Don't buy coax from radio shack

[WB2WIK]

Unfortunately, I don't doubt that. Over the past 35 years, I've not been able to find a "quality" item at Rat Shack; most items are cheap imitations of connectors. and such. The last straw was supposed "Teflon" insulated UHF connectors where the insulation melted before a solder connection could be made. Turns out the "insulation" was actually polyethylene. Not quite as advertised.

I remember the "good olde days" at RS, decades ago.

I bought a stereo system from them with a separate tuner, and preamp, and amplifier c.1975 or so.

It was actually very high quality stuff, and competitive with Fisher, Scott, Marantz etc. at the time.

Boy, are those days long gone.

[W4HWD]

One thing that everybody that's replied to this thread is missing is the fact that Radio Shack, after they quit selling components 20 years ago, became a totally useless place to go for all but the appliance operator. Their coax was always marketed toward the CBer, who wanted the companion cheap CB radio and even cheaper mag-mount antenna.

If people truly understood coax and the loss per 100' in just about all coax of any make you'd be building your own waveguides for any band above two meters...

[N0AZZ]

Anytime you buy coax insist on Times Microwave I use some form of LMR-400, UF, DB for everything that does not get helix including all HF. Coax is cheap buy the best you can it lasts longer also.

[WA8UEG]

I am no fan, however I needed to make a cable that required a switching diode and a resistor the other day. Went to the local store and they had both. The diodes were in a pack of 5 and I believe the resistors were on a card with 5 or 6. Total cost was around 2 bucks, the ready to go cable from MFJ was $19.95 plus shipping. They saved me $17 bucks or buying on line and waiting but the shipping on such a small order would have been more then I paid. You just need to know what to buy and what to stay away from. I never had problems with batteries, caps, resistors, diodes, contact cleaner, Solider, Chargers, project enclousers. I have a HTX242 in the shack that I purchased new at a garage sale for $15.00. it gets very light use but has been fine for 6 or 7 years now. I have stayed away from coax and connectors since the early 80's.

[N0SYA]

It truly is low loss in any electrical sense of the phrase compared to the same cable constructed entirely of balsa wood.

[WA3UCR]

I bought a 50 foot box of RG-58 at RS about 10 years ago. It came with crimp on PL-259s on each end. I needed one end bare to solder to some wires for a dipole, so I cut one of the PL-259 connectors off. Not only was the shield very skimpy (estimate 80% coverage), but it was almost totally black ! I tried scraping it with a knife to clean it and it just ripped the shield apart. No way would it take solder. I kept cutting it back and after several feet it was all the same. It wound up in my trash the same day. I normally used Belden, but it was a Sunday and the local Belden retailler was closed - and of course I couldn't wait ! My bad. Never again.
73
Bill

[KA5S]

This is where penny-pinching bites firms who sacrifice quality for economy. However, not ALL coax sold by Radio Shack(tm) was made by Tandy and I expect the relative cost of Asian versus US manufacture has driven domestic Tandy/Shack cable out of the market.

RadioShack Corp. plans to cut 195 manufacturing jobs, 176 of them at its Tandy Wire and Cable Group.(Hard Lines)(Brief Article)
Article from: Chain Store Age | October 1, 2003

The facility was torn down in 2007.

Tandy Wire & Cable Fabrication, 1924 8th Ave; demolished
The Tandy Wire & Cable Fabrication facility located at 1924 8th Ave and Windsor was demolished slowly this summer. The entire site has been leveled and nothing new appears to be planned at this time. The site sits on the Fort Worth & Western RR line, ex- Frisco RR line. Mapsco 76Q.

Source: Post on FortWorthArchitecture.com

I did EMC at Tandy's R&D department during 1988 to 1993, and we had an "Open Air Test Site" in the then-Wire&Cable parking lot, inside a huge, pink, egg shaped dielectric dome -- quite "mammary" in appearance and with a red warning light on top where a nipple might be expected (grin). It was used only for storage.


Cortland
KA5S

[AB1QP]

I remember the "good olde days" at RS, decades ago.

I bought a stereo system from them with a separate tuner, and preamp, and amplifier c.1975 or so.

It was actually very high quality stuff, and competitive with Fisher, Scott, Marantz etc. at the time.

Boy, are those days long gone.

Belive it or not at one point (The) Radio Shack sold Collins, Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, National, etc.
That point is as you say, far far away. Still RS still has more stuff you can use today than all the other dealers that
were around in those days. You just have to know what you need and what you are getting.

AB1QP

[WB8NQW]

Many years ago I was in the market for coax. While in a RS store I asked what % shield a certain coax was. The store manager's answer was," If you are asking that question, you do not want this coax."

Bob

[WA8UEG]

Belive it or not at one point (The) Radio Shack sold Collins, Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, National, etc.
That point is as you say, far far away. Still RS still has more stuff you can use today than all the other dealers that
were around in those days. You just have to know what you need and what you are getting.

AB1QP

I brought my Hallicrafters S119 sky buddy from a Radio Shack and I think, not sure, my first receiver kit that I built a Knight Kit Span Master. Still have and use both on occassion(pictured on top of my operating desk on my QRZ home page). That would have been in the early 60's.