BBC Arena - Tuning In (1994)

[@raymondmartin6737]

I have been in the US 🇺🇸 since 1949, when we emigrated from the UK, London, on the HMS Queen Mary, now in Long Beach, CA, which I was on board again there in 2008. I did not get a chance to operate W6RO there at that time though as it was not manned. I was born in London in WWIi, being almost 78 now, and my parents and my uncle said what a tough time it was then and after the war ended. My parents and I visited London, saw our Apartment building, where they had a flat from 1939 until we left there in 1949. I saw it again with my wife in 2013, and other places in the UK, but didn't get to Bletchly Park, and the RSGB, which I did belong to for a while and enjoyed their RadCom magazine, similar to the ARRL's QST magazine. A neighbor of ours in our London flat, after WWII, was Douglas Bader, a well known RAF Spitfire pilot, who had a book, and film, Reach For The Sky. 73 de W2CH, Ray. WV2ZPD, WA2ZPD, WB7EGN, WB1BTO, and V25CH in 2004.

[@volvo480]

Thanks for sharing this story. 😊 73 de PA3FXW

[@bladeofzorro1932]

This video proves how Ham radio has declined over the years. The las entry was Bill G4GHB and before then 3 years ago. This is the first time I have seen this arena program and it was like putting on an old pair of shoes. Good times and a feeling of being somehow special. Not now, its totally different now. I gave up the radio once everyone started using it for data. I sometimes I used to listen on 2m and 70cm which was very popular and I had 4m rig in the car but for the last 20 years I have not bothered. Its such a shame but I guess that's progress. My QTH is Essex and Now probably for the last time I am going QRT To any old boys who come across this comment 73's to you my friend and I will catch you further down the log. G7HMA

[@honeymonster5589]

good old Gerry a real character met him about 5 years ago I have his book too which he signed '118'

[@bill-2018]

He got fined. What did he expect? He contravened his licence conditions. I don't want him on the air giving us all a bad name. Bill, G4GHB.

[@gomey70]

'you gotta stay from politics or religion' Ah life before the internet. Such simpler times. It's hard not to feel like something was lost in the transition.

[@alexcarter8807]

No, seriously, you can't to politics or religion on ham radio, you can't "broadcast" you have to be talking to a specific someone. Was kind of boring, actually, because I couldn't do humor etc., sometimes there's a sort of ham radio flea market on the air, and I was able to make fun comments about knobs with skirts and so on, but you really can't do a show. I guess if I really wanted to have a show I'd try the local college station.

[@CassetteMaster]

Fantastic documentary; loved it!!

[@DaveSCameron]

So many of these Arena shows are banned here in England and its scandalous!

[@TOPBUSMAN1234]

Hello Crikey ? first time I,ve seen this in 20 years Regards Doug Goodison G0LUH

[@nickdavies2156]

I lent you the video so you could watch it. Regards Nick G0UDX.

[@paulcharlton2896]

+DOUG GOODISON Hi, Paul G0UKL here :-)

[@ingleacre6480]

Do you know when this originally aired? I know that Tuning In was repeated on 14 Dec 1994, but I can't find any TV listings featuring this original broadcast anywhere and I'd like to make sure it's included in TVDB's episode lists.

[@1L6E6VHF]

2:30. This is the first time I've ever heard anyone, other than myself, make this comparison. I'm always bring this up when people ask me why I try to catch distant television signals with an antenna by sporadic-E skip, when a clear reliable signal is present from a local station, cable, or satellite. I ask why so many people spend hours upon hours in a boat on the lake (a very expensive pastime at that) when they can buy fish at the supermarket.

[@sigigoode5591]

That is fascinating!

[@matramurena]

I know what you mean. Amateur Radio operators used to be in high esteem. It's not the lowering of standards that is to blame, radio simply doesn't appeal to people anymore. In the early 1990s, there still was something magic to radio. But then design and manufacturing of electronics went to the Far East because it's so cheap there, so there's no money to be made in radio engineering, and the Internet killed off most of the magic, so nobody cares anymore. S9+ QRM by HomePlug (PLC) did the rest.

[@alexcarter8807]

And in my day everyone said the Russian Woodpecker was killing off ham radio. Actually ham radio is doing well these days, lots of experimentation.

[@inthewoodwork]

Oh wow the guy in the segment at 12:20 is my dad, Brano! So weird to see him here

[@tanyalindsay7599]

I miss my mum sadly she died a couple of years after this was broadcast

[@matramurena]

Sorry to hear that. Was she in the documentary?

[@david-stewart]

Great upload. I love eccentrics! Thanks

[@mwdxni]

I remember this being broadcast around Easter 1993. At that time Amateur Radio was regarded as a hobby which required a level of intellect and study before attaining a licence. Now it's open to anyone with the lowering of standards brought about by the RSGB in its advocating the three tier licence system.

[@RaverRst]

Wasn’t this first program “Tuning in” made into a radio documentary, I believe on bbc radio4? I remember as a young lad getting interested in the world of radio and making a point of recording it on cassette, there’s certainly peace’s of this tv documentary that I remember from the radio 4 documentary, I’d love to hear the bbc 4 radio program again if anyone knows of a link etc to it..

[@arthurtwoshedsjackson6266]

Here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZS9aJ6jmc1pgrc

[@Hugmir]

Thank you for sharing!