Tag Archives: Radios in Movies

Rob notes several radios in Fleksnes Fataliteter

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rob Gray, who writes:

Happy Holidays Thomas!

As I see those that like to raise awareness of radios in TV and movies, here’s my submission. A Swedish friend of mine sent this to me and it’s a little rough to follow without knowing the language, but there are certainly radios in the episode!
73,
Rob

The radios get going around 3:53 and 4:35, 11:15, etc.

As a side note, I’m happy to see the chess board properly oriented, I’ve frequently seen the board rotated 90 degrees from proper in programs, and even on display in Russian museums!

Thank you so much for sharing this, Rob!

Mark spots a fictitious marine HF radio in Netflix’s “Inside Job”

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

Thomas,

A tongue-in-cheek radio sighting this time.

I spotted this gun fire damaged ‘marine HF’ radio in an episode of ‘Inside Job’ on Netflix.

Mark

Great timing, Mark. I watched the first episode of Inside Job this morning. It was a good laugh–quirky show! I love how the animator actually spent a little time illustrating the front panel and even that massive wound coil inside the set! I wonder if he/she is a radio enthusiast…?

Mark spots a scanner in Chicago Fire TV series

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

Thomas,

I’m currently enjoying ‘Chicago Fire’ on Netflix and spotted this scanner at the fire station.

Taking a wild guess, I typed ‘realistic scanner’ into image search and eventually found one that looked similar, the Realistic Pro-57.

Perhaps scanner enthusiasts can confirm this, and maybe share some memories about it, good or bad!

Thanks for sharing this, Mark! Certainly not an easy scanner to ID from such a quick video frame, but I’m willing to bet some of our readers can comment and confirm the model and share any thoughts about this particular scanner! 

Dean spots a radio in Pulp Fiction and shares a little shortwave by train

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dean Bonanno, who writes:

Hi Thomas –

I was re-watching one of my all time favorite movies yesterday, Pulp Fiction, and noticed a radio in a scene for a second or two [see image above]. It went by so fast I thought it might have been a Trans Oceanic 7000 at first but upon looking backing and stopping film, it is an Arvin Radio. I was wondering if anyone knew model/year.

I also included a video clip of Radio Tumbril Encore from aboard Amtrak’s Capitol Limited for exactly a week ago. I did some DXing while crossing the country by train. The video is near Pennsylvania/Maryland border (near you perhaps) on WRMI 15770 in 1300utc hour (enlarge video you can red it on PL 880 screen). I have another video while pulling into Cumberland, MD. Continue reading →

Fukkatsu no hi: Emilio believes this post-apocalyptic Japanese film has a message

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Emilio, who writes:

Hi Thomas

I hope you are healthy. A few weeks ago, I got COVID-19; fortunately, I got the vaccine a few weeks ago, so my symptoms were minimal. Today only a little cough remains.

In my isolation, I listened to a lot shortwave radio and watch many old movies, including this one:

Fukkatsu no Hi–literally Day of Resurrection, also known as “Virus”–is a 1980 post-apocalyptic science fiction film about an advanced virus wiping out all life on Earth except 863 people in Antarctica. “

Below I’ll share a scene from the film–some mixed emotions about this scene as Japanese actors react.

Video Player

So this is why need teach to young and kids the basic radio communication, and perhaps handle of armament. Ha ha! 😀

Wow! This is great–thank you for sharing this, Emilio! I do hope you’re feeling better. I’m glad shortwave radio and post-apocalyptic Japanese films have given you refuge as your recuperate! I’ve gotten a number of messages recently from SWLing Post contributors out there who recently contracted a variant of Covid-19.

Readers, take some practical measures to avoid getting and spreading the virus, and stay healthy out there! We don’t want to lose any more of our radio community to this nasty bug. 

Be well and happy DX!

Santiago spots a Soviet-era portable in “The Queen’s Gambit”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Santiago Roland (CX1DR), who writes:

Hi Thomas, I’m a reader of your blog since 2015 and i was looking for movies showing shortwave radio models. I ended up in your blog again, lol, and decided to write to you and tell you that your blog is awesome. I read it many times and gathered lots of information about different topics.

The other day I was watching the last chapter of the Netflix Series Queen’s Gambit and I spotted an old classic, the Soviet VEF 206 shortwave radio. It gets a full frame cameo and it is beautiful.

The radio appears in the scene because (no spoilers) the American girl is playing chess with the world champion in the USSR and the people outside is listening the match with this radio. I send you the caption so you may add it to your collection of radios in cinema.

Oh wow! Thank you for sharing this, Santiago! That screen shot is beautiful–the Soviet VEF 206 has some serious nostalgic appeal!

We’ll add this to our ever-growing archive of radios in movies. Thank you!

Radio Cameos in Japanese Cinema

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jon, who writes:

Good day,

I regularly visit the SWLing Post and very much appreciate the breadth of content you provide on the shortwave hobby. In between the receiver reviews and stories on broadcaster activities, I much enjoy the pieces showing the radio gear that folks notice in television/films. Over the course of the COVID19 pandemic, I have been watching a lot of films from Japan, and in the process have spotted quite a few interesting receivers here and there. Below are some photos and details on some of these unsung stars of Japanese cinema. I think that JRC enthusiast Dan Robinson will agree with me that it’s the ensemble cast of JRCs in Virus that steal the show! 🙂

1. Masahiro Shinoda’s 1961 Epitaph to My Love opened with a very nice shot of a Sony TR-812 multi-band portable in a scene where a news broadcast is being heard in a bar setting.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/sony_tr_812_tr812.html

2. A Sony AFM-152J is shown in a contemporary home setting in Hiroshi Teshigahara’s 1966 film The Face of Another.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/sony_fmam_automatic_tuning_radio_esaki_diode_afm_152j.html

3. Kihachi Okamoto’s 1978 sci-fi film Blue Christmas featured a brief shot of a Sony ICF-7600 – the first of a legendary line of Sony portables that would carry “7600” in their designation.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/sony_icf_7600.html

4. There were several radio appearances in Kinji Fukasaku’s 1980 Virus – a film that took disaster movies to a new level by depicting both a global pandemic and a nuclear holocaust.

A range of JRC gear was captured in a scene that was set in a Japanese Antarctic base. Identifiable rigs include the NRD-10 and the NRD-71.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/jrc_nrd_10nrd1.html
https://www.rigpix.com/jrc/jrc_nrd71.htm

In another scene from the Antarctic base, a Trio (Kenwood) TS-820S is shown powered up.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/trio_kenwo_ts_820s_ts820s.html

5. Lastly, we have an unidentified tube receiver from Masahiro Shinoda’s Childhood Days – an interesting 1990 film about a school aged boy in World War II era Japan who, because of the bombing threat, is sent from his Tokyo home to live in a rural village.

Thank you for sharing this, Jon! It’s wonderful to include radio sightings from Japanese cinema in our ever-growing collection of radios in movies!