A member of the Old Time Radio Lovers group recently shared the image above that includes all of NBC’s logos dating back to 1926. Some of these are truly iconic.
Of course, versions of the rainbow peacock have been used most of my lifetime, so they’re immediately identifiable. I also like the NBC “snake” logo used between 1959-1975.
But if I had to pick my favorite, it would be the 1942 logo.
How about you? What is your favorite logo? Please comment!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ted Lampert, who writes:
I was given some old radios belonging to a family member who passed a few years back.
A couple of them really sweet, a Philco 46-420, and a Philips B3X82U (see photo above).
Included was an envelope with some papers in it. One was the instruction booklet for the Phillips B3X82U, in multiple languages:
Another was a receiving license.
Without outing him too much, the original owner did government work and was stationed overseas quite a bit. The license looks like it was good for 1960, and I’m guessing you went to the post office to get it. It references the wireless telegraphy laws 1952 & 1955. Have you seen one of these before and do you know much about these receiving licenses?
The Philips is the radio I believe would have been probably what he got this license for since it says Philips at the top of it.
[…]Anyway, going through stuff recently, saw the license and started wondering about it.
Keep up the good work, seeing almost daily new articles on your site played a big part in keeping me inspired to get my own license, not a receiving one, but an amateur. Got general on the first try back in the fall of last year!
First of all, congratulations on snagging your General license last year! Well done!
Both the Philips and Philco are gorgeous receivers! What treasures! Ted, you had mentioned elsewhere in your message that you plan to recap them and I’m very pleased to hear this.
Like you, I was not aware of that receiving licenses were issued in the UK at the time. Perhaps this was implemented during or after WWII and was simply a requirement during the Cold War?
My hope is that a knowledgeable SWLing Post reader can shed some light on the Receiving License. Please comment with details!
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Many thanks to UNT Archivist, Maristella Feustle, who writes with the following inquiry :
I’m in search of some historical literature cited in a 1970 dissertation.
Might anyone have access to a copy of the OWI’s “A Brief Statement of Shortwave Programs to Target Areas,” dated November 1, 1942? Thanks!
Post readers: If you happen to have a copy of this document or know its location, could you please comment with details? Many thanks!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ulis (K3LU), who shares the following story of a popular CB Radio QSL Card design and print house:
73s and 88s :: The Ballad of Runnin Bare and Lil White Dove
We set a custom screensaver on Our AppleTV. Told it to pull images from Flickr tagged with “British Columbia.” After my wife and kids and I spent a few weeks in Vancouver and in various places on Vancouver Island, it had become one of our favorite places. We missed it.
And so, at night, after a show or movie ended and the AppleTV sat idle for a few minutes, a slideshow would automatically begin. The Parliamentary Buildings in Victoria, the Inner Harbor, the wild, rocky, tidepool-rich shores of Tofino, the murals of Chemainus.
Then, every once in a while, an illustration of some sort. I couldn’t tell what. A one-panel comic? Some kind of advertisement or flyer? It would be gone from the screen before I could really get a good look. Weeks would go by and I wouldn’t see it until, once again, there it was. It looked old, like something from the 60s or 70s. And it had numbers on it, like a code or a message: 73s and 88s.
It was the numbers that got me. Like the park rangers in The Shining calling for Wendy Torrance on the radio: “This is KDK-1 calling KDK-12. KDK-1 calling KDK-12. Are you receiving me?” They seemed to be saying something. But what? I had to find out. So, I took to Google, and began my search.[…]
FYI: Although the CB Radio landscape is quite different than it was in the 70s, most modern shortwave radio receivers can tune to CB channels. Here’s a quick tutorial from our archives.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jim Salmon, who writes:
With some extra time on my hands at the moment I’ve been able to forward one of my projects & start producing a monthly programme – ‘Radio Emma Toc World Service’. This is tied in with my website – www.emmatoc.com – & is to raise awareness of the UK’s first licenced radio service in 1922 – 2MT – & also to celebrate our hobby of radio listening & transmitting today!
I am pleased to say I have relays coming up on WRMI & Unique Radio Australia, & am looking at further relays in Europe. I will let you know times & frequencies when finalised. In the meantime, the first programme can be heard on the website – just click on the World Service link. Also – if any stations wish to relay this programme I am happy for this – just get in touch with me via the website.
