I remember going into Radio Shack in the late 80s and early 90s every time we went to the mall just to ogle all of the electronics. Remote controlled cars, Compaq computers, and radios. As I got a bit older (like a few months) I realized that I had to have one of those professional looking Realistic radios. I had some kids radios but I was sure that if I only had a pair of these Realistic radios I could maybe talk to some truckers. Who knows why a ten year old would want to do that…but stick with me.

My mom finally relented and bought me a pair of TRC-89 2-way portable CB radios that blasted out 300 mW. You read that right THREE HUNDRED milliwatts. So this amounted to me having the coolest brick in the neighborhood that could reach down the block instead of just the house next door. However, I did look really cool with an antenna that was at least half my height, if not more.

Recalling this shortly after I received my General Amateur license really jogged my memory of my love of radio that started when I was young. More importantly, I found a cache of old Radio Shack catalogs! I decided to make this my first post because I think that those of us that are of a certain age can relate with Radio Shack stories. If you feel like getting nostalgic, click here to go to see the entire Radio Shack catalog collection from 1939 to 2005.

-Zo