowledge of electronics will still be there, and
engineering and design available and widespread, it's just going to be all
about digital parts and miniaturization of devices.  When you look at the
field of electronics closely, you'll find that it was all about
communication over distance, and recording data, (sounds, music, famous
politician's speeches, and other data of the like.  Now all the before
mentioned can be done digitally, paring down the size and cost, requiring
less power and resources, and therefore less expense due to costs of
production.  AND still accomplish the same tasks.

We all cry in our beer, but it is not stopping for any man, in fact it is
accelerating in its adoption by the peoples of the world.  The hobby of
electronics is still with us and will be for the foreseeable future, but
will be ever-changing in many faces and facets.  We ALL have to keep on
learning or risk becoming antiquated.  When there is NOTHING left to invent,
we will be in trouble as a world population.  The only other cataclysm that
might befall our world is the ability to wipe the face of the globe of its
residents.

Van

At 08:53 8/30/2015, you wrote:
 >Hello All,
 >
 >I have to 'let it all out'.  Call the following a rant, excess  >whining,
loads of lamentations, or whatever.
 >
 >Last week I had a 'Dad's Day Out' with my father to have breakfast and
>stop by an electronics shop in Minneapolis.  The store was ABC
>Electronics (http://www.yelp.com/biz/abc-electronics-minneapolis) and  >I
had not been there for a few years.  I figured my dad and I could  >poke
around for a while.
 >
 >After a great breakfast at Louisiana Cafe
 >(http://newlouisianacafe.com/) where heart attacks are served on large
>plates, we zipped over to Minneapolis only to find out that ABC was
>closed for inventory.
 >
 >Well, actually closed for more than inventory purposes.  After the
>initial disappointment of seeing the sign stating they were closed -
>which of course was after we paid for parking - we poked our heads in  >the
door and spoke to the manager.  He mentioned the place is closing  >its
doors and everything was already bought out by another firm.
 >
 >On the plus side:  The company that purchased the entire lot was Ax  >Man
Surplus (http://www.ax-man.com/).  A fun store with lots of odds and ends.
 >
 >On the down side:  There is no way all of the stuff from ABC will be
>able to be set out on the shelves at Ax Man for all to see as their
>stores are already quite crowded.  Thus I fear the ABC inventory will  >be
stuck in a warehouse and parcelled out over the coming years.
 >
 >So the past few years have seen the following:
 >*  ABC Electronics closed.
 >
 >*  Radio repair shop on Prior Avenue in St. Paul closed.  This place  >was
run by Paul March, a true gentleman, who has retired.  His shop  >was only
open a couple hours during the week and a few hours on  >Saturday mornings,
but it was filled to the gills with all sorts of cool stuff.
 >
 >*  Marty's Second Hand Store on University Ave in St. Paul closed  >(RIP,
Marty).  This was a true junk store that would have a true  >treasure every
so often.  Marty was a crusty old soul with a heart of  >gold.
 >(http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_27612233/st-paul-martys-second
 >-hand-store-close-its)
 >
 >*  This year's HAM swap meet normally held in the 3M parking lot was
>cancelled at the last minute and now needs to find a new location for
>next year (http://www.skywarn.ampr.org/tailgate.html).
 >
 >I did receive a recommendation to check out Leeds Radio in Brooklyn  >from
one of the Boatanchor folks a couple years back.  I was able to  >visit the
place (heaven on earth), but I now see he has moved shop to  >the Bronx.
Not sure when I will be able to make it over there from Minnesota.
 >
 >Kutztown is too far away, too.
 >
 >I recognize things change, people pass, and capitalist economics does
>not always suit the small-time hobbyist.  My hope is that I will still
>have access to parts and suggestions on how to use them... and for  >that,
I will thank the Boatanchor community in advance.
 >
 >Thanks for reading.
 >
 >Best Regards,
 >
 >William
 > 			   		
 >_______________________________________________
 >Boatanchors mailing list
 >Boatanchors at puck.nether.net
 >https://puck.nether.net/mailman/listinfo/boatanchors

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