Is Radio Shack hopeless for this hobby, or is it just mine?

[yuccabrevifolia]

When I go in there I just tell them "I'm looking around. I have some ideas in my head and its too hard for me to explain what I am trying to do"

That is very generous of you. Much better to say that than to respond to "Can I help you?" with "I doubt it".

I have to say I did get a bit steamed when the guy started trying to tell me I probably wouldn't be able to find parts for old technology like C-band. It just seems to me counter to good business sense to make assumptions about things you do not know with a customer who obviously knows more about what they are looking for than you do..

Yeah I remember the old RS. Watching my Dad with soldering iron on the kitchen table assembling his Archer AM/FM portable radio back in the late 60s. Now THAT was the real Radio Shack.!

 

[tvropro]

This spring i was looking for a grounding rod for my dish system and both behind the counter said they didnt sell those.Well i asked them to look at the RS web site and i pointed it to them!Many in stock! They went into the back and bought one out and asked if this is what i wanted.

You got Answers they have Questions

 

[HIFI]

You got Answers they have Questions

:haha:haha

 

[tvropro]

The other silly thing they'll do is flush out an item which is in "the old packaging" for a song...
... then replace it with the same thing, just wrapped differently, back to full price! -
I got a $12 coax stripper a few years ago.
Think it was $3. But now they're back in new blister packs, at the old price.

I picked up some outside OTA antenna's that cost 50 to 60 bucks normally for $2-$4 back in 2003. The boxes didn't say Digital Ready on them. hahahaha...

 

[Mr Tony]

The Multiswitches I got recently are the same idea...different packaging and a smidge smaller..
old ones 8 bucks
new ones 44

 

[Mr Tony]

well today was a different story

Needed a BNC to RCA adapter and couldnt find the one I had..so since RS is 2 blocks away went there. The lady asked me if I needed any help and for giggles I said "I need a BNC to RCA adapter. You use to sell them. Hope you still do"

The rep froze like a deer in headlights.

I looked and couldnt find any...closes thing was a BNC to Coax plug....came home and the site still shows them available but in the meantime I did find one here in the house

 

[tvropro]

well today was a different story

Needed a BNC to RCA adapter and couldnt find the one I had..so since RS is 2 blocks away went there. The lady asked me if I needed any help and for giggles I said "I need a BNC to RCA adapter. You use to sell them. Hope you still do"

The rep froze like a deer in headlights.

ROFL :clap

 

[LocutusOfBorg]

Yes, as a chain, they are hopeless. -
They don't cater to our (FTAers) needs at all.


That guy knows DishNetwork, and he's not a Radio Shack store employee.
Which is to say, nobody in the store knows squat about installing anything satellite related.

He may have a discontinued 3x4 multiswitch, but not likely anything more serious.
Otherwise, he's right.
He doesn't have any of the Dish Network install hardware nor switches.
Those are on the Dish installer's truck, and no where else.

No, not really. Nothing much we can use.

30+ years ago, RS ran all the Lafayette stores,the Eico stores, the Heathkit store, the Ham Radio stores, and the independent TV-repair guys . . . out of business.

My local store has a manager of 20+ years, who can actually HELP you!
He's rare, and I've kept him in the family.
AND, he is one of the few stores still maintaining the pull-out parts drawers.
Those are pretty much gone from most store.
I rarely buy anything there, but we go out for lunch about four days a week. -

Anyway, back to the point.
You come here to this forum to find which suppliers have the goodies and deals you want.
There are the Gold Sponsors at the top of every page.
For odd parts, a number of other vendors get mentioned fondly.
Or, to put it another way, we've got the secret handshake. -
Maybe we should have bumper stickers, too. -

The problem with mail ordering switches is that they are so much cheaper than the shipping charges to where you need to find other items to order, also, so that it's worth paying the shipping charges.

 

[LocutusOfBorg]

Yes, as a chain, they are hopeless. -
They don't cater to our (FTAers) needs at all.


That guy knows DishNetwork, and he's not a Radio Shack store employee.
Which is to say, nobody in the store knows squat about installing anything satellite related.

He may have a discontinued 3x4 multiswitch, but not likely anything more serious.
Otherwise, he's right.
He doesn't have any of the Dish Network install hardware nor switches.
Those are on the Dish installer's truck, and no where else.

