Happy-H A P P Y-Happy
Here’s wishing one and all- a Very Happy Thanksgiving Day, and Happy Holidays this December and Happy New Year 1988 Enjoy, be merry, be thankful and then write an article for your newsletter ! from your editor.
H A P P Y F I V E Y E A R S O L[illegible]
FIVE years old this November! A few charter members may well remember the early meets- they were frequent- as many as three a month, and well attended! I remember that most of the time in the early months was spent writing a charter, figuring out how to run the meets, advertise, get a room and pay for it all!! The least problem was subject matter- everything was of interest and so many volunteered to give talks on so many varied areas. Practical problems, such as tape loads and basic programming, RAMTOPS and something called machine code, were just a few of the early subjects. We were all five years younger, many new to computers and trying to get a handle on the darn thing. We sure were grateful to the few computer professionals in the area who had the sense to get into Sinclair computers. They made a big impact on our ability to get into the machines and make the most of them.
Personally I didn’t think the TS computer community would hold together this long. I wrote an unanswered letter to Uncle (Sir) Clive to the effect,”come back to the US market, you have a great product, we’ll buy it, just support it.” Well, he didn’t, in fact the whole market just sorta dribbled away. Look for a computer shop nowadays, clones for ibm, apple and a few old Ataris and Commodores, and Tandy clones. New products for the TS line still come out almost monthly. Fewer and fewer retailers hawk the remaining wares. The QL is being dumped on the market, hardware is getting cheaper, software still holding high prices.
Something new always excites our interest, something old just doesnt quite cut it. Reading about the ZX81/TS1000/1500 doesnt really do it for me. But my eleven year old finds it neat, but having used the Apple IIs in school, erratic tape loads, SLOW tape loads just dont do it. SO when Wes B. brings up his bank switching hardware and the possiblity of RAM, lots and lots of RAM, of instant loads, a whole new world opens up for the TS2068. Those interested in this as a group project, start thinking about it, like start dreaming of 640K RAM just for a start. The possiblity of making this a group project will be discussed at the November meeting, the hardware problems, power supply and buffering and costs, then too the major rewriting of the operating ROM for bank switching and the making of EEPROMS. I don’t want to discourage anyone, nor do I wish to make it sound as easy as a printer interface.
Our September meet, as well as the October meet were short and sweet, with Wes talking about his bank switching project. He has been working on the prototype for several months now and maybe able to help the rest of us decide whether or not to get into bankswitching. Dan Lamen brought his TS1000 hi res program in for a demo in October, have to bring it back again Don.
Many are finding inexpensive but very good 3″ disc drives- diskettes about $4 each which hold 360K – from Amdek – write or call Peripherals Direct, PO Box 4301, Northbrook IL 60065 (800 – 332-9988: $45 single order, cheaper in quanity. Limited quanity. Several have had good luck using the LARKIN IF system with it. LARKEN Electronics, R.R. #2, Navan, Ontario Canada K4B 1H9 for info on the IF.
TS REPAIRS-from the Detroit Area TS News-a message on Compuserve listed the following: TS2068 repairs-$15 plus parts, Promised Land Electronics, Dan Elliott, Rt 1, Box 117, Cabool MO 65689 (314) 739-1712 5pm – 9pm and (417) 496-4571 weekends. Anyone using this service, let us know your opinion of it, and we’ll share with everyone.
SINCLAIR’s Z88-in the Sep/Oct 87 issue of Time Designs Magazine (TDM), hands on reports are coming in. The resident software, display, the machine itself are very good. But… the lack of a data storage system other than the 128K RAM cartridge, BBC BASIC as opposed to Sinclair’s BASIC or superBASIC, no internal modem, and recent price jump to 399 (pounds) present the buyer with a bag of problems right off the bat. Mark Steuber of Sharp’s and Rob Curry of Curry Computers got to do the test drive. (TDM, 29722 Hult Road, Colton OR 97017: $16.95 a year for subscription)
Hello and thanks to renewing members; Curtis and Mel Murray, Binghamton, NY; Dan Dodway, Port Crane, NY; Hal Sohn, Vestal, NY; Clyde Tackley, Johnson City, NY; and Jerry Knickerbocker, Binghamton, NY; Don Walterman, Sterling Hts, MI and Hello and welcome to new member Ike Walker, Charleston, WV.
Tape swap report: John Colonna reports a brisk business in our first two tape swap exchanges. Tape number three is well under way, and hopefully by the next newsletter it will be ready. Joan Kealy has sent us MORE of her orginial programs, and peeking at one kept me busy one whole evening. “Quizmstr” has to be one of the neatest ways to learn a subject.
Below is a list of our swaps, monthly, bi-monthly and when ever, these people help keep us up on what goes on around the US and Canada. I notice the end of summer drought on articles, lists of user groups and lots of cartoons and RLE pics in many of the current issues. Personally I am grateful to all who have supported SINCUS NEWS so well over the past five years, I can not do it alone, so I appreciate any and all help.
Newsletter- GROUP, contact, address
SINC-LINK; TORONTO TSUG, POB 7274, STATION A TORONTO, ONTARIO, M5W 1X[illegible] CANADA:bi-monthly
LISTing; LONG ISLAND STUG, POB 438, CENTERPORT, NY 11721:bi-monthly
THE PLOTTER; CLACKAMUS COUNTY AREA TSUG, 1419 1/2 7TH STREET OREGON CITY, OR 97045: $15/yr, monthly
SLUG Newsletter; SINCLAIR LOUISVILLE UG, 4122 WALLINGFORD LN. LOUISVILLE, KY 40218-2365: monthly
ZX-APPEAL; VANCOUVER SINCLAIR UG, R.L. HUMPHREYS, [address omitted], PORT MOODY, BC CANADA: $15/yr, monthly
CATS NEWSLETTER; CAPITAL AREA TSUG, POB 467, FAIRFAX STATION, VA 22039: $18/yr, monthly
THE RAMTOP; GREATER CLEVELAND SINCLAIR UG, James Dupuy, [address omitted], Parma, Ohio: $15/yr, monthly
TSUG-MILE HIGH CHAPTER, F. Holland, [address omitted], Denver, CO:monthly
SMUG BYTES; SINCLAIR MILWAUKEE UG, Bill Heberlein, POB 101, BUTLER, WI 53007: $10/yr, monthly
TIMELINEZ; SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA UGs,(Peninsula UG; East Bay Z80 UG; Silicon Valley Sinclair Technology), Rita Carr, [address omitted], Cupertino CA: $10/yr, monthly
DALLAS T/S/Amstrad UG Newsletter; George E. Edmonds, POB 153421, Irving, Texas 75015: monthly
INDIANA STUG Newsletter,513 E. Main Street, Peru, IN 46970: monthly
DETROIT AREA TS NEWS; T/S SIG of the Southeastern Michigan Computer Organization; Barry Carter, POB 614, Warren MI 48090: $10/yr, monthly
Timex Sinclair Bulletins, Ottawa-Hull TSUG, Bill Harmer, [address omitted] Ottawa, Ontario Canada
NITE-TIMES NEWS; Chicago Area Timex UG, 1885-A Yorktown Avenue Great Lakes, Illinois 60088: $10/yr, monthly
The SINC TIMES, NORTH EAST FLORIDA TSUG, 1707 King St., Jacksonville, FL 32204:quarterly
QZX Journal; 2025 O’Donnell Dr., Las Cruces, NM 88001: $12/yr, monthly
TS-SAFE Disk Up-Date, 1317 Stratford Ave., Panama City, FL 32404:quarterly, $12/yr
SEASONS GREETINGS FROM All of us
