Our friend Fred in Rockcliffe Park, Ontario found a terrific transportable computer by Ottawa-based Dynalogic--it's the Hyperion and offers some cool features for a 1983 computer, including dual 360k 5 1/4" disk drives, built-in amber CRT and a video out jack for displaying CGA graphics! The keyboard slides underneath the CPU and locks into place. This machine was driven the DOS 2.11 operating system. Fred also notes that the system appears to support some sort of networking capability, as there's an unusual network interface in the back. One of Dynalogic's largest customers was the Canadian Government. Can you imagine they paid over $4000 for these machines? This one was grabbed for $5.00--just a wee bit less than the original price.
What a nice tag sale find! An original Fisher-Price PXL 2000 camera, complete in the box with all the accessories! What makes this camera so special? Well, the PXL 2000 was manufactured in 1987. Imagine the time, MTV was still a music video station, the more AC VH1 cable channel had just hit the scene, and kids everywhere wanted to play with video recording, but Mom and Dad's $1500 JVC HandiCam was off limits. So Fisher-Price comes along and sells this baby--a video camera capable of recording audio AND video onto a standard Type II audio cassette. Ingenious little idea, but the product flopped. The PXL 2000 was short-lived. Just enough had sold to have some sort of impact, and the grainy, choppy black and white video served as an artsy effect in some contemporary films. Film students and indy movie makers all wanted to get their hands on the unique little video recorder. The market has only grown for this toy, but the availability certainly hasn't. Today, a used PXL 2000 today sells for $150-300. There's even an after-market industry for PXL repairs and modifications.
Grabbed for $5 at an open-air flea market in New York City, this handheld VFD football game is one of the few deals to be found in this overpriced city. This baby is in great working order, and has two speaker areas for a stereo-like effect. The vacuum-fluorescent display is a bright green, but sadly, the gameplay falls just short of a Sunday NFL game. This handheld was sold around 1981.
Long-revered holy grail to many shortwave enthusiasts, the RF-2200 was sold between 1977-1982. If you've been seeking one of these, you'll be happy to know they can still be found out "in the wild." This one, for example was found in midtown Manhattan for $30--can you believe it? This is a very desirable radio for many reasons--probably because it was such a popular radio when originally sold. The tape tuning dial was the mark of a good quality radio--the switches are solid, typical of a nice Panasonic.
Our friend Jeff in Akron, OH emailed us with this brag--a very rare Technicolor 212 compact video cassette recorder. Manufactured in the early '80s Technicolor presented this unusual video format, utilizing a cassette only slightly larger than an audio cassette. Sadly, this compact format failed --perhaps if it were released ten years earlier, who knows? Jeff owns two of these machines, one is working as well as documentation and cassettes.
So, it's 1979 and you love your 8-track player, but want to jump on the CB bandwagon like everyone else, what to do...what to do? Easy, just grab Bellsound's CB-8. This CB receiver was capable of receiving all 40 CB channels via the on-board rotary tuner. It was also shaped like an 8-track tape--all you needed to do was pop it into your player and you're ready to listen!
Paul's been holding onto this since he got it on clearance at electronics chain Tokyo Shapiro back in 1988. It was his very first CD player. This model was designed to work well with the 3" compact discs (a short-lived fad of the late '80s), but a slide mechanism adjusted the player to handle standard CDs. Obviously, the player needs to remain stationary during play, but if you've got a disc with a cerrated edge, the D-88 doubles as a buzzsaw!
In 1983, Advanced Handicapping Technologies released this little gadget: the Horse Race Analyzer, a little computer that aids in gambling on the horses. Submit values of important data for any given race, and this little device provides the top three picks! The manufacturer promised 93% accuracy. Jay and I are considering bringing this little device to Belmont at some point.
Wow! John in New Mexico blew our minds with this little gadget--a bite-size CB! John was an avid JS&A shopper back in the '70s, and he didn't think twice when he spotted this gem in their catalog. This little tranceiver was no dobut a status symbol during the CB craze, and we can see why. Two channels, telescopic antenna, squelch and 30 mW of power, jammed into this pocket-size package. Thanks John!
We're pleased to offer you an unusual treat: a rare look at
the early days of speed trap detection. This dinosaur provided a
speeding driver some sense of protection against the law. Maybe
it was the blinking "warning" indicator, maybe it was the loud
yelping audio. Is it effective now? Well, mount this on your dash
and though it may not detect today's sophisticated radar, you'll
no doubt give the police officer a good laugh.