I miss the days when...

[Omega-TI]

... I could go into a local Radio Store and try out a radio before buying it. The visual and the tactile, not only does it look good, but does it feel good and does that tuning knob have the right feel. Specifications and actual results could be read about in magazine reviews, now days online. But there is no substitute for your own senses, it's like buying a pair of shoes from just a picture.

 

[rf_patriot200]

... I could go into a local Radio Store and try out a radio before buying it. The visual and the tactile, not only does it look good, but does it feel good and does that tuning knob have the right feel. Specifications and actual results could be read about in magazine reviews, now days online. But there is no substitute for your own senses, it's like buying a pair of shoes from just a picture.

Oh how we miss the days of old ...

 

[ladn]

I could go into a local Radio Store and try out a radio before buying it. The visual and the tactile, not only does it look good, but does it feel good and does that tuning knob have the right feel.

...And have the salesdroid try and sell you a cell phone!

 

[Omega-TI]

...And have the salesdroid try and sell you a cell phone!

Sounds like the old Radio Shack before they went out of business.

 

[trentbob]

...And have the salesdroid try and sell you a cell phone!

And the extended warranty.. it was good in the old old days when people at RatShack really knew their business.. in later years I ended up taking the clerk to school explain it to him exactly what he was selling as he/she had no idea.. you have questions, they have dumb looks.

Brick and mortar radio stores were good because they always had floor models of the latest stuff available.

 

[wtp]

back when the pro34 had just come out i stopped at the fair lawn NJ store and was looking at it.
the sales guy had taken it out of a locked case. anothen customer came in so he went over the them.
an older guy came over and asked how i got the radio. i realized this guy is the manager and the sales guy was probably now supposed to leave me alone with it, i said it was great the hold it and check some things out.
when i said i would buy it it sounded like he joked and said "card or cash" ($400+)
his eyes opened a bit when i said cash and told him it was because i got to hold it that i was buying it.
yep, the good old days.
the checking was that you could hear cell phones slightly higher in frequency, not double the IF but like 3/4 of double (+16.05 if i recall)

 

[mayidunk]

Yup! I sorely miss being able to go to the local Rat Shack to grab whatever components or other things I need! I recently wired up a switch for my antenna pre-amp using a plastic retro box, a wall switch, and a switch plate. Why? Because it's all I was able to get locally, and I didn't feel like waiting for, or putting out the money to order a proper distribution box off the interwebs. It ended up being pretty perfect for this application!

 

[buddrousa]

I miss the days of the only place to get a Ham Radio was from a Ham Operator or a Ham Radio Store and the stores local to me would ask for a copy of your Ham License you did not have one you got no radio.
I also miss everytime a Black Van would drive through town all of the CB VFO 500-Watt Plus junkies would not key up.

 

[Omega-TI]

What I REALLY miss is being able to buy a new car that has a place to install a radio!

 

[Ensnared]

I miss being able to find metal sections of the dash to mount radios, speakers, etc.

 

[Omega-TI]

I miss being able to find metal sections of the dash to mount radios, speakers, etc.

I know! It's sad that one cannot even find room to mount an amplified speaker. It's either use Bluetooth and not listen to the stereo, or use both and being unable to understand all of a transmission while travelling down the freeway. Heck, some cars don't even have a convenient space to put one of those detachable faceplates.

 

[kc2asb]

... I could go into a local Radio Store and try out a radio before buying it. The visual and the tactile, not only does it look good, but does it feel good and does that tuning knob have the right feel. Specifications and actual results could be read about in magazine reviews, now days online. But there is no substitute for your own senses, it's like buying a pair of shoes from just a picture.

There was something magical about seeing those radios up on the shelf. I clearly remember the day my mom took me to Radio Shack to get me a PRO-2006 (1990!). Seeing it up on the shelf and then seeing the salesman bring out the box from the storeroom - nothing like it!

Also, the boxed coax assemblies, scanner and CB antennas, and packages of coax connectors and adapters all hanging from the racks.

There will never be anything like Radio Shack from the pre-cellphone plan days. Once they started selling cellphone plans, the knowledgeable sales people were gone and the decline had begun

 

[kc2asb]

I miss the days of the only place to get a Ham Radio was from a Ham Operator or a Ham Radio Store and the stores local to me would ask for a copy of your Ham License you did not have one you got no radio.

There can't be many retail radio shops / ham radio stores with actual showrooms in existence anymore. Universal Radio was one such operation, but they are sadly long gone. It might just be HRO at this point , and only if you are fortunate to live within reasonable distance of one of their locations. Most mom and pop radio shops have largely gone out of existence. We still have Advanced Specialties here in the NYC Metro area.