Scout943
Blackhawk
Ever get a Christmas present from this place http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1965-a/
WHEN RADIOSHACK WAS GOOD
- Thread starter Scout943
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protoolman
Service-Sixer
Yes, I got a crystal radio kit from them and listened to it many hours. Am only of course. I also remember the .99 cent 5 cell plastic flashlights. They practically gave them away so you had to buy a boatload of batteries. Good old outfit. My boss had one of their TRS-80 computers too.
I blame them for my abilities today. :mrgreen:
Seriously, if a kid had any interest in electrical stuff it was a wonderland. You could start with a simple Heath Kit and then move on to designing and making your own stuff. I enabled many of our generation to learn how to troubleshoot things. And this taught problem solving in a fun way. Sadly most of today's kids can't figure out what to do if anything doesn't work. They just throw up their hands and buy a new one.
Seriously, if a kid had any interest in electrical stuff it was a wonderland. You could start with a simple Heath Kit and then move on to designing and making your own stuff. I enabled many of our generation to learn how to troubleshoot things. And this taught problem solving in a fun way. Sadly most of today's kids can't figure out what to do if anything doesn't work. They just throw up their hands and buy a new one.
BucolicBuffalo
Single-Sixer
Man, that was the good old days for Radio shack. My dad still uses those little pocket AM radios with a 9V battery.
toysoldier
Hunter
I still have (and use) the Realistic STA-65C receiver-amplifier I purchased in 1971, and the set of Nova speakers, too. Both in real walnut cabinets.
exavid
Hunter
I remember building a Radio Shack oscilloscope kit in 1963. I was living in Kotzebue, AK and ordered it from their catalog. Took about two months to get it which was par for the course in that part of the world. The kit was a bunch of surplus parts and a schematic. Not quite up to Heathkit quality. I did build the thing and calibrated it more or less. Being an ET at the time made it pretty easy but I'd bet that a lot of people who bought that 'kit' gave up on it. Radio Shack, Lafayette Electronic were two catalogs that kept my home built amateur transmitter going. My first TV was a Heathkit color set. That TV lasted for almost ten years. Do it yourself really was in the 50s to 70s or so. It sure helped me get a bunch of good equipment over the years.
In some ways it's a sad thing that one can't build electronic projects of decent quality these days. Just too many specialized tools needed now. It was fun and satisfying to build your own stuff back then. Almost as much fun as my first crystal radio in 1953.
In some ways it's a sad thing that one can't build electronic projects of decent quality these days. Just too many specialized tools needed now. It was fun and satisfying to build your own stuff back then. Almost as much fun as my first crystal radio in 1953.
Jim Puke
Hunter
During the CB radio craze, I had a Navaho base station, Eagle mic, linear amp and a lowly ground plane antenna that would talk big for little money. My friend owned the RS store and he was a great help, to me.
Bull Barrel
Hunter
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Back when Radio Shack had....radios. seems like they went downhill when they dropped radios, etc in favor of phones and cheap toys.
Had my fair shareof RS stuff over the years.
Had my fair shareof RS stuff over the years.
wheelgun1958
Hunter
Don't forget the heathkit digital clock set.
exavid
Hunter
Oh yeah, my third computer was a TRS model III. It was also my first with a floppy disc drive. In 1982 I bought a HUGE used Tandy/Radio Shack 5mb hard drive from a shoe store in Juneau that was closing. It wasn't much after that that I began running up our phone bill on long distance calls to the lower 48 going onto bulletin boards at with a J-cat 175 baud modem. We didn't get practical internet until around 1990.
Chief_10Beers
Blackhawk
I remember when RS was the place to go for all kinds of Electronic Realistic and Lafayette"Stuff". My first was a Tandy CoCoIII.
Heathkit? Built a bunch of Electronics from Power Amps to Test Equipment. Quality stuff back then............................
Heathkit? Built a bunch of Electronics from Power Amps to Test Equipment. Quality stuff back then............................
