Ham Radio Outlet — Local services in Greenwood Village

BAD BUSINESS ETHICS!!! (Point of the story) I called in before driving the 40 minutes, to see if we would be able to return the equipment that we had purchased, it was either a Mr. Ron or Rob that I spoke with. At first he advised me that if I wished to return the radio for a refund, that I would have to come back M-F when a manager would be present. With work, I called back and said I wouldn't be able to make it in during the week, he then said that I could bring it in and they would see what they could do. He was hesitant to accept a return, but offered for an exchange. I told them that we wanted to do more research and see what else was available. We went to the store, walked in and were "greeted" by Mr. John Thompson, an employee who somewhat acknowledged our presence, but didn't see it necessary to look up from his magazine. Once they begrudgingly accepted the return, he said that there would be a 15% restocking fee. That's fine, except that they were the ones who recommended the radio knowing exactly what location we would be at and what we needed it for. The radio had barely been removed from the packaging and sustained no damages and had all components except the shrink wrap. Mr. Thompson then said that the restocking fee was to "give a discount to the next customer because I can't sell it as new". Well if the employees are the ones who suggested it, why does the company get to basically keep 15%? While we appreciate them "waiving the number of days on the return policy", we didn't appreciate the struggle it took to simply get our money back and we were still out $40 at the end of the day. If you don't know much about Ham radios, I don't suggest going here without already knowing exactly what you want, need, and are looking for. In my opinion, they're untrustworthy and greedy.

Back story (long but needed). At the end of September, my boyfriend and I decided that we wanted a reliable source of communication, other than cell phones, for elk hunting in the high country. We didn't know much about buying a Ham radio, so we didn't want to just buy online through Amazon; this brought us to the Denver Ham Radio Outlet. We did some research and informed the Mr. Jeffery Weinberg of our specific needs in a radio and he suggested one handheld in particular that was meant for rugged terrain and hiking. We bought the radio thinking that we had been given all of the necessary information and felt confident in our purchase. We were ASSURED, by all the present employees, that this particular radio would function successfully for the exact area of where we would be located.

Fast forward to the elk hunt, the radio picked up zero stations. Mind you, prior to the trip, we ran through the functions of the radio; picked up multiple stations (weather, radio, emergency scanner, etc.) so we knew that we were able to use the equipment properly. While in high country, we were unable to pick up one, single, channel. Come to find out (while trying to return the radio), there is only one repeater located in that area and we would have only been successful in using the radio for broadcasting and/or emergency alert, if we were in direct eye line with said repeater; information provided to us BY THE EMPLOYEES, UPON RETURN OF EQUIPMENT, NOT PRIOR...

I’ve been a HAM since 1985. I had a long period of inactivity due to building my career and family. When I decided to get back on the air, in an HOA no less, I needed some guidance. I turned to HRO in Denver. Let me say you won’t find a better group of amateur radio sales people anywhere on the planet. They’re honest and handle themselves with integrity. They took me under their wing and introduced an old guy like me to the newest toys….(umm…I mean tools). They took the time to school me up on what was available, popular and the most applicable to my needs. On that note, I never felt pressured to buy anything; which I appreciated. They have several of the most popular rigs set up in the shop so you can find the one that is right for you and your needs. I don’t know about you; but I’m all about the feel, functionality and ease of use when it comes to radios. I want the menu system to feel more natural when I go looking for something that needs to be set to my liking. I don’t want to dive deep into 400 screens of menus etc. I want the design mentality to match my own and the ergonomics have to be right. This hands-on experience helped me tremendously. I still went back several times before finally pulling the trigger on a new rig. All of the sales people were patient, knowledgeable and resourceful. As it was said before; many of the sales people are retired professionals just happily immersed into their hobby. Speaking of this, I want to give a huge shout-out to both Eric and Adam. They spent the most time helping me individually, but the whole team had a hand in it at one time or another. Once you decide to pull the trigger; you can almost feel an energy change. They’re so excited to get you up and running. It’s as if they’re buying it for themselves. It was almost like having a coach in your corner. As you can probably tell; I’m pretty partial to this group. They’re all top notch. I highly recommend HRO Denver! Whatever your radio needs may be; I know you won’t be disappointed. Give them a try. You’ll be glad you...

As a search and rescue volunteer in Colorado, we rely on amateur radio as an important part of our comms plan and location tracking through APRS (all VHF/UHF). I've only been a customer for a couple years, but the employees at HRO-Denver are helpful and informative about radio selection, antenna performance, product features, programming, and accessories to optimize the work we do.

I was surprised to learn that most of them are retired/semi-retired professionals working part-time just to be more involved in a hobby they love. There is so much information about (and diverse uses for) amateur radio, that it is impossible for any one person to know everything, but they certainly were supportive in asking other staff (and sometimes customers in the store!) for their experiences and insights. If they couldn't find it amongst themselves, they would even research online resources that I never knew existed. They also provided references to local/regional tech nets where I could not only participate in using ham radio for activities outside of SAR, but speak with and learn from some very technically knowledgeable enthusiasts.

My experience has been so positive because of them, that I've even begun exploring more on the HF side for leisure. I have a trip to Santiago, Chile coming up and will be buying a mobile HF radio and antenna to play with while abroad. They have been helpful in pointing me in the right direction to make sure I have all the paperwork and learn the procedures for reciprocity compliance while operating a station outside the USA.

On occasion, I may find something cheaper elsewhere, but their wealth of knowledge and willingness to spend time with me (when they are not swamped with other customers) makes it worth being a loyal customer every time! For the best experience, if your schedule allows, I strongly recommend coming in during slower times and avoid showing up 10 min before they close, so you can enjoy an old-fashioned, "barber shop" style customer experience with some great...