The saying goes “Timing is everything”. As true a statement one will ever know for sure. I have made several purchases over the years that help to prove it. A couple of recent examples seem to enforce it.
NCS3230
Ever pined for someone or something and have it so built up in your mind that there was no pedestal big enough for it? A few months into my first engagement I met a girl who made me realize the one I was with was not the one I was destined to be with. While girl #2 was already involved she made me realize that girl #1 was not THE one. I broke off my engagement but girl #2 wouldn't date me until she finally called me a month or so later after she broke things off with her boyfriend. We dated for a while but soon I realized she was not what I had dreamed about and I moved on. I did appreciate that she made me realize girl # 1 was wrong for me.
So I told you that story to tell you this one. For 2 decades I had been pining for the NCS3230, basically a purpose-built audio mixer for scanners. I have written about it before and finally, after 20 years or so of drooling over one, I wrote a Scanner Tale about it. A reader contacted me and had one for sale, we agreed on a price and a week later I had one in my greedy, greasy little fingers. It worked great, just as well as I imagined. I was in a relatively heavenly state, as much as I could be for having a toy I have been looking for for so long. I had tried a couple different mixers and other solutions over the years but the NCS was purpose built for my needs, or so I thought.
The next weekend I was at a hamfest and found a pair of Zetron Model 27’s on a table for $10 each. The guy said they were recent pulls from service and assumed they worked but could not guarantee it. I got them home and wired them up. They both cleaned up nicely, working just fine. The only issue was that one of the 14-pin connectors had been replaced with a 16-pin one and that threw off the pin-counts until I realized that. Once I figgered that out I was golden and had two perfectly working Model 27’s.
My original plan was to resell them at a profit. I figured I could get $150 or so apiece for them, a tidy little profit! I wanted to try them out for a few days just to make sure that they worked and to see what the fuss was all about in the forums over them. Pretty soon I realized how awesome they were and decided to sell the NCS3230 instead. I could have sold the NCS for a decent profit over what I paid, and I even offered to split the profit with the guy who I bought it from. He said thanks but no, he was happy with what he got, and I could sell it for whatever I could get. I posted an add on our club forum and a friend bought it for slightly over what I paid, and I used that to pay for the shipping of one of the Zetrons to another friend in Illinois for use on his shack. I am using the other Zetron in my shack and it works great.
Icom R30
I have considered an R30 for several years. I have been pretty much an Icom guy for a couple decades, recently I have been able to afford new Icom radios instead of relying on the used market but even so never had been able to pull the trigger for such an expensive toy. When I finally got around to investing in one, they were discontinued and only available second-hand.
The ones I found were either sold before I could make an offer, being sold from overseas or by sketchy sellers. I found a few trustworthy sellers here and there but they either wanted too much money or were sold before I could buy it. I started doing some research and decided that the Icom ID-52A Plus was a reasonable substitute for an R30, at least for my purposes. My basic use was for aircraft and rail monitoring as well as playing around with some of its fancier capabilities. While the ID-52A lacks P25 and some receive range, it does add in the ability to use as a ham radio transceiver, and with D-Star capabilities.
I stopped by the local HRO recently and pulled the trigger on an ID-52A Plus. When I got it home and started to play with it, I was very impressed. It did everything I wanted, and it was easy to figure out as I have been using other Icom stuff for years. I downloaded the Icom software and programmed up a few hundred channels, a little tedious for sure but with my ADD in full swing I was able to get it all set in an hour or so with all my rail, aviation and ham radio stuff.
So, just as I completed writing the programming to the radio, I got a message from another RadioReference user whom I have conversed with often and trusted. He had a pair of R30’s and offered one to me for a reasonable (albeit still high) price. Now I was in a quandary, a place I have been in a few times recently. My radio toy fund has been well drained recently but I still had enough to pull it off so I figured it would be the right thing to do. I accepted the offer made and am anxiously awaiting my new toy.
