Tag Archives: All The Light We Cannot See

On Netflix: “All The Light We Cannot See” and radio references

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Many thanks to a number of readers who have noted that All The Light We Cannot See is now on Netflix. You may recall, we’re quite big fans of the book which has a strong radio theme.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jake Brodsky who notes:

Heads up: Netflix is serializing a story that centers around SW radio
during WWII in occupied France.

Here’s the IMDB reference https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15320362/

And I’ve just seen the first episode. Aside from some inevitable
anachronisms such as a dial that looks a lot like that of a signal
generator and a dial measured in MHz (That designation didn’t come
until the 1960s) It’s a good story and VERY radio centric.

More detail from Netflix can be found at
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-cast

Also, SWLing Post contributor, Les Polt, notes a few of the radio quirks he found in the series:

This series on Netflix, based on a best-selling novel, shows a German officer listening to an illegal Resistance broadcast on his short wave receiver in occupied France during WWII. The receiver dial clearly is marked “MHz”, which was not adopted until 1970. I also heard a character referring to a “transceiver”, a term not in use that far back.

I’d be curious to identify the receiver.

This screenshot also shows a radio direction finder, presumably of German World War II vintage.

Many thanks, Les, for the screenshots and notes! I, too, and curious if anyone can ID that dial–perhaps it’s just a set mark up?

If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend reading the book by Anthony Doerr upon which this series is based. It’s superb, especially if you love WWII history and radio. Check it out on Amazon (affiliate link).

Netflix shares trailer for “All the Light We Cannot See”

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Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who have noted that Netflix has now published a trailer for “All the Light We Cannot See.”

Click here to view on YouTube.

All the Light We Cannot See is a book written by Anthony Doerr a favorite read among radio enthusiasts who also love a little WWII historical fiction. If you haven’t read this book, I can highly recommend it. Click here to read Greg’s book review.

The movie appears to have a star-studded cast and I do hope it does this amazing book justice! You’ve got a few months to read the book before the movie starts streaming on Netflix in November 2023.

Hospitals and RF noise: FM and HD radio’s strong suit

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The Sangean HDR-14 AM/FM HD radio

For the past week, I’ve been away from home spending time with my mother at the hospital while she recovers from a surgery. I’ve got a number of reviews and evaluations in the pipeline, but thankfully no shortwave or HF radios on the table this week (although the ELAD FDM-S3 and CommRadio CTX-10 are just around the corner). Listening to shortwave (or even mediumwave) in a hospital room can be an exercise in futility–there are just too many devices emitting noise and the buildings are built like bunkers with incredibly thick walls to attenuate signals.

I’ve had the little Sangean HDR-14 with me, however, and have been very pleased with its ability to snag FM stations both analog and digital. I’ve also had fun discovering a surprisingly diverse FM landscape in this metro area. I haven’t snagged an AM HD station yet, but my hope is one evening I might DX one (fingers crossed and not holding my breath).

The Sangean HDR-14 (left) and CC Skywave SSB (right)

At the end of most days, I’ve been able to catch a little shortwave action with my CC Skywave SSB (pre-production) portable at the guest house where I’m staying. The evenings have been surprisingly peaceful here with only the occasional popup thunderstorm to insert a little QRN in my listening sessions.

Last night, while listening to jazz on FM, I finished reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (affiliate link).

We’ve mentioned this book before and I know of at least dozen SWLing Post contributors and friends who’ve personally recommended it to me.

It is a superb novel and will, no doubt, tug at the heart strings of any radio enthusiast or WWII history buff. Highly recommended!

Indeed, last night I couldn’t fall asleep until I finished the book around 12:30 AM!

And mom? She’s recovering quite well and we hope will be discharged from the hospital soon.

Greg recommends “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gregg Freeby, who writes:

As a regular reader of the SWLing Post I wanted to share with you a book I came across recently that your readers might be interested in reading. Shortwave radio provides the backdrop of this Pulitzer Prize winning story that takes place during WWII. You can search Wikipedia or other websites for a summary. While the story isn’t specifically about radios, Nazi radio propaganda as well as clandestine numbers stations run by the French resistance and Nazi attempts to locate and destroy them very much figure into the plot. I found it a very compelling read and thought perhaps you and your readers might too.

Many thanks, Greg. I actually purchased this book a few months ago on the recommendation of a friend who owns a local book store.  It’s in my “read me” stack now, and though I haven’t gotten to it, I very much look forward to reading it soon.

Check out All The Light We Cannot See on Amazon (affiliate link).