Dead Hobbies

[Doofus]

When I was in my early teens (early 80s) I had a CB radio in my bedroom (Cobra, I think), and CB Radio magazine was a regular purchase.

That's all dead now, but it can't be the only hobby killed by progress rather than by fashion, can it?

[TonyRPH]

There seems to have been a couple of DIY hobbies killed off / died.

DIY audio is one specific hobby that has all but died a death in the UK - it certainly doesn't have the same following it did back in the 70's for example.

I think this is largely due to HiFi gear being so cheap to buy now.

Even other areas of electronics are not as popular as they used to be,

[castex]

Dutch arrows.

Take a stick of bamboo. Carve two notches, one at the tip, one near the end.
Sharpen the tip, split the tail in 4 then fashion wings from a cereal box to insert in the split.
Wrap string around the nose notch then up to the groove further back, under tension; wrap it around that and then around your finger.
Launch it like a javelin.

Whole summers of fun back in the late '70s.

I tried it with my boys a few years ago. It seemed...Extremely dangerous.

[FunkyNige]

Stamp Collecting. Apparently the price of collectible stamps are in free fall as there’s no young blood getting into the hobby.

[Monkeylegend]

I bet there aren't many youngsters into building and playing with model railways anymore, or Scalextric.

[BritishBlitz87]

FunkyNige said:

Stamp Collecting. Apparently the price of collectible stamps are in free fall as there’s no young blood getting into the hobby.

Cigarette cases and cards are even worse off.

[JustGREENI]

CB 27mhz SSB is very much alive !

[The Rotrex Kid]

BritishBlitz87 said:

FunkyNige said:

Stamp Collecting. Apparently the price of collectible stamps are in free fall as there’s no young blood getting into the hobby.

Cigarette cases and cards are even worse off.

I (and it seemed quite a few others) used to collect BT phone cards. Still got all of mine 25 years later. I expect it’s a dead hobby now.

[crofty1984]

Soon fixing up old classic (ICE) cars will be more and more niche, lack of interest, knowledge and the cars to do it to. I'm sure people will still upgrade their EVs, but nothing like now, and the old grease and spanners dinosaurs (like me) will die out.

[emperorburger]

Strictly back issues only for Shaven Havens collectors.

[Doofus]

FunkyNige said:

Stamp Collecting. Apparently the price of collectible stamps are in free fall as there’s no young blood getting into the hobby.

That's a shame. I inherited a stload several years ago. Up to around 100 years old.

[mattnovak]

I used to love whittling a stick with a penknife

[ruggedscotty]

electronics used to be a massive hobby years ago, lots of different electronic magazines

Hobby Electronics
Everyday Electronics
Practical Electronics
Elekctor....

and companies that supplied electronic components... Maplin Tandy Magenta.....

happy memories of building kits and assembling small projects.

[lost in espace]

The Rotrex Kid said:

I (and it seemed quite a few others) used to collect BT phone cards. Still got all of mine 25 years later. I expect it’s a dead hobby now.

My dad got hold of a lot of unusual ones, test and engineer cards. Had quite a collection, I remember ebaying the lot about 10 years ago.

Home built PC's like the ZX80, now that is a dead hobby!

[The Rotrex Kid]

lost in espace said:

The Rotrex Kid said:

I (and it seemed quite a few others) used to collect BT phone cards. Still got all of mine 25 years later. I expect it’s a dead hobby now.

My dad got hold of a lot of unusual ones, test and engineer cards. Had quite a collection, I remember ebaying the lot about 10 years ago.

Home built PC's like the ZX80, now that is a dead hobby!

I used to buy them new, I’ve got loads of brand new, in the packet, themed ones. Whole sets that I spent £100’s on as a kid.


All completely an utterly worthless

I showed them to my niece and nephew once, they couldn’t really grasp the idea of having to buy a card to use a phone box.

[talksthetorque]

Doofus said:

FunkyNige said:

Stamp Collecting. Apparently the price of collectible stamps are in free fall as there’s no young blood getting into the hobby.

That's a shame. I inherited a stload several years ago. Up to around 100 years old.

I occasionally work next to the Stanley Gibbons industrial unit , and they have a place on the strand still, so there must still be some folk out there.
I don't know wha goes on in either for clarity.
As a kid I used to play marbles. has that died a death? No kids so no idea.

[anonymous-user]

castex said:

Dutch arrows.

Take a stick of bamboo. Carve two notches, one at the tip, one near the end.
Sharpen the tip, split the tail in 4 then fashion wings from a cereal box to insert in the split.
Wrap string around the nose notch then up to the groove further back, under tension; wrap it around that and then around your finger.
Launch it like a javelin.

Whole summers of fun back in the late '70s.

I tried it with my boys a few years ago. It seemed...Extremely dangerous.

Sounds like some kind of asymmetric jungle warfare, did you grow up in ‘nam?

Did you made loads of tunnels too?

[APontus]

Alas, my collection of white dog poo from the 80s is virtually worthless now. The price of progress.

[MBBlat]

Monkeylegend said:

I bet there aren't many youngsters into building and playing with model railways anymore, or Scalextric.

Hornby sold out last year so not quite as dead as you might think.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57425161

[red_slr]

Tamiya RC cars. I appreciate they are still around but in the 80s every kid I knew had one. I always wanted the avante 2000.

A mate of mine had the one below the avante and he was like a god to us mere grasshopper drivers.