Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William (W8LV), who writes:
Bob Heil’s story, as told BY Bob Heil, is available as a podcast. Here, find real music and amateur radio history as told firsthand!
Available here:
Check out: 50 Years of Maximum Rock n’ Roll:
Thank you, William! As a sample, here’s one of the episodes:
For the full episode archive, check out this link.
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 Paul Jamet, Bob Butterfield, and NT for the following tips:
From COVID-19 to armed conflicts: radio faced with a multiplicity of crises
Deadline: April 25th, 2024
Maritime Morse code was formally phased out in 1999, but in California, a group of enthusiasts who call themselves the “radio squirrels” keeps the tradition alive.
Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.” With that, in January 1997, the French coast guard transmitted its final message in Morse code. Ships in distress had radioed out dits and dahs from the era of the Titanic to the era of Titanic. In near-instant time, the beeps could be deciphered by Morse-code stations thousands of miles away. First used to send messages over land in 1844, Morse code outlived the telegraph age by becoming the lingua franca of the sea. But by the late 20th century, satellite radio was turning it into a dying language. In February 1999, it officially ceased being the standard for maritime communication.
Nestled within the Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, KPH Maritime Radio is the last operational Morse-code radio station in North America. The station—which consists of two buildings some 25 miles apart—once watched over the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Both KPH sites shut down in 1997, but a few years later, a couple of radio enthusiasts brought them back to life. The crew has gotten slightly larger over the years. Its members call themselves the “radio squirrels.” Every Saturday, they beep out maritime news and weather reports, and receive any stray messages. Much of their communication is with the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II–era ship permanently parked at a San Francisco pier. [Continue reading, noting that much of The Atlantic’s content is behind a paywall…]
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Butterfield, who writes:
Readers who own a Yaesu FRG-7 and are interested in a digital frequency readout/S-meter kit that replaces the original analog S-meter may be interested in this item from Marcel Jacobs, PA8MA, Netherlands. It is available on eBay:
https://ebay.us/ji2zp7 [Note: this eBay partnership link supports the SWLing Post.]
I have not personally tried out this unit, however, it does look pretty slick. Further information can be found in the FRG-7 groups.io user group.
A video is also available on YouTube:
Gave a unique sound to Frampton and was known in radio, audio and ham radio
Bob Heil has died, according to the company he founded. He was 83.
“Bob fought a valiant, year-long battle with cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family,” Heil Sound posted on Facebook.
“Driven by a lifelong passion for sound, Bob’s pioneering work revolutionized how concertgoers experienced live sound.” [Here’ his official obituary.]
Heil was the inventor of the famous Heil Talk Box used memorably by musicians like Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Slash, Richie Sambora and others. He was invited to exhibit his innovations at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also was an active member of the amateur radio community.
In 2022 Bob and Sarah Heil transferred ownership of their company to President/CEO Ash Levitt and Director of Operations Steve Warford, Radio World reported at the time. “Sarah Heil has retired, but Bob will continue to do outreach work and product design within the amateur radio space under the title Founder and CEO Emeritus,” it stated then. [Continue reading…]
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Bob Heil (left) and me, Thomas (right): Photo from 2015 when I was fortunate enough to spend a couple days with Bob Heil at a radio conference.
03/01/2024
The man who defined the sound of live rock ‘n’ roll music and brought audio engineering principals into mainstream amateur radio use, Dr. Bob Heil, K9EID, has passed away at the age of 83. He was an ARRL Life Member and in the ARRL Maxim Society. A Facebook post from Heil Ham Radio paid tribute to their founder: “Bob fought a valiant, yearlong battle with cancer, and passed peacefully surrounded by his family.”
Heil founded Heil Sound in 1966, through which he created the template for modern concert sound systems for musicians like the Grateful Dead, The Who, Joe Walsh, and Peter Frampton. The talk box used on iconic live record Frampton Comes Alive! was of Heil’s design. His audio engineering products have been featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he was honored in 2007 with the Parnelli Audio Innovator Award for his impact on the live sound industry. “My life has been about achieving great sound, whether on the concert stage or in the amateur radio world,” Bob Heil recounted in 2022. “I’ve watched Heil Sound go from a regional sound company to a world-class microphone manufacturer. This company has been my passion,” he said.
Parallel to his commercial and artistic success in live music, was his passion for amateur radio. He was active in ham radio from a young age and merged his expertise in audio engineering with his love for radio. Heil Ham Radio was founded to produce microphones, headsets, and other gear for radio amateurs with an emphasis on high-quality audio.
