We certainly had an Olsens in Milwaukee, WI. back in the late '50s or early '60s. I remember (vaguely) buying a lot of parts for home-brew ham radio projects. Probably prior to 1962 because I wasn't 16 yet and couldn't drive there.
- - Herb Stein snipped-for-privacy@herbstein.com
Does anybody in the South remember Specialty Distributing Company?
Or a whole genre of early-1960s parts jobbers, invariably built in concrete block buildings painted pale green?
Although Specialty went away in the 1980s, I have encountered stores that looked a lot like theirs, but were different companies, out west as late as the 1990s.
The name Heathkit puts me in mind of the *other* kit name, Eico. I built one of those -- a 20 watt stereo amplifier/phono-preamp combination. Took a couple/three days to assemble. Still works, as it was fully transistorized -- no tubes to burn out or replace.
About the only parts ever needing replacement were ... the control knobs, as the plastic of which they were made grew brittle with age or ozone or whatnot, and started crumbling apart some 20 years ago, after some 25 years of faithful service. A shot or two of Cramolin turned out to be advisable, too, here or there on the rotary multi- pole switches, at around that time.
Cheers, -- tlvp
I was always a partisan of Allied Radio's Knight Kit line. Built several of them, including a VTVM and a shortwave receiver.
Later when I got into stereo I built Dynakits. Interestingly, those still have some cult status, a few years ago I sold a Dynakit (tube) preamp and amp on eBay for around what I had paid for them back in the '60s.
Dave
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