KB2GOM
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Rich Carlson?
Scanner Tales: The Other Radio Stores
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MARKO
In Toledo, other than RS and in the old days, Lafayette, for a while we had a place called "Marko Tire and Wholesale". They sold stereo stuff and scanners, cheap and expensive in the showroom. Nothing was cheap there, at least most of the time. They had the entire Uniden and Regency lines at the time, along with AOR stuff. The prices were nearly full list, and even their tire prices were crazy high compared to the Goodyear store right down the road. For some reason, people from Canada would come to Marko, buy stuff, "The prices are so great!" (Apparently they never checked to see if the same tape deck or CD player was cheaper down the road, because it was a LOT cheaper), and sneak it past customs. We went in there a lot to check out the "scratch and dent" table. Sometimes, they had some really great deals on "DOA" mostly stereo stuff. One day a friend and I went in and they had a pile of dead surround sound receivers that "the tech couldn't fix". Why they just didn't exchange them with the distributor is a mystery. My friend bought two of them, and I ended up buying one from him when he gave up on it. I knew what the problem was, and a 2 second check right in front of him with a voltmeter confirmed a bad power switch, or solder joint on the switch. I measured almost 100 volts across that switch when it was in the on position, instead of pretty close to zero volts. I put it on my kitchen table, hit the solder joints on the power switch and saw the solder suck up into the wire going to the left terminal. I plugged it back in and it fired right up. I called my friend and he asked, "What's that music playing?". I said, "That's my new stereo you sold me an hour ago!". I explained how I knew what the problem was before I left, and he just didn't get it. I explained and even showed him what I had done and he just didnt understand that switch shouldn't have any real voltage across it when it was turned on. He kept thinking it should have had 120 volts.
I used that receiver for my PC for about 15 years until one day I turned it on, and the filter caps exploded, and I mean EXPLODED. Something shorted out the main tuner chip and preamp section on it, and after that, it was silent. I ended up tossing it at that point. When Marko went out of business, I got a Regency HX-1200 that was "DOA", but fixed in minutes. I wondered who the clueless tech they had working there was.
EEB
I bought my first decent HF receiver from them in '85 or '86, whenever the Yaesu FRG-8800 came out. They really had some great stuff there. I was about to go to the DC area when the word got out they were gone.
Universal:
I spent a whole lot of money there. Multiple receivers, including a JRC 515 and 525, M600/6000/7000 decoder boxes, monitors, JRC scope, loads of accessories and books. I was really sad to see them go.
Rubel's
And in the sad category, we had a place called Rubel's CB Shop. More like butcher shop. Some of the most badly done radio mods and repairs I've ever seen came from there. The worst truck stop mods were done much better than Rubel's did. They got nailed by the FCC for selling linears, and that was that.
In Toledo, other than RS and in the old days, Lafayette, for a while we had a place called "Marko Tire and Wholesale". They sold stereo stuff and scanners, cheap and expensive in the showroom. Nothing was cheap there, at least most of the time. They had the entire Uniden and Regency lines at the time, along with AOR stuff. The prices were nearly full list, and even their tire prices were crazy high compared to the Goodyear store right down the road. For some reason, people from Canada would come to Marko, buy stuff, "The prices are so great!" (Apparently they never checked to see if the same tape deck or CD player was cheaper down the road, because it was a LOT cheaper), and sneak it past customs. We went in there a lot to check out the "scratch and dent" table. Sometimes, they had some really great deals on "DOA" mostly stereo stuff. One day a friend and I went in and they had a pile of dead surround sound receivers that "the tech couldn't fix". Why they just didn't exchange them with the distributor is a mystery. My friend bought two of them, and I ended up buying one from him when he gave up on it. I knew what the problem was, and a 2 second check right in front of him with a voltmeter confirmed a bad power switch, or solder joint on the switch. I measured almost 100 volts across that switch when it was in the on position, instead of pretty close to zero volts. I put it on my kitchen table, hit the solder joints on the power switch and saw the solder suck up into the wire going to the left terminal. I plugged it back in and it fired right up. I called my friend and he asked, "What's that music playing?". I said, "That's my new stereo you sold me an hour ago!". I explained how I knew what the problem was before I left, and he just didn't get it. I explained and even showed him what I had done and he just didnt understand that switch shouldn't have any real voltage across it when it was turned on. He kept thinking it should have had 120 volts.
