Twice in the past year I have driven almost an hour to come here during normal business hours and they are closed. I have money to spend and if you ever hope to see any of it you better make my next trip worth my while. 🤬

Update: The team was able to leave my order outside the store so I could pick it up after hours the next day. I still had to retake the required COVID test and get to Canada a day later, but they did do their best to remedy the situation. Much appreciated.Original review:I drove over 200 miles to get here from Albany, NY after asking them to wait about ten minutes after close to sell me two items I need to have before I head to Canada. They didnt even call to tell me that they couldnt stay as long as promised. I arrived about seven minutes after close to find the place dark and locked.I wouldnt have needed to come out to this HRO if the one in Woodbridge, VA hadnt forgotten to put the 50 ft of coax that they charged me for into the bag when I checked out several days ago as well as selling me the incorrect type of mobile mount. This has been quite a frustrating experience.

Excellent customer service, when I asked a question I got a fair and accurate answer, and an excellent suggestion. I have bought online from this store many times but this is the first time I have been in this location in Salem! It has everything that you need for a ham radio store!

Was on my way back from a weeks vacation in Maine and decided to go through NH and stop at HRO to buy a new mag mount dual band antenna and see what they had in person. I have ordered on-line from them in the past. They were closed to walk in shopping, but called them and they said I could still order online or if I told them on the phone what I needed / looking for, catalog part numbers they could tell right then if they had it in the store that I could have it delivered to me curb side. While there two other people walked up, they drove 3 1/2 hrs and seen that no in store shopping was allowed, because of the pandemic. I told them what the man on the phone told me, believe his name was Steve when I called the store. I put in my order and they had all the things I was looking for and brought them right out and payed the bill. The 2 other people also put in their order when the man brought out my order and were happy that I told them about calling the store. They people / staff at HRO were very helpful, kind, and very customer friendly and thank them for the service / job they did. Recommend this place to any HAMS out there. Business / job well done to the HRO in Salem, NH

As a novice Ham, I could not have asked for better service and advice. From the moment I walked into the store the men behind the counter could not have been more patient and helpful; great experience all around. Be well all. Mike, KC1NCT. PS. Special shout out to Rick, sent me great reading material on antennas!

HRO has been my favorite place for years to spend all my money. On this last visit, I was having trouble with my new mobile HF installation. I was helped by Jim & Cal, and when I say they went way beyond the call of duty, they went WAY beyond. I was working Eastern Europe on 20 before I left the parking lot! Thanks guys....de WB1F

We are really lucky to have a HRO store in this area. It is so nice to see physical goods being sold by real hams with real helpful advice. Great selection of antennae and related supplies for the amateur radio veteran or fledgling operator.

Great service and a massive selection. If youre trying to figure out something these guys can help. 73!

Good variety of equipment and accessories.Service was fine.

While online shopping is convenient, nothing beats being able to speak to a live, knowledgeable person. These guys have been an incredible source of knowledge for me as a new ham.

I love this store. Im a new ham ... like just out of the wrapper. The guys here (Joe and someone I didnt get their name) are extremely helpful in helping newbies ... they are all ham guys/ hobbyists themselves.Best thing ... Theyre cheaper than amazon, free delivery over 100 bucks. I ordered a radio on a saturday and the mailmen was handing it over to me (I live in the mountains) early monday morning ... hows that for service.

Ordered online, was shipped from the nearest store (this one) right to my door. I got a shipment notification before noon on the first business day after my order, so you cant ask for better or quicker service than that. Looking forward to my new battery analyzer and will no doubt be back for any electronics needs in the future.

This is a ham radio operators toy store great staff

Easy location to get to, not too far off I-93.This is your go to store for anything in amateur radio. If they dont have it, they can probably order it!Very clean & well stocked store with knowledgeable staff.KC1OCA

The Salem location is a great place for all your ham needs. They are really helpful and give great advice. Also have a large inventory of gear and if they dont have it, they can probably have it shipped to you from a different store. I try to patronize them as much as possible. A great place for all things ham!