Health and their kits were totally separate from Radio Shack. The only thing in common was they sold electronics. Both encouraged people to learn by doing practical projects.
gramps
gramps
As cool as Radio Shack was, Lafayette, (remember them?), was even cooler!
As a teenager in the sixties, I didn't have a bunch of money, so most of the stuff Radio Shack or Lafayette sold was only the stuff my dreams were made of.
But it seems I could always find a speaker of some kind that I could afford, and turn my reel to reel tape recorder or transistor radio into a sound sensation. At least I thought so.
And CB radio? Both places sold the most wonderful CB equipment, which was mostly also above my means. So I had a low wattage mobile CB that I used as a base station, used the guy-wire to our telephone pole as an antennae, and you'd think I could talk to Tokyo. Occasionally I'd catch the skip just right, and be able to talk to another CB'er from the South. Life was cool.
WAYNO.
As a teenager in the sixties, I didn't have a bunch of money, so most of the stuff Radio Shack or Lafayette sold was only the stuff my dreams were made of.
But it seems I could always find a speaker of some kind that I could afford, and turn my reel to reel tape recorder or transistor radio into a sound sensation. At least I thought so.
And CB radio? Both places sold the most wonderful CB equipment, which was mostly also above my means. So I had a low wattage mobile CB that I used as a base station, used the guy-wire to our telephone pole as an antennae, and you'd think I could talk to Tokyo. Occasionally I'd catch the skip just right, and be able to talk to another CB'er from the South. Life was cool.
WAYNO.
Bull Barrel
Hunter
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AlliedRadio was bought by Tandy Corp, the parent of Radio Shack. Tandy ahd to divest itself of allied, andAllied wasbought and became the electronics component distributor, Allied Electronics.
NixieTube
Blackhawk
My Dad brought home his first personal computer from Radio Shack: A TRS-80 Model 1. 4K RAM, Cassette tape, a B/W TV as a "monitor" and he ...
... taught me how to program with it.
The two biggest virtues of the TRS-80 Mod1 were the keyboard (well, that's all it really was.) Really nice, tactile feel and durable. And the spiral-bound tabloid-sized manuals that came with it. As a child, you could put those manuals on a table and learn to program in BASIC by just following the little guy showing you the language, one little page at a time.
I had a dream about this post the other night and it was a terrible dream. Uncanny that you brought it up. I really enjoyed Radio Shack. Remember those electronic kits with the springs to attach the wires and all the little discrete components with the instruction manual about how to build basic circuits?
... taught me how to program with it.
The two biggest virtues of the TRS-80 Mod1 were the keyboard (well, that's all it really was.) Really nice, tactile feel and durable. And the spiral-bound tabloid-sized manuals that came with it. As a child, you could put those manuals on a table and learn to program in BASIC by just following the little guy showing you the language, one little page at a time.
I had a dream about this post the other night and it was a terrible dream. Uncanny that you brought it up. I really enjoyed Radio Shack. Remember those electronic kits with the springs to attach the wires and all the little discrete components with the instruction manual about how to build basic circuits?
NixieTube
Blackhawk
Of course we bought a lot more at Radio Shack, because we repaired a lot of our own electronic equipment and RS was the "go-to" first stop in our area for - get ready for it - discrete components like resistors, capacitors, bulbs, and so forth.
