Radio shack vs Amazon

[97RangerXLT]

Radio Shack was pretty decent back in the day for electronic parts/ components up until the early 2000s when it was more of a "Cell Phone Shack" and they got rid of most of the individual electronic components and shifted to more cell phone model of business.

I moved to Fishers IN in 2008 and they had a Fry's Electronics store. Think of an old school Radio Shack AND consumer electronics in a building the size of a WalMart Super center. it even had a restaurant inside. Awesome place for computer and electronic components. for those of you that live in California and Texas, you know exactly what I am talking about, most of the Fry's stores were there. The company started going under a few years before Covid hit, and then went under in 2021 or so. I really miss that place. Closest thing out there now is Micro Center. Not bad, but not near as good.

For the most part if I am building a new pc, I will get my parts from Newegg or possibly Amazon, but Newegg has always been a go too as well for pricing.

AJ

 

[SenorNoob]

Thumbs up for the 'Egg. I almost never buy components anywhere else. The fact that I'm 4 hours away from one of their warehouses makes it better. About half the site can be here next day.

 

[Heather’s94]

I miss Radio Shack mini CB radios. Small enough for the Ranger or the Outback. Enough power to run a single 102” stainess whip or a pair of 3-4’ Firesticks. Will be adding a Walmart Cobra and a pair of toolbox mounted 3’ fiberglass antennas to Barney. Ralph (85 C10 swb lowrider) runs an old 23 channel, dual ground capable Sharp. Whishey Bent (99 K3500 c&c dually Search and Rescue build) runs a Walmart Cobra with a 102” whip mounted to the headache rack… Can pick up The Grapevine from east of Memphis, huge ground plane with the 7.5’x 9’ steel flatbed.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I never understood how dual CB antennas worked better than one.

 

[Heather’s94]

I never understood how dual CB antennas worked better than one.

They are supposed to be at least 5’ apart, and at opposite corners if bed mounted. Something about increasing the ground plane.
Too close the signal is actually degraded.

I have a headache rack mounted 102” stainless steel antenna on my search and rescue project. A single fiberglass on the 85 C10 lowrider. Used to run a magnet mounted stubby stainless on the roofs of: Dad’s ‘77 Corolla lift back, Lisa ‘85 Celica, ‘86 Aerostar, ‘92 K1500 and Barney. Smart money is another magnet mounted in the center of the cab roof. Aesthetic though? Twin 3’ Firesticks mounted to the toolbox, cables run through the bed corners, into the cab under the carpet. Finding a clean CB mounting location in a minitruck is the hard part…

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

The reason you see semi trucks with dual antennas is because of signal interruption. They're simply overcoming the truck being in the way. With vehicles like the F-250 or larger with extended mirrors, you can use mirror mounted antennas to get duals but the problem that can occur is interference. Most passenger vehicles are just too small to properly accommodate the ground plane area required for duals, and realistically, having one properly tuned antenna will work just fine. This is why you don't see semi trucks running 4 or 6 antennas. First, ground plane, but secondly more antennas does not mean more transception.