I only needed a few 5 dollar connectors but ended up spending $125. Going there is like a 5 year old looking at candy and wanting it ALL. PHEEEEEW, I made it to my car only spending a little. Next time I am holding on to my wallet, but I know thats not going to happen. HRO is great and ... addictive. TNX de Dennis K1LGQ

Beautiful little place for all your Amateur Radio Items, Great place

The best

Had a problem with a defective Yaesu ftm300dr Hro put up with my rage and went above and beyond.

Came in to pick up a web order and grab a few things to set up a home station. The staff are hams who actually use the equipment they sell and can give you advice and recommendations, especially useful if you dont know any local hams. Despite being a bit younger than the usual ham, I never felt condescended to, which was nice, and the staff didnt try to upsell me even when given the opportunity (do I need a tuner with this radio? No, the internal one is good enough).

Helpful staff

Joe is very knowledgeable of all brands of radios and very helpful. I will be back again. Got my FTDX-3000 and more than happy with it.

Small store but huge in HAM gear, Friendly advice. Fun just to look! Some used gear here. Can get flyers from local HAM clubs. Lots of books, lots of HAM radios set up. First stop for newbies! Im in the HAM Candy store; HAM HEAVEN 😉😉

After 6 months of trying, I finally made it to HRO. Not sure what to expect but I was very pleased and impressed with what I found. The staff was very helpful and friendly, Pete took time to ask questions and offer suggestions. Most importantly he didnt laugh at my hair-brained plans or misconceptions! He was also very good at offering several options with pros and cons to each. Ive been looking for an HT for a while and this was a chance to actually touch the models I was looking at. I was impressed with the amount of inventory that they had on hand. I will return in the near future to purchase from HRO.

Good service

Great place to do business with. Excellent sales people very knowledgeable

Very good

Nice little shop. They were very helpful with all my questions.

Almost always friendly staff. Well-stocked, and reasonable prices. Often, as good as I can get over the internet, and no shipping. The store is clean and neat, but crammed with goodies. Staff not all so knowledgeable about products. I dont need someone to take me to a shelf and point to a product and read the box. OTOH, some of the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. On several occasions, I have gotten suggestions that had not occurred to me, and that were right on target. My thought is that anyone working in such a store should be immersed in amateur radio, and that is not always the case here. Be prepared to think on your own, and do your homework before showing up. Ive been shopping there for years, and never had an unpleasant experience.

Very friendly staff, great stock/selection of equipment. Not the easiest to spot from the road, its in the corner of the plaza and depending on which direction you approach from, you may never see the sign. Definitely worth stopping in!

Add others have said, this is The Candy Store for ham radio operators. From the outside, it appears to be a small place. Upon entering, you will see its slightly larger. Browsing while walking through the aisles and around the display floor, one realizes theres a little of everything: antennas, radios, cables, wires, connectors, power amps, power supplies, books, analyzers... and then theres the back room, where only employees are allowed. Always staffed by knowledgeable helpful personnel who are ready to answer questions, demonstrate operation, even teach, and yes, to process purchase transactions; but you have to ask because these folks dont follow you around or pester you with questions. Take your time, browse, ask questions, and when youre ready, check out and be on your way.

A very positive staff very informative morning. The manager Steve spent over an hour with me, saved me several hundred dollars on things I thought I needed and as a result I was able to upgrade to a nice radio.A two hour drive and well worth it

Excellent pricing, customer service and never out of stock. I do not order online because I love visiting the hro. Really cool radios and various other equipment on display. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.

I purchased radio on line, and needed assistance because of a delivery issue, so I called the NH store and was assisted, very professionally and with concern, I was very impressed with the salesman who assisted. I’m sorry to say I forgot his name . I highly recommend this store for amateur radio supplies . Rick, W1 EOY

Outstanding service, competitive pricing, lots of what you need in stock. Its my go to place for radio needs. Staff is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful without being pushy. I love going and seeing whats new.

