Radio

 

I have enjoyed radio listening for much of my life.  My yearly memories were in the car listening to Twins baseball and afterwards, Mystery Theater on AM 830 WCCO.  We listened at night on the way to Grandma and Grandpa’s traveling north on Interstate 35.  I can still hear the creaking door as it opened to start the radio show.  Sadly, though, we usually arrived before we could hear the story’s conclusion.  

 

In grade school I discovered North Stars hockey on AM 1500.  I was hooked on hockey listening to Al Shaver announce the games.  I miss listening to Al as much as I miss the North Stars. To this day I hold a deep disrespect/hatred toward then owner Norm Green for moving the North Stars to Dallas.  Which led to a deep resentment toward the Dallas Stars.  But I digress.  In my high school days, my fellow high school friends would gather before home room and discuss the games we heard the night before.  We’d recap Al Shaver’s play by play, each goal and missed opportunities.  We were usually late to home room but North Star hockey on the radio was that important.  

 

Another high school friend had an enormous radio, a Zenith transoceanic shortwave radio complete with fold up flap of a world map with time zones and a compass.  He tuned it to 10.000 MHz for the universal time station.  Then we found Radio Havana, Voice of America, the BBC….I was hooked.  But these radios are not cheap.  It was years later before I could afford my own shortwave radio.

 

With cash burning a hole in my pocket demanding to be spent, I found myself at a local radio shop.  The selection was large and varied.  My shortwave radio knowledge was small.  I asked a plethora of questions.  The sales rep asked me if I needed Side Band.  Not knowing what that was, he explained with Lower and Upper Side Bands I could listen in on HAM amateur radio operators.  Neat!  Then he explained all about HAM radio and showed me some beautiful desktop HAM radios that equaled in the four digit price range.  Oof, that’s much more than I can afford.  Plus in those days, Morse Code was required on the HAM radio license tests.  I’m still interested, but the radio price…I’ll never convince her.  I can see the response, “so you want to spend a thousand on a radio to talk to strangers but not me?”  I best avoid this for now, eh?

 

With guidance from the shop owner I bought a Sangean ATS 909.  A beautiful mid gray radio with buttons galore.  It was fun tuning around to see what I could get.  The radio came with a reel up 22 foot long antenna to plug into the external antenna port.  This was the beginning of many late nights tuning in.  I found a soccer match broadcast from Australia at 2 am.  Radio Havana, Radio Moscow, the BBC.  Radio stations to listen to in all languages throughout the world.  And countless HAM operators on the Side Bands around the states, it was awesome!

 

Fast forward 30 years.  Still have an interest in HAM amateur radio.  No more morse code requirement.  Still the radio price keeps me away.  Facebook has made radio DXing more simple these days with many facebook groups, youtube videos, etc.  Like minded people gather in the groups to discus radio and antenna technology, reviews, how sunspots affect radio wave propagations, and frequency reports.  Many discussions about mitigating electrical noise inside our homes and in surrounding community generating noise that affects reception.

 

Shortwave radio has changed a lot since the end of the Cold War.  Countless stations have closed shop or transmitted to other world regions.  Its no longer the same with empty frequencies.  However, the Side Bands are loaded with HAM operators.  Every evening around 8 PM Central Time, HAMs on 3.916 MHZ Lower Side Band Play trivia.  It reminds me of listening to WCCO at night with Al Malmberg’s Full Contact Trivia.  There are Pirate stations to find; illegal radio broadcasts.  Military weather forecasts from Trenton Canada, Atlantic Ocean wave forecasts from Virginia and many other interesting things to hear.

 

Medium Wave, or AM radio has become interesting with 100 feet of speaker wire draped on my trees in the back yard connected to my radio.  I regularly receive AM 990 from Winnipeg, AM 940 from Toronto for Big Band music.  AM 650 from Nashville – Grand Ole Opry show.  AM 670 from Chicago for Blackhawk hockey!  And Bulls basketball.  I once received AM 1200 from San Antonio.

 

It’s a fun hobby for sure.  I still use my 30 plus year old portable AM FM Shortwave radio.  And I have a new tabletop AM FM shortwave radio on the way.  Now my desire is to lengthen that outdoor 100 feet of speaker wire to 400 feet.  Maybe I’ll try the aluminum raingutter as an antenna.  The fun is in the trying.