# Radio Shack: I'm speaking Greek, they only understand Latin **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638 "2013-11-23T20:00:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/1 "2013-11-23T20:00:33Z")
Helpful hint, asshole who works there, Cat3=Phone cable. Cat5=Ethernet. I miss the days when the Radio Shack employees actually understood what I was talking about. There used to be a time when they knew the difference between TTL and CMOS. Now, they can’t tell the difference between Cat3 and Cat5. They can’t even tell _ **wires** _ apart. Goddamn useless fucks. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/2 "2013-11-23T20:16:06Z")
You should apply for a job there, I’m sure you’d make a great addition to their staff. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/3 "2013-11-23T20:17:10Z")
Why did you go there to begin with? They are a completely different business from when the sold the TRS-80 (early computer). ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/4 "2013-11-23T20:21:56Z")
Radio Shack is still open? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/5 "2013-11-23T20:34:47Z")
> [@Marion\_Wormer](#): > > Radio Shack is still open? [Even the CEO can’t figure out how Radio Shack is still open](http://www.theonion.com/articles/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-still-in-b,2190/). ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/6 "2013-11-23T20:37:59Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > You should apply for a job there, I’m sure you’d make a great addition to their staff. I seriously doubt it, given that I get outraged on the difference between Cat3 and Cat5. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/7 "2013-11-23T20:44:48Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Why did you go there to begin with? They are a completely different business from when the sold the TRS-80 (early computer). Oooh, 8080 based machine. Machines are coooool. Trash-80’s had their good points. But they were mostly trash. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/8 "2013-11-23T20:48:23Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Why did you go there to begin with? Because the alternative was to go to Loew’s, where they don’t even know what “copper” is. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/9 "2013-11-23T21:01:06Z")
It’s weird. There’s a RadioShack near my office that has gone all retro. A whole wall full of soldering supplies, wire, connectors, proto boards, those old cabinets full of discrete components and DIPs (pretty limited selection, but it’s something.) Plus now they have some Arduino stuff, miscellaneous kits, and they even brought out those old Forrest Mims books which look like they’ve been gathering dust in a warehouse for 20 years. Somebody at RadioShack has realized that electronics has become a big, profitable hobby again for a lot of people. But they still don’t know anything. None of the staff has been trained on all this “new” inventory. “Do you have any desoldering braid?” (blank stare) “Nevermind, I’ll find it myself.” “Do you have a crappy third-rate cellphone that only works in Burkina Faso?” “Right this way, sir!” I now pick up all my electronics stuff there, in the possibly vain hope that what money I spend might convince Radio Shack to actually be good again. Who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/10 "2013-11-23T21:02:09Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I seriously doubt it, given that I get outraged on the difference between Cat3 and Cat5. Man I am looking for some Cat 4 for my home network. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/11 "2013-11-23T21:07:48Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Man I am looking for some Cat 4 for my home network. What’s Cat4? I’ve never seen it. Got a spec for it? Linky? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/12 "2013-11-23T21:17:43Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > What’s Cat4? I’ve never seen it. Got a spec for it? Linky? it’s a mouser. one and a half here, maybe two. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/13 "2013-11-23T21:31:27Z")
I get most of my shit from here: [http://www.bgmicro.com/](http://www.bgmicro.com/), but Mouser is pretty good, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/14 "2013-11-23T21:41:06Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Why did you go there to begin with? They are a completely different business from when the sold the TRS-80 (early computer). Because I needed the wire. And I needed it fucking NOW. Know any _other_ else, mass market, I could buy it? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/15 "2013-11-23T22:23:39Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I miss the days when the Radio Shack employees actually understood what I was talking about. There used to be a time when they knew the difference between TTL and CMOS. Now, they can’t tell the difference between Cat3 and Cat5. They can’t even tell _ **wires** _ apart. > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > You should apply for a job there, I’m sure you’d make a great addition to their staff. Radio Shack has \*never \*had knowledgeable employees. As a full-time electronic systems designer, I was in RS frequently in the mid-1980s through early 90s. Not only did I never run into a manager or counter person who knew anything, the times I talked with them about working there (usually Christmas help hours), I was told flat-out that I knew too much - RS had/has a policy of hiring people who knew nothing, so they could be indoctrinated with nothing but RS-approved speak. I got more insight into that working with RS central over some electronics books. I worked on several projects that were finally deemed unprofitable, as house writer Forrest Mims was churning out much the same material for them. (First Jesus Freak I ever ran into - we once spoke less than two minutes about a project before he got up on the proselytizing box. As I was fairly young and he was a major name in hobbyist electronics, I listened to him for far too long…) Since the components and DIY stuff got pigeonholed into one dark and dusty corner, it’s much worse. They’re just cell phone stores with some other junk now. I, too, wonder how they have survived in a world of Best Buy and several competitors, since no one does solder-and-component work any more. Maybe they’re the grandest of front/laundering stores? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/16 "2013-11-23T22:33:01Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > …I was told flat-out that I knew too much - RS had/has a policy of hiring people who knew nothing, so they could be indoctrinated with nothing but RS-approved speak. …And we see how well _that’s_ worked out, corporate-success-wise… > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > … Maybe they’re the grandest of front/laundering stores? As plausible an explanation as any! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/17 "2013-11-23T22:44:58Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Helpful hint, asshole who works there, Cat3=Phone cable. Cat5=Ethernet. > > I miss the days when the Radio Shack employees actually understood what I was talking about. There used to be a time when they knew the difference between TTL and CMOS. Now, they can’t tell the difference between Cat3 and Cat5. They can’t even tell _ **wires** _ apart. > > Goddamn useless fucks. I do not think “Cat3=Phone cable. Cat5=Ethernet” is strictly correct. Cat 3 is a data cable which is used for phone and which has been replaced for data with Cat 5 which supports higher speeds. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/18 "2013-11-23T23:12:20Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > What’s Cat4? I’ve never seen it. Got a spec for it? Linky? No longer in use. It was used in Token ring networks but surpassed by Cat5 in terms of performance. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/19 "2013-11-23T23:21:46Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Because I needed the wire. And I needed it fucking NOW. Know any _other_ else, mass market, I could buy it? Unless you live in a fairly small place there is probably an independent store (not MASS MARKET) which is run by a knowledgeable person and would have the product. But you have to search these places out–they don’t have big bucks for big advertising. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638/20 "2013-11-23T23:23:47Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Oooh, 8080 based machine. Machines are coooool. Trash-80’s had their good points. But they were mostly trash. I think they were Z80 based. The Z80 was inspired by the 8080 but had big differences, including an automatic memory refresh that really helped the proliferation of microprocessors. I still remember the over dramatic posters that breathlessly exclaimed “Oh, 80!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-shack-im-speaking-greek-they-only-understand-latin/674638.md?page=2)