KB2GOM
Active Member
Rich Carlson?
Scanner Tales: The Other Radio Stores
- Thread starter N9JIG
- Start date
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.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
- Messages
- 333
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.
Last edited:
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...
