RadioShack files for bankruptcy, plans deal with Sprint

[webfact]

RadioShack files for bankruptcy, plans deal with Sprint
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) — A diminished RadioShack will live on, but its future may lie with Sprint.

Struggling consumer electronics chain RadioShack, founded nearly a century ago, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Thursday. It plans to sell 1,500 to 2,400 stores to its largest shareholder, investment firm Standard General, and has filed a motion to proceed with closing the remainder of its 4,000 U.S. stores.

Wireless carrier Sprint Corp. has a deal with Standard General to open mini-shops in as many as 1,750 of the RadioShack stores Standard General is buying.

Full story: http://tech.thaivisa.com/radioshack-files-bankruptcy-plans-deal-sprint/4026/

-- Tech News by Thaivisa 2015-02-06

[Basil B]

Traded as Tandy in the UK, sold to Carphone Warehouse in 1999 and most were converted to mobile phone shops, a few shops bought out and Traded as Tandy until 2005 when the business failed, another company now running low-profile on line store, not sure if there are any actual shops left.

RIP Radio Shack/Tandy Corp

[Jay Sata]

Kids don't want to go and build some electronic kit now.

Charge ,power up and play is the way of the world.

The old amateur radio brigade made it hard to get a short wave licence.

In these modern days with Skype they have become Luddites and the demise of

Radio Shack is their death knell.

[Basil B]

...

"The old amateur radio brigade made it hard to get a short wave licence."

What Short Wave Licence... or you mean a Amateur Radio class "A" licence, you only needed to be able to send and received Morse at 12wpm and the pass the City and Guilds exam, same as the class "B" licence holders.

By "The old amateur radio brigade" I assume you mean the Royal Surrey Gas Board, they had very little say in the matter I was the various home office departments responsible radio communications and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) who insisted that Amateur Radio users of the HF bands were proficient in Morse as these bans were shard with other services that used CW.

BTW the Morse requirement has been removed a long time ago since Morse is no longer used by shipping, same rights for Class "A" & "B".

Edited February 6, 2015 by Basil B

[arunsakda]

THE ONION: CEO Can't figure out how RadioShack stays in business.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/

[Basil B]

Well in the UK Maplin are doing well... they filled the void left by Tandy, but the market for basic components has dropped with many only now available a surface mount, Maplin started as a Mail Order company back in 1972, that was a year before Tandy opened their first shop in the UK, the front cover of their very large catalogue was very iconic, now they have over 210 store in the UK.

But I do a lot of my buying on line now using Ebay, more into buying small modules than basic components these days.

[Jay Sata]

...

"The old amateur radio brigade made it hard to get a short wave licence."

What Short Wave Licence... or you mean a Amateur Radio class "A" licence, you only needed to be able to send and received Morse at 12wpm and the pass the City and Guilds exam, same as the class "B" licence holders.

By "The old amateur radio brigade" I assume you mean the Royal Surrey Gas Board, they had very little say in the matter I was the various home office departments responsible radio communications and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) who insisted that Amateur Radio users of the HF bands were proficient in Morse as these bans were shard with other services that used CW.

BTW the Morse requirement has been removed a long time ago since Morse is no longer used by shipping, same rights for Class "A" & "B".

You say they only had to pass the old class A exam people only had to pass a morse code test at 12 words per minute.

Kids in the 1970s and 80 s had better things to do with their time and all the oldies are dying out along with ham radio.

Result now is a business model for Tandy or Radio Shack where there is no demand.

Plus specialised components available online for the few anoraks left.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Jay Sata

[Basil B]

...

"The old amateur radio brigade made it hard to get a short wave licence."

What Short Wave Licence... or you mean a Amateur Radio class "A" licence, you only needed to be able to send and received Morse at 12wpm and the pass the City and Guilds exam, same as the class "B" licence holders.

By "The old amateur radio brigade" I assume you mean the Royal Surrey Gas Board, they had very little say in the matter I was the various home office departments responsible radio communications and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) who insisted that Amateur Radio users of the HF bands were proficient in Morse as these bans were shard with other services that used CW.

BTW the Morse requirement has been removed a long time ago since Morse is no longer used by shipping, same rights for Class "A" & "B".

You say they only had to pass the old class A exam people only had to pass a morse code test at 12 words per minute.

Kids in the 1970s and 80 s had better things to do with their time and all the oldies are dying out along with ham radio.

Result now is a business model for Tandy or Radio Shack where there is no demand.

Plus specialised components available online for the few anoraks left.

Both "A" & "B" Licence applicants needed to pass the same City & Guilds exam, just that for a Class "A" licence you needed to pass the Morse test as well.

Actually end of the 70's and early 80's was the peek for licence applications and issuing of call signs, and I assure you that from my recollections the majority were under 40 years old, many under 20.

I should know... due to the backlog of applicants it took over 6 months in 1979/80 to process my licence.