I figure I will keep the ID-52A as well, at least for now. Since it is the “Plus” edition it works well on MilAir (except for the 375-380 range with only allows FM) and I will likely start playing around with D-Star since I already have an IC-7100 and an IC-705.
R8500 Repair
Over the years I have had several different R8500's. Two of them I think was actually were the same radio, I think I ended up buying it back from the guy I had sold it to but my recollection on that is a bit fuzzy. Regardless I really liked them, better than I liked the several different R7000's I have had in the past.
My last R8500 was obtained about 12 or 13 years ago, a couple years before I moved out to the Phoenix area. It worked great but after the move I had some problems with it and sent it to Icom for repairs. I got the repair return authorization number and sent it in and a couple weeks later it was returned in perfect working order. The next day I read on the forums that Icom had stopped accepting R8500's for repairs due to the lack of replacement parts. I contacted the repair coordinator I had worked with on my radio and she said that my radio was the last one they would repair except for "some government contracts they had to honor". Had I waited another few days I might have missed being able to have it repaired there.
While there were other shops at the time that may have been able to repair my R8500 I was happy it was repaired by the company directly.
RadioShack Guy #1: The ST-2
Back when RadioShack actually still sold radios, antennas and parts, having a guy who worked there that knew you was a great thing. If you were looking for something they didn't have he could (would) check the computer and see if another store in the area had one. Most of the guys working there by then had no radio knowledge, nor did they care about anything other than selling you a cellphone plan. I assume they worked on commission and that was where the money was at the time.
Sometime back 20 or 25 years ago RadioShack pretty much gutted the scanner antenna business. They closed out their base station antennas, basically the ST-2 clone and the infamous 20-176 (otherwise known as the ST-3). They also had had the ST-4 clone, a discone similar to the Diamond D130. (For reference; the ST-1 was a 64" off-center fed dipole). Remember that RadioShack's parent company also owned AntennaCraft which made the ST-series as well as RadioShack's base scanner and TV antennas.
So I stopped at the local RadioShack on the way home from work one day around 2005ish and the guy who knew me said he had something for me in the back. He came back out with 2 of the ST-2 clones they had discovered stashed away behind some boxes. They were dusty but still in the box. Since they had been discontinued some years back they closed them out for $5.00 each. Of course I snapped them up. He offered to check around for any more as they were still in the computer. He found2 more at other stores withing a half hour drive of me, including one near my house. I stopped at the first store as it was further out and they guy had no idea what I was talking about until I showed him the box from my car. He then looked and found one of the antennas on a top shelf in the back, even dustier than the one I had. $5 later it was mine. I then went to the store near home and snapped up the last one, at least that guy knew what it was right away but didn't know he still had one.
So in the span of a couple hours and for $20 I had 4 of the most desirable base antennas in the scanner universe. I would acquire a couple of the similar Channel Master 5094's shortly there after from a CARMA member who was clearing out his garage. I still had 4 of the 6, 2 in service in my attic and 2 in storage in my garage. I gave one to a friend who helped me run some coax to my attic and the other to another friend but I am going to keep the ones I have.
Radio Shack Guy #2: The 800 MHz. Antenna
Around the same timeframe a friend told me that RadioShack was closing out their famous "800 MHz" BNC scanner antenna. These have a great reputation in the scanner world and turned out to be actually made by GRE. I went out to several local RadioShacks and snapped up a couple dozen for $2.50 each. I ended up giving the majority away at CARMA meetings but kept a pair for myself. I still have them as well as a couple SMA versions I got from GRE before they closed up shop.
RadioShack Guy #3: The PRO2004 and PRO2005
In the mid 1980's THE scanner to own was the PRO2004. It was far ahead of it's time and even without the cellular coverage it was the best scanner ever made at the time. I had heard about it but the introduction had been delayed due to the cellular coverage, they wanted to retract that coverage and recalled all of the radios for modification to delete the ranges then assigned to cellular (870-890 and 825-845 MHz.) I had planned on getting one but they just were not available.
