Hello, newbie here , first post ...

[murrmac]

Hi everybody, I am so delighted that I have found this forum.


I bought my first Amstrad CPC464 back in '82 ( think) ...then I bought a CPC6128 which served me well for years  in many respects ... I used the Campbell Systems Masterfile ||| database to run my fledgling business, and I loved writing simple programs in BASIC for my own amusement and for my children as well ...does anybody remember the game "Anna Conda"? ...LOL ...I also remember buying a Star dot-matrix printer at that time for £350...OUCH...


Since these early days I have moved on to PC's , and obviously PC's  (or Mac's) is what we have to use to communicate via the interweb, but I really hanker after the excitement of these early days ..it was just so much fun, wasn't it ?


I still have my CPC6128 console, although maddeningly the monitor seems to have disappeared...I haven't used the console  in maybe 15 years, but I have decided to obtain another monitor and also any other bits and bobs I may need , via Ebay. I am really looking forward to getting back to programming stuff in BASIC, and I look forward to interacting with all you fellow CPC enthusiasts.

[AMSDOS]

G'day.

That's hilarious because the cpc464 was launched 30 years ago today. 

Good to have you here. 

Funny you don't hear of those Star printers anymore, guess they must of went under when Inkjet/Bubblejet Printers were replacing the Dot-Matrix Market.

[robcfg]

Hi, and welcome!


Sure the CPC monitor is super nice, but you may also consider buying a PSU and SCART cable kit for your CPC.


I hope you get your CPC up'n'running again soon.


Regards,
Rob

[arnoldemu]

Welcome murrmac.

[Bryce]

Welcome Murrmac,
                   Your first CPC can't have been before 1984.

Bryce.

P.s. Don't call it a console!! It's a computer, consoles don't have keyboards.

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

It would be good to resurrect your 6128... a SCART cable and PSU should be all you need, rather than a bulky monitor, but if you absolutely need the full experience :-)


Yeah, the 464 would have been in 1984 or later.


I bet you could do a lot of small business functions still perfectly fine on with that old 6128 and the classic business software.

[steve]

Put some business oriented software on a cartridge and the 6128+ would still make a very useful computer, which could not be infected by viruses as is common with PCs. 

[mr_lou]

Welcome to the forum!

Like people say, instead of going for a monitor, you could just look for a scart cable and a power supply, so that you can use your TV for monitor. (Normally the CPC gets its power from the monitor. So when you use a scart cable and a TV, you need another power source for the CPC).

I haven't used a CPC monitor for any of my CPC's in years.

You should be able to find full kits on eBay that'll let you hook up your CPC to a TV, as long as the TV has a scart plug.

[murrmac]

Ahh ... memory playing tricks there ... I kind of took a stab at 1982 ....I thought I had the 6128 by 1984, but probably it would have been later than that ? I know I wasted no time in upgrading to the 6128, I just loved the idea of an integrated disc drive.


I take on board what y'all are saying about the TV instead of the monitor, but I think I want to go with the "total experience" ...I am watching a few items on Ebay at the moment so I should be all set by this time next week. I am kind of shocked by the prices being asked for blank discs , however ...works out around £2.50 each ( after postage ) ...Yikes ! Although I do actually have a few discs knocking around somewhere.


I don't know if any of you are horse racing fans, but if you are, and if you have ever bought the trade newspaper the "Racing Post", you may have seen a feature called "Traveller's Check". This is a daily feature which lists the horses which have travelled furthest to the racecourse. My claim to fame is that I was the originator of this feature ...I wrote a program which calculated the distance from every racing stable in the country to every racecourse in the country, and added in an allowance for actual road miles as opposed to how the crow flies. I sold the results to the Racing Post for a laughably low sum of money , and they have published it as a daily feature ever since.


I think I used the Campbell Systems Masterfile 111 to write the program, or it may have been Mastercalc ..I can't be sure. What I do know is that I would love to have the Masterfile (and Mastercalc )programs up and running on the CPC again ... I loved using them so if anybody has a disc they would consider selling ...or even if it is possible to do a copy ( Campbell Systems are now extinct ... there is no copyright problem ) then I am willing to pay handsomely to have them once again.


Thanks everybody for the welcome, and I am really really looking forward to having my 6128 up and running once more.

[TFM]

Welcome here!

[paradroid90]

Welcome to the forum

As the guys have suggested I went for the psu and scart lead solution for my recently obtained CPC6128.

They both work like a dream and the picture is crisp and sharp on my LCD 

[TFM]

That's a good idea. But for Mode 0 games you will love the original CTM644, because it has hardware antializing [nb]Bad people would say it's not as sharp as a modern monitor though.[/nb]

[robcfg]

You can always connect the CPC to a 25" Sony Trinitron CRT TV. Absolutely top notch!

[TFM]

Well, probably hard to get... 

[Gryzor]

Welcome mate! Hope you stay with us and enjoy all the site and the CPC has to offer

Don't listen to them TV guys, the monitor is the best way to go