Here's a full list of the 552 Radio Shack stores that are closing

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Here's a full list of the 552 Radio Shack stores that are closing

Mary Hanbury Mar 18, 2017, 01.08 AM

{snip}

I've picked up some stuff at two stores over the last two days.

I did not see any (police) scanners in the stores I went to. Too bad. I missed out on them two years ago. The prices were high every time I went, until they dropped to a reasonable figure. They sold out before I could get to the store.

I finally broke down and bought a nice digital multimeter, for 70% off:

https://www.radioshack.com/products/radioshack-true-rms-46-range-digital-multimeter

Everyone should have a meter.

This is not an endorsement of Radio Shack, etc.

[Hoyt]

1. Haven't seen a Radio Shack in years. At one time, they were good. Bought my first serious computer -

a 286 I think -- for $2,000 and used it mostly for word processing writing technical manuals on a blue screen where you had to guess how it would look when printed. Dang, that was a pain compared to today, but much better than having to type it on one of those electronic typewriters. Bought a lot of small parts, adapters for recording music and stuff from RS too.

Nowadays, just about anything they used to sell is now available on-line and will be here the next day. In some cases, Amazon will have it to you the same day. I feel for those who lost or are losing jobs, but I guess it's progress.

Just looked at the list. There are actually 6 or 7 stores within 30 miles or so of me. 4 are closing and have clearance sales going on.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. The clerks I talked to, at two stores, already had jobs lined up.

One was going to be working at a T Mobile store. Another was going to work for Staples. A third was going to be at Jos. A. Bank, the men's clothing store. Everyone was staying in retail. I'm glad that they were landing on their feet.

I too often wonder why there still is a Radio Shack. I have a lot of their police scanners and shortwave radios. The police scanners were repackaged Unidens or GREs. One manufacturer had the speaker above the keypad. The other manufacturer had the speaker below the keypad.

The SW radios were rebranded Sangeans.

[Hoyt]

3. Good on the jobs. Of course, Jos Banks are shutting a lot of stores. I have one of those shortwaves.

Heck, I still have a couple of tube radios.

[MontanaMama]

4. I read your note aout police scanners...

They're pricey - we use have one that we purchased at a Radio Shack. It was a source of nightly entertainment listening to all the hoopla in our city. Anytime we heard a siren in our neighborhood, the scanner clued us in to what was happening. However, the local police and fire went to digital encryption a couple years ago and now we can't hear much of anything. If anyone reading this is considering buying a scanner - make sure that it will pick up whatever signal the local police/fire is transmitting. Meaning if they transmit digitally, buy a digital scanner. Some departments still broadcast analog. Above all - find out of 911/police/fire encrypt their transmissions because if they do, no scanner at Radio Shack will be able to unscramble what's being said.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. All my local LE (law enforcement) is digital. The interesting Federal stuff is encrypted too.

That said, Scanner 5-0, the app for iOS and Android devices, will suffice for just about everyone.

Railroads are plain old FM (analog) and not encrypted. Aircraft are AM, also analog and also not encrypted. You can hear trains and aircraft with just about any scanner.

[MontanaMama]

7. Can you decipher

The encrypted signal with the iOS app on your phone?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. I'm certain that you cannot. I'm no expert, but here is my take on how Scanner 5-0 works.

I apologize for the delay. I was at the library. I had an answer all ready to send, when the WiFi got turned off.

I do not participate in Scanner 5-0, but here is my guess on how that works:

Scanner 5-0 offers hundreds or thousands of local feeds for you to listen too. Scanner 5-0 gets those feeds from thousand of local scanner enthusiasts. A scanner owner could set his scanner to listen to the Chicago Fire Department, or the Yellowstone National Park park police, or all the railroads near Vancouver, WA. Whatever. Then he uploads the audio output from his scanner, using a service like Broadcastify, to Scanner 5-0.

You are at the receiving end. You choose what you want to hear. If the scanner enthusiast doing the uploading is incapable of decrypting a signal, then you won't be able to hear it either.

[MontanaMama]

11. Okay. I get it.

I got the app on my phone today and it's pretty decent! Thanks for sharing the info.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. If you're not careful, it's a real time waster.

Last edited Sun Mar 26, 2017, 06:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Right. If you have a scanner, you can upload what your scanner hears to Scanner 5-0 too.

I don't listen to it regularly at all. When I first installed it on my tablet, I dropped in on the Gallatin County law enforcement feed, the Yellowstone National Park feed, the....

Well, it's there, so why not?

You can see why scanner sales have fallen off. First, there's that encryption thing. Second, there's that "why bother?" thing. If you have a mobile device, you have a scanner. Not just any scanner, but one that can listen to the Gendarmerie Nationale in Marseilles, if that's what you want. I haven't checked to see if they're available, but why wouldn't they be?

Do you have Tunein (edited: TuneIn) radio?

[MontanaMama]

13. Yep. Have TuneIn on my iPad.

Tell me something about that? I feel like I've been missing out! I'm learning lots today.

Are you connected to Big Sky Country? Is that why you listened to Gallatin Co? Just curious. I'm in Missoula.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Not really. I had a job over twenty years ago that sent me all over the Pacific Northwest.

I liked seeing the sights. I've been to Yellowstone, Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, and on and on. Missoula's a nice place, as you no doubt know.

I liked the job, but it ended. That was not to my liking.

[Warpy]

5. The one near me isn't closing

which is kind of a miracle since it's in a rapidly dying strip mall across the street from a Wal Mart.

I'm glad they're still hanging on, it's a great place to go for computer bits and bobs and I love my RS shortwave receiver. It kept me sane for years when I first moved out here and the net wasn't yet a thing and I was starved for news. I could listen directly to the BBC and get concerts from Munich and pick up fringe nutcases on their ham radios, all on the same night.

If there's one near you, be nice to them and throw them a little business the next time you need another USB cable.

[Hugin]

9. What?!?!

Again?

I had thought they were all gone until a few months ago and I found a few islands of RadioShack still existed... I went back as often as I could. But, now they are really totally gone?

:sigh: ):

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. They still have stores. They're online too. NT