There's some stuff in my local Thrift store

[ral-clan]

The 1702 is a very durable monitor. If it worked upon testing it in the Thrift store, then you're pretty much safe in assuming it will work when you get it home. The total schematics are online too, so most TV repairmen could fix it (if you give them the schematics as well).

What is a TV repairman?
Once a viable career, I don't know how anyone could make a living in this business these days.

I'm lucky I guess. There's still a little shop in my town where two old-school electronics guys run a TV repair shop --- one where they actually open up TVs and figure out what is wrong and replace the component instead of just swapping the board.

[Jeff-20]

What is a TV repairman?
Once a viable career, I don't know how anyone could make a living in this business these days.

In Chicago, there are many electronic repair shops. All are invariably fronts for criminal enterprise. I once tried to buy a controller-less Vectrex from one. They didn't have prices for anything and were clueless about what it was. They didn't even seem interested in selling it. They were going to let me have it for 10 bucks or something. Then it occurred to me that an electronics repair shop shouldn't need a glass divider between the customer and the counter. "VCR Repair" in this age? Really? I decided not to buy.

[English Invader]

The VCR is still alive and well in my home. Over the last few years, I've been able to buy VHS tapes in charity shops for about 50p a go; sometimes, you even get offers of four for £1. I now have about 800 VHS tapes and about twelve different copies of Ghostbusters.

[Wilson]

I found a C2N at a local thrift store. This is the first time I've ever seen a Commodore product at a store, so I was really excited. It was $4, which I thought was a bit much considering it was untested, but when I opened the box I found it to be in very good physical condition. That doesn't mean it works though (still haven't tested it).

[ral-clan]

The VCR is still alive and well in my home. Over the last few years, I've been able to buy VHS tapes in charity shops for about 50p a go; sometimes, you even get offers of four for £1. I now have about 800 VHS tapes and about twelve different copies of Ghostbusters.

It's true. Buying a VHS movie nowadays is often far, far cheaper than renting a movie...plus you get to keep it. If it's a movie I don't really care enough about getting on DVD in full 16:9, then VHS is great. A dollar a movie - no regrets if it's a bad choice.

I thought I'd never say this, but watching old 1980s bad Sci-Fi (like Ice Pirates or something) just looks right with the less than perfect artifacts and image quality of VHS. Like listening to old songs with the crack and pop of vinyl. I really never thought I'd say that after years of wishing VHS would die and be replaced by something better!

It's just a nostalgia format for me though - I would never use it for any serious recording.

Plus, if it's just something like an TV show or old movie that was recorded in 4:3 anyway then VHS is just fine.

Also, there are some terrible 1980s B-grade sci-fi movies that are out of print that you find among used VHS tapes.

Lastly, there's nothing quite as convenient or immediate for day to day TV recording than a VCR. My wife and mom have been using VCRs for years to record their daily shows - they know how to work them and don't care (or even notice) the image quality difference. Getting a PVR for them would be complicated over-kill. KISS principle.

[ral-clan]

One of my local Thrift stores has the following VIC-20 cartridges (both by Sierra Online):

Crossfire
Threshold (I think - trying to remember! Arg!)

Anyway, I have both of these. But if anyone is looking for them I can pick them up (or trade them for 1980s computer magazines like COMPUTE).

[English Invader]

I recently downsized my video collection and the charity shops wouldn't take my last seven bin liners. Those seven bin liners are about a third of the ones I took down the dump and the whole lot amounts to no more than 30% of my collection.

[RobertBe]

Well, not from a thrift store but from the last Commodore dealer in Portland, Oregon -- Jim Scabery. I visited him on Wednesday and after talking with him for a long time about Commodore in the 1980's, I perused his hardware and software.

For the VIC-20, I bought the cassettes, Totl Research Assistant 1.0 (I like the Totl series for the C64), VicTerm 1, Blue Meanies from Outer Space (including instructions), Sidewinder (including cover), the full package of Quizmaster, and the full package of Rescue at Rigel. I bought several loose carts -- Satellites and Meteorites, Mission Impossible, VIC Music Composer, and Star Trek: SOS (can't have too many of those). I also got the full package of Quick Brown Fox, which not only included the VIC-20 cart but also the C64 cart and the cassette for QBF entitled, "Training Files: Expert, Master, Boiler".

Unrelated to the VIC-20, I bought Gateway 128 disk (for the C128), the complete package for Total Eclipse for the Amiga 500/2000, and an Amiga Power Stik.

Several VIC-20s being on one of his shelves,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
CommVEx v6 2010 - http://www.commodore.ca/forum and click on ComVEX

[robinsonmason]

I picked up a Tandy 200 from a computer Goodwill shop where they were going to toss it because they "couldn't find a hard drive to wipe". Needless to say they don't carry vintage computers - they just trash them. But I caught this one before it met its fate and explained that it had no HDD. The enter key was the only thing not working so it was stuck at the main menu, then I hosed it somehow by trying to clean the PCB traces (there was some black gunk on the traces near the clearly labeled "Enter" portion on the back of the PCB)... With a new keyboard it would be as good as new, I'd guess. Worked great on AA batteries --- now it just gives a rapid but very faint clicking noise and no video -- keyboard short?

I was excited to get it working, now I'm just sad.

[Corsair24x2]

Hey Guys, got this from another PC forum guy....

VIC-20 With Accessories, tapes, tape drive, and some other stuff, in ORIGINAL BOX....

$10 at a thrift store...

outside of Vinton (close to Roanoke); The thrift store was a Goodwill - the only one in Vinton at Lake Drive Plaza.

Anyone, if its still there, someone snatch it and tell me what goodies are in the box!

[Jeff-20]

What state? ... what country??

[Kweepa]

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=vinton
Virginia, USA it seems

[Frank]

The VCR is still alive and well in my home. Over the last few years, I've been able to buy VHS tapes in charity shops for about 50p a go; sometimes, you even get offers of four for £1. I now have about 800 VHS tapes and about twelve different copies of Ghostbusters.

It's true. Buying a VHS movie nowadays is often far, far cheaper than renting a movie...plus you get to keep it. If it's a movie I don't really care enough about getting on DVD in full 16:9, then VHS is great. A dollar a movie - no regrets if it's a bad choice.

I thought I'd never say this, but watching old 1980s bad Sci-Fi (like Ice Pirates or something) just looks right with the less than perfect artifacts and image quality of VHS. Like listening to old songs with the crack and pop of vinyl. I really never thought I'd say that after years of wishing VHS would die and be replaced by something better!

It's just a nostalgia format for me though - I would never use it for any serious recording.

Plus, if it's just something like an TV show or old movie that was recorded in 4:3 anyway then VHS is just fine.

Also, there are some terrible 1980s B-grade sci-fi movies that are out of print that you find among used VHS tapes.

Lastly, there's nothing quite as convenient or immediate for day to day TV recording than a VCR. My wife and mom have been using VCRs for years to record their daily shows - they know how to work them and don't care (or even notice) the image quality difference. Getting a PVR for them would be complicated over-kill. KISS principle.

You can't get the original Star Wars "A new hope" on DVD. You know the one where Han Solo shot Greedo first. At least to my knowledge you can't.

[ral-clan]

There's a TRS80 MC-10 in my Thrift store in box. Been there for a couple of weeks. Feel bad for it, but don't need it. Anyone want me to pick it up for them? Better act quickly - it's getting battered by people rifling through the box. Ontario, Canada.

[metalfoot76]

Ontario? Hmm...I'll be in Ontario in July... but I'll pass.