I have to work during the playoffs. - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

SaskaBushFire · 04-07-2006, 10:47 AM

Long story short: I work a summer job but I also want to keep my part time school job over the summer so I have it next semester. I have to work a minimum of two nights a week to stay on the roster over the summer. I maintain a car wash so basically if nothing breaks I do homework, or in this case hopefully watch Flames games.

My question here is how the heck do I work a TV without cable?

I have 2 old TV's I am willing to bring to work, neither have rabbit ears though, one is a little newer probably late 80's, the other is the old school model with the knob handles. I have never had to run a TV with rabbit ears so this is all new to me .. any tips on how I can make some makeshift ears, or clues on good spots to find some would be greatly appreciated. I am making sure that this is all ready come playoff time so I am not scrambling.

FireFly · 04-07-2006, 10:57 AM

Aw muffin. Wanna hear my sob 'I get to miss the playoffs' story? Good, here it is.

I have tickets to each home game of Round 1. However, I have been scheduled to work nights Thursday and Friday the 20th and 21st, when I assume there will be at least one game. Saturday I am off at 7, and I pray one home game is on Saturday. Or one could be Sunday and that would be fine too as I am off. Monday to Friday the 24th to 28th though... not only am I working 2-10PM, I'm also training so I can't even trade shifts. And because I'm in training I won't even be able to turn on the live internet feed from the Fan. No tv, no radio for a whole week from 2-10. How many games do you suppose I'll miss completely? Which reminds me that I should really talk to our scheduling department and ask if they could schedule me for mornings at some point because I haven't worked one since Christmas. Then I'll get mornings for Round 3 if I'm lucky.

FireFly · 04-07-2006, 10:58 AM

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. I don't know how to work rabbit ears. You can get a pair for $12 at the Source by Circuit City though.

Ace · 04-07-2006, 11:02 AM

buy a small B&W portible t.v., you'll get a better picture (although no colour)

Bobblehead · 04-07-2006, 11:05 AM

Boy, does this make me feel old....

If your TV only has a spot to hook up cable, get one of these
Otherwise you should have a couple of screws for a 75 ohm connection.

Then you can get a set of rabbit ears, or even just a simple di-pole antenna ( this ) and get reception.

You may get OK reception without anything, depending upon where you are.

Buff · 04-07-2006, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFly

Aw muffin. Wanna hear my sob 'I get to miss the playoffs' story? Good, here it is.

I have tickets to each home game of Round 1. However, I have been scheduled to work nights Thursday and Friday the 20th and 21st, when I assume there will be at least one game. Saturday I am off at 7, and I pray one home game is on Saturday. Or one could be Sunday and that would be fine too as I am off. Monday to Friday the 24th to 28th though... not only am I working 2-10PM, I'm also training so I can't even trade shifts. And because I'm in training I won't even be able to turn on the live internet feed from the Fan. No tv, no radio for a whole week from 2-10. How many games do you suppose I'll miss completely? Which reminds me that I should really talk to our scheduling department and ask if they could schedule me for mornings at some point because I haven't worked one since Christmas. Then I'll get mornings for Round 3 if I'm lucky.

I remember when I thought my boss made the schedule with a Flames schedule by his side. For an entire season I worked every night that the Flames played (or so it seemed) Thankfully that was in 1995/96 and I didn't really miss much.

transplant99 · 04-07-2006, 11:06 AM

If your older model has the two screws in the back that will allow a ballen (adaptor) to be attached...use it, and go to Radio Shack or something comparable and get a set of rabbit ears for 10 bucks or so that will have a coax that screws into the ballen that then attaches to the screws on the back of the TV....

ken0042 · 04-07-2006, 11:10 AM

Cheap option is to get the adapter that Bobblehead showed, and then buy about 20 feet of speaker wire and run that up the wall and then splitting into two directions, like a "T" shape.

@theCBE · 04-07-2006, 11:56 AM

Last season my brother had the same problem. He bought a small B&W from walmart for $16. It picks up most channels pretty good CBC, Global CTV and City TV and the french channel all come through crystal clear with with the rabbit ears it has attached.

Its not colour and its tiny.. but i'm guessing it would be better than nothing and better than radio. It does pick up radio stations as well.

Incinerator · 04-07-2006, 12:17 PM

Buddy it's a carwash job, just quit and take your pick from any number of retail/carwash/fastfood job on the papers every day when July rolls around. Trust me, you'll be sorry if you gave up witnessing all this glory for $9 an hour or whatever it is that they pay you, there's jobs like these everywhere you can stumble into them without even looking.

Calgary Flames · 04-07-2006, 01:06 PM

Yeah quit and work at Superstore electronics dept. at least in 2002 when I worked there the manager put all the playoff games on tv. Nothing like watching Game 7 of the Devils/Ducks final with like 20 other customers and nobody in line

SaskaBushFire · 04-07-2006, 01:37 PM

The problem there is that the carwash is located 3 minutes away from my house by car. Three of my life long bestfriends work up front in the convenience section, so basically we bull**** for 7 hours a day and get paid for it. On top of that our cliental isn't exactly the tip of the top being on the westside and all, so whiskey in a mug is not out of the question during the game.

Anyway, thanks for the info it is greatly appreciated we will not have to miss a game. I think I can get away with the older TV and the $10 rabbit ears, going to check on that today. Once again, CP to the rescue ... is there anything within logical reason that this board can't do?

toonmaster · 04-07-2006, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Boy, does this make me feel old....

If your TV only has a spot to hook up cable, get one of these
Otherwise you should have a couple of screws for a 75 ohm connection.

Then you can get a set of rabbit ears, or even just a simple di-pole antenna ( this ) and get reception.

You may get OK reception without anything, depending upon where you are.

also you can just ram a piece of wire into the cable outlet and string the wire around til you get some good reception, that works just fine too, ive lived 32 months like that

Bobblehead · 04-07-2006, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toonmaster

also you can just ram a piece of wire into the cable outlet and string the wire around til you get some good reception, that works just fine too, ive lived 32 months like that

Yeah, but that can be finicky. I've done it, but I'd prefer to spend the 5 bucks or less and not worry about jiggling the wire just before a goal.

Gravitykillr · 04-07-2006, 09:36 PM

I bought a 5" black and white portable tv from London Drugs during the last playoff run, Spent many a night at 7-11 watching the game with 5 or 6 customers along with th eother staff that was working. I love that little tv I'm going to have it ready again if I have to work any of the games this year

http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Portable+TV's&product=1 612002

this is the tv I bought, but I got if from London drugs

toonmaster · 04-07-2006, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Yeah, but that can be finicky. I've done it, but I'd prefer to spend the 5 bucks or less and not worry about jiggling the wire just before a goal.

it is absolutely finicky, depends on time of day, # of people in the room, heck even if the surround sound was left on or not!

(and no the surround sound is not for the peasant vision)