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Radio Shack
Amazon

So it's impossible that one of the protesters, or just a kid nearby, was just playing with one of these

It is a viral marketing campaign.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2585632&cp=&parentPage=search

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2585632&cp=2032062.2032402.2032406&parentPage=family

What about this?
http://www.radioshack.com/sm-rf-modulatorvideo-com ponent-adapter--pi-2103095.html

You could make a cable to combine stereo to mono fairly easily although the end result probably won't be too elegant, you might also be able to buy something to do that, it looks like this item will do it. Alternatively you could encode all your music as mono instead of stereo.

I don't think Radioshack, or any other retailer, would carry a product capable of frying so many consumer appliances.

Experience and education. (Electrical Engineer, Amateur Radio Operator, and I've designed and built small transmitters and receivers)

Your TV, radio, stereo, fall under Part 15 of FCC regs (your mic/headset probably does as well). They must accept any interference, even if it causes undesired operation. As cheap as most consumer electronics are manufactured today (little/no shielding, lack of good reciever selectivity and rejection, noise filtering, lack of RF decoupling in audio amplifiers), it's no surprise that anything that produces a reasonable RF emission is creating interference.

Avionics are built to much more stringent rules than part 15 (thankfully!).

In the examples you mentioned, RF energy is likely getting into the input of the audio amplifier. Unshielded input leads work very nicely as an antenna. The "antenna" picks up the RF, it goes into the audio amp, and creates all sorts of wierd distortion. The fix is usually fairly simple. Just put a toroid choke on the end of the lead. This filters out almost all the RF energy and prevents it from entering the amplifier input.

If you're interested, pick one of these up and snap it on to your headset leads on the end closest to the amplifier. It should do the trick.

Get the Radio Shack Electronic Learning Lab (#28-280). The manual was written (and kit designed?) by Forrest Mims. It doesn't get any better than that. I got my son one.

I'm a 37 year old software engineer. About 3 years ago I decided I wanted to learn about electronics. I started with one of these. It was nice, and had some very nice example projects - both analog and digital. It also came with a nice supply of op-amps, transistors, resistors, capacitors, and other goodies.

The only complaint I might proffer is that I very quickly outgrew the relatively small breadboard and graduated to something like this. I was infinitely more pleased with the layout. If you enjoy it, a breadboard and a small arsenal of nicely varied resistors, transistors, caps, diodes, and other bits will be an excellent choice. If you start getting them in any significant quantity, look online. Radio Shack is nice and convenient, but does charge a bit of a markup.

Also, if you want to really blow your mind, pick up a copy of The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill. It was recommended by a coworker who is an MSEE, is mind-bogglingly good, and is used in lots of college courses.

Why they don't have that guy do the manuals for the kits I have no idea, because he's really quite good.

Actually, there is at least one kit that contains guidebooks by Mims. My only complaint is that there isn't a variable capacitor included, so you'll need to scavenge or buy one if you want to make an AM radio or something.

I used to have a few of the old http://www.radioshack.com/ kits that served me pretty well. They have a newer version of my old one here: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2102913&cp=2032062.2032398.2032405&parentPage= family and from the reviews, it seems to be pretty good. The "details" of the listing at the site seems to tout a good manual, too, written by the author referenced in the previous post...

I used to have a few of the old http://www.radioshack.com/ kits that served me pretty well. They have a newer version of my old one here: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2102913&cp=2032062.2032398.2032405&parentPage= family and from the reviews, it seems to be pretty good. The "details" of the listing at the site seems to tout a good manual, too, written by the author referenced in the previous post...

Get this one: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2102913 It has a VERY good "manual". Actually, there are two - one focused on digital, one on analog. This is the kit that started me on a long journey from "I don't know what a resistor is" to taking graduate classes in electrical engineering. You will also want to get Horowitz and Hill's "The Art of Electronics". If you have any interest at all in learning about circuits, you'll want that book.

Prices vary wildly; this one is $180, and this one is $330. Non-retail, as you get from Dell or HP, is of course cheaper still.

I almost forgot... about 50 HELPING HANDS

I use these all day every day.

