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The Radio Shack catalog project
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:26 pm
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:26 pm
An online archive of most of their catalogs from 1939 to 2011, including years of Tandy computer catalogs. I just went through the 1981 edition, and *chef's kiss*, it's Playboy for gear guys. And oof at some of the stuff. $1800 for a top level stereo system was real money in '81 dollars. Hell, that's a lot of money today.
This was the Shack at their best: stereos, wiring supplies ("Build your own speakers and save!"), switches, circuits, vacuum tubes, learn-to-build-a-radio kits... nothing like this exists anymore.
RadioShackCatalogs.com
This was the Shack at their best: stereos, wiring supplies ("Build your own speakers and save!"), switches, circuits, vacuum tubes, learn-to-build-a-radio kits... nothing like this exists anymore.
RadioShackCatalogs.com
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:47 pm to DesScorp
Losing radio shack was a big deal. I fixed $100 stuff with 13 cent resistors.
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:50 pm to DesScorp
I know what I’m doing in my down time at work Monday.
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:54 pm to DesScorp
This country lost something when the last Radio Shack closed down. Ingenuity, desire to try and fix, rebuilding instead of disposable goods.
Shame.
Shame.
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:55 pm to DesScorp
RS was a nat'l treasure.
Posted on 11/7/26 at 9:55 pm to RoyalAir
The better part of my junior high childhood was spent playing on a trs-80 for hours on Saturdays.
Comb-over Twin City Mall radio shack manager Jim TYFYS
Comb-over Twin City Mall radio shack manager Jim TYFYS
This post was edited on 11/7/26 at 9:57 pm
Posted on 11/7/26 at 10:18 pm to DesScorp
I remember getting a pair of solid wood speaker cabinets and getting some speakers to put in them from Radio Shack.. Those things sounded pretty good.. But that was the late 70's so some tin cans and string sounded pretty good...
Posted on 11/7/26 at 10:26 pm to DesScorp
I knew some Secret Service EOD guys. They called Radio Shack “Bomber’s Paradise”. It was the go-to place to buy IED components.
Posted on 11/8/26 at 6:46 am to DesScorp
I miss RS and still have a few items from there.
Posted on 11/8/26 at 6:55 am to DesScorp
$899?- bah.
Few things are as important as knowing exactly what you want.
I remember my brother's friend inherited $5000 (18,500 today) back then. The kid was busted and lived in a dump. He immediately took every dime and put it into stereo equipment, top components haphazardly arranged around cluttered furniture in his small bedroom. He played the Doors incessantly. To this day I'm not sure that I've ever met someone as so sublimely happy as he was then.
Few things are as important as knowing exactly what you want.
I remember my brother's friend inherited $5000 (18,500 today) back then. The kid was busted and lived in a dump. He immediately took every dime and put it into stereo equipment, top components haphazardly arranged around cluttered furniture in his small bedroom. He played the Doors incessantly. To this day I'm not sure that I've ever met someone as so sublimely happy as he was then.
Posted on 11/8/26 at 7:00 am to RoyalAir
quote:
This country lost something when the last Radio Shack closed down. Ingenuity, desire to try and fix, rebuilding instead of disposable goods.
Just about the time the country started getting invaded by cheap Chinese goods…
Posted on 11/8/26 at 7:05 am to Athis
quote:
But that was the late 70's so some tin cans and string sounded pretty good...
What ya talking about Willis, the late seventies was the start of big sound. My brother had a set of Cerwin-Vega speakers with a Marantz system that sounded pretty awesome…
Unlike today, the bigger the system the better.
Posted on 11/8/26 at 7:22 am to andouille
They still have a few around the country. I go to the one in junction Texas every once in a while.
They are trying to make a comeback and still have online ordering.
They are trying to make a comeback and still have online ordering.
This post was edited on 11/8/26 at 7:25 am
Posted on 11/8/26 at 7:24 am to DesScorp
I miss radio shack
As a music dork it was very nice being able to go there and turn some obscure instrument from acoustic to electric for 8 bucks and get parts for amps
Nowadays you have to buy the pieces in a 10 pack
As a music dork it was very nice being able to go there and turn some obscure instrument from acoustic to electric for 8 bucks and get parts for amps
Nowadays you have to buy the pieces in a 10 pack
Posted on 11/8/26 at 7:28 am to Hangover Haven
quote:
Just about the time the country started getting invaded by cheap Chinese goods…
Radio shack is death by private equity
They could’ve run forever if nobody expected them to make more and more money every year
They sold out and they tried pushing cell phones on everybody and it went down the tube
Posted on 11/8/26 at 7:30 am to Gee Grenouille
quote:
Losing radio shack was a big deal. I fixed $100 stuff with 13 cent resistors.
Aliexpress still exists.
Posted on 11/8/26 at 8:15 am to Hangover Haven
Still open in Montana
Posted on 11/8/26 at 8:18 am to Rize
quote:
They are trying to make a comeback and still have online ordering.
Good to know
They have some "similar" stores in different regions of the company but they're more catch all computing places like AllTex
Posted on 11/8/26 at 8:29 am to CAD703X
Ahh, the ole Trash 80. Remember it fondly.
Posted on 11/8/26 at 8:30 am to DesScorp
Loved me some Radio Shack. Its was like a xmas store to us kids. My first computer was a TRS80 similar to this.
I actually worked for "Auto Shack" before Radio Shack sued us and made us change our name to to AutoZone. Fact.
I actually worked for "Auto Shack" before Radio Shack sued us and made us change our name to to AutoZone. Fact.
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