Ham Radio in the Movies 2 - Try Harder

I had plenty of comments on Ham radios in the Movies Part 1! I wanted to add more movies and shows that feature Ham, Shortwave and CB equipment as part of the story.

[@garymcilnay2675]

Love this segment. Also, there was an Andy Hardy movie (possibly the second) where his mother travels to Canada to be with an ill relative. He has to contact her so he asks a neighbor friend who is a ham to contact another ham in Canada to contact his mother. The equipment is quite old as you might expect. Keep up your wonderful series. Gary (K3GDM) 73

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

Triple Cross - I have never seen this movie and shall have to look it up. From your description, it sounds like it is based on the true WW2 story of Agent Zigzag (Eddie Chapman) who was recruited by MI5 and the Abwher. One of his MI5 handler wireless experts was a radio ham. Thanks for interesting video Mike. 👍

[@MIKROWAVE1]

That is the basis of the movie - the Chapman Story.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

@@MIKROWAVE1 Thanks. I have not seen this movie either. Only knew about Chapman from WW2 history books.

[@KB4QAA]

Don't forget the TV series "Skippy The Bush Kangaroo" circa 1966-68 with the Radio School on the Air.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Oh My I remember this show as a kid all right! I retired from the company that made the radios for the Flying Doctors and School of the Air actually.

[@808pathfinder]

My favorite is "Pump up the Volume " pirate radio

[@yellowheadamateurradioassn7302]

Also, an episode of The Twilight Zone: Black Leather Jackets, but only a clip of a roof mounted antenna is shown, but the dialogue is hillarious.

[@robert-nv1qn]

You see - I learned another thing. I thought the DX-60 had a cool meter bezel. And the DX-60 A/B had the cheap meter. I learn a lot here

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Thanks for being a return viewer! This old radio stuff is a lot of fun.

[@delmerleynaud7424]

Hello Michael! Me again! The movies collection never ends! In 1956 a 90-minute French movie, black and white, titled “Si tous les gars du monde” (If all the guys of the world) was produced. In Spain was titled “TKX no contesta”. Performed by, among others, a young Jean Louis Trintignant, who became a great actor, narrates the way that several hams communicate in a chain to save the fishing boat crew in the North Sea. Some commercial and homebrewed rigs can be seen (not very clearly, it was celluloid, not megapixels). Perhaps some technical comments are not right today, take in account 1) the year; 2) they are supposed to be amateurs, not pros. But it is very real and possible. They use 14,300 kHz, which was, maybe still is, the emergency frequency. For Spanish speakers: the film was very well edited and subtitled by EC1DJ Carlos Gallego Paz. If someone wants to watch it, put the Spanish title in a browser or in KZbin and a green and yellow poster will appear. Down in the comments there is a link to download it, a bit more than 5 GB. For sure the movie was translated into English but I could not find it. Kind regards, Delmer

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Read the book first but watch the 4 part series 'All the Light we Cannot See" on Netflix. Beside radio being the thematic cement, Its simply amazing with correct French and German gear.

[@delmerleynaud7424]

Hi! @@MIKROWAVE1 I did exactly that. I have read the book (bulky one) first, with a lot of tiny details about the radios. And they had to borrow equipment from several museums, I guess. I did not think the UHF frequencies were used, except for radar, but I searched in Google and learn that Germans were using equipment at 500 and 1000 MHz, basically for data, at that time. Probably it also happened in the Allied side. Another thing I have read, I do not know it is true, was that the Solidarity Union in Poland, with the leadership of Lech Walesa, used the Oscar 6 or 7, I do not know which one, to communicate from one side of the country to other without being found. Of course messaged could be heard and, eventually, interfered, but the places where they were transmitted hardly found. Sorry mi English, beg pardon. 73.

[@timothystockman7533]

TV show Fringe had radios in various episodes.