Can't get an F connector DC block at RS anymore also.

 

[Anole]

I picked up some outside OTA antenna's that cost 50 to 60 bucks normally for $2-$4 back in 2003.
The boxes didn't say Digital Ready on them. hahahaha...

Few years ago, I got a very nice amplified outdoor antenna.
It looks like a Frisbee in the middle, with two swept-back wings.
Maybe five feet wide overall, and looks a little like a B2 bomber.
I'm using it indoors on top of a book case, and it runs my bedroom just TV fine.
Outside, it'd be super!
This one was totally complete in the package. Just long-since discontinued.

Then, I picked up a long boom TV antenna. I think it was rated 160 mile range.
Kinda overkill for being 25 miles from Mount Wilson (where all the TV stations have their towers).
It was a customer return, and may have had a slight missing bracket or something.
Again, not something they could sell for new.

I'm not sure I paid a dollar for either of 'em! -
Of course, I've shopped at this store for over 20 years, and can't say I have 20 stories like the above.
But, every once in a while, something good turns up. :up

 

[Tron]

well today was a different story

Needed a BNC to RCA adapter and couldnt find the one I had..so since RS is 2 blocks away went there. The lady asked me if I needed any help and for giggles I said "I need a BNC to RCA adapter. You use to sell them. Hope you still do"

The rep froze like a deer in headlights.

I looked and couldnt find any...closes thing was a BNC to Coax plug....came home and the site still shows them available but in the meantime I did find one here in the house

I think they still sell the BNC to RCA, I'm fairly confident I saw those not too long ago at a local store I wandered into. They will rip you off at nearly $5 a pop for them though, and in bulk on E-Bay these adapters are much, much cheaper.

RS (or Best Buy) rep: "Can I help you?"

Me: "Oh, I'm just looking."

 

[Mr Tony]

yeah they still carry it....I know online has them cheaper but I needed it NOW to try out the 7150

 

[geekt]

RS (or Best Buy) rep: "Can I help you?"

That's a good question. *walks away*

 

[Pepper]

The last time I remember getting a RS salesperson who knew what they were talking about, I was looking to buy a TRS-80.

 

[Mr Tony]

I think they still sell the BNC to RCA, I'm fairly confident I saw those not too long ago at a local store I wandered into. They will rip you off at nearly $5 a pop for them though, and in bulk on E-Bay these adapters are much, much cheaper.

yep you're right...found 10 online for $5 shipped

 

[Tron]

Online is definitely cheaper (and gets you plenty more quantity) if you can wait. Sometimes waiting isn't an option, and in those cases I reluctantly find a Rat Shack ...

 

[Mr Tony]

oh I agree. Like I say I had one here but needed more and can wait

 

[El_Viejo]

In my local RS, you usually have to wait while they set up someones CELL fone. Gud luk getting waited on just to ring out. El_Viejo

 

[toucan-man]

Short story about a local Radio Shack. I'm hooking my C-Band and KU dishes up to a single receiver. I read this could be done using a 22k switch and a combination of USALS and diseqc. So I run down to the local RS. Good sign I think when I see a satellite dish installation sign on the side of the truck out front.

I try to explain what I want to the fellow behind the counter. At first I thought that maybe just telling him I needed a 22k switch for satellite would be enough. First he thinks I want a dip switch. I had to explain that it connected via coax. Then he thought I wanted a splitter. When I explained that it was a switch, he tried to sell me an A/B box. Finally I have to explain 22k tone to him and what I am specifically connecting it to. He tells me that he doesn't carry that sort of thing and that he isn't even sure if I can find something for "old" technology like a C-band dish. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this a pretty common item in installing pizza dish with multiple receivers? I could have sworn I saw a couple in the attic in our last house left over from a previous install.

There was a time 30 years ago when RS was the place to go for almost anything one needed from zener diodes to op amps, and the people there really knew electronics. Ah well, I like supporting local business, but sometimes it is more trouble than it is worth. ;-)

http://www.theonion.com/articles/ev...Marketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview:NA:InFocus

 

[FaT Air]

Closing 1100 stores.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2014/03/04/radio-shack-to-close-stores/6007317/