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  #1  
Old 06-05-2020, 06:58 AM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
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HRO Still Closed

At least in Atlanta. Its not like they're a restaurant.
And the June 6th Hamfest (Kennehootchee) has been cancelled.
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  #2  
Old 06-05-2020, 02:55 PM
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WA3WLJ WA3WLJ is offline
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Icom ic-705

ICOM IC-705

When are they going to release the New Radio ....was willing to drive to Dayton from Maryland just to get a look.
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  #3  
Old 06-08-2020, 07:30 PM
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davet753 davet753 is offline
David Thomas
 
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HRO is operating, but I suppose just not open to the public. I bought an FTDX101MP in April, and they shipped it the next day from the Atlanta store.

Most all the hamfests in TN have been cancelled until the fall. Huntsville, AL announced last week they're calling off the August hamfest.
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Old 06-13-2020, 12:42 PM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
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Surprised they haven't closed (or moved) the Atlanta store. At one time that was a good section of town, but lately it has been taken over by Mexicans' drug dealers and gangs.
I think Covid19 will be back this fall. That when the next hamfest is around here. The Lawrenceville Hamfest is usually scheduled for the first weekend in November. And its usually cold and wet then.
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Old 08-22-2020, 04:50 PM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
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Yep. HRO Atlanta is STILL closed. Tried to talk them into opening one day a week (Saturday has always been their busiest day.) and requiring masks as other business do.
But they said it was out of their hands. I think a closure is imminent.
Looks like the Lawrenceville (GA.) Hamfest has been cancelled too.
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  #6  
Old 10-17-2020, 08:36 AM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
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HRO Now Open

No more than 5 people in store, face masks required and 6 feet separation.
Went in there last week to buy a QST and the manager was running the counter. He was in such a pissy mood, I left. I think things are not good at HRO.
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  #7  
Old 10-21-2020, 06:28 PM
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davet753 davet753 is offline
David Thomas
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kf4rca View Post
No more than 5 people in store, face masks required and 6 feet separation.
Went in there last week to buy a QST and the manager was running the counter. He was in such a pissy mood, I left. I think things are not good at HRO.
I'm curious, what does HRO charge for an issue of QST these days?
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  #8  
Old 10-24-2020, 01:39 PM
kf4rca kf4rca is offline
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Too much. $6.75 and with local taxes its $7.51. I used to get them when I was a member of ARRL. But some issues are better than others so I don't need them all. Usually I go for the ones that have a nice construction article in them.
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  #9  
Old 10-25-2020, 07:57 PM
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davet753 davet753 is offline
David Thomas
 
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You're right, that is high. Specialty magazines like that have gone up the last few years. Buy a few of those a year, and annual membership is a bargain.
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  #10  
Old 11-05-2020, 01:43 PM
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Jeffhs Jeffhs is offline
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I believe the closing of Amateur Electronic Supply in Milwaukee and that of HRO are signs, very bad ones at that, that amateur radio as a hobby is on its last legs. I believe this is a darn shame since, after all, commercial AM radio got its start when KDKA in Pittsburgh, which began as amateur station 8XK, went on the air in 1920. More importantly, amateur radio's role in emergency communications must not be forgotten or trivialized. There have been many emergencies in which amateur radio was the only method of communication, when telephone lines and even commercial radio and/or TV stations were rendered useless, the latter due to damaged towers. Hurricane Andrew was a prime example of this; since many of Miami's AM, FM and television stations were put off the air, amateur radio was in fact the main, if not the only, means of communications in the area.

The above is only one of many examples I could cite of how amateur radio has played a vital role in emergency communications, and why the hobby must not be allowed to end because of supply houses the likes of AES, HRO, et al. closing for good. I personally cannot understand for the life of me why an amateur supply store such as AES, which had branches in several U. S. cities (including my former residence of Wickliffe, Ohio, a far eastern suburb of Cleveland), would decide to end its operations for no apparent reason unless they are losing money, which I seriously doubt. I don't understand this because I am sure AES must have been doing excellently in every one of its branch stores and, of course, its main plant in Milwaukee. The only thing I can figure is the declining numbers of amateur radio operators and the fact that there are fewer new hams than there once were, not to mention amateurs who, for whatever reason, decide to let their licenses expire, sell their gear, and leave this great hobby for good, never to return. If I felt this way about ham radio I would be in bad shape, as I have had an interest in radio and electronics my entire life; this is what drove me to get my first amateur license 48 years ago, and why I did not just "pull the plug" on the hobby and let my license expire (!) when I moved here 20 years ago. I now operate strictly on 2 meters and Echolink (an amateur radio Internet linking application) due to lease restrictions (I live in an apartment building); however, my license is still valid, and I intend to renew it when the time comes, as I worked much too hard to get that license in the first place. I am also a member of a local radio club, and do not intend to let that membership expire either if I can help it. This hobby means far too much to me to even think of giving it up.

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Last edited by Jeffhs; 11-07-2020 at 07:11 PM.
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  #11  
Old 11-09-2020, 09:05 PM
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davet753 davet753 is offline
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A good deal of the decline in amateur radio store closings has more to do with the overall decline in brick-and-mortar stores these days. Television dealerships were once common in every small town in America yet today they are a rare sight. Everybody owns a TV set, but they tend to be bought online or from a big-box store. The sales are still happening, but through a different channel.

In amateur radio, online buying has surpassed the brick and mortar stores, especially when it comes to accessories and supplies. In my case, I purchase transceivers from HRO, but when it comes to coax, accessories, and the like, I usually end up buying online.

Plus, many folks order online even from stores like HRO. I buy often from HRO in Atlanta, but I call them on the phone and have them ship it to my home. If they don't have what I want in Atlanta, they just ship it from another location. If they closed the Atlanta store, they'd still get my business at one of their other locations.

Last edited by davet753; 11-09-2020 at 09:08 PM.
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