When I was a kid in the 1960s, I would pore over the catalogs from Allied Radio, Lafayette Electronics, Olson Electronics, and others. These were quite comprehensive, including not only electronic components, but radios from all the major manufacturers as well as their own line of kits (Knight Kits). I bought my first shortwave receivers–a Hallicrafters–from the Allied Radio catalog, and my second from the Lafayette catalog. I would spend hours with these catalogs, considering the radios I’d like to buy and pricing out parts for projects I was considering building.
These were quite comprehensive, including not only electronic components, but radios from all the major manufacturers as well as their own line of kits (Knight Kits). I bought my first shortwave receivers–a Hallicrafters–from the Allied Radio catalog, and my second from the Lafayette catalog. I would spend hours with these catalogs, considering the radios I’d like to buy and pricing out parts for projects I was considering building.
Sadly, these kinds of catalogs are long gone. Allied, however, is still in business, although now their name is Allied Electronics, and they’re now an electronics distributor and not a retailer. I received their 2005 catalog today in the mail.
Although you won’t find Icoms or Yaesus in this catalog, it’s still a useful reference for the radio amateur. It’s over 1,600 pages long and has just about any kind of component you’ll ever need. There are all kinds of tools, too. I just flipped it open and am looking at crimpers for RF connectors.
You can get your copy free by simply going to their website.
Links
Sandi says
Dan,
Occassionally I have an opportunity to buy some of the old catalogs. They are great to have for research. Someone emailed me a while back wanting to know more about a certain OLD Hallicrafters radio. They didn’t have the name right, but other information they gave me allowed me to identify it from an old Allied Catalog. I scanned the ad and sent it to them, and they were as happy as a lark!
Sandi