For all you Radio Shack Lovers (or Vintage Freaks)

[jjasilli]

http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalog_directory.html

[John]

I loved RS when I was a kid. Now they mostly have cell phones and "batteries sir? need any batteries today?".

[punkykatt]

Yeah, me too. I can remember buying tubes for my amp in there back in the early 1970`s.

[stingray_65]

That was the coolest place on earth before I could drive!

After I built my first computer My dad took me to radio shack and bought me a brand spanking new TRS-80 RSC2 . Some where along the line I managed to get dual 9" floppys, A real powerhouse!

I could go in and talk to just about any of the sales people and get sound advice on whatever project I was into (none of that tube stuff They hat TI integrated circuits!  oh those 74XX  IC's and the awesome TTL logic)

Not to mention the parts quality was real good. I took a 15 yr hiatus from buying anything from there. started going back now, now and again they'll have what I need, not often.

Thanks for that link JJ! trip down memory lane to my child hood adventures

Ray

[HotBluePlates]

I noticed the 1959 catalog guarantees tubes for 12 months. However, I have a later "Realistic 12AX7" (really an RCA) which has a Lifetime Guarantee on the box.

Anecdotally, I've heard others say they have taken in a dead tube decades later on that guarantee and get a new replacement. Of course, that probably means chinese at best today...

[G._Hoffman]

It is true they aren't much of an source for parts, but they are getting a bit better.  Not for the obsolete stuff we're talking about here, but for solid state hobby stuff they are getting a bit better, and they are even starting to get some µC stuff (Arduino, mostly, but also some Parallax and PIC basic stuff).  And they do have a couple decent experimenters kits to help kids get into electronics, which is cool.


Gabriel

[kagliostro]

I like those old catalogs

may be you can call me one of the Vintage Freaks

thanks for sharing

Kagliostro

[slavax]

Yeah, I built a couple of kits from Radio Shack when I was about 12 or 13.  A crystal radio kit of course and they also had this 8-button electronic organ.  Our RS here in town has gotten better w/ parts but you're not going to find any high-voltage capacitors or stuff like that.

[Ritchie200]

In the late 80's I went in and asked about getting some tubes.  They gave me a list of what they had "in the warehouse".  They had KT88's for $12 or $26.  I asked them what the dif was and he said the cheap ones were from chine and not that good.  So I bought a quad of the "expensive" ones.  They came in a Realistic box with the Lifetime Warrantee on it.  When I opened them up they were brand spankin' new Gold Lions!  That was my last new set of the best tube ever made.   I checked back in 90's and they were not available any more.  That's when I went to the old Svetlana's (now =C=). Yeah, the Shack and Lafayette were my favs back in the day!  Sigh.....

Jim

[Ritchie200]

Gosh, I almost forgot!  Back in the 60's my dad got me their 50-in-one electronic experimenters kit!  Man, I was the bomb!

Jim

[chris]

Those are really cool, got my first 23 channel CB radio from RS in 1976.

i remember all that stuff esp. their pr conductor guy on the magazine cover!
What was his name again, something like alfred?

I also remember going to their competition, Lafayette. They had similar stuff and also
a brand similar to RS's realistic.

[PRR]

Arthur Fiedler

Radio Shack Catalogue Catalog Commercial 1976

[jjasilli]

 

[mresistor]

wow... dig that Kenworth cabover....   :-)