[Milsurplus] BC-645 & my memories of G&G

Mon Sep 4 17:59:37 EDT 2017

I don't have my G&G catalog handy but I say despite the unrealistic prices for some eqpt, such as the SCR-583, other prices and selection were really good.
The incident with the BC-348 and BC-312 I wanted to order, but the order sort of timed out, the prices were, I thought, fair. Earlier catalog listings had a 
remarkable offering of various 'Command Sets'.   

Ah, yes, also not just dollars and cents, but scents.
I noticed German equipment has its own unique smell, due to the enamel paints used and no MFP. German books like around early 1950s and earlier also
have a different smell, due I suppose to a different wood used for the pulp.
People vary so much in their sensitivity and appreciation of this. My father, for example, couldn't stand to be in the room with a single copy of an old CQ mag that had
been in storage for years. But me, the 'musty' aroma didn't faze me at all; in fact, I thought it kind of slightly attractive. On the other hand, some folks think 
that the more laundry soap they use, the better, and I hate to be around clothes that reek of the phony-sweet laundry soap scents, and I can smell that crap from a 
block away, or smell a cigarette smoker's chair a day after he's gone. 
-Hue

-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Gentry
Sent: Monday, September 4, 2017 2:17 PM
To: Milsurplus <Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] BC-645 & my memories of G&G

One item I bought from G&G was at an excellent price for me. In the summer of 1968, I wanted to collect and build up an ARN-6 ADF system. 
All other sources wanted far more for the central component, the R-101 receiver. Thanks to G&G, I spent less on the entire setup than I would have for the R-101 alone from all the other sources.  The SCR-583 and
284 were totally out of reach and not of much interest anyway. I was working at my father's garage in 1967 and in the summer of 1968 at a TV radio shop for 50 cents or 1.00 an hour, and  my parents waited to pounce on me on payday to take 95% of my paycheck away.  It took the entire summer and a bit of subterfuge (like getting my pay raise at the TV shop in cash so I could hide it!)  to pay for the ARN-6 and a few other goodies before school started again for the 12th.grade.  G&G and Fair were very sympathetic to my pleas to be sure nothing was included in the package that would reveal the purchase price. My control freak parents still could see the shipping charges, and usually went off until I gathered the confidence to get the items shipped to the TV shop.  
Odors are THE most powerful memory inducing sense, and opening a piece of gear and getting a whiff of MFP is an instant time trip.

       Brucer Gentry, KA2IVY

On 9/4/17 4:16 PM, Peter Gottlieb wrote:
> A lot of radio and electronics prices were very high back then.  By 
> the time I was old enough to be making enough money cutting lawns G&G 
> was gone but I did know about Fair Radio and bought similar items from 
> them mail order.  There was also Canal Street where surplus radio gear 
> showed up, although nothing like G&G or Fair.  My peers were spending 
> their money on beer and weed and there I was sniffing MFP surrounded 
> by radio parts.  I still love that MFP smell, and am still surrounded 
> by radio parts.
>
> Peter
> kb2vtl
>
>
> On 9/4/2017 3:18 PM, Hubert Miller wrote:
>> Some of those early prices were pretty unrealistic. The SCR-583, what 
>> surplus hound was going to pay that ? Or the SCR-284, when other 
>> places sold the radio alone, condition all the way from new to used, 
>> for $15 - $50 ?
>> I think when you scale the money  up for today, the BC-645 was not 
>> really a bargain, especially when you saw what you got, and how ugly 
>> the conversions turned out, and how minimally useful. But the dealers 
>> had stacks and stacks of them to push out. I suppose it was a good 
>> bed for some UHF experiments, but less than an ideal "learning kit".
>> -H
>>
>>> If anyone is interested, I have a scanned copy of G & G Catalog No. 
>>> 67 (Maybe from 1967?). It is 7.7 MB pdf size; but may be able to 
>>> reduce the size to make it easier to email to anyone.
>> How about a BC-645 complete package for $26.95.  Radio Set SCR-583 
>> complete for $575, SCR-284 set complete for $475.
>>
>> The catalog has a lot of detail on each Mil sets for sale. Great 
>> piece of history.
>>
>> Verne
>> W6LPM
>>
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