From: dave@rsd.dl.nec.com (Dave Rogers)
Subject: Re:    Mail order store recommendations?
Organization: BINJFBA Society
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 17:29:44 GMT

In article <92288.012617KCHAN@ESOC.BITNET>, <KCHAN@ESOC.BITNET> writes:
|> Greetings fellow SWL's and netters,
|> 
|> I am seeking recommendations for mail order stores in the US to purchase
|> a SW radio. Something along the lines of a Sony SW-77 to an ICOM R-1000.
|> Please e-mail me with the names, addresses and phone numbers of your
|> favourite store. I shall post a summary to the net in due course.
|> 
|> Many thanks in advance.
|> 

Here is a list which was posted some time ago in another group which
might be helpful to just about everyone who reads this group.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Categories are:
NEW COMPONENTS	Distributors and sellers of new components, or "new and some
	used" in a couple of cases.
SURPLUS ELECTRONICS	Usually overstocks, occasionally used equipment.
	Ideal for stocking the junkbox, usually have dependable stock lines
	of resistors, capacitors, and some semiconductors, but won't have
	those LCD modules forever...  An invaluable resource, don't shy away
	from them.
SPECIALTY COMPONENTS	In particular, crystals and toroidal cores.
KITS	Ham radio kits, random electronic kits, whatever they have.
LITTLE GUYS	Separated out because of some twisted sentimentality,
	I suppose.  Intended to honor one or two ham spare-bedroom
	operations.
PUBLICATIONS	Two publications which are essentially all want-ads, plus
	the address for SAMS PHOTOFACTS because everyone always asks about
	it on sci.electronics.

Note on shipping costs:  I don't always update these frequently enough, and
they're generally for continental US unless otherwise mentioned.

NEW COMPONENTS:

Ocean State Electronics
P.O. Box 1458
Westerly RI 02891
(800)-866-6626 (orders)
(401)-596-3080
(401)-596-3590 (FAX)
Minimum $5, S&H $4, free catalog.  Wide array of RF parts, especially
air variables and B&W coils.

Radiokit		(store is located at:)
P.O.Box 973		169 Jeremy Hill Rd.
Pelham NH 03076		Pelham NH 03076
(603) 635-2235
No minimum ($3 service charge if under $20), many kits, lots of J. W. Miller
chokes & coils, B&W coils, RF switches, Millen variable capacitors, lots of
parts in general.  Send $1 for the catalog.

Circuit Specialists Inc
P. O. Box 3047
Scottsdale AZ 85271-3047
(800) 528-1417
No minimum with check or money order, $15 otherwise.  $3 S&H.
New electronics, good RF assortment, increasing infestation of computers.

Mouser Electronics	Mouser Electronics	Mouser Electronics
  11433 Woodside Ave.	2401 Highway 287 North	12 Emery Ave.
  Santee CA 92071	Mansfield TX 76063	Randolf NJ 07869
Mouser Electronics
  370 Tomkins Court
  Gilroy CA 95020
Catalog Subscriptions:	(800) 992-9943 (Continental US only)
Sales & Service:	(800) 34-MOUSER (800-346-6873) (US, Puerto R., Canada)
Very complete catalog of brand-new components (though no air variables).
Usually quick service, $20 "minimum" ($5 charge under $20).  When ordering,
you may want to be sure to ask about availability and shipping locations;
they have several warehouses, and frequently orders will get sent from several
warehouses (which drives up the shipping costs).

Digi-Key
701 Brooks Ave. South
P.O.Box 677
Thief River Falls, MN 56701-0677
1-800-DIGI-KEY
No minimum, $5 handling under $25, free and very complete catalog, very nice
indeed.  Prices aren't always the best, but rarely excessive.  Weak on RF
specialty parts (though they now have the ever-popular NE602N), but they do
have blue LEDs.

Active Electronics
11 Cummings Park
Woburn MA 01801
(800)-677-8899 (US)
(800)-363-6592 (Canada)
$25 minimum, $5 S&H UPS, free catalog.  They have 8 stores in the US
(Santa Clara CA; Chicago IL; Baltimore MD; Woburn MA; Detroit MI;
Mt. Laurel NJ; Long Island NY; Seattle WA) and 9 stores in Canada
(Quebec City; Montreal (2); Ottawa; Mississuaga; Winnipeg; Calgary;
Edmonton; Vancouver BC).  Lots of stuff, oriented more toward supplying
last-minute requirements of companies than hobbyists, but perfectly happy
to take your money in small doses (stores have no minimum order).  Some items
in their catalog are subject to a $25 per ITEM minimum and are only stocked
in regional warehouses, giving both mail and walk-in customers the worst of
both worlds.