I used that receiver for my PC for about 15 years until one day I turned it on, and the filter caps exploded, and I mean EXPLODED. Something shorted out the main tuner chip and preamp section on it, and after that, it was silent. I ended up tossing it at that point. When Marko went out of business, I got a Regency HX-1200 that was "DOA", but fixed in minutes. I wondered who the clueless tech they had working there was.
EEB
I bought my first decent HF receiver from them in '85 or '86, whenever the Yaesu FRG-8800 came out. They really had some great stuff there. I was about to go to the DC area when the word got out they were gone.
Universal:
I spent a whole lot of money there. Multiple receivers, including a JRC 515 and 525, M600/6000/7000 decoder boxes, monitors, JRC scope, loads of accessories and books. I was really sad to see them go.
Rubel's
And in the sad category, we had a place called Rubel's CB Shop. More like butcher shop. Some of the most badly done radio mods and repairs I've ever seen came from there. The worst truck stop mods were done much better than Rubel's did. They got nailed by the FCC for selling linears, and that was that.
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Geez, if I had back the money I spent at Lafayette. The first thing I ever bought was the tunable P-50, great receiver.
In NJ: Gilfer Shortwave for HF stuff, could never afford them, still can't. Aaron Lippman Electronics in Morristown. They had every Regency scanner and crystal(s) that they made. Bought 'em all! Like upgrading Iphones now (I don't!)
There were many CB shops all over the North Jersey area, can't remember them all. First handheld that came out-a Teaberry-I bought at one of these and I had the world by the balls with that thing! Had a Unimetrics from Lafayette-damn good scanner in its day.
I took a trip down memory lane and grabbed a BC2 and BCIII on ebay a couple months ago.
Oh, and btw Universal still has their website up.
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We had a corner mom and pop electronics shop a few towns up that was mostly for electricians and construction workers but for whatever reason always had the latest and greatest scanners. If the 75 Radio Shacks surrounding them was out of stock on what I wanted I’d hit there. Picked up quite a few scanners there.
Sadly it’s long gone now. There’s a hair salon and a tattoo parlor splitting the space where it used to be. Brings back lots of memories.
Sadly it’s long gone now. There’s a hair salon and a tattoo parlor splitting the space where it used to be. Brings back lots of memories.
I gotta wonder what would happen if a new Radio Shack (like) retailer entered the marketplace in a larger city that did both Internet and brick and mortar. No computers (but maybe accessories), no stereos or smart phones, but other consumer grade stuff like a well stocked parts wall of common items, RPi's and their variants along with other stuff like beginner and advanced kits, scanners, antennas, home automation items, etc. Not ultra niche like an HRO.
The inventory would be rather expensive to stock for a startup, but Internet purchases could help subsidize the brick and mortar operating costs. I know I'd love to have a place like that to go to. One could have other Men Toys as well to bring in customers or wives wanting stuff for their husbands. If the marketing was done right...
The inventory would be rather expensive to stock for a startup, but Internet purchases could help subsidize the brick and mortar operating costs. I know I'd love to have a place like that to go to. One could have other Men Toys as well to bring in customers or wives wanting stuff for their husbands. If the marketing was done right...
The Base Station Concord, Ca I believe the guys name was Art. Great little scanner store. We use to go in and marvel at the Uniden BC9000XLT.
Also of Course Scanners Unlimited in San Carlos, Ca. Glenn was such a nice guy. he was a great teacher and didn't just take your money. Learned a lot from him at that store. He sold me my 1st 1/4 Ground plane antenna I believe he built in house. Was such a great antenna, i use to pull such distant stuff with that on a 10 ft mast. Bought many scanners and tons of frequency books there over the years.
Also of Course Scanners Unlimited in San Carlos, Ca. Glenn was such a nice guy. he was a great teacher and didn't just take your money. Learned a lot from him at that store. He sold me my 1st 1/4 Ground plane antenna I believe he built in house. Was such a great antenna, i use to pull such distant stuff with that on a 10 ft mast. Bought many scanners and tons of frequency books there over the years.