Everything for the ham is here, from radios to connectors. Staff is helpful and willing to answer any and all questions. They carry lots of information regarding upcoming field day or ham fest.

Theres more salt here than a league of legends map. Ill be sure to do my business in any other place. Thanks for being a warm community to a new person.

They have rock bottom internet prices and I can go to Salem and pick it up today with no sales tax!Store is well stocked. My son bought a vhf setup for his jeep adventures and I got one for me too. Its easy to get a Ham license, research it.Check these guys out, no pressure and very knowledgeable.

I have to give the store 5 stars. The store is well supplied ham radio equipment and accessories and the staff goes out of their way to assist. They have been very helpful upon my buying my equipment. Excellent store & staffKC1EDJ

HRO AKA the candy store has been the place to go for amature radio gear since I was a teenager. The guys here are super helpful and their prices are competitive. I wont lie, Ive spent too much money here, but never been unsatisfied with the prices, products, knowledge, service or selection.

I wasnt ready to buy that day, but wanted to try out several radios. The sales person was knowledgeable and helpful. There is a lot of equipment on hand for demo, and a good selection of accessories.

Great place! Very knowledgeable staff and great prices.

Great service, very knowledgeable employees.

Excellent service and some incredibly awesome products! 25+ years of being a happy customer. :-)

Get what you need for amateur radio without the guesswork.

HRO New Hampshire sells great products and have employees that are knowledgeable and are ham radio operators so they know what theyre talking about and know the product that are selling, its always a good experience when you can visit the store that I hope never goes away like most retail stores locally. W1WAG

I love the store but i dont like how they tell me one thing on the phone and another thing in person. I bought straight key and couldnt return without box but they sold me ldg tuner without box? Granted the key was ameco 12 dollars i gave it to the since they didnt allow me to return...

I stopped by this store in Salem last week while visiting family in New England. Though there is a broad selection of products, I was disappointed by the service. There were two men talking behind the counter. Neither one greeted me as I entered the store though there were no other customers. When I brought something up to the counter to pay for it, the two continued their conversation, ignoring me for about a minute. I asked about a 49:1 Unun for an end-fed half-wave antenna and both stated they had never heard of such a high ration (it’s a common transformer for an EFHW). When I asked what they would recommend for an EFHW, I was told get the highest ratio I could get and pointed me to a 9:1 Unun. It was clear to me they didn’t know anything about an EFHW antennas and didn’t care whether they led me wrong in order to cover their ignorance. I grew up in New England and know their reputation for not being the most friendly people. Still, I left the store with a very bad feeling and can’t imagine I will ever visit there again. It’s a poor representation of the helpful and friendly community I normally find among Hams. I will give them two stars for the broad selection of products.

I have visited the Salem HRO and purchased many items from them over the past 3 years and have never had a bad experience. The guys are always helpful and ready to offer their expertise. When orders are placed at a reasonable hour they are shipped the same day. I normally receive the items the next day. I would highly recommend them to anyone.Tim - KD1W

Great staff, knowledgeable and a pleasure to do business with. Their stock is broad for all a Ham might require.

The Candy Store is awesome. Lots of radios on display for you to test out, store is well stocked, and the employees are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Really helpful take the time to explain what your looking is right for you so when you leave you got the the right item the first time. Thanks to guys like Joe!

Great people to work with I am new to ham radioThanks againSteve

I have been dealing with HRO Salem, NH since I originally got my ticket and my experience has been wonderful. When I have a question about a product or need some assistance with a product I always call the Salem, NH store. Not only are the people there friendly and helpful they have been very patient with me when I dont get it. They always seem to find a way to help me understand.I have dealt with them on the phone as well as in person. When In order online, or on the phone they always seem to get my order out and to me the following day.Thanks everyone for all your help.73, Bill, KB1VGS

Had what I wanted. You have to support these places to keep them in business. Friendly staff too!- VE3AAA

There are about 4 employees working here. It was interesting because one employee mentioned that for system Fusion there are alot of repeaters in the New Hampshire are but they are not connected. I decided against DStar which seems kind of gimmicky and the instructions are awful.

