[Hallicrafters] B-A

[John King]

Tom, I really loved the BA catalog.  I bought parts
and even audio stuff from them. BA always had  surplus
items such as the 3.7mfd or so high voltage (3,000
vdc) that came out of some type of gear that had been
canabalized and the parts sold off. You may remember
the caps because they had a mounting stud on the top
of the can and could be mounted to a chassis with that
stud. I think they were some type of photoflash caps.
I used these in the first linear amplifier I ever
built.

I bought some column speakers that had about four 12
inch speakers in them, from BA. They were vinyl
covered and were BA's own manufacture, I think. I also
bought speakers and grille cloth from them.

I still have a pair of REK-O-KUT manufactured (or
Stromberg Carlson) tri-axial speakers with the BA logo
in a stick-on decal on the rear of the magnets. They
had foam rings around the outside of the cones to
attach to the frame and over the years, the foam
deterioated and the cones would motorboat. Theystill
look like new, probably need reconing.

I bought a small kit Hi Fi (?) amplifier , or was it
wired, that BA marketed as their own amp that used a
pair of 6V6 tubes. Was gold color if I remember
correctly. I also bought a Geloso VFO from BA, in
about 1965, that came without a cabinet or power
supply. That Italian VFO had a thin front panel and
was microphonic and moved around like the wind and
WITH the wind. 

I even  bought phono cartridges and I believe a
toaster and a Norelco shaver from them in about 1964.
I also bought an electronic photoflash attachment for
my SLR camera from BA. BA was a great company to do
business with and I absolutely loved their "wish book"
and looked forward to seeing what they had in the
bargain sections, especially their special buys.

BA was a very important of my early Ham life. I miss
companies like BA. Seems there would be room for
another. Radio Shack was similar in the early years,
but "went to HELL in a hand basket" and has almost
nothing for the "real electronic experimenter or avid
Ham".

I really miss BA, McGee, and Walter Ashe, WRL, Uncle
Dave at Ft. Orange Radio, Barry's, Bill Slep, and the
old houses such as Allied and Newark, as they once
were, when Ham Radio Operators and experimenters meant
something. 

Just reminising ....I guess that an old geezer needs
that from time to time....Those WERE "the good old
days"  73, John, K5PGW (since 1958) 



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