Great stuff!
I remember Gilfer Shortwave's ads in Pop Comm magazine and the World Radio TV Handbook. Never visited despite being in the same state.
The town I grew up in (north Jersey) had a mom and pop shop called Tiny's CB that had been open since the 70's CB craze, maybe earlier. It was a dusty, dated place but still a radio candy store. They also sold and serviced Bearcat scanners, had been a dealer since Electra owned the brand. Started going there in the late 80's when I got into CB. Also bought a couple of scanners. The store must be gone over 15 years now.
Bought my first tabletop HF receiver, a Drake R8, from EEB when I was still in college. My biggest purchase up to that time.
Later, I bought a number of HF receivers (new and used) and a couple of scanners from Universal Radio. They were a truly first class operation with a constantly changing inventory of quality used gear.
When I got my ham ticket, my first rig (2m/440 Yaesu) came from Lentini Communications in Connecticut. I believe they closed some time ago.
Lastly, there was a small radio shop in north Jersey called Advanced Specialties, which I visited two or three times. Bought two Uniden BC-895's from them, plus a BC-780XLT. Just checked and they are still in business, but have moved out to Long Island,
I remember Gilfer Shortwave's ads in Pop Comm magazine and the World Radio TV Handbook. Never visited despite being in the same state.
The town I grew up in (north Jersey) had a mom and pop shop called Tiny's CB that had been open since the 70's CB craze, maybe earlier. It was a dusty, dated place but still a radio candy store. They also sold and serviced Bearcat scanners, had been a dealer since Electra owned the brand. Started going there in the late 80's when I got into CB. Also bought a couple of scanners. The store must be gone over 15 years now.
Bought my first tabletop HF receiver, a Drake R8, from EEB when I was still in college. My biggest purchase up to that time.
Later, I bought a number of HF receivers (new and used) and a couple of scanners from Universal Radio. They were a truly first class operation with a constantly changing inventory of quality used gear.
When I got my ham ticket, my first rig (2m/440 Yaesu) came from Lentini Communications in Connecticut. I believe they closed some time ago.
Lastly, there was a small radio shop in north Jersey called Advanced Specialties, which I visited two or three times. Bought two Uniden BC-895's from them, plus a BC-780XLT. Just checked and they are still in business, but have moved out to Long Island,
In Rochester NY in the 60's we had a few stores for scanner stuff. One of course was Lafayette Electronics. Probably as most of the other stores, they had the same things. There was a Radio Shack not too many stores from them so between the two stores, you could find what you wanted and usually at a reasonable price. The only real difference was who was working on the day you went in. Radio Shack usually had people who didn't really understand or care about scanners. Mostly interested in selling stereo equipment. The Lafayette Electronics place had better scanner people.
We also had a HeathKit store in our town. I actually got my first "police radio" kit from there. It wasn't a scanner but a multi band radio that could be tuned to the police and fire band in our area. That got me hooked. Little side bar to this is that when I sat down to build it, my then girlfriend sat right next to me and helped me to put it together. I kept her around seeing she actually liked to do it.
The last place I can fondly remember is a place called "Sparky's" Yes, that was the name of the place. They did all kind of electronic repairs in the place. But the also had many scanners, crystals, antennas and anything else you needed. The people in there were great to talk to and had no problems helping you to understand electronics. From TV's to the 6v radios. They always took time to talk with you. Great stock of local frequency crystals and if you needed a special one, they worked their magic and got it for you.
We also had a HeathKit store in our town. I actually got my first "police radio" kit from there. It wasn't a scanner but a multi band radio that could be tuned to the police and fire band in our area. That got me hooked. Little side bar to this is that when I sat down to build it, my then girlfriend sat right next to me and helped me to put it together. I kept her around seeing she actually liked to do it.
The last place I can fondly remember is a place called "Sparky's" Yes, that was the name of the place. They did all kind of electronic repairs in the place. But the also had many scanners, crystals, antennas and anything else you needed. The people in there were great to talk to and had no problems helping you to understand electronics. From TV's to the 6v radios. They always took time to talk with you. Great stock of local frequency crystals and if you needed a special one, they worked their magic and got it for you.
dmg1969
Member
Other than Radio Shack, we in the Harrisburg (PA) area had Harrisburg Radio Lab. I know they sold CBs and scanners along with other electronics that I didn't really pay attention to because they weren't scanners.
