"I was recapping a very early Sharp transistor radio and needed the caps to do the job. Being all pretty low voltage stuff and seeing as how it was all on the shelf (or in the gray drawers) at my local RS, I picked up what I needed there. Out of the 20 or so caps I replaced almost half of the replacements were no good. Half! Talk about poor odds, not to mention the work to get them all again and correct the problem." RS has for years bought the "floor sweepings" when it comes to parts. With my ESR cap tester, I've noticed the same thing about what they sell. Most of the time about half of them are marginal. I certainly wouldn't like to re-cap something with RS caps and expect it to last another 10 years! Their connectors aren't a whole lot better. Junk!
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Why I Will Never Set Foot in Radio Shack Again
- Thread starter WNTIRadio
- Start date
Junk ... and expensive junk to boot.
B
bilco
Guest
Definately true at Higher frequencies, like RF, but is that really true at audio and DC?K6JHU said:
As a former radio shack manager 35 years ago, I sympathize but they stock what sells and for those of us that are using what are becoiming more esoteric parts, we will be out of luck unless there is some left over stock. That usually needs to be cleared out at bargain prices so the manager can stock higher selling items in the available room. Lets face it, many parts are becoming obsolete and even though we may have use for them, the vast majority may not. 35 years ago I sold a lot if CB's Today, the shack does not carry them. I use a lot of db9 and db 25 connectors but also some db36(35?) and I know other broadcast engineers in the area who still have to use some of the old Jones plugs. You can't expect a "Mass" retailer like the shack to carry everything, or they'd be out of business fast. I will admit I miss the parts walls, but have other sources today. I also stock more on hand.
"Those that worship oxygen free copper speaker wire breath oxygen free air"
Just make sure the wire size is large enough to insure good dampening factor and current flow. We installed complete stadium systems using THHN #10 with excellent results.
I gave up on RS last year when I was disappointed that even the 4-drawer cabinets did not have what I needed. I have been stocking up cheap at hamfests on expendables. I like the Panasonic low-ESR electrolytics when doing a re-cap and get those from Digi-Key.
Just make sure the wire size is large enough to insure good dampening factor and current flow. We installed complete stadium systems using THHN #10 with excellent results.
I gave up on RS last year when I was disappointed that even the 4-drawer cabinets did not have what I needed. I have been stocking up cheap at hamfests on expendables. I like the Panasonic low-ESR electrolytics when doing a re-cap and get those from Digi-Key.
I realize that they are for the masses, but when they stop selling DB connectors at this point in the game and I can't even get a RJ45 (cat5 NIC cable) coupler from them anymore, they've pretty much lost my business.
Stranded vs. solid.
For rf, stranded has advantages.
For DC and for 50/60 Hz, solid. In fact, many electrical codes require that stranded wires be one size larger than solid for the same current.
Example: With 20 Amp breakers protecting a circuit use minimum 12 gauge SOLID copper or minimum 10 gauge STRANDED copper. With a 15 Amp breaker protecting a (typically residential lighting) use minimum 14 gauge SOLID copper or minimum 12 gague STRANDED copper. When you change to aluminum there are similar increased though typically even larger. I've avoided aluminum for so long that I've forgotten the standards.
As to audio frequencies, somebody might like to make a good argument one way or the other. But not me. I do know, however, that most prefer stranded as it's easier to use in most situations.
For rf, stranded has advantages.
For DC and for 50/60 Hz, solid. In fact, many electrical codes require that stranded wires be one size larger than solid for the same current.
Example: With 20 Amp breakers protecting a circuit use minimum 12 gauge SOLID copper or minimum 10 gauge STRANDED copper. With a 15 Amp breaker protecting a (typically residential lighting) use minimum 14 gauge SOLID copper or minimum 12 gague STRANDED copper. When you change to aluminum there are similar increased though typically even larger. I've avoided aluminum for so long that I've forgotten the standards.
As to audio frequencies, somebody might like to make a good argument one way or the other. But not me. I do know, however, that most prefer stranded as it's easier to use in most situations.
Back when they had actual components, it was fun to call them and ask if they had a good supply of 220 ohm capacitors. 9 out of 10 times, they'd answer yes.radiosaur said:
RS has genererally, throught existance, hired quasi-incompetent sales weasels. Many of them were ex-used car or copy machine or whatever sales people they hired because they could "sell", not because they knew the product line.