[@rjy8960]

8:33 The music (as well as the radio's) got me - Blue Orbit - Cosmic Dust....Had to Shazam it :)

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Plenty of great examples.

[@yellowheadamateurradioassn7302]

You missed two classics: Andy Hardy Finds Love, (1939), and an Episode from the Hancock's Half Hour series: The Radio Ham (also available as a radio play.

[@MedusalObligation]

Thank you for part two and including my suggestions!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

This was a lot of work - but it was fun.

[@scottwiseman8015]

Loved the video. When I was about 10 yo there was an Elmer that lived around the corner. He started me on a Citizen Band (CB) receiver. I had been sitting and watching and listening to Him whilst on Amateur bands. After a few months He gave me a little test of 10 codes and most common Q codes and other rules and regulations of CB. Wink Wink😉 like I was practicing for my HAM ticket. I sent in my application for license to the FCC and become KZS-0130. When i joined Scouting I got my Radio/ Telephoney Merit badge. I'm 61 now and still pounding 11 meters. 👌✌️ 73's to Everyone, hope to hear you on the coax. 107 "The Village Idiot"

[@MIKROWAVE1]

OK to pound 11 Meters - but not CW Pounding! Hee.

[@W1RMD]

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! You're "Just another American who's seen too many movies as a child"!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Yeah and in our small town, we got some doozys that it was touchy to take a date to. You never knew what was going to show up on the screen in the early 70s!

[@vacuumfireradio253]

Thanks again Mike - Brilliant!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Thanks for watching this little research project.

[@jimw7ry]

Looking at the "radio" Mr Howell was using, kinda looks like a Motorola portable test set, for Motrac, Mocom-70, among others, with a whip antenna fastened to the hinges?

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Wow this might be the set! I saw all of those knobs and could not figure out what it was. Signal Tracer, Audio mixer, Modified Tube tester - But Radio Test Set for the old Motrac?- Brilliant!

[@JCWise-sf9ww]

WOW, never realized how many movies and TV shows had all kinds of radios, Thank you very much Mike, for showing us. Now I'll have to pay attention more.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

And I missed a bunch for sure.

[@dominicryan5227]

Mike, you hit a nerve, in a very good way! Thank you for putting all this together! Dominic / AG8D.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video...👍

[@radiodf]

The 70s movie, Salvage One, featured a (rare)Icom IC-21 2M FM base radio :)

[@Tom-W7TMD]

Pretty neat! Thanks for sharing!

[@robert-nv1qn]

Silly me - All these years I thought that was a HW-100. You learn something every day

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I think the only difference 100 to 101 is the filtering options. Good thing I didn't say SB-100!

[@m0kov]

Mike, great entertaining video, brought a smile to my face. I'm beginning to realise that I'm way down on the classic rigs, although I did give a big cheer for the TS700 as I have three. 73 de Steve M0KOV

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I consider many rigs to be modern, when they turn out to be 40 years old!

[@m0kov]

Showing your age Mike, 6 month old tech is now regarded as vintage:-) 73 Steve

[@albertmorris4889]

Radios tend to show ip as props very often. The funniest out of place one to me was an episode of the YV series "12 O'clock High" where they overtook a German outpost with a buch of "secret" material and used a "German" rsdio set that strangely looked like a BC-348 LOL. Artidtic liscense.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Just find a period radio... I can imagine that the prop folks budgets varied widely. The kind of mistakes in movies they pick on are more general in nature like the shadow of an over head microphone in a shot!

[@ricke.2205]

Hahaha, you're cut in on Plan 9 From Outer Space had me laughing out loud! (really) I never realized how ubiquitous radio has been in TV and movies, until now. 73 KE8KCD

[@MIKROWAVE1]

When I saw the radio attack scene, I had to get involved.

[@ricke.2205]

@@MIKROWAVE1 LoL

[@daviddavidson1372]

Ok you forgot one major movie with all the great radio shack models. movie Was 'citizen band' even had a book also sold by radio shack. According to imdb came out in 1977.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I listed it but the CB stuff is a whole deal in itself and I ran out of gas at the end!

