"Claudia & Reed Park" wrote in message
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No wonder so few new people are interested
in electronics, it's just to hard to find parts.

Wow - my experience sure is different! The Internet has made parts FAR more
available. Used to be you would pour through the Allied catalog making up
the list, go down to the Post Office to get a money order, send off the
order which included some outrageous shipping charge, then wait one or two
months for the parts to arrive. I was fortunate in that I lived across the
river from Radio Row, so if I couldn't find it in the catalog, I would
organize an expedition into the city. Still, collecting parts for any
reasonable sized project was a complex, time-consuming affair.

Today you go online to see what DigiKey has in stock at this moment, order
online or over the phone, and wait until tomorrow, or if you're cheap like
me, the day after tomorrow, for the parts to arrive. No sirrrreeeee, I'll
take today over the bad old days.

Gotta admit, it can be a little frustrating until you've lined up your
favorite list of suppliers. But whatever you want is out there.

My list:

DigiKey (www.digikey.com) is generally my first choice. They are not always
cheapest, but their prices aren't bad, and their customer service is second
to none. (I only learned recently that they were started by a ham, too!)
They have an amazing number of parts, although they are pretty weak in the
RF department. They also have the best catalog. They do have a $25 minimum
order, but that is never my problem .... they have too many goodies I can't
live without. Their default shipping is by air, though, so if you're cheap
you need to specify ground shipping.

B.G. Micro (www.bgmicro.com) has a lot of unusual stuff. Some of their
things are very inexpensive, some pretty high, so you need to know what you
are looking for. I like them for cases and LCDs, although sometimes they
have deals on something you need, like a pile of zeners or 1000 2N2222's.

W8DIZ (http://partsandkits.com) is THE source for toroids. His prices are
amazing and he ships priority mail, so shipping is only three-something. He
has a few other assorted parts, and when he does, they are cheap. He sells
toroids in big bunches, but even if you need only a few, you can typically
get a couple dozen from him for less money you would pay to Amidon for
three.

Dan's Small Parts and Kits (www.danssmallpartsandkits.net) has more RF stuff
than most. His collection is a little odd, but if he has it, his price will
generally be on the low end. He only takes orders by snail mail, though, so
it's typically a two week wait or more.

R.F. Parts (www.rfparts.com) has, well, RF stuff. If I can't find it
anywhere else, I go to them. They are definitely the high-priced spread,
but if you need an exotic transistor, you need it.

Mendelson's (www.meci.com) is the weirdest. They have a varying inventory
of oddball stuff like BG Micro, but their strength tends to be more along
the lines of connectors and hardware. They usually have a lot of really
weird stuff, though, so sometimes you discover something you can't live
without!

Someone mentioned www.radioshack.com. They used to be a good source,
actually. But recently they have cut back to only what is in the stores,
and at the same prices, so they are off my list.

I have found that copperclad, hookup wire, knobs and tools are best left for
the hamfests. You can get them, but they tend to be pricey online.

We have two Radio Shack stores here in town, and both of them seem to be
carrying more parts than they used to. They have hidden most of them in
those little drawers, but there seem to be more there than there used to be.
At least they are easier to find.

Still, because of the price, they are my supplier of last resort!

No affiliation with any of these guys, of course.

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