From: RHAREL@FAB8.INTel.COM (RICHARD HAREL)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: More on Barry Electronics in NYC...
Date: 4 Oct 92 00:56:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: FAB8.9210041454.utk18432
Organization: UCSD Usenet Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucsd.edu


  
> In article <1a7r28INN8ft@stanley.cis.Brown.EDU> darrin@mit.edu <Darrin Robinson> writes:
> >
> >Anyone who could E-Mail me the locations of Amateur Radio Stores in
> >the Manhattan (Mid-Town) area of NYC, please let me know!  I'm going
> >there this weekend, and need to buy some "candy."
> 
> 
> There's only one amateur/sw dealer in New York City, period.
> It's Barry Electronics, located at 512 Broadway near Canal Street.
> Home of almost-higher-than-list prices, and the most obnoxious
> collection of arrogant know-nothings ever assembled behind a
> sales counter.
> 

>>Boy, you've got that right! (note no smileys)
 
>>Rolfe Tessem               Lucky Duck Productions
>>rolfe@w3vh.UUCP            96 Morton Street, NYC, NY 10014
>>rolfe@ldp.com              212-463-0029

Just a few more notes of interest :

1. It's the only ham radio store in NYC. Harrison's used to have a place in 
   mid-town but they went out of business. Harvey Radio also used to carry
   ham gear but stopped after the Darke C-Line died. After the owner of the 
   store died in a plane accident in the 70's, his wife Kitty took over the 
   business and concentrated mainly in commercial sales. (Also para-military).
   She's a cat lover and one of the first things you'll notice when you 
   enter the store is the feline fixtures. (Another thing you might notice
   is the beautiful women waiting for the elevator on the first floor of the
   building on their way to the dance studio !)
2. Probably due to the 8.25% sales tax, few New Yorkers would ever consider
   making a major purchase there.
3. Another reason might be that all their prices are list price.
4. Rumor has it that Barry Electronics is the #1 supplier for Central
   and South American non-amateur communications gear. i.e.: If you were
   a general in a S. American dictatorship planning to have a 'rrrrevolution'
   next Tuesday and needed 500 ICOM 02AT's - (for logistics...) Kitty would
   be the one to call. It's not for the NYC Hispanic ham clientele that she
   advertises "se hablo Espanol".
5. In 1991, Jan, one of the worker's was pistol whipped, and just by chance
   made it out alive when early one Sunday morning, a truck loaded with 100,000
   dollars of communications gear about to set out for the LIMARC hamfest
   was hijacked. Months later, a jammer calling himself the "Voice-of-God"
   started interfering with emergency services of the NYPD. Mainly SOD 1 and
   4. The jamming went on for several months. Finally, the FBI were called
   in on the case and within a short time managed to track the jammer. 
   The equipment used was traced to be part of the loot made off from the 
   hijacking but investigators were not able to link the suspect to the crime.
6. Lou Reiner (who worked for Barry for years) and his son Steve
   quit recently. 

If your looking for "candy" in NYC, may I suggest the real thing !
'Drakes Cakes', Egg creams, - the real candy stores of NYC are the best in the
world with an atmosphere all to themselves.
Mail order in our hobby is still I believe the best way to go.
73,
Rich
rharel@fab8%sc.intel.com