Perhaps my generation was the last one where parents normally bought their children electronics and chemistry sets. Today we would fear that the child would be shocked or chemically burned (regardless of the probability).
 
When I was 5, I got my first 160 in 1 Electronic Projects Kit from RadioShack. Similar to this item here. That thing was really cool, especially when I was a kid. Have you looked at what Radioshack sells these days as electronic kits? This thing is now sold as the new "rage" in kits. Its like a puzzle. To me, that is dumbing it down to the point of a child not learning anything about electronics, other than "connecting the blue piece to the red pieces makes a buzzing sound".
 
I bought my nephew one of the kits off of ebay, because thats the only place I could find the kits that actually teach you something about electronics.
 
Some other poster talked about dangerous toys being sold to weed out the stupid kids, and only let the smart ones survive. He may be on to something... Todays kids use extremely complicated electronic gadgets for their entertainment, and haven't got a clue how they work, nor do they care. Its a scary future.

As a kid, our neighbors, who were getting up in age, began heading south every winter. They just gave my parents keys to the house in December when they left and trusted that we could take care of it if anything happened.

To facilitate this, he rigged up a 120v relay to a simple mercury thermostat. If the temperature in his basement dropped below 40--kept at 45 normally I think--a bright light would turn on in their bedroom window, which happened to face our house. It would be hard for us not to notice.

If the power went out, well, then our power was out also and we could go over and see if we needed to fire up the generator he kept in his garage or anything.

I'm sure something similar could be done to trigger a phone call. Just run the pushbutton leads through your mercury thermometer.

You could also install a managed or unmanaged security system that would alert you if doors or windows were opened. I'm sure some of these companies also have temperature sensors they can add.

...that doesn't already carry iPods?

About the only place I can think of is Radio Shack. I don't know if they sell iPods now but they are going down the tubes fast any way. (#16788483)

Radio Shack was bought out by Circuit City here in Canada a while back, and all the old stores are now "The Source by Circuit City." I believe that Radio Shack is now trying to get back into the Canadian market, but I haven't actually seen one of the stores yet.

And yes, Radio Shack does sell iPods. So does The Source.

At any rate, so far as I can tell any place that sells electronics, including a large number that don't generally carry that kind of thing, all sell iPods. So I don't see where Zune could be sold that doesn't already sell iPods (and most likely a whole host of other MP3 players as well). The only thing I can think of is small, single-location non-franchised computer stores; there are a number of those in my area. However, these tend to be run directly by geeks and the general consensus seems to be that most geeks dislike the Zune. I don't know how MS could persuade these stores to cut their already-slim profit margin even slimmer by buying into a product that they don't think will sell.

About the only place I can think of is Radio Shack. I don't know if they sell iPods now but they are going down the tubes fast any way.

After researching a bit for ya, I found this instead... should do the same trick, as long as you can get RCA out of your device (which you should be able to do with an iPod with one of these)

This has more models, which may or may not be better.

First tip would be to check to make sure you've got a good bit of metal underneath your magnetic mount antenna. The roof or trunk act as a radio frequency reflector (ground), effectively doubling the length of your vertical antenna. Second tip would be to check out the threads and connections to your current antenna, and make sure that they are clean. No loc-tite, no oil, dirt, grease, etc. Sure, longer is better. But only the right kind of long. Here's a few things you should know. You can calculate how long an ideal antenna should be really easily: Length = 468/Freq, which for CB works out to be: length = 468/27.2 = 17 feet, 2-1/2 inches. That makes little difference, because a half-wavelength (half height) vertical antenna works out to have the same characteristics at about 8.8 feet long. Still pretty big, so you can "electrically" shorten it using a coil, where you trade off reception on some bands for others. (5/8's of a full wavelength is a pretty good tradeoff also, for other reasons, and 1/4 wavelength is also good enough for practical use.) Here's a good general reference from Radio Shack: http://support.radioshack.com/support_tutorials/co mmunications/67159.htm Brand makes little difference, despite people's prejudices. Obviously, don't buy generic. This guy: http://signalengineering.com/ultimate/mobile_anten nas.html has the real deal on why certain antennas work the way they do, and what to look for. (Plus some tips on how to make it work right.) He's of the opinon that all coiled antennas work about the same. (There's some difference of opinion there.) This link is okay, even though its a manufacturer's site. They make things pretty clear. http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm

Typewriter or shaver?

