*OT* Dragnet Episode

Deals with repair service scams.

As 'bait, the used a Kaye-Halbert 16'' TV and shorted out 5u4g tube. Estimated house visit and replacement of a 5u4g tube: $4.50.

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Reply to
Duh_OZ
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The viewing quality... priceless.

I'm old enough to remember when a GP charged /five dollars/ for a house call. Five dollars was a lot of money then (ca 1955).

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

I'm listening, and unfortunately (???), Stan Freberg permanently ruined "Dragnet".

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Just wondering whether that new brand of rosin-core solder ever took off...

Was there really a Kaye-Halbert TV? I assume that's one of the names changed to protect the innocent.

I wonder if all those green dots the guy applied improved the picture and/or sound quality...

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Yes, there was. Don't you ever do any research?

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PlainBill

Reply to
PlainBill47

I'd place the show as somewhat earlier - probably 1952 or 53. $100 would be a good month's pay at that time.

PlainBill

Reply to
PlainBill47

Not really off topic. What one charges for repair service is relevent.

Using an inflation calculator at:

I find that $5 in 1952 is worth $41 in 2009. Not even close to what I would charge for this type of service call today.

The best I can do for a field service call, to replace a single component, is about $125 today. However, much of this added overhead isn't from inflation. It's from increased tax burden, increased overhead, insurance requirements, anticipated warranty funding, inventory depreciation charges, and supporting my decadent and lavish lifestyle.

Even the 5U4 has lost much of its value. Only $5.75 today:

As I vaguely recall, my first minimum wage job in the early 1960's was for about $1/hr.

At the time federal minimum wage was about the same. Today, I charge $75/hr for shop labor. As I vaguely recall, shop labor in the late

1960's (TV/Audio repair) was about $12/hr.
--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

I do. I did a browser search, and nothing at all showed up.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

As Stan Freberg would say... a second dress for your wife.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Perhaps you should try Google instead of searching your browser?

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Reply to
JW

Who are you, anyway? You don't have the guts to use your own name.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Deals with repair service scams.

As 'bait, the used a Kaye-Halbert 16'' TV and shorted out 5u4g tube. Estimated house visit and replacement of a 5u4g tube: $4.50.

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Here's a Sam's for one on ebay:

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And a video from someone that owns one.

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Reply to
Brenda Ann

What other obscure brands of television am I ignorant of (he asked, with more than a touch of sarcasm)?

I should have realized the name was legit, when one of the characters started bragging about his Leica IIIf, the penultimate of the Leica screw-thread cameras.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

I'm assuming you're talking to me, but you didn't quote me. They're my real initials. But since when was using one's name a requirement for posting to Usenet?

In any case, lighten up - I was only teasing you a bit.

Reply to
JW

The ultimate being a Canon 7s with f0.95 lens?

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.
Reply to
Geoffrey S. Mendelson

No, the Leica IIIg. Not that I wouldn't mind having one.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

I don't at all mind being teased, but your remarks seemed rather blunt. I have been -- and sometimes still am -- guilty of such things, myself.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

I had a Leica IIIc, with almost all the accessories, lenses, and enlarger many years ago. Nobody builds cameras like that any more. I did some side by side comparisons with a common SLR of the time (Asahi Pentax Spotmatic). The picture quality difference was really obvious. I replaced the focal plane shutter, mirrors, and rebuilt the self-timer several times. Unfortunately, I sold everything in the late 1980's for peanuts. Sniff...

$500,000 for a Leica MP2. $200,000 ea for some others.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

I don't know. Why don't you list the ones you DO remember, then go here

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to fill in the blanks? FYI: They list 104 TV manufacturers for the years 1950-1959, running from A (Admiral) to Z (Zenith).

PlainBill

Reply to
PlainBill47

Thanks for the ref. At least 20% of the names were unfamiliar.

The most-interesting was "Natalie Kalmus", the woman whose name appears as "Technicolor consultant" on pre-1950 films. She was the once-wife of Herbert Kalmus, the principal developer of Technicolor.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

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