The ham Radio supplies and equipment that I need, locally, and at fair prices. Knowledgeable, friendly staff.

Friendly service and knowledgeable staff always available to help answer your questions or make suggestions.

Just got my license and received great help in picking out my first handy talkie!

Staff were kind knowledgable and informative. I plan on getting my ham license very soon.

Excellent service. Knowledgeable staff.

They have a great selection and their support staff is outstanding

The best place for Ham Gear. Barry great knowledge

They were honest about the rise in tower prices and what I needed for my system.

Great service and variety of ham gear. W1LOC.

Knowledgeable and friendly staff. If they dont have an item in stock there, they can always ship it to you from a store that has what youre looking for.

Been going for years as a ham radio operator it is the only store locally that one can purchase equipment

I bought an Icom id 51a plus at hro in salem. I got some advice over the phone from Joe and called back talking to Calvin. At the store Barry helped me. I picked out a headset instead of microphone. I talked to 2 customers briefly. i dislike the icom id 51a. the manual doesnt match the items on submenus. the demos on youtube look fake of dstar, they dont actually talk to people over dstar. on youtube the icom channel shows a guy taking 10 mins to unbox the id52 and talk about it general terms. there are only 6 entry designations for repeaters and for one of those 6 you enter your own call sign. dstar just seems lame and its from japan which is a fake country kind of and the dstar manual features those stupid cartoons saying cq. ever see the mindless gameshows on japanese tv. i decided that a yaesu and fusion would be better the ft60 is only 200 before fusion minimum pricing was 500. there are 31 fusion repeaters in kentucky. i am interested in that area to talk to people. humans arent even funny anymore because they are being programmed by reality tv and social media. the other day a grown adult with a job was texting 10 smiley faces to someone. what is the point of that. dstar is really stupid also because you are encouraged to enter your call sign followed by what radio youre on i presume everyone would write id52a. also the knob at the top lets you change the frequency. that would talk a really long time. the yaesu has about 30 buttons and numbers so you can enter the frequency. the id52aplus2 would not let me edit a call sign. i am surprised that there are hundreds of people on the atlanta reflector and only 2 people using their names. there is a really stupid feature of the id52a which is a memory card slot for recording conversations. most ham radio conversations are not that memorable. what is the purpose of the gps too? if you really like someone and hit it off with their call sign you can look up their address and name they registered with. dstar is a stupid fake system all around. you are supposed to plug the id52a into your computer with the cable provided and use the disk provided for programming. i couldnt figure out what i was doing based on the instructions and was afraid of getting into trouble. hopefully fusion is not a fake system. i really just want to talk to people again and i cant stand it how people from my past i really want to reconnect with and current people will ask you how youre doing when you just saw them half hour ago. the manual for id52a or id51a is frustrating to figure out what to do. it should provide basic operation instruction for the 2m and 70cm bands. there are submenus with items not described in the manual. you can open up in google reviews dont have to be on good behavior waiting for some normal reward. google did invite people to headquarters last year for 100 reviews then it went up to 100,000 points but there is no incentive for 100,000 points, probably just some really neurotic person with nothing better to do. i have to return the crappy icom id52 soon and exchange for the yaesu

Not many Ham radio stores around any more, but HRO salem is well-stocked, and has helpful staff.

Great selection and helpful staff.

Lots of online help available these days, but HRO is always my fallback source for advice on ham equipment. I got my tech and general tickets at an exam session next door to HRO in 2013, and promptly walked over to their store and bought my first radio, coax, straight key, headsets, and antenna. Ive got my extra now and have expanded the shack considerably since then, mostly with gear purchased from HRO. The staff at the Salem NH store have always been very willing to take the time on the phone or follow up by email to answer my questions. They seem to have most everything I want. They ship promptly. So naturally I buy most of my stuff from them......&=)

I actually went to the beer place next door and it was pretty good

Great people to do business with,will do business with again.