B
bilco
Guest
When I was a RS manager, (pre TRS80 days) I hired for sales ability with electronics knowledge secondary. Desireable but not essential. I had a part timer who was one of my best salesmen. His full time job was the NCOIC of the electronic maintenance shop at the combat operatins center of NORAD in Cheyenne mountain. I asked him once why he played dumb when electronics questions were asked. His answer, he made a lot more money commision selling stereos than resistors. If things were slow he would help, but he also said, and it proved true, if the customer needed a lot of help picking out a resistor, the customer was probably not knowledgable enough about electronics to be buying it, and we'd be blamed if the project did not work out. I enjoyed helping as I had a first phone and ham licence, but there was a lot of truth in what he said. I can't tell you how many cusotmers bought a connector with the absolute certanty that "It looks like the size of the plug I have", only to bring the RCA plug back for a Mini, or similar. It of course was always our fault that it didn't work.
The original Radio Shack was on Commonwealth Avenue (Near B.U.) in Boston. They had parts set out in wooden bushel baskets! The staff was pretty skookum, too. Once sent a newbie in to pick up a replacement fallopian tube. They sent him back to make sure we wanted the only type they had in stock - a 4Q2. Poor kid got abused at both ends of the deal but came out of it a whole lot more street wise.
about a year ago I stopped in the local RS, had a good laugh, sales guy had a customer in there trying to get a tuner connected to an amp and speaker. I spoke up before they turned it on when I realized that they had the tuner connected directly to the input of the amp and had cut a cable and connected the output of the amp to the line in on an eq, line out of eq hooked to speakers.
Employee was certain that was correct too even argued with me.
Employee was certain that was correct too even argued with me.
We don't have a RatShack here in New Zealand. I don't think they ever came this far south. The equivalent here (Dick Smith Electronics) used to sell components but have gone completely away from them.
All you can get there now are TVs, computers, cellphones, cameras and kids games.
We have another chain called 'Jaycar' which is Australian-based, and they still stock useful parts, but the salespeople are next to hopeless. Invariably they are school-leavers who have no previous experience in either retail or electronics.
Most of them have been trained to act like monkeys in the zoo - as soon as the customer walks in they pounce on them with an annoying over-zealous manner.
When you ask them a simple question, it's usually met with a vacant look, followed by "I'll just check the catalog". I know full well they are supposed to stock the item I want, I won't bother driving there unless I've ascertained that they do in fact carry them.
What I really want to know is "where in the store is it normally found, and most importantly, do you actually have any in stock!"
As per previous posts, the advice they try to give customers is laughable and I've heard things suggested to people that should never be said. There was a time when I used to chip in and offer the customer 'real' advice, but I've given up on that now. People don't appreciate what you tell them, and you can waste an hour explaining to someone how to get their x connected to their y, at which point they say 'thanks' and walk out.
It's getting progressively harder to source components. I have a rack of drawers (which I started building up when I was a kid back in the 80s) and over time I filled it with components from around that era, and the years since.
If I find NOS components which I know are scarce now, I'll grab them and ferret them into the drawers. It's a nice little repository of those hard to get items.
Ebag is becoming quite a useful source of componentry, but due to our isolation at the bottom of the world, it can take up to 4 weeks for items to arrive from the Northern Hemisphere.
I realise that it's not possible for a retailer to have a shop full of parts that hardly move. There just doesn't seem to be a practical alternative.
RS Components are really expensive here too. I often wonder how they manage to have a warehouse full of all those expensive bits when few of them would ever sell. Perhaps the prices are set to accomodate the vast stock-holdings they have. I have to admit though, when you do need something, they generally have it. They are a 'last resort' supplier, I only go there if I really have no other option.
I try to keep stocks of the most commonly used parts on hand, but often I find that the part I really need is the size or rating that I don't have!
This of course means outlaying large amounts of cash to keep parts on the shelf, in the hope they'll get used at some point.
When I die, I am sure that someone is going to get a goldmine. Either that, or everything will end up in a big hole.
All you can get there now are TVs, computers, cellphones, cameras and kids games.
We have another chain called 'Jaycar' which is Australian-based, and they still stock useful parts, but the salespeople are next to hopeless. Invariably they are school-leavers who have no previous experience in either retail or electronics.
Most of them have been trained to act like monkeys in the zoo - as soon as the customer walks in they pounce on them with an annoying over-zealous manner.
When you ask them a simple question, it's usually met with a vacant look, followed by "I'll just check the catalog". I know full well they are supposed to stock the item I want, I won't bother driving there unless I've ascertained that they do in fact carry them.
What I really want to know is "where in the store is it normally found, and most importantly, do you actually have any in stock!"
As per previous posts, the advice they try to give customers is laughable and I've heard things suggested to people that should never be said. There was a time when I used to chip in and offer the customer 'real' advice, but I've given up on that now. People don't appreciate what you tell them, and you can waste an hour explaining to someone how to get their x connected to their y, at which point they say 'thanks' and walk out.
