what n where are your electronics parts supplyers of choice?

[steve9570]

The now closed You Do It in Needham Ma. Spent lot of cash in there from the 60s till last year.
They had CB-Ham-Scanners- tons of parts and tubes etc. Had a Heath Kit store near by too I went to a lot.

I even worked at a Radio Shack in Boston in the early 70s. Got my first scanner there. 4 channel with the little red lights. When I worked as a Boston PD I thought my HT1250 they gave me was the bomb. LOL

 

[W8WCA]

DigiKey https://www.digikey.com/

 

[6079smithw]

I heard there was such a store somewhere in Cambridge... true or false?

 

[steve9570]

There is Micro Center . I have not been there in years. Mostly computer stuff. Used to go there with my son for is IT stuff.

 

[steve9570]

There is Micro Center . I have not been there in years. Mostly computer stuff. Used to go there with my son for is IT stuff.

TRUE !!

 

[kc2asb]

The now closed You Do It in Needham Ma. Spent lot of cash in there from the 60s till last year.
They had CB-Ham-Scanners- tons of parts and tubes etc. Had a Heath Kit store near by too I went to a lot.

I even worked at a Radio Shack in Boston in the early 70s. Got my first scanner there. 4 channel with the little red lights. When I worked as a Boston PD I thought my HT1250 they gave me was the bomb. LOL

Sad to see these old time electronics stores close up. I relied on Radio Shack for years. It was just great to walk into the store and see all of the scanners, shortwave radios, CB's on display.

Was the 4-channel model you had the "autoportable" which could be used with an optional case containing a battery compartment? The one in my collection is a PRO-12

RadioShack / Realistic Pro-12, Mobile VHF Scanner / receiver | RigReference.com

RX-range: 30-50 / 148-174 MHz, TX-range: -, Mobile model, Manufactured between 19xx and 19xx

rigreference.com

 

[robertwbob]

yes allied was it, i did get the newark electronics catalog every now and then.
yes pdf isnt like paper.put paper clip on pages and flip back n fourth to compare. pdf wont do it like we did. and lot faster easier on eyes too.
great memorys long gone but not forgotten.
like another item. was a guy that did electronic work in a small shop nightly. he had 5 -6 chairs n dad n i n few others would go to shoot the breene. i got wrangled into helping him rewire an old transformer in a guys old tube ham radio. keeping wires seperate and liner even was a chore but we got him on the air again.
sadly progress left us on the side of the road so to say. but we lived in a great era too

 

[robertwbob]

dont forget a not so long ago mom n pop store ive bought lots from that closed about 4 years ago, universal radio. bought my first small shortwave radio from them a grundig yacht boy.its wore out. but i really liked it. and i got several universal catalogs saved up. wish id kept the others too. had trouble with a yeasu 2 meter radio n yaesu wouldnt return a call. called universal n yaesu was on my phone 30 minutes later ready to help me.

 

[kc2asb]

yes allied was it, i did get the newark electronics catalog every now and then.
yes pdf isnt like paper.put paper clip on pages and flip back n fourth to compare. pdf wont do it like we did. and lot faster easier on eyes too.
great memorys long gone but not forgotten.
like another item. was a guy that did electronic work in a small shop nightly. he had 5 -6 chairs n dad n i n few others would go to shoot the breene. i got wrangled into helping him rewire an old transformer in a guys old tube ham radio. keeping wires seperate and liner even was a chore but we got him on the air again.

At least these catalogs are archived and preserved, hopefully for the ages.

sadly progress left us on the side of the road so to say. but we lived in a great era too

I grew up in the Commodore 64/Atari 2600 era, so computers were not unheard of by the public but it was well before the internet and cellphones came to dominate life. I would not trade the era I grew up in for the world of today. It seemed like a simpler, quieter time than now.

 

[kc2asb]

dont forget a not so long ago mom n pop store ive bought lots from that closed about 4 years ago, universal radio. bought my first small shortwave radio from them a grundig yacht boy.its wore out. but i really liked it. and i got several universal catalogs saved up. wish id kept the others too. had trouble with a yeasu 2 meter radio n yaesu wouldnt return a call. called universal n yaesu was on my phone 30 minutes later ready to help me.

That is the kind of customer service that is extremely rare today, but was business as usual for Universal.

It was a great loss when Universal Radio closed up. They truly cared about the hobby. I bought a lot of receivers from them, including a new Drake R8B and a like-new JRC NRD-525, Kenwood R-5000, and Icom R-7000. They described all of their used equipment accurately and happily answered questions.

 

[6079smithw]

Add Cables and Connectors Newington CT to the list. Used to spend a couple hours there every Fall when I drove from NV to visit family. (Grew up in New Britain when Lentini's was on Winthrop St.)