One of my favorite Christmas gifts EVER (the TRS-80 Mod1 is long gone) that I still have is Tandy Backgammon. This was (and still IS) a really incredible game of Backgammon. It came in a leatherette case with little dice and it was incredibly well made and a lot of fun to play. And it was a BEAUTIFUL game to have, it just looked awesome. You'd take it out to play and people were totally intrigued just looking at it and you can see why from this link.
http://handheldmuseum.com/Tandy/Backgammon.htm
One of my favorite Christmas gifts EVER (the TRS-80 Mod1 is long gone) that I still have is Tandy Backgammon. This was (and still IS) a really incredible game of Backgammon. It came in a leatherette case with little dice and it was incredibly well made and a lot of fun to play. And it was a BEAUTIFUL game to have, it just looked awesome. You'd take it out to play and people were totally intrigued just looking at it and you can see why from this link.
http://handheldmuseum.com/Tandy/Backgammon.htm
Radio Shack used to be a great place to by electronics parts. Too bad they pretty much committed corporate suicide. Good example, about 2 years ago I was working at a school and needed 2 short ethernet cables. I went to the local Home Depot and they only had one, so I bought it for something like $8. I though, "no problem, I'll just go over to Radio Shack (which was katty-croner from Home Depot) and get the other one". They had it, however they wanted $24 for it. Went elsewhere to get it because I knew the school wouldn't want to reimburse me for $24 for one cable when the other was only $8. Over the years RS went from a great place for parts to a store with a few parts but mostly selling cheap electronic toys and other such junk you could get cheaper elsewhere.
NixieTube
Blackhawk
redhawker said:
Oh, my goodness gracious you used the term "catty-corner" or "kitty-corner" except you invented a new spelling for it. You'd get along great with my Dad. 8)
NixieTube
Blackhawk
From the article:TitanX said:
Actually, that only tells a part of the story and is somewhat incorrect. My recollection is that one of Tandy/Radio Shack's self-inflicted wounds (in *retrospect* - it seemed like a good idea at the time) which helped sink their IBM-PC "clone" business was trying to leapfrog the IBM PC/AT by producing the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_2000 Tandy 2000. The 2000 was based on the Intel 80186 CPU and contained a Tandy-proprietary graphics and video subsystem. They tried to out-gun IBM with a machine that was faster and had a better display than the IBM PC and PC/XT of the day. Their advertising was very aggressive touting their "clearly superior" tag line.
And in truth, it was a better computer - faster, with better graphics, at a significantly better price point...
...but it was also incompatible with a lot of IBM PC software as a result of its "nonstandard" hardware (it ran its own, special version of MS-DOS) and when IBM subsequently introduced the PC/AT running on the 80286 and then later the EGA and VGA graphics standards, Tandy found they couldn't sell those machines. To my mind, that was the beginning of the end of the Tandy attempt to compete in the PC market. They essentially tried to one-up IBM and it didn't work, in a big way. I'm quite sure there was no shortage of behind-the-scenes arm twisting by IBM's sales staff to large business purchasers to the effect of: "Yeah, that Tandy 2000 sure is a nice machine. But in a few months you'll be able to buy the PC/AT and that's going to be a real IBM. Your choice, but..."
Neat commercials with Bill Bixby (TV's Original Incredible Hulk) though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZTTu70OLqY
NixieTube
Blackhawk
TitanX said:
Thanks, it was one of the less-noticed things but I've always thought it was important.
I remember seeing the very first Tandy 2000 that arrived at our local Radio Shack and I was young at the time and thought: "Wow, this is *so* much better than an IBM PC or PC/XT." It really was a better computer. Better keyboard, much faster, better graphics, less expensive, and Radio Shack was literally a few miles away for service. But it was born under a 'bad sign,' as it were. IBM's 'competitive' tactics are legendary (see: Amdahl, who recently passed away, one of the real geniuses of the 20th century.)
I think they would have been better off as a company/brand going for full compatibility earlier, shelving the Tandy 2000 as a product, and then upping the clock rate on the 80286 machines, offering service on IBM machines, and then leveraging their enormous dealer and service network for the next few years. But it's one of those amazing, pivotal business decisions. Had they done that, they could have captured a really significant share of the "compatible clone" market and made a lot of money. Everything always makes sense in retrospect. ;)
I say that especially about service because if Radio Shack had been able to land a deal with IBM to service the original PC/ATs they could have made a nice amount of money off of that. Remember the original CMI hard drives in those? They were *pure garbage.* The first one in our PC/AT failed, then the second one failed, and then we bought a Priam. Coincidentally, Core Performance in Florida (Boca Raton) made a huge marketing campaign of taking the vast pile of CMI drives and dumping them in the ocean to build a coral reef.