Some time later I walked into a local Radio Shack and saw one on the shelf and told the guy I wanted to buy it. He said he couldn't sell it until the next week, and that a sales guy had mistakenly put it out for display that afternoon. Besides it was the only one they had and was supposed to be the floor model. I persisted and reminded him of how much money I had spent there in the past and would in the future. He finally agreed as long as he could put an incorrect catalog number on the receipt and if I would promise to come back the next week to have it corrected. I suppose that would insulate him from getting into trouble. There may have also been some vague promises of me buying a new stereo or cellphone down the road.
I got the scanner home and of course the cellular band was blocked. I took the radio out of its case and found a resistor apparently hand soldered under the circuit board. I clipped that off and voila! I had a cellular capable scanner! I also had the first PRO2004 around but couldn't brag about it to my friends as I didn't want to get that RS guy in trouble.
Down the road a way I would have a couple other 2004's. The next one would still have the basic 870-890 range blocked but this time there was the infamous D513 was embedded in the matrix. Still later, my 3rd PRO2004 had an extended blocked range when they extended the cellular range but still was restorable with the removal of D513.
So fast-forward a couple years. The same guy still worked at the Skokie RadioShack. He called me up and said to stop buy after work, he had something to show me. This was the brand new PRO2005, basically a shrunken PRO2004 in a plastic case. Again, it was not supposed to be displayed yet, and I had no idea it was coming out. We didn't have the Internet we have today so it was kept as a surprise for sure.
I brought it out to my car and not only did the grey color of the radio match the interior dashboard of my car, it fit perfectly between the ashtray and glove box. A couple short sheet metal screws would hold that in just fine! That radio lived in that car for over 5 years!
A lot of people, me included, gave RadioShack a lot of grief over the years. While deserved for the most part, especially towards the end, they did have some great scanners and accessories. If you knew the right people, or treated them nicely, you could end up getting lucky and scoring. You could also end up, like me, with some sweet antennas and radios instead.
NCS3230
Ever pined for someone or something and have it so built up in your mind that there was no pedestal big enough for it? A few months into my first engagement I met a girl who made me realize the one I was with was not the one I was destined to be with. While girl #2 was already involved she made me realize that girl #1 was not THE one. I broke off my engagement but girl #2 wouldn't date me until she finally called me a month or so later after she broke things off with her boyfriend. We dated for a while but soon I realized she was not what I had dreamed about and I moved on. I did appreciate that she made me realize girl # 1 was wrong for me.
So I told you that story to tell you this one. For 2 decades I had been pining for the NCS3230, basically a purpose-built audio mixer for scanners. I have written about it before and finally, after 20 years or so of drooling over one, I wrote a Scanner Tale about it. A reader contacted me and had one for sale, we agreed on a price and a week later I had one in my greedy, greasy little fingers. It worked great, just as well as I imagined. I was in a relatively heavenly state, as much as I could be for having a toy I have been looking for for so long. I had tried a couple different mixers and other solutions over the years but the NCS was purpose built for my needs, or so I thought.
The next weekend I was at a hamfest and found a pair of Zetron Model 27’s on a table for $10 each. The guy said they were recent pulls from service and assumed they worked but could not guarantee it. I got them home and wired them up. They both cleaned up nicely, working just fine. The only issue was that one of the 14-pin connectors had been replaced with a 16-pin one and that threw off the pin-counts until I realized that. Once I figgered that out I was golden and had two perfectly working Model 27’s.
My original plan was to resell them at a profit. I figured I could get $150 or so apiece for them, a tidy little profit! I wanted to try them out for a few days just to make sure that they worked and to see what the fuss was all about in the forums over them. Pretty soon I realized how awesome they were and decided to sell the NCS3230 instead. I could have sold the NCS for a decent profit over what I paid, and I even offered to split the profit with the guy who I bought it from. He said thanks but no, he was happy with what he got, and I could sell it for whatever I could get. I posted an add on our club forum and a friend bought it for slightly over what I paid, and I used that to pay for the shipping of one of the Zetrons to another friend in Illinois for use on his shack. I am using the other Zetron in my shack and it works great.