Excellent news, Jim! Readers, check out Radio Emma Toc online and read all about the project and history of 2MT. For your convenience, I’ve embedded the first broadcast below, but also check out the Emma Toc World Service page for more information and links!
Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of RadioBecause I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dave Zantow (N9EWO), Paul Evans (W4/VP9KF), and Mike Hangen (K8RAT) for the following tips:
With all of the strange happenings and excessive “Pop-Up” issues on Angelfire (even more so of late), we have finally decided to move off of that web host and made the move to QSL.NET.
So “Dave’s Radio Receiver Page” new URL is :
Please, for anyone who have web pages that have my web page linked (with the now old URL), I would appreciate the correction. Hopefully this will be the last time I will need to move the page.[…]
Please Note : Are still a few pages that still need to be transferred, but I expect to have that completed over the weekend. This has been quite a bit of work recoding all (again).
Paul Evans notes that Martin Lynch and Sons (ML&S) has just updated the product page for the IC-705 with the following note: “RRP £1199.95 incl 20% VAT. Estimated delivery now July 2020 due to major component shortage.”
Icom America retailers (Universal Radio, Ham Radio Outlet, Gigaparts, etc.) have not published an estimate for availability.
Dear OM and all CW lovers,
I will you proudly inform, that our website http://www.qrqpoint.com is now online.The idea of this meeting place for CW enthusiasts was born by me and the webmaster, Fabian, DJ1YFK, brought it very nice to the web. Thank you Fabian!
Everybody is very kindly invited to be there QRV.
The frequency is 3567 khz. To make a sked or just to say Hello we have a little Shoutbox on the site.
I hope to see you there!
Kindest regards,
Olaf, DL1OP
Pilots on reconnaissance missions could immediately call in their findings
As soon as the first humans went up in hot air balloons in the late 1700s, military strategists saw the tantalizing possibilities of aerial reconnaissance. Imagine being able to spot enemy movements and artillery from on high—even better if you could instantly communicate those findings to colleagues on the ground. But the technology of the day didn’t offer an elegant way to do that.
By the early 20th century, all of the necessary elements were in place to finally make aerial reconnaissance a reality: the telegraph, the telephone, and the airplane. The challenge was bringing them together. Wireless enthusiasts faced reluctant government bureaucrats, who were parsimonious in funding an unproven technology.
[…]One early attempt involved wireless telegraphy—sending telegraph signals by radio. Its main drawback was size. The battery pack and transmitter weighed up to 45 kilograms and took up an entire seat on a plane, sometimes overflowing into the pilot’s area. The wire antenna trailed behind the plane and had to be reeled in before landing. There was no room for a dedicated radio operator, and so the pilot would have to do everything: observe the enemy, consult the map, and tap out coordinates in Morse code, all while flying the plane under enemy fire.
Despite the complicated setup, some pioneers managed to make it work.[…]
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Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of RadioBecause I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Harald Kuhl, Michael Bird, and Carel Kuijer for the following tips:
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 response and mitigation actions, the 2020 Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test scheduled for Saturday, May 9, has been postponed. Because it’s uncertain just when stay-at-home orders will be lifted across the US, AFD planners chose to postpone this year’s event, because the government stations that typically support this event may not be available. Armed Forces Day Crossband Test planners are considering scheduling a November event in honor of Veteran’s Day, depending on COVID-19 mitigation actions. During the AFD Crossband Test, military stations in various locations transmit on selected military frequencies and announce the specific ham frequencies they are monitoring to work radio amateurs. — Thanks to US Army MARS Program Chief Paul English, WD8DBY
Thanks to Lee VK3GK for this short video of the antennas used for the recent Radio Australia event using the call sign VI3RA. Take what will possibly be a final look at the feeders, switching boxes and antennas before they are pulled down and junked!
Also here is the final transmission of the event weekend with, of course, the famous Radio Australia music box interval signal.
I have added an article I wrote some years back on the code breaking efforts of the Allies during WWII. While certainly not exhaustive, I found many of the connections between countries and equipment rather fascinating, and new things continue to pop up regarding Bletchley Park’s role in training officers and decoding texts. While most famously known for breaking the Enigma code, also significant was the breaking of the Lorenz Cipher.
Click Here to download the article in PDF format.
73, Robert K4PKM
Let’s look inside this Panasonic RF-4900 radio receiver, and see what we have to restore.
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