Radio Shack stores in Indianapolis,Indiana

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W9NES

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Weds. 9/7/2011. I have been told by a Indianapolis Metro Police Officer who works the Southeast side of Indianapolis that Radio Shack Stores in the Metro Indianapolis area are no longer programming Police Scanners.When the Officer walked into Radio Shack he was told by a Radio Shack Employee that "Radio Shack no longer programs police scanners that we sell" becuase we need a License to do this we cannot do this no more" As a favor to the officer I am programming the scanner for him to get it set up right for him.The Employee at Radio Shack told the officer that this was for all the Radio Shack Stores in the Greater Metro Indianapolis area.When I called my local Radio Shack in Northwest Indainapolis I was told the same thing.
 

ST-Bob

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It would surprise and amaze me if any Radio Shack store employee knew what a scanner was, let alone how to program one. All they know now is how to sell you a phone it seems.

I suspect the "license" they're talking about is for the ARC software which comes with the new programming cable for the more modern scanners they (used to) sell. If the store manager wants to offer free programming to scanner-owners, he would of course need a license for each version of the software which interfaces with each scanner model. This could become expensive unless Radio Shack has a volume licensing agreement with the software manufacturer.
 

lbfd09

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Don't you just love people working at a Radio Shack who have no clue what radios really are.

Who want's to bet they have no clue as to the history of their once great store?

<<OK - this time i am REALLY going to my box>>
 

NWI_Scanner_Guy

SCANNING THE AIRWAVES SINCE 1987
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Don't you just love people working at a Radio Shack who have no clue what radios really are.

Who want's to bet they have no clue as to the history of their once great store?

<<OK - this time i am REALLY going to my box>>

They should rename themselves Cellphone Shack seeing as they have very little to do with radios nowadays.

I can remember back as an early teenager (30 + years ago), I bought one of their electronic project kits ( AM radio xmitter kit I think it was), and after assembling it, it wouldn't work. I can remember riding my bike back to the store with it, and Ken, the store manager, taking the time to show me what I did wrong and explaining a lot of theory behind radio transmitters. Try that nowadays and the pimply faced kid behind the counter wouldn't have a clue.

Those were the glory days for RS.

Now, having bashed them, I guess in all fairness I should say that I will be going to "The Shack" later on today and getting another 800mhz antenna, so I guess they're still good for something.
 

KC5EIB

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Don't you just love people working at a Radio Shack who have no clue what radios really are.

Who want's to bet they have no clue as to the history of their once great store?

<<OK - this time i am REALLY going to my box>>

And just how much do you want to wager?

15 plus years at "The Shack"
Extra Class (and active on HF) amateur radio operator
GMRS
Scanner Programer (Got my first scanner in 1971)
 

lbfd09

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And just how much do you want to wager?

15 plus years at "The Shack"
Extra Class (and active on HF) amateur radio operator
GMRS
Scanner Programer (Got my first scanner in 1971)

But were you there for the trash - oooppss I mean the TRS-80's? Gave rebirth to the stores and helped launch the computer revolutions. (I said HELPED boys,they didn't do it alonw nor were they fully responsible, but they sure helped...)

Great to see some smart people at RS, even better to hear that they are bringing back some of the old stock and philosophy. Maybe you can come out west the manage a California store? Teach these your geeks who only know how to text phone something :)

Yes, we sell a LARGE quantity of full period, duplex digital two way radios to people of all ages.

And I bet ya don't even need a license to operate....

<<oh I promised I to be in my box>> I'm going, I'm going...
 
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Iron Triangle Ohio... otherweise known as Fostoria
I agree with you guys... They should call it the Cellphone shack. Most of the radioshack stores are prohibiting their emplyees from programming scanners because half of them don't even know analog scanners from digital... let alone how to program them. In both Findlay Ohio stores I am refered for scanner programming by the managers. I have been doing it for years, Heck half the time I would just hang around the store and wate for potential customers, If a customer came into one of the stores with a scanner question, the managers would point over to me and say "talk to that guy, he knows more about these things than we do" The manager also said to me that employees were screwing up the radios trying to program them... And their pre loaded software that they would use was about a joke. Rather than organizing the scanners data, they just cramed a bunch of crap into the scanner, Including repeater input frequencies in the same banks as output frequencies. Numerous time I have had to completely re initialise the scanners and program them the right way. Not good for the shack, But great business for me.... so I am not complaining.
 
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Iron Triangle Ohio... otherweise known as Fostoria
No problem.... If you guys can program scanners well, Id go in and talk to them. I am working on a couple more stores in my area to get programming jobs. And since I am already program and service most of the radio systems in my area for public safety and industrial, It only makes sence to program scanners too. That's what I told the radio shack stores.
 

NWI_Scanner_Guy

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Yes, we sell a LARGE quantity of full period, duplex digital two way radios to people of all ages.

Archer-Space-Patrol-Base.jpg


Sorry, couldn't resist.

:D
 

NWI_Scanner_Guy

SCANNING THE AIRWAVES SINCE 1987
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Oooooweeeee southside, that's an oldie!

I think I had that model when I was a kid, or one very much like it.

I had the base and my best friend had a pair of Space Patrol Walkie Talkies. We thought we were the coolest kids in the neighborhood.

Those "toys" are what got me interested in all facets of radio communications.

:)
 
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Iron Triangle Ohio... otherweise known as Fostoria
With me since I am only 28.... We used to play around with CB's of course. But FRS radios were also starting to become very popular... And we used them a lot with us neighborhood kids. As you said, We thought we was the coolest kids on the block (which we were). We used them FRS radios for all kinds of stuff. Paintballing... You name it. And once other kids in the neighborhood started getting them we would mess with them saying something to the effect of "this is the PD, Get off our channel NOW" ahhhh good times lol.
 
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