If you're in the house plug it into AC. If you're in your car, use the car cord. If you're really confused, plug this http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/index.asp?PageActio n=VIEWPROD&ProdID=460 (also at RS, but I can't find it on the site) into AC, then plug the car cord into that.

Or plug this http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2365254&cp=2032056&pg=3&f=Taxonomy%2FRSK%2F203 2056&categoryId=2032056&kw=car&kwCatId=2032056&num ProdsPerPage=20&parentPage=search (12V to 120V car inverter, in case the link sux) into the lighter socket and plug the AC cord into that.

The preceding solutions are stackable if you have a lot of free time that would otherwise be channeled into evil acts.

The Radio Shack/FIRST Vex Robotics Starter Kit is definitely worth a look if you're serious about getting into the field. The long awaited programming module is even available now. The kit can also be upgraded with a wide array of sensors, motors and gear sets available from various dealers around the internet.

Of course, Lego Mindstorms is always good for a quick fix if you want to play around before getting too committed.

Finally, for the wannabe robot expert in all of us, you might consider trying Mind Rover: The Europa Project to create virtual autonomous robots on your computer and make them compete.

The Radio Shack/FIRST Vex Robotics Starter Kit is definitely worth a look if you're serious about getting into the field. The long awaited programming module is even available now. The kit can also be upgraded with a wide array of sensors, motors and gear sets available from various dealers around the internet.

Of course, Lego Mindstorms is always good for a quick fix if you want to play around before getting too committed.

Finally, for the wannabe robot expert in all of us, you might consider trying Mind Rover: The Europa Project to create virtual autonomous robots on your computer and make them compete.

Buy a two port ATA. If you can't find one, I can't help you.

Connect port one to a Viking Electronics Paging Controller. When you dial the ATA port one, it will answer. Connect it's output to the paging amp. Viking also makes other models, some with built in paging amp.

Connect port two to a Radio Shack Phone Flasher.

When you need to page, have * dial ATA port one.
When you want a call to flash the light, dial ATA port two along with the other phones. Remember you only want it to ring, not answer.

For paging you can also use a hacked up Grandstream phone, I have heard good results with these.
Or use the server's sound card.

Hope that helps!

So far, the Radio Shack/FIRST VEX robotics kits seem to be the most interesting pre-fab robotics kits next to the older Lego MindStorms kits. There are numerous sites that carry add-on parts (sensors, timing gears, etc...) for the VEX kits, as well as the long awaited programming module.

Of course, if you'd rather go the old-school route, you could go looking for Capsela sets and try hacking together a few custom bubble modules to give it some intelligence.

This one has a 100x magnification for $10
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2103694&cp=&origkw=microscope&kw=microscope&pa rentPage=search

I like the gold plated optical cables the best. :-)

Yeah, these pens have been around for a while.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2104395

Came in a hand a couple of times back in school. :)

StarText was an online ASCII-based computer service that was officially launched on May 3, 1982 by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Tandy Corporation. Its name was derived from Star representing the newspaper which would provide the content and Text representing the computer company which would provide the technology.

StarText was marketed in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex newspaper circulation area of North Texas, USA. It quickly evolved into an electronic magazine written by unpaid journalists who had paid to be subscribers of the service. Its eventual demise came with the growth of the Internet. In May of 1996 an additional Internet service was offered and called StarText. Net with the original service being rebranded as StarText Classic. The original service finally closed down on March 3, 1997 and in June of 1998, StarText. Net morphed into Star-Telegram Online Services which in turn eventually became a conventional online Internet service of the Knight-Ridder group.

No it's not. It's this (Component Cooler): http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?parent Page=family&cp=2032058.2032229.2032259&productId=2 102648&tab=summary.

You don't even need to hold the can upside down, and it's much more effective.