 

[robertwbob]

That is the kind of customer service that is extremely rare today, but was business as usual for Universal.

It was a great loss when Universal Radio closed up. They truly cared about the hobby. I bought a lot of receivers from them, including a new Drake R8B and a like-new JRC NRD-525, Kenwood R-5000, and Icom R-7000. They described all of their used equipment accurately and happily answered questions.

i bought 2 yaesu dual band radios from universal,3 diffrent shortwave radios and accessorys.
but dont forget the cats they had, id send pictures of my cats and i got a few calls from the owners talking about cats. we didnt discuss radios but cats. 1 of the best places to buy radios. they cost tad more but you got SERVICE after the sale

 

[kc2asb]

i bought 2 yaesu dual band radios from universal,3 diffrent shortwave radios and accessorys.
but dont forget the cats they had, id send pictures of my cats and i got a few calls from the owners talking about cats. we didnt discuss radios but cats. 1 of the best places to buy radios. they cost tad more but you got SERVICE after the sale

Yes! They featured cats in their catalogs, and had customers' cats on their website. After a purchase, you could call them about any questions or issues you had. They also did repairs in-house.

Fred Osterman ran a first-class operation and wrote many books on communications receivers and other topics.

 

[robertwbob]

Yes! They featured cats in their catalogs, and had customers' cats on their website. After a purchase, you could call them about any questions or issues you had. They also did repairs in-house.

Fred Osterman ran a first-class operation and wrote many books on communications receivers and other topics.

Fred yes i was trying to remember his name without digging up a catalog.
Best place ever to buy a radio. I called em when they closed wishing them happy retirement.

 

[kc2asb]

Fred yes i was trying to remember his name without digging up a catalog.
Best place ever to buy a radio. I called em when they closed wishing them happy retirement.

Nice! I agree 100%. Their website remains up to this day and is a tremendous reference for older rigs.

 

[robertwbob]

Nice! I agree 100%. Their website remains up to this day and is a tremendous reference for older rigs.

i hope they keep it up also. too bad these big showoff stores didnt take lessons from fred. i used to think associated radio was like them. bought a radio from them n it had trouble under warrenty n was sent in never fixed.called asso.n was told its YOUR problem we just sell trade. i told them universal woulda got action . they hung up on me. mtc seems closest to universal currently

 

[kc2asb]

i hope they keep it up also. too bad these big showoff stores didnt take lessons from fred. i used to think associated radio was like them. bought a radio from them n it had trouble under warrenty n was sent in never fixed.called asso.n was told its YOUR problem we just sell trade. i told them universal woulda got action . they hung up on me. mtc seems closest to universal currently

With Associated's attitude, they do not deserve to be in business.

Good to know about MTC. They have frequent sales on the SDS100/200 and offer free shipping.

 

[AB4BF]

i hope they keep it up also. too bad these big showoff stores didnt take lessons from fred. i used to think associated radio was like them. bought a radio from them n it had trouble under warrenty n was sent in never fixed.called asso.n was told its YOUR problem we just sell trade. i told them universal woulda got action . they hung up on me. mtc seems closest to universal currently

I, too, had teething problems with firms before the internet and after when I first started purchasing electronic items. When I first got my ham ticket, I purchased a lot of small stuff through Amazon. Found out quickly that HT antennas can be counterfeited and you will get no response from the seller.

I have since settled on basically two vendors that I have had no problems with and give excellent customer service. Those are R & L Electronics and Buy Two Way Radios. The owners and operators of both these stores are fantastic.

 

[kc2asb]

I, too, had teething problems with firms before the internet and after when I first started purchasing electronic items. When I first got my ham ticket, I purchased a lot of small stuff through Amazon. Found out quickly that HT antennas can be counterfeited and you will get no response from the seller.

I have since settled on basically two vendors that I have had no problems with and give excellent customer service. Those are R & L Electronics and Buy Two Way Radios. The owners and operators of both these stores are fantastic.

Amazon is a minefield where the buyer definitely has to beware. A lot of counterfeit junk for sale, and the sellers use photos of the authentic item. I've been buying less and less from Amazon. Yes, it's quick and convenient, but that convenience can come at a price.

Good to know about R&L and Buy Two Way.

Ham Radio Outlet is another one that can be trusted. The employ hams, and when I purchased a Comet tri-band antenna from them, the salesman patiently answered my questions.

 

[robertwbob]

With Associated's attitude, they do not deserve to be in business.

Good to know about MTC. They have frequent sales on the SDS100/200 and offer free shipping.

so far they treated me well. and when he gets the chance he will actually talk to you.