Ordering caps

[TC Chris]

I had a list of electrolytic caps to buy for renovation projects. I've always managed to climb the learning curve at Mouser but not tonight. You'd have to be Alex Honnold. I gave up and headed over to "Just Radios" and got everything I needed. Much easier. I couldn't remember what "Sal's Caps" is called now. What are others using for cap orders these days?

Chris Campbell

[William]

I am not sure Sal's, which became Tony's still exists. This is Tony's email address but when I try going to the old website which Sal's said would remain the same something else comes up.

tpranzatelli@gmail.com.

www.capacitor@tuberadios.com was the old website.

Bill

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

https://tonyscapacitorcorner.com/

Website is up an running.

[electra225]

I tried navigating Mouser's website so I could compare prices of kits versus buying the parts "by the board" from Mouser. Never did find what I wanted, even though I had the part number. I called them on the telephone, a quaint and antiquated method of communication. I believe that might be the way to deal with Mouser. I haven't done business with Tony yet. He seems to be big into audio, more than Sal was. I haven't seen Sal on ARF in some time. I sure hope he is okay.....

I have no idea why Mouser's website is so hard to navigate. They have millions of parts available, which might be a part of it.

Have you done business with Tony, Mr. Mogul?

[William]

My last order was still with Sal, and because of a discrepancy, he had to call me. During our conversation I learned of his love for electronics but also for vintage cars. He owned three, and right this minute I do no remember what they were, Chevy's I think. He also told me that Tony was going to take over the business because he (Sal) had cancer and it was advanced to the point where there was nothing the doctors could do. They gave him less than a year to live and it has now been a couple of years since that conversation so I am guessing Sal is no longer with us. He was a nice guy, always there to help and solve problems when he could. I have not used Tony's yet, I still have plenty of stock on hand but would use him down the road.

Bill

[electra225]

Sal had a '58 Chevy and a 70-ish Olds Cutlass convertible that an old lady in a Buick Park Avenue ran into a few years back. I knew he was sick, but didn't know about the cancer. I haven't heard that Sal passed, but I'm sorry to hear that he may be gone. I talked to him on a couple of occasions. I have his cellphone number around here someplace.

[Conelrad]

Call it anyway, you may be able to hear his voice still...

[Dr. Radio]

If you guys ever need help with Mouser and/or ordering caps let me know. In fact, I could just give you some Mouser #'s of the electrolytics I order from Mouser.

While I agree that Mouser isn't great for "searching", it actually makes a lot of sense on how it is set-up. There have been many "heated debates" over on ARF on the Mouser search function. I strongly DISAGREE that it is a worthless/poor site for searching. You just need to know how to use it. I even thought about making a YouTube video on how to "drill down" to the parts you are searching for. I got a little peeved at one poster over there where I said "Why don't you just call them--they have actually humans based here in the U.S.A. to answer questions and take orders". I was greeted with the response "I don't like to talk to people."....

Some people are just born to argue.

Anyhow, not meant to put anyone down here. I just don't like to hear "that's impossible" or negativity towards something that has been well established when some things just take a learning curve or some practice. I also have some PAPER Mouser catalogs to look stuff up (even though they have been discontinued over a decade ago).

Now, on a more serious note. I don't like to publicly post people's personal biz, but here's the scoop on Sal, formerly of Sal's Capacitor Corner. He has had quite the health battles, and I don't know his current status, but I believe as of me writing this, he is still alive.

Sal was diagnosed with Parkinson's in about 2016 I believe. Then in 2021 he found out he had kidney cancer.

Post #50 on page 3 of this thread is where he talks about his heart-wrenching situation.

https://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=390359

Per the ARF profile system, it appears his last activity on the site was December 2024.

If I offended anyone, I apologize. Just wanted to clear the air and sometimes I get opinionated.

Joe

[electra225]

No offense on my end, Doc. I will admit to having zero patience with online ordering. I simply don't like doing it, go into a situation with a burr under my blanket, so, naturally, I have more trouble with it than most. I don't like remembering passwords and that. I'm one who actually prefers picking up the phone and calling whomever I intend to do business with. It just works better for me. You could certainly start a topic here on the forum about how to navigate Mouser and places like that. It would sure help me and I'll wager others as well.

[TC Chris]

I have worked my way through Mouser's listings before but the last time I tried it was 11:30 p.m. and my patience was diminished. I went to "Just Radios" and it was designed to be comprehensible to those of limited competence so it worked just fine.

