Teenage hobbies of the 1970s—model and high powered rocketry & souped up stereo sound systems. Welcome to the teenage bedroom of Joe Roberts of Minnechaug High School, Class of ’78. “Most people probably don’t remember me as I was very shy in school.” Read Joe’s in depth take on his personal collection of rockets & speakers.
I started in Model Rocketry in the summer of 1973, towards the end of the “golden age” of rocketry. My first rocket was an Estes Alpha III, and my second was the Estes X-Ray. My activities in Model Rocketry were at an agressive rate from the summer of 1973 until about the end of 1974. After that time, my interest in rocketry was somewhat less… not that I was disinterested in rockets, I had other interests coming on line (astronomy and stereo systems). My rocketry activities did continue at some level through and including the 1980’s and 1990’s, but in a number of those years rocket launches took place only once or twice per year. In late 1998 I became interested in High Power Rocketry and certified Level 1 shortly thereafter.
January 1977. A new Pioneer PL-112D turntable has been added (it was my big Christmas present for 1976). Had to re-arrange a number of items to accommodate the new gear. With the new turntable, my 45 record collection suffered much less wear (even though I had modified the old GE phono to track a lot lighter). It also sounds a lot better! One old turntable is now retired.