Heil was known as a mentor who enjoyed helping others find success in ham radio. Recently, his grandson Charlie Hartley, KF0OOP, became a licensed ham to surprise Heil for his birthday. The pair attended the ARRL Midwest Convention/Winterfest in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 27, 2024.
Heil was a generous donor to amateur radio organizations, including ARRL. Recently, he donated a host of new audio gear to the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW.
His generosity and kind nature will be missed by many, including ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL. “Bob was a titan in many areas. He was generous with his time, offered keen insights, and had the heart of a philanthropist in the ARRL Maxim Society,” Beal said. “He was a gentleman to his core, making friends easily and everywhere he went, from rock stars to captains of industry. I consider it a real privilege to have become a friend to him, too, all because of amateur radio.”
Heil was known for his passion for AM operations. He served for many years as an on-camera host of the Ham Nation podcast. Tributes to Heil have been flooding social media, including from his co-hosts.
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said Heil’s passing is a significant loss. “Bob Heil’s technical achievements that brought high-quality audio to amateur radio pale in comparison to his generosity and willingness to help his fellow ham. He’s long been known as someone eager to help mentor and teach. His legacy on our hobby will be long-lasting. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Click here to read this article on the ARRL website.
Bob, you were a true radio ambassador, and we all benefitted from your enthusiasm and passion for decades to come. Thank you.
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bob Heil (K9EID), who writes:
You may be interested to know about the Saturday evening Theatre Organ shows on the 100KW of WTWW:
Bob Heil at a Sacramento Wurlitzer Console
“Theatre Organ from the Ozarks” each Saturday at 8PM CST (0200 UTC Sunday) on WTWW shortwave 5.085 MHz.
Many readers might not know that Bob Heil is a man of many talents. Not only is he the founder of Heil Sound, and a host on HamNation, but Bob is an incredibly talented organist.
We look forward to hearing you on WTWW, Bob!
Eric over at QSO Today has posted an interview with Bob Heil, the founder of Heil Sound, whose microphones have transformed both the amateur community and the professional recording industry (Heil Sound is the only technology company featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!)
The interview is about an hour and half long, and I was fascinated with every minute. In addition to talking about how Amateur Radio laid the foundation for his incredible career(s), Bob also talks about the need for Elmers in the hobby and the need to get hams building again. Along the way there are tips about audio for both transmitting and receiving, as well as a bit of discussion concerning the science of phasing – these alone are worth the price of admission!
Here is the info from the QSO Today site:
Bob Heil, K9EID, is no stranger to ham radio, as a pioneer in audio systems, not only for the rock and roll stars in the 60’s and 70’s, but for ham radio as well. As the founder of Heil Sound, Bob’s injection of audio experience and know how has raised the bar of what is acceptable for good sounding voice communications on amateur radio. Bob shares his ham radio story with Eric, 4Z1UG, on this episode of QSO Today.
Show Notes: http://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/k9eid
Podcast Link: http://goo.gl/ymGr6a
iTunes Store: http://goo.gl/CvLNmV
Stitcher: http://goo.gl/uhf1XZ
— 73, Robert
Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.
Last year at the W4DXCC conference in Sevierville, Tennessee, I spent some quality time with Bob Heil (K9EID). Bob is the mastermind behind Heil Sound as well as the host of HamNation, a show devoted to all aspects of amateur radio––yet this job description only scratches the surface of Bob’s fascinating career.
Bob Heil (K9EID, left) and yours truly (right) at the 2014 W4DXX conference in Sevierville, TN
One thing is for sure, however: there are few people in the radio industry who truly understand audio as profoundly as Bob Heil, so when he announced that he would host a forum at the W4DXCC to assist amateur radio operators in improving their received (and transmitted) audio, we were all ears, and signed right up.
Early in the forum, Bob described a set of self-powered and relatively affordable JBL monitor speakers that he highly recommended for amateur radio use. Everyone in the room noted the model number of the speakers, myself included. So imagine my dismay after the convention when I simply couldn’t find my notes…
Thankfully, my buddy Gary Wise (W8EEY) recently jogged my memory. Gary purchased a set of JBL monitors and matching wall-mount brackets from Amazon, and has them hooked up to his Flex Radio FLEX-6700 SDR. Gary tells me he’s very pleased with the set-up. Here are the links:
Bob also suggests adding a small mixer to system, something like this Behringer Xenyx 802 or the XENYX502 (both of which are on my current wishlist).
Bob invited me to speak on HamNation about shortwave radio. I may take him up on the offer…well, as soon as I overcome my videophobia, that is. At any rate, if you’ve not seen it, HamNation is certainly worth checking out. And in all things radio, Bob Heil’s is a name to know; click here to visit Heil Sound.