I just checked the tracking on that order and it says they were on my porch 2 hours back. I'll have to go out and check, and hope that the caps aren't light blue and "Xicon" labeled.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

How much snow is on the ground in TC, Chris? One of the wife's cousins says "a skiff", one says they got a blizzard. Both of them live in TC proper, not out in the country somewhere. One says Grand Traverse Bay is frozen over, one says it's not safe to ice fish on. Said something about waves underneath the ice?

I have bought from Just Radios myself and have found their service excellent and their products satisfactory. I like using Nichicon filter caps in Magnavox chassis, but that is just me. For a radio, I believe their brand of filter caps would work just fine. Good luck!

[TC Chris]

Here in TC, the season-to-date snowfall is 8' now. Of course, that's not 8' on the ground, since we had a couple thaws back in Dec.

I just went out and poked a yardstick in the front yard, an open area. One foot on the ground. This winter has been interesting because we've had so much high wind. I'll bet that the country folks have some pretty good drifts and some nearly-bare areas as well. My driveway is about 15' long and two overhead doors' worth wide. The pile at one end is > 6' and at the other end, where the Tacoma sat until my neighbors left, is at about 5'. I always judge the severity of the winter by the height of my snow piles.

The Bay isn't frozen yet. We're hoping. The Coast Guard takes the position that no ice is safe and there is some value in that notion.There can be currents and upwellings that cause localized weak or open spots. Saginaw Bay, the large shallow bay on Lake Huron that Michigan's Thumb surrounds, always freezes early but last week the local sheriff's airboat made two rescue, one a side-by-side that went through and another a snowmobile. I think they were just using bad judgment and being unobservant. Saginaw Bay is usually safe if you are smart.

Somebody was remembering our big freeze of '03 on GT Bay. I worked across the street from the Bay, so that year I parked my iceboat on the Bay and kept the sail, runners, snowmobile suit, and helmet in my office. I'd hop across the street after work and go sailing. I'll add a photo of my iceboat.

Let's try 2 pix, to show the while shebang.

Chris Campbell

[TC Chris]

I forgot to add this. We have had high winds and white-out visibility conditions a lot recently. That's why our snow is so blown about. I'm reading a great book a bout the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, "The Gales of November" by John U. Bacon. People often assume that the ocean presents the real fury, while the Great Lakes are tame by comparison. Bacon explains why it's not true. The real proof, however, appeared after the Fitz had disappeared from radar. The Coast Guard asked other boats to go out into Lake Superior from their sheltered locations. Two Great Lakes freighters agreed, despite knowing that the storm might tear their boats apart too (Capt. Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson and Capt. Erickson of the William Clay Ford.). Their crews agreed too. Several saltwater vessels' captains declined to go out. They felt that their vessels would not survive the seas.

Chris Campbell

[danrclem]

I've ordered from Mouser before and while it wasn't awful it was more than likely because they were small orders. Ordering all the parts for an SX-1050 would be a nightmare. For me anyway. Knowing what you're doing means a lot. I could look at a formula for rocket fuel, and it would be gibberish to me but would be simple for other people. Dr. Audio, if you can give some tips about ordering I'm sure it would be appreciated by all.

We still have snow on the ground but not like the lake areas. Probably about 5" that came in with the last storm. They were predicting a lot more (at one time it was 12" to 18") but a lot of it fell as sleet so the total was a lot less than expected. It's been so cold that it's not melting. We've had colder weather, but I can't remember a time when it's stayed this cold for this long. We've had a couple warm spots this winter but overall, it may be one of the coldest on record. I think we're supposed to go up above the freezing mark a little bit this week so that'll be a big relief. I really feel for you guys up north.

[TC Chris]

How much snow is on the ground in TC, Chris? One of the wife's cousins says "a skiff", one says they got a blizzard. Both of them live in TC proper, not out in the country somewhere. One says Grand Traverse Bay is frozen over, one says it's not safe to ice fish on. Said something about waves underneath the ice?

I had to drive out the to boat storage yard today to haul the snow off my boat's cover with the roof rake. Whoa, the Bay is frozen! The technical definition of frozen is when the ice reaches Power Island, a county park about 7 mi. N of town. It was once Ford Island (Henry owned it) and before that, Marion Island (daughter of a previous owner). I kept going N a couple miles and it was all frozen all the way, as far as I could see. There were no people out there until I got back to town, where I spied a coupe family groups near shore. We'll see if it gets safe for ice skating.

Chris Campbell