Newark Electronics
 Send catalog requests to:
 Newark Electronics
 ATTENTION CATALOG DEPARTMENT
 4801 N. Ravenswood Ave.
 Chicago IL 60640-4496
 (312) 784-5100
They don't have a single mail address or phone; instead, one is supposed
to call the closest of three pages worth of branch offices.  I don't feel
like typing in the entire list (it's copyrighted, anyway :-), so send email
for your "local" distributor, or call their administrative offices at the
number above.  They have a $25 minimum order; they are a Real Distributor,
but accept small orders (over the minimum, of course).  Their catalog
currently 1248 pages; they are very complete (except, of course, for my
favorite scarce item, the air-variable capacitor).  Note that the catalog
prices tend not to match reality all that often, so order by phone rather
than by mail; prices tend to be higher than other places, but they have a lot
of things that are hard to find from other outlets.

Arrow Electronics, Inc.		Catalog requests to:
Catalog Division		Catalog Division
1860 Smithtown Ave.		25 Hub Drive
Ronkonkoma NY 11779		Melville NY 11747-9828
(800) 93-ARROW
Minimum $25; they no longer have a catalog.  They are a Real Distributor,
but also didn't mind my placing a personal order (a couple of years ago).

MCM Electronics
650 Congress Park Drive
Centerville OH 45459-4072
(800) 543-4330
Minimum $20 ($25 for charge cards, and they don't take personal checks),
handling $1.95 + shipping.  Oriented toward repair technicians, really
heavy on VCR parts and somewhat overpriced doodads, lots of useful stuff
not easily found elsewhere.

Fordham Radio Supply
260 Motor Parkway
Hauppauge NY 11788-5134
(800)695-4848
Tools for technicians.  One or two items are not outrageously overpriced.

Jameco
1355 Shoreway Road
Belmost CA 94002
(800) 831-4242
(800) 237-6948 (FAX)
(415) 592-8097
$30 minimum order (was $50), >$5 shipping & handling.  Their most recent
catalog may have reversed a long trend of abandoning parts in favor of
PC compatibles, or it may not; one can always hope.

JDR Microdevices
2233 Branham Lane
San Jose CA 95124
Orders:		800-538-5000
Cust. Service:	800-538-5001
No minimum, $5+ shipping.  Mostly computers now, but they haven't yet
decided to abandon components; indeed, they recently dropped their minimum
order requirement entirely.

Johnson Shop Products
P.O.Box 160113
Cupertino CA 95016
(408)257-8614  (408)996-3240
Catalog $1.  No minimum.  Shipping charge is based on UPS; very small orders
that can be sensibly shipped in a first-class letter, include money for
first-class postage.  New and some used electronic parts.

DC Electronics
P. O. Box 3203
Scottsdale AZ 85271-3203
(800) 423-0070 (orders)
(602) 945-7736 (stock/price checks)
$15 minimum charge order, no minimum for checks, $3 min. shipping&handling.
Wide array of ICs, good assortment of electronic components.

EasyTech Inc
2917 Bayview Drive
Fremont CA 94538-9932
(800) 582-4044 (orders)
(510) 770-2345 (customer Service)
Apparently a brand new company, "dedicated to serving the Electronic
Enthusiast/User."  $10 minimum, UPS shipping is 5% of order (>= $3).

International Components Corporation
1803 NW Lincoln Way
Toledo OR 97391-1014
(800)325-0101 (US & Canada)
(503) 336-4400 (FAX)
Cabinets&Enclosures; Capacitors; Diodes; ICs; Potentiometers; Resistors;
Sockets; Transistors; Books.  No minimum order, $2 handling under $25.

Kelvin Electronics
7 Fairchild Ave.
Plainview NY 11803
(800) 645-9212
(516) 349-7620
(516) 349-7830 (FAX)
Minimum order $20; S&H 5% of order ($5 minimum, extra for large stuff,
overnight, export (like to Hawaii :-), and etchant; based on UPS charges).
Lots of electronic parts & tools, some robotics supplies, model rockets.