It's getting progressively harder to source components. I have a rack of drawers (which I started building up when I was a kid back in the 80s) and over time I filled it with components from around that era, and the years since.
If I find NOS components which I know are scarce now, I'll grab them and ferret them into the drawers. It's a nice little repository of those hard to get items.
Ebag is becoming quite a useful source of componentry, but due to our isolation at the bottom of the world, it can take up to 4 weeks for items to arrive from the Northern Hemisphere.
I realise that it's not possible for a retailer to have a shop full of parts that hardly move. There just doesn't seem to be a practical alternative.
RS Components are really expensive here too. I often wonder how they manage to have a warehouse full of all those expensive bits when few of them would ever sell. Perhaps the prices are set to accomodate the vast stock-holdings they have. I have to admit though, when you do need something, they generally have it. They are a 'last resort' supplier, I only go there if I really have no other option.
I try to keep stocks of the most commonly used parts on hand, but often I find that the part I really need is the size or rating that I don't have!
This of course means outlaying large amounts of cash to keep parts on the shelf, in the hope they'll get used at some point.
When I die, I am sure that someone is going to get a goldmine. Either that, or everything will end up in a big hole.
stephend2 said:
(Facepalm)
That reminds me of the time a RS employee was going crazy trying to feed an over the air (analog days) signal to a TV display from an outdoor antenna. The VHF's were fine but the UHF were a mess, transmitters were 25 miles away. I pointed out that the RS amp/splitter he was using was for VHF and low cable channels only and was not designed for UHF, the outdoor antenna was an all channel job. He blew me off claiming that wasn't the problem, I even pointed out the frequency range on the amp but he was smarter. I left the store with the employee jumping through pointless hoops trying magically make UHF signals appear clear.
Ah, yes, Radio Shack. Won't have the parts you need or the knowledge that others need--but will always cheerfully offer batteries. Last year, I had a similar experience and started a similiar thread:
http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=199285.0
http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=199285.0
N
nocomradio
Guest
stephend2 said:
I used to try to help out when I would witness a similar situation, but I learned some time ago that when an individual is determined that they are right, there's no changing that.
In my line of work, I have about 30 years of experience. This is real-world, learned experience coupled with plenty of classroom/book time too. On occasion, a person will call asking me for my professional opinion. I will give it, with any number of facts to back it up and also a fair amount of information about the source of said information. Even after that, oft times, I get the same thing: "Are you sure?"
I usually just tell the caller that if they doubt what I just told them, after seeking me out and calling me for specific information, they need someone else to help them out and I am not the one to do that.
Went to Radio Smack the other day. All the stereo equipment was gone, replaced by a wall of cell phones. The electronics cleaner I wanted was 8x the price of buying online, so I skipped it.
And here's The Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/
And here's The Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/
K
kenglish
Guest
I really miss the old Lafayette Electronics store (1960's and 70's) in my neighborhood.
They had every part you could want, and still had room for those huge commercial speakers and tape decks.
They had every part you could want, and still had room for those huge commercial speakers and tape decks.
I'm not a fan of Radio Shack. I remember being 10 years old and going to the next strip-mall shop over while my my mom got her hair "styled". It was a janky, franchised, Radio Shack.
I do remember buying a lot of relatively pricey items (for being 10, at least) at that store... like a crummy wireless lapel mic and a few speakers. Not to mention lots of components for my model rocket addiction or the like.
Anyways, after walking in the store one day to browse, I was looking at the new Compaq 486 on display. I remember it featuring a large "sleep" button on the front. I knew that the display was a fake and the real PC was under the table... So I pressed that button. Next thing I knew, the shop owner BLEW up at me and threw me out of his store.
I know he knew I'd made purchases there before, because he ran those transactions. He must have just hated a young kid in his store.
Joke falls on him though, I'm now a radio engineer, and his shop is closed. I frequently drive by that same strip mall... There hasn't been an RS there for years.
I do remember buying a lot of relatively pricey items (for being 10, at least) at that store... like a crummy wireless lapel mic and a few speakers. Not to mention lots of components for my model rocket addiction or the like.
Anyways, after walking in the store one day to browse, I was looking at the new Compaq 486 on display. I remember it featuring a large "sleep" button on the front. I knew that the display was a fake and the real PC was under the table... So I pressed that button. Next thing I knew, the shop owner BLEW up at me and threw me out of his store.
I know he knew I'd made purchases there before, because he ran those transactions. He must have just hated a young kid in his store.
Joke falls on him though, I'm now a radio engineer, and his shop is closed. I frequently drive by that same strip mall... There hasn't been an RS there for years.
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