CECR1992
RadioReference's Sofia the First addict
There used to be a RadioShack in McCain Mall. I remember a RadioShack being there for a long time when I was young. It closed a few years later when I was older.
CECR1992
RadioReference's Sofia the First addict
Was RadioShack around in the 1960s?
Radio Shack goes back to 1940's at least. I remember seeing ads in 1940's QST magazines that a relative gave to me. They sold radio gear from Hammarlund, Hallicrafters and other brands. It was not the version of Radio Shack that most of us knew, though.
ecps92
Member
RadioShack - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
CECR1992
RadioReference's Sofia the First addict
I know now they date back to 1921 and they are still around.
Saw that too in the Wiki article provided by the previous poster @ecps92 , and were only mail order. They were bought by Tandy in 1962. Very interesting. As others have sadly pointed out, the Radio Shack we knew is never coming back.
And probably nothing like it will ever appear either. We don't repair electronics anymore, probably for several reasons. The electronics are cheaper now and have become like Bic lighters. When it breaks, you throw it away. Also, electronics don't break down like they used to. Related to that is the fact that everything has at least one little computer in it now. Sometimes they call them ECUs or electronic control units. In the event it breaks down, no one knows how to fix it and that reverts back to the "when it breaks, you throw it away" concept.
The real culprit (if you want to call it that) is what they used to call "solid state." I don't think anyone uses that term anymore because tubes are 99.99% gone and everything is pretty much assumed to be solid state. Remember tube testers? A lot of businesses had 'em: drug store, hardware stores and, yes, Radio Shack. If the TV went out, anyone with just a little electronic awareness would look at the tubes because you could usually find the culprit. Once you got it out, you went to the nearest tube tester. Now, you can't even look for the transistor (not that it would help) because it's buried in an integrated circuit with a couple of thousand other components. TV repair people have gone the way of coopers, cobblers, blacksmiths and country doctors.
Off-topic, but even big appliances like washers and dryers are tossed rather than repaired. Often the PC board (PCB) goes bad and cost of replacement rivals that of buying new. No more big appliances that last 15-20+ years. With devices like phones and computers, they become outdated rapidly and disposed of before they fail.
Exactly, modern electronics are simply not repairable, at least economically. They certainly cannot be repaired by the average joe with some basic electronic equipment. A lot of older solid state gear is still repairable, though. Capacitors, resistors and even substitute transistors can be found and replaced. As you said, once the switch to IC's happened, those radios/TV's etc are not easily or even possible to repair
This thread is so off-topic, so I'll pile on...
My 42" TV crapped out last year, it was way out of warranty and repairs don't happen as was mentioned. I took it apart to see if it was something obvious and was amazed. Only two boards inside, one was about 4"x4" (electronics for the screen) and the other about 10"x10" (everything else). I looked online and found a company that buys damaged in shipment electronics and parts them out. I bought the "everything else" board for $38 and had a working TV again. No guarantee on the board, but seeing how it's basically new I'll probably get another 10 years out of just like the one I replaced.
My 42" TV crapped out last year, it was way out of warranty and repairs don't happen as was mentioned. I took it apart to see if it was something obvious and was amazed. Only two boards inside, one was about 4"x4" (electronics for the screen) and the other about 10"x10" (everything else). I looked online and found a company that buys damaged in shipment electronics and parts them out. I bought the "everything else" board for $38 and had a working TV again. No guarantee on the board, but seeing how it's basically new I'll probably get another 10 years out of just like the one I replaced.
Not just the change from discrete components to ICs, but from through-hole to service mount components. Once upon a time ICs came in DIP packages (little black rectangles with legs) and in many cases were plugged into a socket on the circuit board rather than soldered directly. Now? Surface-mount. Unsoldering and re-soldering a large surface-mount IC is bayond the tools and ability of most. Evem replacing a surface-mount resister or capacitor is much more of a challenge than replacing the equivalent through-hole component.
Go look up "DIP package" and "surface-mount" on Wikipedia and you'll see what I mean. Some pretty good pictures that illustrate the challenges.
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