H & R Company (Herbach and Rademan)
18 Canal Street, P.O.Box 122
Bristol PA 19007-0122
(800) 848-8001 (Orders)
(215) 788-5583
(215) 788-9577 (FAX)
Minimum order $25 ($5 processing charge under $25), shipping $4.75 under $30;
Most items are new overstocks, much regularly stocked stuff as well.  Tools,
electrical supplies, motors, mechanical components, robotic components.

SURPLUS ELECTRONICS:

All Electronics Corp.
P. O. Box 567
Van Nuys CA 91408-0567
(800) 826-5432
$10 minimum, $3.50 S&H. New and surplus electronics.

Alltronics
2300 Zanker Road
San Jose CA 95131
(408) 943-9773
(408) 943-9776 FAX
Surplus electronics.  $12 minimum, shipping per UPS.

American Science and Surplus (formerly JerryCo)
601 Linden Place
Evanston IL 60202
(708) 475-8440
Surplus.  *The* surplus place.  Lots and lots of surplus.  WWII gun cameras,
velcro, laser disk chassis, 6 volt VW wipers motors, LEDs, rubber brains,
you name it, they've had it.  Catalogs are a really good time.
$12.50 minimum order (which includes the $4 shipping charge).

BCD Electro
P. O. Box 450207
Garland TX 75045-0207
(214) 343-1770
$1 for 1-year subscription to catalogs, no minimum, $0.95 for under $30,
$2.90 shipping (extra for Alaska & Hawaii).  Surplus electronics, pretty
random looking assortment.

Fair Radio Sales
P. O. Box 1105
1016 E Eureka St.
Lima OH  45802
(419) 227-6573
Surplus electronics.  Heavy on parts for old Collins gear.

Hosfelt Electronics
2700 Sunset Blvd.
Steubenville OH 43952
(800) 524-6464
No minimum, $3.75 S&H.  Surplus electronics.

HSC Electronic Supply (Halted Specialties Co.)
3500 Ryder Street
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(800) 4-HALTED Orders only
(408) 732-1573 inside California and outside US
Surplus (new) electronics; new and used test equipment.  Minimum order $10
($2 handling charge under $20), plus UPS shipping cost.  Has three stores,
of which 3500 Ryder Street is one.

Marlin P. Jones & Assoc.
P.O. Box 12685
Lake Park FL 33403-0685
(407) 848-8236
No minimum ($1 fee for under $10), shipping per UPS.  Surplus electronics.

R&D Electronics
1224 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland OH 44115
orders: (800) 642-1123 (tues - fri 9am-4pm sat. 9am-3pm EST)
info:   (216) 621-1121
$10 minimum.  Surplus electronics.
"Also known to stock many components, but this is not discussed in the catalog.
Local store, a cleveland institution, is called Electronic Surplus, Inc., and
has been there since '48.  Third generation now runs it."	-- wb8foz

Surplus Sales of Nebraska
1315 Jones Street
Omaha, Nebraska  68102
(402) 346-4750
(402) 346-2939 (FAX)
New and surplus radio electronics.  Wide selection:  air variables.
Catalog $3 (free with order, refundable with $25 catalog purchase).

Tucker Surplus Store
1717 Reserve St.
Garland TX  75042
(800) 527-4642 extension 135
Surplus electronic gear; oscilloscopes and signal generators from the days
when dinosaurs with vacuum tubes roamed the earth (some solid state gear, but
all well used).  Prices seem relatively high, and you'll be shocked to learn
how much it costs to ship a 75 pound oscilloscope by motor freight...
[Steve Brown, N8HFI:
 In defense of Tucker, the have a broad selection, repair facilities, and
 they certify the used equipment to meet the original specification and
 warranty it for 90 days.  Not every source does this:]

Davilyn Corp.
13406 Saticoy St.
North Hollywood, CA   91605-3475
1-800-235-6222 (Ex. CA)
1-818-787-3334 (CA)
1-818-787-4732 (FAX)
Surplus electronic gear.
[has much better prices [than Tucker], but sells used equipment as-is. -N8HFI]

SPECIALTY COMPONENTS:

JAN Crystals
2341 Crystal Drive
P.O. Box 06017
Fort Myers FL 33906-6017
(800) JAN-XTAL (Monday through Thursday)
They make crystals.  Minimum order is $10, which might be one crystal, or
might be two.

Crystek Corporation
2351/2371 Crystal Drive
P.O. Box 06135
Fort Myers FL 33906-6135
(800) 237-3061 (M-F)
They make crystals too.  They were the cheapest last time I ordered, but
I don't have an up-to-date price list.  It took about 4 weeks, and they
had said it would take 6.