[@KennethScharf]

Bella Legosi was already dead when they made Plan 9. They used film from the cutting room floor to dub him in!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Just a crazy story.

[@mnoxman]

"Sink the Bismark" isn't 'ham' but the ending has a guy send like two characters in morse ant it explodes into a super patriotic manifesto.

[@Stealthmodeactivated-h8w]

Mine with arnie hamer yaesu ft817 big part of the movie

[@tim46767]

I love movies with morse code!

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Well Yeah!

[@emmanuelunitedchurchottawa4152]

Notice the Kenwood TS-520 in the movie Your Name??

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Wow so many references coming.

[@ultrasoundguy1]

When you showed the Hallicrafters S-38 I thought maybe there was a horror movie where all hams were wiped out by hot boxes. :)

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Godzilla destroyed by S-38 Hot Chassis thrown into Tokyo Bay!

[@ultrasoundguy1]

I'd watch that!

[@wisteela]

I really don't care much about most movies or TV shows, but great to see you cover Stranger Things, that I love, and that is awesome with Tim Allen. Knoxieman has covered that Terry and June episode. I'm in the UK.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Stranger Things was quite a project and they did not cut corners. The aging out of the kids was a major issue between seasons.

[@wisteela]

@@MIKROWAVE1 Yes, looks like they are doing a time jump for Season 5 due to their aging.

[@papaloongie]

Man from Uncle (2015) had a 51-J on the British warship (near the end of the picture)

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Wow nice box. I had one for a while, but it was not getting air time, so I let it go.

[@papaloongie]

Jackie Gleason was a radio nut. Not sure if he had his ticket, but he apparently had a 51-J. They cost about $1000 usd when new. $12,500 or so in todays $$$.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Wow!

[@maikerumine]

Another banger, Mike!

[@robert-nv1qn]

Upon further viewing I see that there was first a HW-100 and then a HW-101 me jumping the gun again. Curses

[@MIKROWAVE1]

I think the HW100 was the R390 and the HW101 was the R390A! The 100 was the original attempt, but the 101with a few tweaks, was the one that really took the whole xcvr kit market.

[@K1OIK]

The scope you gave me doesn't work, is the guarantee up? The manual you gave me is for another scope.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

FReebee scope sat0ts-faction garrrranteed!

[@K1OIK]

@@MIKROWAVE1 I thought I paid $10? But I am too stupid to remember. I took sold out.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

@@K1OIK I know nothing about your situation with the scope. So here's the magic scope solution. Put the scope on end and remove each plug-in in turn and spray with contact cleaner and drop them in using gravity. Report back.

[@wa4aos]

Great review less the somewhat poor attempt to sound southern.

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Yes sa! Very poor.

[@MiamiMillionaire]

👍

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Thanks for watching!

[@flightsim.comvideo5936]

Great video on an interesting topic. Though I have to admit having a personal interest, being the "star" of one of the featured movies. "Ghosthouse" was filmed in the Boston area, and they reached out to my radio club for props. You showed two radios but there are at least four: Kenwoods TS-520, TS-820, TS-700 and Yaesu FT-726. Two of these were mine. The movie's lead character uses my callsign and you'll see my wooden callsign cutout sitting on the radios several times; it's now sitting here in front of me in my office. You'll also see my QSL card in at least one scene. The movie is a rather bloody slasher movie where practically everyone dies, so not for everyone. But it does stand out in that ham radio is actually a key part of the movie plot. 73 de K1UR

[@MIKROWAVE1]

Holy Cow! That is so cool K1UR and having a ham for helping with authenticity is key to a good showing!

[@flightsim.comvideo5936]

@@MIKROWAVE1 We didn't play any role in the script, but clearly someone involved was familiar with ham radio.