Memories of Radio Shack and the Trash 80

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    By now, you’ve probably heard that the latest national company to go belly-up is Radio Shack, best known as the electronic hobbyist’s headquarters since the early 1920s.
    I wasn’t really surprised by their demise, considering the number of associate stores that evaporated from the Maine landscape in recent years.

    But Radio Shack was not only a victim to competition, but changing demographics.
    I remember building a pre-fab CB radio kit for about half the cost of a commercial model. While I’m not sure if I bought it from Radio Shack, I spent quite a few hours — and dollars — picking up spare parts, coax wire and antennas at the local store in Skowhegan.
    One of the nicest parts about Radio Shack stores was the help. Chances are that someone behind the counter could answer your questions, even the off-the-wall ones. “What direction do I point my TV antenna to get Bangor stations?”
    But frankly, when’s the last time you bought a CB radio? With smartphones and a GPS, you can communicate or get information in seconds.
    I used to have fun with CB. We had mini-convoys to Fort Benning, Ga. and Fort Campbell, Ky. many times where radio communication was a must. “That’s a big 10-4. We’ll take the next exit for Pizza Hut in Chambersburg.”
    One of Radio Shack’s memorable inventions embraced by reporters in the 1980s was a battery-operated portable computer named the TRS-80 and quickly nicknamed the Trash 80.
    It was lightweight but you could only see four or five lines of your typed story. At the beginning of the text, you’d type in your newspaper’s code followed by the article.
    Afterwards, you’d plug the set into a phone line, press a few more buttons and the story would be on its way to the office — most of the time.
    One problem was that not all phone lines were compatible with the Trash 80.
    So after trying to file your story four times and listening to an irate editor say “No! I still don’t have it!” I’d have to find a place with a residential phone or fax line.
    If you couldn’t disconnect the line, you used an audio coupler which resembled a pair of plastic earmuffs. I think I had a 50 percent failure rate with those.
    The keys also stuck on the Trash 80, so a pocket screwdriver was a must-have accessory.
    Eventually, the TRS 80 went into the dustbin of history along with 8-track tape players and rotary telephones.
    But it seemed as if Radio Shack could never quite keep up with the tech world. In addition, most of the parts and accessories they once specialized in were now readily available at Walmart or Amazon.com, often at a much lower price.
    Kids also don’t seem to be into electronic hobbies as much nowadays, with the exception of radio-controlled planes and monster trucks.
    So it’s sad to see more empty storefronts in a state where small businesses traditionally struggle to keep afloat.
    And I’ll miss some of the friendly advice I used to get from my local Radio Shack dealer. “You’re still using a Trash 80? Wow. Don’t forget to take some extra batteries — and a screwdriver.”
Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.