ICM (International Crystal Manufacturing Co., Inc.)
701 W. Sheridan
PO Box 26330
Oklahoma City  OK 73126-0330
(800) 426-9825
More crystals.  They were more expensive, but they have lots of pre-made
crystals for various rigs, so they would probably be faster.

Amidon Associates
2216 East Gladwick Street
Dominiguez Hills, CA 90220
(213) 763-5770
(213) 763-2250 (FAX)
Toroid cores and related things.  Very fast service.  Now takes MC/Visa and
phone orders.

Palomar Engineers
Box 455
Escondido CA 92033
(619) 747-3343
Toroid cores and shielding beads.

K2AW's Silicon Alley
175 Friends Lane
Westbury NY 11590
516-334-7024
Free catalog, $10 minimum order.  Semiconductors, in particular high-voltage
diodes.

Small Parts, Inc.		[ New address and phone, 23 Dec 91 ]
13980 NW 58th Court
P.O. Box 4650
Miami Lakes, FL 33014-0650
(305) 557-8222	Order department
(305) 557-7955  Customer Service  (ask for Mirta)
(305) 558-1255  Catalog           (ask for Elizabeth)
(305) 557-8004  Custom-made Parts (ask for Ziggy)
(305) 557-8005  Non-standard Sizes
                of catalog parts  (ask for Eric)
(800) 423-9009  Toll free FAX line
$12 minimum.  Mechanical parts, metal stock, Teflon(R) sheets, tools,
wire-size drill bits (as in #61 size for PC board holes).

KITS:
(The terse "Note:" descriptions are from the ARRL Kit List courteously
supplied by Ed Hare and Mike Gruber at the ARRL.)

624 Kits
171 Springlake Drive
Spartanburg SC 29302
QRP kits (including some designs from W1FB's books) and some parts.

A&A Engineering
2521 W. LaPalma, Unit K
Anaheim CA 92801
(714) 952-2114
Kits, some components, some books. S&H $4.50, catalog is free with SASE (2 oz
postage).

Antique Electronic Supply 
6221 S. Maple Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85283
(602) 820-5411
Note: Broadcast receiver kits

Circuit Board Specialists
P. O. Box 951
Pueblo CO 81002
(303) 542-4525
As the name implies, they specialize in circuit boards; they have circuit
boards for a variety of QST articles and ARRL Handbook construction articles.
They also have partial kits for most of their boards.  The catalog is free,
but I had to request it a couple of times.

C.M. Howes Communications
Eydon, Daventry,
Northants NN11 6PT
England
Phone: +44 327 60178
Note: QRP, transmitters, receivers, misc.

Communications Concepts Inc. 
121 Brown Street
Dayton, Ohio 45402
(513) 220-9677
kits for Motorola Applications Notes (amplifiers and the like), small
assortment of components (chip capacitors, transistors).

Down East Microwave
Box 2310, RR#1
Troy, ME 04987
(207) 948-3741
Note: Microwave preamps

FAR Circuits
18N640 Field Court
Dundee IL 60118
Printed circuit boards for articles in the usual ham magazines.  SASE for
list.  $1.50 shipping and handling per four boards.

Hamtronics, Inc.
65 Moul Road
Hilton, NY 14468-9535
(716) 392-9430
Note: Amateur, general interest

Lake Electronics
7 Middleton Close
Nuthall
Nottingham NG16 1BX
England
Note: Amateur

Mercury Systems
15 Lakeside Dr.
Marlton, NJ 08053
1-609-596-3304
Note: the ARRL Kit list didn't say what they carry; I don't (yet) know
either.

Penntek Electronics
14 Peace Dr.
Lewistown, PA 17044
(717) 248-2507
Note: The Neophyte Receiver, QST 

Ramsey Electronics
793 Canning Parkway
Victor NY 14564
(716) 924-4560
Amateur radio and hobby kits.  The ham kits are all pretty simple and
pretty inexpensive, and you get about what you pay for.  Their new
VHF transceiver kits (144, 220, 440) look pretty interesting.  Many have
complained about the quality of their kits, though.

{See also RadioKit, Oak Hills Research}

LITTLE GUYS:

Oak Hills Research
20879 Madison St.
Big Rapids, MI 49307
Send $1 for a flyer.  Some parts, QST article kits, transceiver kits,
QRP stuff in general (they inherited the stock from Small Parts Center
when they closed).