Pete was very helpful. Great store and service.

They seemed to have a large inventory but were not much help. I went there looking for a microphone for a CB radio and left when they gave me vacant stares and told me to look it up online. That is exactly where my shopping will take place. No need to return to this store.

Great staff - all the goodies you need.

Great knowledgeable staff and a great selection of all the stuff any ham radio operator might need.

Last month I purchased a new Ameritron AL-82 from HRO in Salem, NH. Within a weeks time, the TR relay failed on the amplifier in that, when un-keying the amplifier, the relay did not fully release inhibiting the RX on my transceiver. I did some research and learned that the relay in this amp is a sealed unit mounted on the back of a pcb with no easy access to clean contacts. I also learned that many new relays of this type have a history of forming a thin layer of contaminant on the contacts that results in this condition and that its really a crap-shoot so to speak to know if a replacement relay board will resolve the issue or act only as a band-aid. Apparently this is a known problem. After three weeks, I opened a service ticket with Ameritron and received no response after a weeks time. I then wrote to Steve, HROs store Manager and explained the situation to him and told him I would be returning the AL-82 on Saturday November 19th. That morning I drove to Salem, NH and delivered the AL-82 in the three boxes that came with the amplifier NEW. Steve met me there and was very accommodating offering me three choices: 1. Returning the amp for a full refund; 2. Arranging to swap the RF deck or 3. Crediting the full cost of the amplifier toward a less expensive Ameritron amp of my choice ... no questions asked! I chose the last option. Thanks again Steve for your understanding and the flexibility you exhibited in helping me resolve this very premature component failure. Had you not taken this position I would have had no alternative buy to ship this very heavy unit 2000 miles round trip from Maine to Ameritron Corp. with all associated shipping costs just to replace a $15 part that may or may not have worked. I am pleased to give very high marks to Steve and his entire sales staff at HRO in Salem, NH. After 20 years of doing business with HRO, the company continues to earn all of my business. 73, Dick K1DPM, Old Orchard Beach, ME

I never had a problem at all with any of the HRO locations, in person or by mail. I have found the staff very helpful and willing to help. HRO is my first choice for any gear, if for some reason, they do not carry am item, then Ill use AES.

I have dealt with Cal from HRO in New Hampshire for the past 4 years...He has been my mentor every time I run into trouble with radios and antennas. Not only does he sell me the correct item, he basically holds my hand through installation. I give HRO a 5 star for their customer relations and assistance which is above and beyond what they need to provide...but do.N1XQJ

Great stuff and great staff!

This is a great store. It is exceptionally well stocked, and the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable about the full line of HRO products. I especially appreciate their willingness to take the time to make sure any accessories or optional parts to a particular product are correct. Prices are competitive, telephone orders are sent the same day, and shipping charges are included above most orders over $100. Over the years I have shopped at a couple of other HRO outlets: New Castle, DE and Woodbridge, VA. This is the best. Richard White K1QF

HRO is the best stocked ham store

This is a great place.. I call it the candy store

Helpful, good prices and honest advice

Only ham radio store left on New England.

Great staff, very helpful and friendly!

Good selection on ham radios and radio equipment

Always a great experience, great staff and service!

Not very helpful every time I take my 74 yr old roommate there when we get home there is ALWAYS something missing from the box that he purchased. Like headphones and ac plug. I travel from Chelsea ma. So its quite a drive.

Very helpful and competitive prices.

Ordered online. Great people.

Awesome store, helpful people.

If you need it today this is the place. Aka the candy store.

I love this place

Great radio and electronics Store

Havent been to brick and mortar stores but made an order at 3 pm one day and got it the next. Wow!

Candy store for us hams

Great stock, nice place, nice people.

No crowds...