I'm pretty sure that IBM's executive team wasn't enamored of that ad where Bill Bixby snaps his fingers and makes the PC (and all the rest of the computers) disappear. They took it seriously and fired back. :shock:
An observation...
Since this thread has morphed into an early computer discussion, maybe it was the computer age that caused them to fail. Radio Shack, sounds like they could not keep up with the quickly evolving computer industry. And kids, at that point, needing instant gratification were no longer interested in experimenting with, and/or building radios or other sound-producing equipment. Radio Shack couldn't keep up with the computer and/or game industry, so there was nothing left for them to sell.
WAYNO.
Since this thread has morphed into an early computer discussion, maybe it was the computer age that caused them to fail. Radio Shack, sounds like they could not keep up with the quickly evolving computer industry. And kids, at that point, needing instant gratification were no longer interested in experimenting with, and/or building radios or other sound-producing equipment. Radio Shack couldn't keep up with the computer and/or game industry, so there was nothing left for them to sell.
WAYNO.
NixieTube
Blackhawk
WAYNO said:
I can't speak to how Tandy made its decisions internally but the culture really did change once the internet became widespread. Tandy was in a great position to take advantage of the pre-internet computer revolution and in some ways it started it. But by 2000, people didn't fix things any longer. I challenge someone who doesn't hang around EEs to tell me what the BBROYGBVGW in resistors means. It used to be broader knowledge.
I think the demographic just withered and they were forced to start selling cheaply manufactured commodity junk from China. It's hard to lease space in an upscale mall or shopping center in America when your customers would just as soon go to WalMart.
NixieTube said:
Gotta tell ya, you made my head swim with the original letters you had posted. I wondered, have the youngsters changed the color codes, too? :mrgreen:
WAYNO.
NixieTube
Blackhawk
WAYNO said:
Sorry, that was my brain typing too fast for my fingers. It's the latter version.
TitanX said:
Thanks. I guess it was time I retired. :mrgreen:
WAYNO.
NixieTube
Blackhawk
By the way, all of this discussion about people actually making things with electronic components has got me thinking about about one of my favorite small manufacturers of speakers, including kits and components. I don't want to advertise them here in the thread, but I own a pair of their speakers and assembled them myself from their very high quality components. If you'd like to know where to look, send me a private message.
If you're in the market for some really good speakers and/or kits that you can build yourself, these are some of the best. I don't make any money. I have no affiliation with them except that I love the sound the finished product produces and I think you will, too.
If you're in the market for some really good speakers and/or kits that you can build yourself, these are some of the best. I don't make any money. I have no affiliation with them except that I love the sound the finished product produces and I think you will, too.
Anybody remember this? Bad beer rots our young guts but vodka goes well? Or, Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly??? It is kinda vague but I bet one of y'all will get it.
As the post goes, we wired an 8 track player into the school bus so we could play our tunes. I love old school electronics/electric. I sure wish kids today would play around with real stuff instead of games. Yes, it is kinda dangerous but what's a little shock between friends.
Karl
Oops: Just read page 3 and saw it. We always used the line above. I figured it would come out but I only read through page 2. Oops.
Karl
As the post goes, we wired an 8 track player into the school bus so we could play our tunes. I love old school electronics/electric. I sure wish kids today would play around with real stuff instead of games. Yes, it is kinda dangerous but what's a little shock between friends.
Karl
Oops: Just read page 3 and saw it. We always used the line above. I figured it would come out but I only read through page 2. Oops.
Karl
NixieTube
Blackhawk
737tdi said:
Yup. Both Versions. And more! I used to help my Dad sort resistors and of course I had to know the mnemonics. They seemed so mature at the time :lol:
