RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

G0MEM Michael · 10th Aug 2010, 9:45 am

Does anyone remember these P-Box kits sold by RadioShack/Tandy in the early-mid 70s? I found a website dedicated to these, complete with all the manuals, component lists and schematics. http://my.core.com/~sparktron/pbox.html

I assembled a couple myself, A 3 transistor short-wave regenerative radio and a metal detector.

newlite4 · 10th Aug 2010, 10:22 am

Hello Michael, I dont remember these kits specifically, Tandy stores were still fairly rare in the UK at this time. I do remember the "Gakken" kits that used the spring-connect system, Tandy sold these along with other types. Brings back some memories.
Neil

fidobsa · 10th Aug 2010, 12:51 pm

We had a Tandy shop in Coventry but even as kids we tended to look down our noses at it as the products seemed to be cheap tat and the staff were fairly clueless. I built a few kits ordered from the magazine advertisers and my brother did a Heathkit oscilloscope. I think he also did a computer kit but that was later in the '80s.

G0MEM Michael · 11th Aug 2010, 4:39 am

@newlite4, I'm sure there was a Tandy store in the Southgate shopping centre, Bath in the mid 70s. I think there was 5-6 in Bristol, I was living in Kingswood, east Bristol at the time. I had a couple of the spring clip type kits as well, the 10-in-1 and a 65-in-1. I also had another kit as well, which didn't come from Tandy, which involved bolting the components to a PCB. Philips Radionics kits or something.

@fidobsa, Same here I always found Tandy to be rather expensive for just about everything. However I did like the P-Box kits as the ones I built did work properly and very well indeed. Which was more than be could be said for the Ladybird Book, Making a Transistor Radio, I never did get that thing to work as it should.

However Tandy did some rather interesting kits and chips. One was a speech synthesizer, which did text to speech using RS232 from a computer, and it wasn't too expensive to build either.

newlite4 · 11th Aug 2010, 10:28 am

Hello Michael, before the Tandy store opened in Southgate shopping centre in the early '80s, there was a Tandy agent at Lewhay radio in the Oldfield Park area of the city. The proprietor was rather grumpy and as such it was a relief not to have to go to him once the proper store opened.
Neil

fidobsa · 11th Aug 2010, 12:53 pm

Yes, I think they were a franchise rather than a centrally managed chain store so the range of products and standard of service probably varied considerably from one shop to the next. I suspect the Coventry mob were more keen to sell mainstream audio, disco and rock group gear rather than the more specialised DIY electronics stuff.

kipperdog · 11th Aug 2010, 7:27 pm

I do remember a Tandy shop in Coventry but not until the 1980's (maybe I never looked before that

).
They look great kits though.
I personally cut my eletronics teeth on the Philips kits:

http://ee.old.no/

10th Aug 2010, 9:45 am	#1
G0MEM Michael Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia. Posts: 102	RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. Does anyone remember these P-Box kits sold by RadioShack/Tandy in the early-mid 70s? I found a website dedicated to these, complete with all the manuals, component lists and schematics. http://my.core.com/~sparktron/pbox.html I assembled a couple myself, A 3 transistor short-wave regenerative radio and a metal detector.

10th Aug 2010, 10:22 am	#2
newlite4 Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,805	Re: RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. Hello Michael, I dont remember these kits specifically, Tandy stores were still fairly rare in the UK at this time. I do remember the "Gakken" kits that used the spring-connect system, Tandy sold these along with other types. Brings back some memories. Neil __________________ preserving the recent past, for the distant future.

10th Aug 2010, 12:51 pm	#3
fidobsa Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Zala, Hungary Posts: 418	Re: RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. We had a Tandy shop in Coventry but even as kids we tended to look down our noses at it as the products seemed to be cheap tat and the staff were fairly clueless. I built a few kits ordered from the magazine advertisers and my brother did a Heathkit oscilloscope. I think he also did a computer kit but that was later in the '80s.

11th Aug 2010, 4:39 am	#4
G0MEM Michael Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia. Posts: 102	Re: RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. @newlite4, I'm sure there was a Tandy store in the Southgate shopping centre, Bath in the mid 70s. I think there was 5-6 in Bristol, I was living in Kingswood, east Bristol at the time. I had a couple of the spring clip type kits as well, the 10-in-1 and a 65-in-1. I also had another kit as well, which didn't come from Tandy, which involved bolting the components to a PCB. Philips Radionics kits or something. @fidobsa, Same here I always found Tandy to be rather expensive for just about everything. However I did like the P-Box kits as the ones I built did work properly and very well indeed. Which was more than be could be said for the Ladybird Book, Making a Transistor Radio, I never did get that thing to work as it should. However Tandy did some rather interesting kits and chips. One was a speech synthesizer, which did text to speech using RS232 from a computer, and it wasn't too expensive to build either.

11th Aug 2010, 10:28 am	#5
newlite4 Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,805	Re: RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. Hello Michael, before the Tandy store opened in Southgate shopping centre in the early '80s, there was a Tandy agent at Lewhay radio in the Oldfield Park area of the city. The proprietor was rather grumpy and as such it was a relief not to have to go to him once the proper store opened. Neil __________________ preserving the recent past, for the distant future.

11th Aug 2010, 12:53 pm	#6
fidobsa Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Zala, Hungary Posts: 418	Re: RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. Yes, I think they were a franchise rather than a centrally managed chain store so the range of products and standard of service probably varied considerably from one shop to the next. I suspect the Coventry mob were more keen to sell mainstream audio, disco and rock group gear rather than the more specialised DIY electronics stuff.

11th Aug 2010, 7:27 pm	#7
kipperdog Tetrode Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Andalusia, Spain Posts: 74	Re: RadioShack/Tandy P-Box kits. I do remember a Tandy shop in Coventry but not until the 1980's (maybe I never looked before that). They look great kits though. I personally cut my eletronics teeth on the Philips kits: http://ee.old.no/