KA7QJY Components
Danny Stevig
Box 3893
Logan UT 84321
(801) 753 5961
Send a business-size SASE for a current list of parts.  RF parts, including
vernier drives and air variables.  $2.75 shipping, no minimum.  Fast service,
lots of satisfied customers.

R&R Associates
3106 Glendon Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(213) 474-1315 (res)
[ Richard Rathburn, KB6NQ ] "I mainly sell pc boards from QST, Radio
Electronics, etc., and a few of in-house design.  I also sell IC's, etc."
Send a SASE every now and then for his most recent flyer.  He also has boards
for some Motorola Application Notes.

MANUALS:
Eico Electronic Instruments Co., Inc.
363 Merrick Rd
Lynbrook NY 11563
Note: No current kits, EICO manuals and schematics only

PUBLICATIONS:

NUTS & VOLTS MAGAZINE
430 Princeland Court
Corona CA 91719-9938
1-800-783-4624 (subscriptions)
1-714-371-3052 (subscribe by FAX)
All advertisements magazine (though they've just publishing small projects).
Issues are $2.00 (at least, that's the price on the cover), subscriptions
are (third class mail, USA:) $12/1 year, $21/2 years, $60/life, (first class
mail USA) $20/1 year, (Canada/Mexico) US$22, (other foreign, air mail) US$55.
A subscription also entitles you to one free classified ad of 40 words.
	
Ham Trader Yellow Sheets
PO Box 15142
Seattle WA 98115
"SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.: 24 Issues(1 yr) $16.50  50 Issues(2 yrs + 2 issues) $32.
75(3 Yrs + 3) $48.  CANADA & MEXICO: 24/$20.  50/$39.  75/$58.  FOREIGN: $38
a year sent Airmail.  Published 2 ISSUES A MONTH sent 1st Class Mail...
NO LONG WAIT FOR AD CIRCULATE!  NOTE: A $4/4 issue MINI-SUBSCRIPTION may be
ordered by potential subscribers, or WITH AN AD to qualify for the Special
Subscriber Ad Rates given below:" Non-subscriber ads $1/{word,number,group}
per insertion; subscribers:  businesses or other for-profit sales $0.75 per
word; ads involving items solely from or for your own use $0.35 a word;
hamfest ads $0.35.  Ads and ads with subscriptions should be sent to
POB 10253 Sarasota FL 34278 during the winter; spring through fall they
go to POBox 2057, Glen Ellyn IL 60138.

Howard W. Sams & Company
P.O. Box 7092
Indianapolis, IN 26207-7092
(800)-428-SAMS
Publishers of SAMS PHOTOFACTS and many other electronics books.  There is
an Annual Index of SAMS PHOTOFACTS whose cost I have forgotten.  In-print
Photofacts run between $14.95 to $39.95 (for computer Photofacts); they
will photocopy out-of-print Photofacts for $11.95 + $2.50S&H for one page,
plus $.55 per page thereafter.

RF Design Magazine
P O Box 1077
Skokie IL 60076-9931
(312) 762-2193
A magazine for professional RF designers.  Subscriptions are $38 per year
in the US, $48 in Mexico and Canada, $51 elsewhere, unless you appear to be
a "qualified subscriber" (i.e. are in serious danger of convincing your
company to buy a $12,000 spectum analyzer based on an ad) in which case it's
free.  Heavy on theory, and even the advertisement articles are educational.

Elektor Electronics USA
Caller Box 876
Peterborough NH 03458-0876
A translation of the Dutch Elektuur magazine.  Lots and lots of construction
articles each issue, a few of them even interesting.  Subscriptions are
currently $28/year.

NOTES:

This file, and many others, are available for anonymous ftp from
ftp.cs.buffalo.edu.  It is also available from another anonymous ftp
site, toxicwaste.mit.edu:/pub/archive/sci.electronics/Mail_Order_Companies.
(Contact warlord@athena.mit.edu to offer things to the latter)

CHANGES FOR $Revision: 2.9 $

Dick Smith Electronics is no longer carried by American Electronics; if their
catalog that I just requested is promising, I'll list them instead.
Added FAR Circuits, having just stocked up on W1FB Universal VFO pc boards.


===============================================================================
Dave Rogers M & R Software, Inc.  
Internet: dave@rsd.dl.nec.com 
On contract to: NEC America, Radio Software Dept

Don't take life too seriously; you're not going to get out of it alive anyway.

Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave