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 Previous: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler |  Next: The Ghost of Hiram |
By Gerald F. Gronson, K8MKB
January 2, 2005
It need not be May to find a forest of ferrites and a ton of toroids in the Dayton area.
There's More to Dayton than Meets the Eye
The Dayton ARA's yearly shindig is a good reason to make a pilgrimage to the America's heartland. There just might be a second reason to travel to the Dayton-Cincinnati region: I've discovered three wonderful surplus and new parts distributors in the Dayton area: Debco Electronics, Midwest Surplus Electronics and Mendelson Liquidation Outlet.
It's possible to visit them all in one day. Two of them are relatively close--10 minutes apart. The third is buried deep in Cincinnati about a 45 minute drive south on Interstate 75. You can leave early in the morning, spend the day part hunting, return home and not feel too rumpled for the experience. If you live farther away, get a buddy or two to share the driving and go!
You might find a bargain on the item you didn't know you needed until you run across it at Mendelson or Debco. You needn't be present at the stores to buy from them as they all have websites and ship everywhere. The next time you attend the Dayton Hamvention, consider a side trip.
The three stores have some overlap in the type and variety of parts. They do, however, have parts unique to each. Toroid coil forms, capacitors and LEDs can be found at Debco. Midwest has resistors galore, knobs, transistors, connectors, fuses and soldering supplies. Mendelson has crystals and crystal controlled oscillator modules in a wide variety of frequencies. All have transformers, RF chokes, antenna parts, connectors, tube sockets, ICs, panel meters, aluminum heat sinks and more. I can't possibly mention everything so you'll just have to see for yourself.
Many Amateur Radio operators believe building and experimenting with electronics is no longer possible. Hams of yesteryear were known for their can-do innovative spirit. I've heard of the old timers making their own parts in the early days of radio--some even made their own vacuum tubes. Things sure are easier today. I believe the homebrewing spirit is still there--maybe it's just dormant. If you think you can't find electronic components anymore, you're not looking very hard. I hope this article encourages more hams to get involved with hands-on electronics.
 Debco Electronic Parts & Surplus is in Cincinnati, just down I-75 from Dayton. [Photos by the author] |
 Better give yourself a few hours to sort through Debco's aisles. |
 If it's bags o' parts you're looking for, you'll find them on Debco's walls. |
 Mendelson Liquidation Outlet is housed in an old GM plant in Dayton. |
 If you need assistance while browsing at Mendelson's, Jerry's the man to see. |
 Areas are numbered, since first-timers can find Mendelson's enormous floor space a bit daunting to navigate. |
 Midwest Surplus Electronics is in Fairborn, just a stone's throw from Wright-Pat. |
 Here, Dan shows the camera a nice selection of capacitors. |
 The wall space at Midwest is put to good use. |
Debco Electronics Incorporated
I drove south on Interstate 75 to Debco in Cincinnati. Debco actually has two stores--the computer store and, across the street, the electronic parts store.
Debco was named after Debbie, the electronic part store boss. Her husband Tom runs computer division. The business started with selling parts at hamfests and took off from there. Even though she was busy, Debbie kindly took time out to give me pertinent information and a description of what Debco has for sale. They don't have everything, but they have a lot of great stuff--RF components, and more at reasonable prices.
Debbie told me, "I have electronic components from ICs to capacitors. There are some things we're really good at, mostly ICs, capacitors, connectors, adaptors. There are other things we're not good at such as transformers, wire, motors."
"We're excellent at ICs! We have LEDs that nobody in the country has--I mean they are fabulous LEDs! We stock kits. Everything from easy to complicated--nothing really expensive, mostly from the $5 to the $50 range. We have some tools... this is an interesting store, we're one of a kind."
The Decbo staff is friendly, knowledgeable and eager to serve you. As you can see from the pictures, they have up-to-date stock and if they don't have it, they can get for you.
Mendelson Liquidation Outlet
I headed back to Downtown Dayton to Mendelson's, a Dayton landmark. I spoke to Sanford Mendelson, "Sandy" to all his friends. When getting off Interstate 75, head east on East First Street and look for the sign on top of the building. You can't miss it. The full name is Mendelson Liquidation Outlet and their slogan is "The first place to look ...for every last thing." Truer words were never spoken.
The business was started by Sandy's father, Harry Mendelson in 1960. Sandy took over after Harry passed away in 1963. Sandy explains, "We have a 1.2 million square foot operation here in downtown Dayton (the facility is an old GM plant). We have parts going back to the '50s. Every part imaginable in the world is here. Our stuff has been used in science fiction movies and TV shows. They come out from Hollywood; our stuff has been used in a lot of different areas because they can't find the products any more. Parts places all over the country have closed up--they're just gone!"
I asked Sandy how good business was during Hamvention, he related, "The hamfest is not a good time for us. Believe it or not, it's some of the slowest days of the year. No one wants to leave Hara Arena--can't get in or out too easily."
The third floor has the electronic goods. It's over 350 feet long and about 140 feet wide--it's so large, in fact, that a map is available to help customers find components. The "tube room" alone has over 200,000 in stock!
Midwest Surplus Electronics
Ten miles from Mendelson is Midwest Surplus Electronics on Main Street in Fairborn, Ohio. Be advised--parking is scarce. Roger Hughes is the proprietor, but he says it's his daughter who runs the business.
When I asked Roger how he got started in the business, he
answered: "When I was going to college, I started working for a guy who sold
surplus test equipment. I started brokering parts at that time. After I
graduated from college, I found I could not make as much money going to work
for somebody else as I could doing what I was doing--I've been doing it ever
since." Roger has been in business for
23 years and is a distributor for many companies as well as selling surplus
parts and equipment.
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When asked about the future of the parts business, Roger states: "Over the years, I've seen it rise and fall--it seems to be in a lull right now. It'll probably, pick back up. I've seen it go down before. People lose interest; it's like anything else, even with ham radio. Interest in experimenting with electronics two years from now might be totally different. But I think there are always going to be people with a need for parts. There may be a lull right now but kids are out there--8 year olds who are interested in science. Human beings are basically the same; that's why we sell these kits. We get mothers and fathers bringing in a 12 year old in here, they don't know electronics from anything--but the kid is interested so they bring him in and we hook them up with a radio kit, or something they can build. It's something you can see work, you can hear it work--you can touch it."
Special orders and hard to find items are Midwest's forte. Over 23 years, they've built a huge network. Between liquidation and surplus stock, Midwest can find anything. And there's an enormous variety of items to interest the Amateur Radio experimenter.
Discover Dayton's Secret
You may not be able to satisfy all of your component needs at just one of these businesses but because of their proximity, you can visit all of them in a short time and get the parts you need. Building a device or gadget for the shack can be a rewarding experience worth the time and effort. Now you know the first place to look for every last thing and two other places as well.
If you live far away, send a list of parts to one or all of these suppliers and ask them if they have what you need. They all ship mail order and, chances are, between them you'll be able to get what you're seeking.
The Web sites for these suppliers isn't as comprehensive as the physical store. It would be an impossible task, I believe, to list every part that is for sale at these places, so go see for yourself--Debco, Mendelson and Midwest Surplus Electronics. They all have splendid electronic parts in magnificent variety.
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