JamesPrine
Member
I recently bought a Realistic PRO-21A on an eBay auction. This is a 4-channel crystal-controlled pocket scanner that covers the VHF and UHF hi-lo bands; it uses 4 AA batteries and runs off 6VDC wall power, too,
These went for $129.95 in the 1982 Radio Shack catalog ("New for '82!"), and crystals were $4.95 apiece.
This radio came with a metal belt clip, two antennas (!!!) with screw-in attachment (No BNC or SMA in those days), and an earphone. One of the included antennas is a rubber duck type, and the other is a telescoping metal rod.
I remember my old PRO-4 had a plug-in for the antenna that was identical to the earphone jack next to it, and you had to buy the antenna separately...and it too was $4.95, the same price as that of a crystal <g>.
My PRO-21A was, incredibly, still packaged as it came from the factory, in a sealed plastic bag with silica gel envelope, and though the box was a bit battered, everything inside it was pristeen.
Why did I buy it?
Well, the price was very reasonable, yes, but mostly I got it for sentimental reasons.
After all these years and all the cutting-edge receivers I own, I'm still enraptured by those little flashing red LEDs...
These went for $129.95 in the 1982 Radio Shack catalog ("New for '82!"), and crystals were $4.95 apiece.
This radio came with a metal belt clip, two antennas (!!!) with screw-in attachment (No BNC or SMA in those days), and an earphone. One of the included antennas is a rubber duck type, and the other is a telescoping metal rod.
I remember my old PRO-4 had a plug-in for the antenna that was identical to the earphone jack next to it, and you had to buy the antenna separately...and it too was $4.95, the same price as that of a crystal <g>.
My PRO-21A was, incredibly, still packaged as it came from the factory, in a sealed plastic bag with silica gel envelope, and though the box was a bit battered, everything inside it was pristeen.
Why did I buy it?
Well, the price was very reasonable, yes, but mostly I got it for sentimental reasons.
After all these years and all the cutting-edge receivers I own, I'm still enraptured by those little flashing red LEDs...