The Sinclair QL Forum

Excellent, I've been looking for one of those. Should have just asked in here!

Hello,
I have two QLs (both fully working at this time, both with Shoen keyboards - red function keys, both with Tetroid CF expansion cards and dual 720K floppies).
I bought the first (JM rom) in Paris end 1984 even before the french version was available, for 4000FF (4000 french francs = 700 euros), and the second (JS rom) in Brussels (also an UK model) one year later for 1000FF. I don't collect any more, one stays in the Alps - were I am still confined, and the other waits for me to return home. The only things that will travel with me are the CF chips (one 512M, one 1G and two 8G) and indeed a "SmartDisk Photobank" that I use both as a hard disk and a CF chip interface for my PC.
POLKa

Chr$ wrote:Excellent, I've been looking for one of those. Should have just asked in here!

Almost unused!

Cheers,
Norm.

Chr$ wrote: Boxed ones in the US? That would be pretty good value, US Samsung versions must be pretty hard to find I'd have thought (even harder than the German Samsung model), but there are probably very few QLers in the USA so less demand (and prohibitive postal/customs costs to elsewhere).

The video issues are likely to just be the modern TV struggling with the RF output.

I don't know if they are US versions from scanning completed items. Most of the stuff I get on eBay (US) is UK, like the upper case I bought. They likely don't come with the outer cover but probably in the styrofoam so they aren't factory mint. But the conversation was more on high prices keeping new folks from trying the QL and for that you don't need to pay mint prices. When I bought mine in 89 it came in its styrofoam but in a cardboard box that fit perfectly, no outer Sinclair shell.

I find the RF out, at least for the US version, to be very good. It doesn't bleed like it did for that eBayer and the colors are all clear. I've tried it both on CRT and various LCD TV's. In fact I was disappointed that when I modded mine to get composite color NTSC out that the picture wasn't that much different from RF.

bwinkel67 wrote:

Chr$ wrote:
But the conversation was more on high prices keeping new folks from trying the QL and for that you don't need to pay mint prices.

I think to get new people into the QL you'd probably have to give them one for free and then lock them in a room with it, without phone/internet for 6 months! And even then, let's be honest, without any upgrades at all they are pretty limited

Yes I think I've seen the plain carboard 'mailer' boxes before. They are certainly original I would imagine. I know that other Sinclair mail-order computers came in plain boxes (with no fancy box within the plain one).

Chr$ wrote:

bwinkel67 wrote: I think to get new people into the QL you'd probably have to give them one for free and then lock them in a room with it, without phone/internet for 6 months! And even then, let's be honest, without any upgrades at all they are pretty limited

Yeah, I think anyone getting into retro computing will likely first go the route of a C64 or Atari (even if that's not what they grew up with)...but they are a bit primitive. Better hardware with lots of color and sound but the OS...ugh, can't even call it that. I guess it's about what you really like in a computer. I'm surprised that after college I got a QL and it's 30 years later that I'm more appreciative of what it does than when I had it. I think with some of the hardware issues all being leveled with better medium (i.e. SD cards and easier ways to display video) its easier to appreciate the machine now. But I find myself using the QL now the way I use Linux since I don't really apply user interfaces that much with my access to those (ssh mostly with some gcc and csh/bash vs console with some Digital C and SuperBASIC to automate tasks).

Same disk drives here with Gold Card. Strange enough, most disks won't format on them in either HD or ED but HD disks formatted as QL disks on a PC are readable and writable on the QL drives.

As for QL builds, I have two D15s with Issue 6 board and JS ROMs and two D09s with Issue 5 board and JM ROM (I believe I got the latter two for free from someone who wanted to get rid of them on a meeting somewhere in the '90s).

Jan

Suddenly more QL's showing up on Ebay in Europe Inspired by the Italian guy?

This QL on olx.pl is 4900 zloti = 1110 euro
https://www.olx.pl/oferta/sinclair-ql-s ... 4d59082fd7

lrennzo wrote:Suddenly more QL's showing up on Ebay in Europe Inspired by the Italian guy?

I see 5 in total on my eBay (which I think is listing 1 locally and 4 from the UK)...the one locally is from Canada. All seem reasonably priced. There are 2 in the UK are in their original silver outer casings.