{"id":61532,"date":"2025-01-03T05:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T09:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=61532"},"modified":"2025-01-02T08:32:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T12:32:16","slug":"radio-is-cheap-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/radio-is-cheap-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio is Cheap Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Source: Better Shortwave Reception, William I. Orr, W6SAI,
Radio Publications Inc., Wilton, CT, 1st Edition, p. 129, 1957.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Radio is Cheap Entertainment<\/h1>\n

Digressions of Bob Colegrove<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Radio is a cheap hobby.\u00a0 Consider the plight of concertgoers and sports fans.\u00a0 Today, the price of a ticket to a single event can easily equal or exceed the cost of a decent radio.\u00a0 Then, after the event, all you have left is a ticket stub and a memory.\u00a0 Further, if your team loses, the memory is probably not pleasant.\u00a0 Whereas, with a radio, you have a tangible item you can go on using as long as you want to.\u00a0 Perhaps by dividing some measure of enjoyment by the time engaged in the activity one could come up with a quotient indicating the relative value of various forms of entertainment.<\/p>\n

I guess my point is an attempt to justify why I have more than the necessary<\/i> number of radios.\u00a0 After all, it\u2019s hard to listen to more than one at a time.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also hard to put a number on \u2018necessary,\u2019 and besides, radios are cheap.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t always that way.\u00a0 In 1959, the entry-level shortwave \u201csets\u201d were the five-tube Hallicrafters S-38E and the National NC-60 Special.\u00a0 These radios were marketed head-to-head at the $60 price point.\u00a0 To put things in perspective, that\u2019s nearly $650 today.\u00a0 Conversely, a highly desirable Tecsun S-2200x (price, $372) with countless transistors would have cost less than $35 in 1959 dollars had it been feasible.\u00a0 An XHDATA D-220 (price, $10) would have been 92 cents.<\/p>\n

I financed my purchase of a Hallicrafters S-38E using the device shown below.\u00a0 For those too young to recognize it, it was what passed for a lawn mower in 1959.\u00a0 It was very ecofriendly requiring neither gasoline nor battery charging.\u00a0 Instead, the short blade rotated, and the device moved forward on two metal wheels by manual exertion of pressure on the handle, which is shown at the top right.\u00a0 You had to overlap each pass across the lawn by at least \u00bd a blade width to get a decent cut.\u00a0 I had a clientele of three neighbor\u2019s yards, each of approximately 1\/6 acre for which I received $2 per mowing \u2013 $1 for the front and $1 for the back.\u00a0 There was no sales tax in Indiana at that time, and my earnings were under the minimum amount to pay any income tax, so you can do the math to see how long it took to buy my radio.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Fast forward 65 years.\u00a0 My neighbor\u2019s boy rides on a 48-inch $3,200 mower with a cold soda in the cup holder; streams rock music on his noise-canceling, Bluetooth headphones; and knocks down $60 in about \u00bd hour.\u00a0 Radio?\u00a0 He thinks single sideband was a heavy metal group from Chicago.<\/p>\n

Outside of an occasional set of batteries, there is very little continuing ownership cost for a radio beyond the initial investment.\u00a0 There is no monthly fee for Internet streaming or satellite radio.\u00a0 Whatever you care to donate to your local public radio station is your own business.<\/p>\n

All of this is to say I have gone to some concerts and sporting events, but a fair share of my disposable income in recent years has been spent on radios, some of which, like entertainment events, are now just memories.\u00a0 The remaining radios festooning the shack are all necessary<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: If your conscience is troubled by the prospect of spending money on a spare radio, or you are consumed with guilt at having done so, reassure yourself by considering what little would remain after any investment in a good meal at a decent restaurant.\u00a0 Just remember, for the sake of domestic tranquility, use discretion when sharing any plans with your spouse.\u00a0 In this situation, I often reflect on words attributed to the late Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, USN who used to say, \u201cIt’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.\u201d<\/p>\n

May your radio logbooks be enriched with many new entries in 2025.<\/p>\n

Happy New Year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Radio is Cheap Entertainment Digressions of Bob Colegrove Radio is a cheap hobby.\u00a0 Consider the plight of concertgoers and sports fans.\u00a0 Today, the price of a ticket to a single event can easily equal or exceed the cost of a decent radio.\u00a0 Then, after the event, all you have left is a ticket stub […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3194,3,305,43],"tags":[7988,1302],"class_list":["post-61532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-posts","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bob-colegrove","tag-radio-nostalgia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-g0s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49864,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/bob-colegrove-on-the-joys-and-challenges-of-tuning-analog-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":61532,"position":0},"title":"Bob Colegrove on “The Joys and Challenges of Tuning Analog Radios”","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who recently shared this excellent article and has kindly allowed me to share it here in the the Post. Bob prefaced it by saying, \"Being a retired technical writer, I started the attached article some time ago for my own amusement, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bob-Colegrove-Book-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61368,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/bobs-1968-radio-tirana-qsl-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":61532,"position":1},"title":"Bob’s 1968 Radio Tirana QSL Card","author":"Thomas","date":"December 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes: Kudos to Don Moore for his excellently crafted article on Albanian radio. [...]Perhaps some might be interested to see a 1968 QSL from R. Tirana. Regards, Bob Colegrove Thank you for sharing this excellent Radio Tirana QSL card, Bob!","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/R-Tirana-Inside.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39419,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/guest-post-the-national-association-of-armchair-adventurers-naaa\/","url_meta":{"origin":61532,"position":2},"title":"Guest Post: The National Association of Armchair Adventurers (NAAA)","author":"Thomas","date":"September 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: National Association of Armchair Adventurers (NAAA) as recalled by Bob Colegrove Those of you who were into SWLing in the late \u201850s or early \u201860s may remember the NAAA.\u00a0 It was an engaging promotional effort by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-1024x679.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64316,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/bobs-radio-corner-shortwave-multiplex\/","url_meta":{"origin":61532,"position":3},"title":"Bob’s Radio Corner: Shortwave Multiplex?","author":"Thomas","date":"October 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Reported by Bob Colegrove Incurable DXers are always looking for new challenges.\u00a0 So it was, I recently did some scanning between 42 and 45 meters (~6600 to 7000 kHz).\u00a0 Trenton Military on 6754 kHz and the MARS net on 6913 kHz are regulars here, as are a selection of pirates\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Fig.-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61740,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/the-curious-case-of-the-nibi-nibi-islands\/","url_meta":{"origin":61532,"position":4},"title":"Bob’s Radio Corner: The Curious Case of the Nibi-Nibi Islands","author":"Thomas","date":"January 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bob Colegrove, who writes: Hi Thomas, No mention of UTC or frequency in the attached. Made my day, but some folks apparently were not amused. Source was \"Short-Wave Report\" by Hank Bennett, Popular Electronics, Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., New York, p. 86, March 1959. Regards,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Funny"","block_context":{"text":"Funny","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/funny\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Globe-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60460,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/u-twente-websdr-new-tablet-phone-interface-option\/","url_meta":{"origin":61532,"position":5},"title":"U Twente WebSDR: New Tablet\/Phone Interface Option","author":"Thomas","date":"August 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Bob Colegrove, who shares the following guest post: U. of Twenty Site for Phones and Tablets by Bob Colegrove I\u2019m not sure if this is new.\u00a0 It may have been around for a while.\u00a0 Very recently, while accessing the WebSDR site at the University of Twente, it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Figure.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Figure.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Figure.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61532"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61535,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61532\/revisions\/61535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}