I found this on facebook and thought some of you old farts might enjoy it.

[markw]

some of these things, like the bike and weather radios were a staple for many years.

http://metv.com/stories/9-items-we-really-want-from-the-1970-radio-shack-catalog

 

[TLS Guy]

some of these things, like the bike and weather radios were a staple for many years.

http://metv.com/stories/9-items-we-really-want-from-the-1970-radio-shack-catalog

I think you and I might have to explain what some of that stuff was for to the younger generation.

I never owned any of those items and can't say I'm tempted to own them now.

It is amazing how fast change is coming now. FM seems pretty much confined to cars and receivers. The stand alone in the higher end seem confined to MAC and NAD. I note Quad no longer make an FM tuner.

If you want a good tuner, I think you are pretty much confined to the vintage market now. Streaming is at the point where it is better, at least from European stations. The US lags. Although codecs have markedly improved and newer codecs even at 90 kbs are a toss up with FM now, and in many ways better. Still a little rough, but S/N and dynamic range much better then FM. There is no pumping from transmitter limiters. However I think you still need more bits than 90 kbs even with AAC Plus. However at at 180 kbs it now best FM and 320 blows it out of the water with AAC plus. You can't tell that from CD in my view now.

My grandchildren now see FM as very antique, and the reel to reel just fascinates them along with the turntables.

Things are changing fast with a lot more in the pipeline.

 

[markw]

My grandchildren now see FM as very antique, and the reel to reel just fascinates them along with the turntables.

If you REALLY want to have some fun, hook them up with a dial telephone that has a wire from the handset to the phone itself and then from the phone to the wall.

 

[TLS Guy]

If you REALLY want to have some fun, hook them up with a dial telephone that has a wire from the handset to the phone itself and then from the phone to the wall.

I have not owned one of those for years!

In fact when I first went to Canada in 1970 the phones in Western Manitoba did not have dials. It was a ring down with a manual exchange. Our phone number only had two digits, 62.

You lifted the receiver and cranked the handle and then asked the operator to put you though to the number you wanted.

The overlap of technology is amazing. My father in law at the time, was completing the UKs first all digital telephone exchange at Holborn, London by the Old Bailey.

 

[Swerd]

Do you remember the Lafayette catalog?

 

[markw]

I do. When I was young, Lafayette had a B&M presence in my area. In fact, my first "real" stereo, which I picked up in high school, consisted of a Lafayette LA-224A amp, a pair of their Criterion 50 speakers, and a Garrard AT-60 with a $.0 Pickering cartridge, with about 20' of speaker wire thrown in for good luck. I think it cost something like $160 or so.

f you like this old stuff, check out this link: http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/

FWIW, when I graduated high school, there were no Radio Shack stores in the area. But, they had "concessions" in the Bamberger's (a division of Macy's) stores in the area that sold only stereo equipment, but only the brand name stuff. I somehow managed to be hired to manage one of them. I stayed there until I got drafted. When I got out, their stores started popping up all over the place but they didn't interest me at that time for employment. In hindsight, that was a mistake.

 

[slipperybidness]

I do. When I was young, Lafayette had a B&M presence in my area. In fact, my first "real" stereo, which I picked up in high school, consisted of a Lafayette LA-224A amp, a pair of their Criterion 50 speakers, and a Garrard AT-60 with a $.0 Pickering cartridge, with about 20' of speaker wire thrown in for good luck. I think it cost something like $160 or so.

f you like this old stuff, check out this link: http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/

FWIW, when I graduated high school, there were no Radio Shack stores in the area. But, they had "concessions" in the Bamberger's (a division of Macy's) stores in the area that sold only stereo equipment, but only the brand name stuff. I somehow managed to be hired to manage one of them. I stayed there until I got drafted. When I got out, their stores started popping up all over the place but they didn't interest me at that time for employment.

Oh yes, the days when RadioShack actually had useful items for a hobbyist, and even some people that were worth asking for advice.

By the time I hit my 20s or so, RS was already on the downslope. Nowadays, it's little more than a cell phone store, if there are even any still around.

If you are lucky enough to have a Fry's in your area, then that's about the closest you are gonna get to the Radio Shack heyday. I like Fry's, it's kind of like Best Buy + Radio Shack in 1 place.