Icom R30
I have considered an R30 for several years. I have been pretty much an Icom guy for a couple decades, recently I have been able to afford new Icom radios instead of relying on the used market but even so never had been able to pull the trigger for such an expensive toy. When I finally got around to investing in one, they were discontinued and only available second-hand.
The ones I found were either sold before I could make an offer, being sold from overseas or by sketchy sellers. I found a few trustworthy sellers here and there but they either wanted too much money or were sold before I could buy it. I started doing some research and decided that the Icom ID-52A Plus was a reasonable substitute for an R30, at least for my purposes. My basic use was for aircraft and rail monitoring as well as playing around with some of its fancier capabilities. While the ID-52A lacks P25 and some receive range, it does add in the ability to use as a ham radio transceiver, and with D-Star capabilities.
I stopped by the local HRO recently and pulled the trigger on an ID-52A Plus. When I got it home and started to play with it, I was very impressed. It did everything I wanted, and it was easy to figure out as I have been using other Icom stuff for years. I downloaded the Icom software and programmed up a few hundred channels, a little tedious for sure but with my ADD in full swing I was able to get it all set in an hour or so with all my rail, aviation and ham radio stuff.
So, just as I completed writing the programming to the radio, I got a message from another RadioReference user whom I have conversed with often and trusted. He had a pair of R30’s and offered one to me for a reasonable (albeit still high) price. Now I was in a quandary, a place I have been in a few times recently. My radio toy fund has been well drained recently but I still had enough to pull it off so I figured it would be the right thing to do. I accepted the offer made and am anxiously awaiting my new toy.
I figure I will keep the ID-52A as well, at least for now. Since it is the “Plus” edition it works well on MilAir (except for the 375-380 range with only allows FM) and I will likely start playing around with D-Star since I already have an IC-7100 and an IC-705.
R8500 Repair
Over the years I have had several different R8500's. Two of them I think was actually were the same radio, I think I ended up buying it back from the guy I had sold it to but my recollection on that is a bit fuzzy. Regardless I really liked them, better than I liked the several different R7000's I have had in the past.
My last R8500 was obtained about 12 or 13 years ago, a couple years before I moved out to the Phoenix area. It worked great but after the move I had some problems with it and sent it to Icom for repairs. I got the repair return authorization number and sent it in and a couple weeks later it was returned in perfect working order. The next day I read on the forums that Icom had stopped accepting R8500's for repairs due to the lack of replacement parts. I contacted the repair coordinator I had worked with on my radio and she said that my radio was the last one they would repair except for "some government contracts they had to honor". Had I waited another few days I might have missed being able to have it repaired there.
While there were other shops at the time that may have been able to repair my R8500 I was happy it was repaired by the company directly.
RadioShack Guy #1: The ST-2
Back when RadioShack actually still sold radios, antennas and parts, having a guy who worked there that knew you was a great thing. If you were looking for something they didn't have he could (would) check the computer and see if another store in the area had one. Most of the guys working there by then had no radio knowledge, nor did they care about anything other than selling you a cellphone plan. I assume they worked on commission and that was where the money was at the time.
Sometime back 20 or 25 years ago RadioShack pretty much gutted the scanner antenna business. They closed out their base station antennas, basically the ST-2 clone and the infamous 20-176 (otherwise known as the ST-3). They also had had the ST-4 clone, a discone similar to the Diamond D130. (For reference; the ST-1 was a 64" off-center fed dipole). Remember that RadioShack's parent company also owned AntennaCraft which made the ST-series as well as RadioShack's base scanner and TV antennas.
