Beach Boys, Good Vibrations, and HB-7 Headphones

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark C, who writes:

Thomas,

You have posted numerous photos of radios appearing in film. I found something similar but with an interesting twist.

The link is to the YouTube clip Good Vibrations the Lost Studio Footage. Watching the Beach Boys singing that iconic musical selection is thrilling enough but I would have never guessed I would be seeing them wearing the military HB-7 and using them as studio headphones while they were performing!

Good Vibrations the Lost Studio Footage

Click here to view on YouTube.

Sincerely,

Mark

That’s just brilliant, Mark. Thank you for sharing this. I would have never guessed HB-7s would be used in a studio setting, but it certainly looks like them in the video.

I have to thank you for sharing this lost footage of the Beach Boys, too. This was new to me. I love the song, too; certainly iconic!

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BBC Midwinter Broadcast: Second set of test transmissions on Friday, June 17, 2022

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who shares the following message from Dave (M0MYA):

Hello All,
There is to be a second set of test transmissions for the BBC Antarctic
special.

The will take place tomorrow (Friday 17.06.2022) at 2130 – 2145 UTC.
The frequencies are the same as they were on Tuesday June 14:

ASC: 7305kHz
DHA: 6035 kHz
WOF: 9505kHz and 12065kHz
73,
Dave M0MYA

Many thanks for the tip, Richard!

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Paul’s recording of “La Voix de la Corée” interval signal and broadcast intro

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who writes:

Hello Thomas,

I hope everything is fine.

To complete Carlos Latuff’s contribution, here is a recording of the French language program of “La Voix de la Corée” made the afternoon of May 30, 2022 at 14h00 UTC on the frequency 13760 kHz with a TECSUN PL-365 connected to a 5m wire antenna of about 5 meters length.

Recording:

I attach the picture of the receiver on an old wall (see above); the screen displays the frequency and the signal characteristics: Signal strength unit: 27 dBu – Signal to Noise Ratio (S/N) unit: 08 dB

The other frequency used at the same time is 15245 kHz but I could not hear anything!

I hope that this information will hold your attention. See you next time. Sincerely yours.

Paul JAMET
Radio Club du Perche :
http://radioclub.perche.free.fr/

Thank you for sharing your recording, Paul!

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Dan believes this JRC NRD-301A will acheive record price at auction

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson who writes:

An NRD-301A, still one of the rarest of JRC receivers, appears headed for a record selling price on the Japan Buyee site.

In 2021, even rarer NRD-302A receivers sold in the $5000 range.

Click here to check it out on Buyee.

What a beautiful radio!  Thank you for sharing this, Dan. 

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Servicing older Icom radios?

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Irish, who writes:

Icom America has indicated that it no longer services Icom radios manufactured after December 2010. Please let me know if you have a recommendation for someone who repairs older Icoms, preferably in DC metropolitan area or in North Carolina and in Virginia. Thank you, Mark

Thank you,

Mark Irish

Thank you for your question, Mark. You’re in luck because my friend Vlado (N3CZ) does repair Icom radios of pretty much any age.

He has extensive experience with Icom, but also routinely works on Yaesu, Kenwood, Elecraft, Sony, Panasonic, and numerous other brands. If it’s solid state (meaning, not vacuum tube or valve gear) he can fix it. 

Vlado lives in Asheville, NC, but he has customers all over the world. You can reach him through his website at: http://hamradio.repair

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The fertilizer hits the fan radio kit

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.

            1st corollary: Even if anything can’t go wrong, it still will.

            2nd corollary: It will go wrong in the worst possible place at the worst possible time.

            Most devastating corollary: Murphy was an optimist.

            “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra

 The Better Half thinks I am sick, and maybe she is right, but I am unrepentant: I like disaster movies and books. True stories are better than fiction, but I like both, and I am curious about how people, real or imagined, get through whatever Horrible Event faces them.

As I have written before–here, here, and here–that when bad stuff happens, radio can be a really useful tool.

It was a comment from a reader – Rob, W4ZNG – that got me thinking some more about this. He mentioned enduring three weeks without electricity on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a result of Katrina. So we had a phone conversation about: What do you want in your radio kit bag when faced with a longer duration, more severe regional or national emergency?

Here’s some of the stuff we agreed upon.