 

[TLS Guy]

Do you remember the Lafayette catalog?

No, but in the UK we were aware of Lafayette. We did have Lafayette brand reel to reel tape. I think it was the same is "Irish tape" which was the domestic brand of Ampex Corp.

In the UK I used to frequent Stern's Radio in Fleet street were all the London newspapers were.

The first amp I built was a Stern's 33/RC. I was about 7 or 8 years old and built it to power a Voight quarter wave pipe that contained a Whitely Stentorian WB 8" speaker. This speaker was given to me by a barrister friend of the family. He was a great friend and avid speaker builder. Unfortunately he died suddenly at a young age.

It was a single ended triode!

I built a coupe of these 5/10s for others.

This was an excellent amp.

There is no link to the 10/10 but that was the stereo version of the above on one chassis.

I built one of those and still have it.

They also handled Brenell tape recorders including their kits. If I remember correctly you could buy a nice deck to assemble for about 11 GBP.

The other catalog source was Henry's Radio on Tottenham Court RD. They are still in business, but have moved to Edgeware Middlesex.

They were into solid state kits early. I built a few of those. They were not known for longevity and the quality was not nearly as good as tubes then.

Of the American catalog companies only Heathkit had a large presence in the UK.

However their gear was more pricey, than the other two catalog companies I referenced.

The other big UK catalog company was Radio Spares. This was a good source of mail order components. Unusually they had no retail stores.

Radio Shack never did well in UK and excited over 10 years ago.

Maplin Stores always ate their lunch. These stores continue to do well to this day.

The source for loudspeakers and crossover parts was and remains Wilmslow Audio.

That is some of what I remember of the UK scene. The DIY audio scene was very active back then and a very popular hobby.

In the lunch hour Stern's Radio was standing room only daily. Suited City workers buying gear to carry back on the train home.

Those were the days!

 

[Swerd]

That LRE logo on those boxes certainly rings a long-forgotten bell. It even shows the 111 Jericho Turnpike address.

In college I knew someone from Syosset, NY. As a high school kid he used to hang out in the main Lafayette store. He played as much gear as the salesmen tolerated, and often got thrown out.

At the time I couldn't afford any of that stuff. But I did drool over that LRE catalog .

Lafayette was a bigger chain that I realized
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_Radio_Electronics

As I recall it, Lafayette played a much larger role than Radio Shack. The wiki article says, "The (Lafayette) catalogs and advertising helped promote the concept of high-fidelity sound to customers, some of whom lived many miles away from major electronics stores, during a time when only the largest urban areas had dedicated 'stereo' stores."

 

[lsiberian]

I have not owned one of those for years!

In fact when I first went to Canada in 1970 the phones in Western Manitoba did not have dials. It was a ring down with a manual exchange. Our phone number only had two digits, 62.

You lifted the receiver and cranked the handle and then asked the operator to put you though to the number you wanted.

The overlap of technology is amazing. My father in law at the time, was completing the UKs first all digital telephone exchange at Holborn, London by the Old Bailey.

I remember having one as a toy as a young child. Now I don't even have a land line phone anymore.

 

[markw]

I remember having one as a toy as a young child. Now I don't even have a land line phone anymore.

One good thing about land lines is that when power goes out, you still have service, assuming the phone is hard wired into the system*. And, cell phones cannot always be counted on in emergency situations. I learned that with Hurricane Sandy a few years ago.

I had a friend call me and beech me out because his didn't work during a power outage. I had to kindly remind him that his cordless phone required AC power to work. D.oh!

 

[lsiberian]

One good thing about land lines is that when power goes out, you still have service, assuming the phone is hard wired into the system*. And, cell phones cannot always be counted on in emergency situations. I learned that with Hurricane Sandy a few years ago.

I had a friend call me and beech me out because his didn't work during a power outage. I had to kindly remind him that his cordless phone required AC power to work. D.oh!

Unfortunately that only works if the phone line makes it through the storm too. My parents actually lost their land line in the last round of storms.

 

[3db]

If you REALLY want to have some fun, hook them up with a dial telephone that has a wire from the handset to the phone itself and then from the phone to the wall.

Stop you guys!!! You're making me feel really old..