Radio shack

Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.[1]

History

In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first adopted by the U.S. Navy, a small, wooden structure placed on deck to house the ship's radio equipment became known as the "radio shack".[2] The term was soon adopted by military and hobbyist alike to describe any form of radio room. Today, amateur radio operators use the term to describe the space occupied by their radio gear, usually a room, but for some the entire "shack" may consist of a hand-held radio or two while others may operate mobile equipment in a vehicle.[3]

In 1921, Theodore and Milton Deutschmann chose the name "Radio Shack," for their radio parts retail and mail-order business in Boston, Massachusetts in order to appeal to radio enthusiasts. The enterprise has since grown to the multi-billion dollar retail chain RadioShack Corporation.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Random House Unabridged Dictionary: radio shack Random House, Inc.
  2. ^ RadioShack Corporate Information The name "RadioShack" is a nautical term that dates back to the invention of the radio at the turn of the 20th century. At the time, wireless radio equipment aboard ships was generally housed above the bridge in a wooden structure called the "radio shack." The founders of RadioShack thought the name appropriate for a new retail business that supplied electronic equipment to "ham" radio operators and ships' radio officers.
  3. ^ H. Ward Silver Ham Radio For Dummies Wiley Publishing, 2004, ISBN 978-0764559877 Where did the phrase,adio shack, come from? Back in the early days of radio, the equipment was highly experimental and all home-built, requiring a nearby workshop. In addition, the first transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves....many early stations were built in a garage or tool shed. The term “shack” was only natural and carries through today as a description of the state of order and cleanliness found in many a ham’s lair
  4. ^ RadioShack Corporate Information Beginning in 1921, RadioShack would grow to a handful of stores clustered in the Northeast, and become a leading electronics mail-order distributor to hobbyists.