Gathering Information

At the most basic level, you want a radio capable of receiving local AM or FM broadcasters, and it would be good to know ahead of time which local stations have local news staffs that can broadcast useful in formation in times of crisis. In addition, if you live in the US or Canada, I absolutely recommend the ability to receive NOAA weather radio. The ability to run off batteries is critical, in case the mains power is out. In addition, a generous supply of batteries, or a means to recharge batteries is in order. If you decide to go with recharging batteries, you need to think about your options now, not when the lights go out.

In Rob’s case, during Katrina, all of the local broadcasters were wiped out. There was a local low-power FM broadcaster who got permission to increase power to 1,000 watts and was broadcasting where to get food and water. There was a New Orleans AM station that was on the air, but all of its coverage was “New Orleans-centric.” After a few days, some local FM broadcaster, working together, cobbled together a station that they put on the air and began broadcasting news. Rob also began DXing AM stations at night to get additional news.

We agreed that shortwave broadcasters were not likely to be very useful in most cases, but a shortwave radio with the ability to hear ham radio single sideband networks might well be.

To scan, or not to scan, that is the question

Another potential source of information are local public agency radio transmissions in the VHF and UHF ranges that could be heard with a scanner. But – and this is a very big but – that depends a lot on whether your local government (first responders, etc.) transmissions are encrypted. You need to check a source like https://www.radioreference.com/db/ to see if Public Safety transmissions in your area are encrypted. If they are, you will be unable to decipher them, no matter what equipment you own. However, an inexpensive analog-only scanner may prove very useful for listening to ham transmissions VHF and UHF (2 meters and 440 primarily) as well as FRS and GMRS.

If your local Public Safety radio systems are not encrypted, the RR database will give the details of the radio systems used by those agencies, and that in turn will determine the level of sophistication of scanner that will be required to hear their transmission.

The Radio Reference database also includes a listing of national radio frequencies including a list of federal disaster frequencies such as might be used by FEMA. In addition, I have found that the folks at the Radio Reference forum are generous with their time and expertise: https://forums.radioreference.com/ . If all this sounds a bit daunting, there are scanners that have built-in databases of all available frequencies and radio systems, and all you need to do is put in your zip code and select which services you want to hear. I own one, they work well, but they are expensive.

Summoning Help

Assuming that the power is out, your cell phone may or may not work (during Hurricane Katrina, some people found that they could not make voice phone calls, but text messages would go through).

If the cell phones are not working, two-way radio may be useful to summon help and gather information. Again, some research on your part is in order. Perhaps there are 2-meter or 440 ham repeaters in your area with backup power, or maybe there is a robust GMRS repeater system. If so, get your ham or GMRS license and start participating! (It was his experience during Hurricane Katrina that prompted Rob to get his ham license, and when Hurricane Zeta hit, he was glad he had it.)

FRS bubble-pack radios are good for staying in touch while getting around the immediate neighborhood.  It’s also good to have a few spares to hand to neighbors if the need arises.  Often on sale (especially after Christmas) in multi-packs for less than $10 each.

Rob notes that great strides have been made in hardening cell phone towers since Katrina.  When Hurricane Harvey clobbered Houston in 2017, the cell net stayed up.  Even so, it would be prudent not to count on it!

The Bottom Line

At a bare minimum the ability to receive your local AM and FM broadcasters is essential, and NOAA weather radio is also very useful. At the next step up, depending upon your local situation, a scanner may help you to gather information. In addition, the ability to monitor ham transmissions may also add to your information gathering abilities. Finally, having a ham license and the ability to transmit on ham frequencies may be very valuable in a widespread or long-duration emergency.

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Today: Transmission tests for the 2022 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast

Halley VI Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who writes:

Hi Thomas:

According to a posting on the WoR io group, the frequencies for the 21 June broadcast won’t be finalised until after the test transmissions, but the latter have now been scheduled.

They will be on air today Tuesday, 14.06.2022, at 2130-2145 UTC.

      • ASC: 7305 kHz
      • DHA: 6035 kHz
      • WOF: 9505 kHz and 12065 kHz

All the best
— Richard

Many thanks for sharing this Richard! As it has become a tradition, we will share recordings of the June 21 Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica here on the SWLing Post once again. Always a highlight of my year!

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