[Scan-DC] Radio Shack and Heathkit closing (1992)-(2015)

[Greg Danes]

I worked at Heathkit from 1982-1992 when they too closed. We could not
compete with Japanese an Chinese market imports, offshore production
facilities that saved the maker employee costs but had lots of issues
in QC. Today Radio Shack is the last American icon to go. Heathkit had
a niche market of tinkerers, hard core hobbyists, GI bill vets making
color TV's. Heath was never into cell phones. Radio shack saw that as
the next big 1990's market and ran with it while still like Heath
trying to keep the old-timers coming in for CB's and HAM radio stuff
and parts and of course scanners. Heath had a few tune-able radios and
I think even sold a model of Electra Bearcat  made for us in the
1980's with our name on it like GRE did for RS. We had no real stock
of batteries except for Hero 18 robots. We sent people to Radio Shack
and Radio Shack sent people to us for esoteric stuff. I cannot tell
you how many times we had customers come in and say what badly
informed people worked at Radio Shack. I know a lot of folks that
worked there that would have fit in with Heath and visa versa so it
was never really a fair shake.. Radio Shack was where we always sent
people for scanners and consumer cheap aviation radios and special
radio stuff. I will miss going down to the local store to talk with
the folks about the scanning hobby, some of them in the 90's were like
Wow! you can really hear these things? Some left scanners running in
the store on local FD/PD frequencies to intrigue the customer into
maybe buying one. I guess we both had our place in American
electronics history.

KJ4DGE

-- 

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