You can buy a universal audio format converter for $5 at RadioShack. Apparently a loophole in the DMCA allows the sale of this product.

your brilliant solution of complicated auto-dial systems will probably cost lives
The market already addressed this issue. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2102456
Explaining pictures to children works better than numbers, btw.
Also, one time cost, versus the recurring one I have to pay for 911

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId =&kw=vex

Spend 40 bucks at radio shack and get a Sound Pressure Level meter and give me the DB readings

DB Reading with no equiptment on, normal to the plane of your ear, at ear height. You get the picture

Spend 40 bucks at radio shack and get a Sound Pressure Level meter and give me the DB readings

DB Reading with no equiptment on, normal to the plane of your ear, at ear height. You get the picture

And for those who are going to say "silly, AM isn't hi-fi," just listen to a GE Super Radio or Tivoli sometime.

Also worth including on that list is the cc radio. I've had very good luck with mine, going on about 4 years now. The digital tuning is a godsend and I can pick up distant (aka our local) TV audio quite clearly, even thought the video is unwatchable on a regular TV antenna.

I didn't know about the SuperRadio before but I'll go check one at at Radio Shack (hopefully they still have radios on display behind the cell phones and batteries).

Also, a good AM Antenna makes a world of distance. I used to have this passive AM antenna that was advertised as designed for folks in Alaska to pull in stateside AM. It really helped pull in a signal, but I haven't been able to find a replacement since it was stolen at college. It was about a foot round with a big dial on the face. Anybody know what they are?

Gosh, folks need to figure out that one size doesn't fit all.

If you want to listen to music, you'll get a much better experience spending a reasonable budget on a stereo rig vs. a surround rig:

1. Until you get into the "golden ear" exotic price range, there's a HUGE difference in sound quality as the speaker price goes up. )

2. Subwoofers are great for movies, but not so great for classical music. There just isn't that much content in *most* music in the lower registers - and most folks don't have any idea how to set up a 2.1 (left, right, sub) system so that it sounds right.

3. Music just isn't mixed for surround. And, yes, I know about DVD Audio disks. The basic problem is that nobody knows what's right for music reproduction. Do you want to feel like you're in the middle of the orchestra? Do you really want to hear crowd noise? Exactly why do you need to reproduce the sounds bouncing off the rear wall of a concert venue? There are obvious exceptions - the Blue Man Group's DVD Audio disk is a lot of fun. But it ain't worth the money for the two or three surround disks that properly use multiple speakers.

4. You can get fantastic deals on stereo receivers on Ebay these days.

If you're into movies or TV, definitely get a surround system. It's an immersive environment, and just a heck of a lot of fun. The same things that worked against you for music work for you in movies or TV:

1. A subwoofer is your best friend. Not only does it give you the visceral feeling when helicopters fly overhead, etc., it also offloads much of the hard work from your amps. A properly configured sub removes almost all the heavy work from the rest of your system - everything will sound a lot better.

2. Previous comments about center speakers are exactly right. They're a big help when you have multiple listening positions in your room.

3. Make sure you "treat" your room. There's a lot more to this, but 90% of the battle can be won by making sure there's a carpet on the floor between you and the screen (deadening reflections coming off the floor), bookshelves or other "complicated" things to your left and right (scattering reflections off the side front walls), and lots of deadening materials behind you. Get a calibration disk (e.g. the Avia guide to home theater) and a Radio Shack meter (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produ ctId=2103668) to balance your speakers. (Some new fangled receivers do this for you.)

And to directly address the topic at hand, 6.1 and 7.1 systems can be better than 5.1 systems, but by the point where they make sense, you've spent a LOT of money already on your system. Unless you plan on breaking through the $5K barrier for receivers and speakers, don't even think about it.

A 7.1 system, for example, makes sense in a large room with a projection screen. You do need room behind the last row of seats, however. The main reason for 7.1 over 6.1, by the way, is for exactly this setup - you're trying to eliminate sound from directly behind the listener (the 6.1's rear speaker) bouncing off the screen.

Anyway, hopefully you see that there's a lot more to this. Bottom line: it depends on what you plan on doing with your system, your room and your budget. And make sure you spend the right amount of attention and money on room treatment!