So I stopped at the local RadioShack on the way home from work one day around 2005ish and the guy who knew me said he had something for me in the back. He came back out with 2 of the ST-2 clones they had discovered stashed away behind some boxes. They were dusty but still in the box. Since they had been discontinued some years back they closed them out for $5.00 each. Of course I snapped them up. He offered to check around for any more as they were still in the computer. He found2 more at other stores withing a half hour drive of me, including one near my house. I stopped at the first store as it was further out and they guy had no idea what I was talking about until I showed him the box from my car. He then looked and found one of the antennas on a top shelf in the back, even dustier than the one I had. $5 later it was mine. I then went to the store near home and snapped up the last one, at least that guy knew what it was right away but didn't know he still had one.
So in the span of a couple hours and for $20 I had 4 of the most desirable base antennas in the scanner universe. I would acquire a couple of the similar Channel Master 5094's shortly there after from a CARMA member who was clearing out his garage. I still had 4 of the 6, 2 in service in my attic and 2 in storage in my garage. I gave one to a friend who helped me run some coax to my attic and the other to another friend but I am going to keep the ones I have.
Radio Shack Guy #2: The 800 MHz. Antenna
Around the same timeframe a friend told me that RadioShack was closing out their famous "800 MHz" BNC scanner antenna. These have a great reputation in the scanner world and turned out to be actually made by GRE. I went out to several local RadioShacks and snapped up a couple dozen for $2.50 each. I ended up giving the majority away at CARMA meetings but kept a pair for myself. I still have them as well as a couple SMA versions I got from GRE before they closed up shop.
RadioShack Guy #3: The PRO2004 and PRO2005
In the mid 1980's THE scanner to own was the PRO2004. It was far ahead of it's time and even without the cellular coverage it was the best scanner ever made at the time. I had heard about it but the introduction had been delayed due to the cellular coverage, they wanted to retract that coverage and recalled all of the radios for modification to delete the ranges then assigned to cellular (870-890 and 825-845 MHz.) I had planned on getting one but they just were not available.
Some time later I walked into a local Radio Shack and saw one on the shelf and told the guy I wanted to buy it. He said he couldn't sell it until the next week, and that a sales guy had mistakenly put it out for display that afternoon. Besides it was the only one they had and was supposed to be the floor model. I persisted and reminded him of how much money I had spent there in the past and would in the future. He finally agreed as long as he could put an incorrect catalog number on the receipt and if I would promise to come back the next week to have it corrected. I suppose that would insulate him from getting into trouble. There may have also been some vague promises of me buying a new stereo or cellphone down the road.
I got the scanner home and of course the cellular band was blocked. I took the radio out of its case and found a resistor apparently hand soldered under the circuit board. I clipped that off and voila! I had a cellular capable scanner! I also had the first PRO2004 around but couldn't brag about it to my friends as I didn't want to get that RS guy in trouble.
Down the road a way I would have a couple other 2004's. The next one would still have the basic 870-890 range blocked but this time there was the infamous D513 was embedded in the matrix. Still later, my 3rd PRO2004 had an extended blocked range when they extended the cellular range but still was restorable with the removal of D513.
So fast-forward a couple years. The same guy still worked at the Skokie RadioShack. He called me up and said to stop buy after work, he had something to show me. This was the brand new PRO2005, basically a shrunken PRO2004 in a plastic case. Again, it was not supposed to be displayed yet, and I had no idea it was coming out. We didn't have the Internet we have today so it was kept as a surprise for sure.
I brought it out to my car and not only did the grey color of the radio match the interior dashboard of my car, it fit perfectly between the ashtray and glove box. A couple short sheet metal screws would hold that in just fine! That radio lived in that car for over 5 years!
A lot of people, me included, gave RadioShack a lot of grief over the years. While deserved for the most part, especially towards the end, they did have some great scanners and accessories. If you knew the right people, or treated them nicely, you could end up getting lucky and scoring. You could also end up, like me, with some sweet antennas and radios instead.
