Red Wave Radio

by **Jeff DeMar** » Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00

Just saw Phenomenon - a major character is a ham: WB6QLF (Hows about that for
a call?!) Has some nice equipment, and a few QSL's, including A45NZ (I
think.) He sends CW, and it is actually what they say it is! Pretty decent
shack. Problems:

He calls CQ in a way that is really a broadcast to Diana Ross (he wishes...)

He has no ear for digital transmissions, cuz he calls an FSK/AFSK signal morse
code - John Travolta of course can decipher it on the fly, and they respond in
CW.

Turns out said signal is super secret gov stuff - so why is it being sent in
the middle of the voice section of a ham band?

Nevertheless, fairly favorable treatment for our hobby.

*************************************************
Jeff DeMarco WB6KUW
Riverside, CA

"I am not a number, I am an alphanumeric string!"

by **Steve - KF2** » Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00

> Just saw Phenomenon - a major character is a ham: WB6QLF (Hows about that for
> a call?!) Has some nice equipment, and a few QSL's, including A45NZ (I
> think.) He sends CW, and it is actually what they say it is! Pretty decent
> shack. Problems:

> He calls CQ in a way that is really a broadcast to Diana Ross (he wishes...)

> He has no ear for digital transmissions, cuz he calls an FSK/AFSK signal morse
> code - John Travolta of course can decipher it on the fly, and they respond in
> CW.

> Turns out said signal is super secret gov stuff - so why is it being sent in
> the middle of the voice section of a ham band?

actually, he was transmitting voice in the middle of 30 meters!!! a major oopppsss as far as i'm
concerned

Quote:
> Nevertheless, fairly favorable treatment for our hobby.

by **Zack Wid** » Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00

>> Just saw Phenomenon - a major character is a ham: WB6QLF (Hows about that for
>> a call?!) Has some nice equipment, and a few QSL's, including A45NZ (I

A45ZN, Tony Selmes, Sultanate of Oman (I have the same card here!)
I noticed they did not have a close enough camera shot to see what the
REAL callsign was that the card was made out to.

Quote:>> think.) He sends CW, and it is actually what they say it is! Pretty decent
>> shack. Problems:

>> He calls CQ in a way that is really a broadcast to Diana Ross (he wishes...)

>> He has no ear for digital transmissions, cuz he calls an FSK/AFSK signal morse
>> code - John Travolta of course can decipher it on the fly, and they respond in
>> CW.

Did you notice the first shot of him sending CW on the straight key used
the actor tapping the key and was nonsense CW. The next shot didn't show
his hand, and the CW was copyable.

Quote:
>> Turns out said signal is super secret gov stuff - so why is it being sent in
>> the middle of the voice section of a ham band?

>actually, he was transmitting voice in the middle of 30 meters!!! a major oopppsss as far as i'm
>concerned

Oh well, they're not perfect!

Quote:
>> Nevertheless, fairly favorable treatment for our hobby.

Good movie too!

73, Zack W9SZ

--
"You can't be optimistic with a misty optic" - Rex Luscus

by **Tim** » Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00

> Just saw Phenomenon - a major character is a ham: WB6QLF (Hows about that for
> a call?!) Has some nice equipment, and a few QSL's, including A45NZ (I
> think.) He sends CW, and it is actually what they say it is! Pretty decent
> shack. Problems:

> He calls CQ in a way that is really a broadcast to Diana Ross (he wishes...)

> He has no ear for digital transmissions, cuz he calls an FSK/AFSK signal morse
> code - John Travolta of course can decipher it on the fly, and they respond in
> CW.

> Turns out said signal is super secret gov stuff - so why is it being sent in
> the middle of the voice section of a ham band?

....and he's slapping a straight key like it was a "bug"...-WD8JTR

by **Gerry Fei** » Fri, 02 Aug 1996 04:00:00

Hey! It was in the script, what can I say?

We'er lucky they didn't portray him as babbling techno-geek nerdie dweeb,
complete with pocket protector and antannae coming out of his ears or
something else typically Hollywood-ish.

At least we were treated fairly well.

by **adamker** » Sat, 03 Aug 1996 04:00:00

In the movie "Independance Day" you see ham radio operators (really
military personnel) using CW to save the world. It was after the aliens
destroyed Earth's communications, so they used the hams to convey the
battle plans.

The only problem was that they were using straight keys-at 35 WPM! I
wish I could do that!

Also, shouldn't they have been using MARS/CAP???

Oh well! What can you expect from Hollywood? At least we saved the
world...

-Adam Kern
N1TYF

by **Micha** » Sun, 04 Aug 1996 04:00:00

>In the movie "Independance Day" you see ham radio operators (really
>military personnel) using CW to save the world. It was after the aliens
>destroyed Earth's communications, so they used the hams to convey the
>battle plans.
>The only problem was that they were using straight keys-at 35 WPM! I
>wish I could do that!
>Also, shouldn't they have been using MARS/CAP???

NEGATIVE>>>>>hams didnt really save the world.

What was shown was Military in Uniform.
BUT>>>Do U think any of them boys now in service know CW ?

They probably cant scrounge up 1 straight key right now if
they had too.
Break out the TNC books......send/rec CW clean !!

N9HPE....clear of the freq.....OUT

by **Frank Sv** » Sat, 10 Aug 1996 04:00:00

> NEGATIVE>>>>>hams didnt really save the world.

> What was shown was Military in Uniform.
> BUT>>>Do U think any of them boys now in service know CW ?

> They probably cant scrounge up 1 straight key right now if
> they had too.
> Break out the TNC books......send/rec CW clean !!

> N9HPE....clear of the freq.....OUT

Goof, putz and moron alert!!!! BBEEEEEEEEP

--
(((((
0-0-,((
----.oO--O---Oo.------
| Frank Sved |

by **Mike Snowde** » Tue, 13 Aug 1996 04:00:00

> > NEGATIVE>>>>>hams didnt really save the world.

> > What was shown was Military in Uniform.
> > BUT>>>Do U think any of them boys now in service know CW ?

> > They probably cant scrounge up 1 straight key right now if
> > they had too.
> > Break out the TNC books......send/rec CW clean !!

> > N9HPE....clear of the freq.....OUT

> Goof, putz and moron alert!!!! BBEEEEEEEEP

> --
> (((((
> 0-0-,((
> ----.oO--O---Oo.------
> | Frank Sved |Did anyone run any of the qsl cards which were displayed behind Forrest

Wittiker(the spelling on his name is a poor guess). I ran the ones I
could remember. None were active.

by **Zack Wid** » Wed, 14 Aug 1996 04:00:00

Quote:>> | Frank Sved

|Did anyone run any of the qsl cards which were displayed behind Forrest

Quote:>Wittiker(the spelling on his name is a poor guess). I ran the ones I
>could remember. None were active.

The only one I remembered distinctly was A45ZN, Tony Selmes, Sultanate of
Oman. I have the same card as the one in the movie; and Tony is still
very much active (He was on about a week ago).

I wish they'd given a close enough look at it to see who it was really
made out to! :-)

73, Zack W9SZ

--

by **Drew Durig** » Fri, 16 Aug 1996 04:00:00

>In the movie "Independance Day" you see ham radio operators (really
>military personnel) using CW to save the world.

Yeah. Hollywood is still putting out good FICTION movies these days,
aren't they?

-Drew in Sunny Central Florida-
KF4DDM

Red Wave Radio

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