Another option from Radioshack is one of their Electronics "Snap-Kits".

It's for kids 8 and up. Still, my 5 year old has learned to wire and trouble-shoot a simple circuit. He's now able to identify capcitors and resistors on a computer motherboard and tell his grandmother, (essentially), what it does. He understands, (again essentially), that a computers and other electronics are just a whole bunch of simple parts assembled into really long chains.

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-circuitwriter-pen--pi -2104395.html

this store?
CircuitWriter Pen

Model: 64-4339 | Catalog #: 64-4339

See where you can get it:

Enter your zip code to find out which stores in your area have this product.

  Store information

This product is available at the following locations near 95010.

Last updated on Feb 20, 2006.

  CAPITOLA-CAPITOLA MALL
01-9013 | 0.00 miles*
  See a map
    831-475-8550
CAPITOLA MALL
1855 41ST AVE #F3
CAPITOLA, CA 95010
        In stock


Go Cougars!

http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categor yId=2032267&cp=2032058.2032230

hmm.

Since DC current can't travle far - you should really only convert to DC at each outlet. That accounted for - there's no reason we can't settle on 12V DC as it's already standard in the car and is even offered on buses, trains, planes etc. To convert at the outlet to 12 DC car plug you need this:
http://www.nugadgets.com/products/ProductDetails/4 .8956.1.html

if you have multiple devices you'll need a spliter:
http://www.outletpc.com/c6331.html

if there are any devices that didn't come with a car adapter you can use one of these:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2102590&cp=&kw=dc+adapter&parentPage=search

Of course higher power versions of these cost more....

Buy one beefy transformer for your common DC voltages - start with 5 and 12 - at Radio Shack. If you are enterprising, you could also repurpose a PC power supply for this task. Then buy a couple of these adaptaplug extensions. For each device, buy the appropriate adaptaplug connector for that device, and a "y" connector. Use Y connectors and extensions to daisy-chain as many devices as you need to the appropriate voltage chain (careful not to go too long on the wires though), until you reach the current capacity of your transformer. For those pesky devices that have the cord attached inside the device, just lop off their crappy wall wart or connector and solder on a hobby connector.

Buy one beefy transformer for your common DC voltages - start with 5 and 12 - at Radio Shack. If you are enterprising, you could also repurpose a PC power supply for this task. Then buy a couple of these adaptaplug extensions. For each device, buy the appropriate adaptaplug connector for that device, and a "y" connector. Use Y connectors and extensions to daisy-chain as many devices as you need to the appropriate voltage chain (careful not to go too long on the wires though), until you reach the current capacity of your transformer. For those pesky devices that have the cord attached inside the device, just lop off their crappy wall wart or connector and solder on a hobby connector.

Buy one beefy transformer for your common DC voltages - start with 5 and 12 - at Radio Shack. If you are enterprising, you could also repurpose a PC power supply for this task. Then buy a couple of these adaptaplug extensions. For each device, buy the appropriate adaptaplug connector for that device, and a "y" connector. Use Y connectors and extensions to daisy-chain as many devices as you need to the appropriate voltage chain (careful not to go too long on the wires though), until you reach the current capacity of your transformer. For those pesky devices that have the cord attached inside the device, just lop off their crappy wall wart or connector and solder on a hobby connector.

...meaning I have to reach around to the back of my PC, unplug my 4.1s and plug in the headphones.

I had the same problem after Christmas when my wife bought me a nice set of headphones mainly because she got tired of BF2 pumping out of my Klipssch 2.1 speakers. This bothered me greatly until I was standing in line at Rat Shack a in mid January and the person in front of me was purchasing a peice of technology that when used with the volume control on the speakers allowed both to be attached at one time. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?produc tId=2103710&cp=2032058.2032231.2032280&pg=5&allCou nt=252&fbn=Price%2F%244.00+-+%245.99&fbc=1&fr=Stor ePrice%2FRSK%2F00000400%2F00000599&parentPage=fami ly

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-1-8-stereo-jack-to-1- 4-stereo-plug-headphone--pi-2062468.html You don't know what you're talking about... unless you're from one of those 'metric countries' in which case I apologize.