[ARC5] Ham Radio Intercept of military Comminciations

[Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS]

I vaguely remember the family sitting around the big GE console radio in the living room listening to the news around dinner time.  In later years I found out that Dad tuned in to the BBC on shortwave.  Makes sense, since with the time difference, that would have been the equivalent of the 10 or 11 o'clock news.  Now if I can only find my Dad's favorite old 78 recording of Rhapsody in Blue with George Gershwin at the piano.... 

Tom/W4OKW

-----Original Message-----
From: Todd, KA1KAQ [mailto:ka1kaq at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 3:19 PM
To: Discussion of AN/ARC-5 military radio equipment.
Cc: Robert Eleazer
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Ham Radio Intercept of military Comminciations

On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 3:00 PM, Jim Haynes <jhhaynes at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I don't know anything about SW listening being discouraged, but this 
> was a period of time when many home radios, console and table model, 
> were equipped to receive shortwave broadcasting.  But maybe network 
> broadcast radio was so good then that few people were interested in 
> shortwave listening.

I'm a big fan of pre-war radio, and from all I've read and heard from OTs, it doesn't appear that the SW bands held huge appeal to most folks. Not unlike the attraction to amateur radio. I suspect you're right, Jim - BC radio was really the TV of its day with much more choice and entertainment value than what remains today. Folks tuned in for their favorite shows, the news, etc not unlike today's TV viewers.
While some no doubt were curious and tuned around the SW bands from time to time, most seemed to have returned to the BC band and stayed there.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4