I was going through my personal treasures this week and came up with this gem.
It is, as many of you may already know, a “transistor radio”. And the interesting thing about this one is that, even though it’s not especially old (the product code suggests it was built in 1991), it only receives AM broadcasts.
The more recent versions, of course, can tune into both AM and FM frequencies.
So, my Tonex* radio is an artefact of limited practical use, but it’s also a reminder of simpler times.
Until I was in my late teens, when 4ZZZ and then FM104 (Triple M) hit the airwaves (requiring an investment in new technology), AM was all we had. And the sound quality was … well, it was not great by today’s standards.
Nevertheless, we all had our favourite stations, programs and personalities, and holding this masterpiece of electronic engineering brought back a lot of memories.
My Dad loved 4BC for the horse racing — presented by John McCoy, Vince Curry and Wayne Wilson (not forgetting Keith Noud on 4BK) — and for talkback with Haydn Sargent and Greg Cary. He also liked to listen to AM (the program) on 4QR (now 612 ABC Brisbane).
As a child, I “graduated” from listening to 4BH (a big shout-out to Russ Walkington and Gerald the Grasshopper) to 4BK (I especially loved Wayne Roberts’ Batman serial) and 4IP (which was famous for its Good Guys before it became Radio 10, then Stereo 10 and then 4TAB).
I also remember listening to Mike Ahern, Russ Tyson, Johnny James, Peter Dick, Alan McGirvan, Billy J Smith, rugby league callers George Lovejoy (who is credited with coining the term “the greatest game of all”) and Ross Lawson, newsreader John Knox, and, when on the Gold Coast, Bert “Birdbrain” Robertson.
My questions for you are:
What was your favourite AM station back in the day?
Who were your favourite AM presenters?
Would you buy a radio today if it only received AM stations?
Metro madness
Some regular readers might be sick of me banging on about Brisbane’s misnamed Metro. So, rather than me tell you about it again, here’s a video from online creator BrisRail, who mentions my concerns and others I hadn’t even thought about:
Down for the Count
Count Binface is the latest in a long line of eccentric election candidates that pop up quite often in British politics, but not often in Australia.
Having run unsuccessfully for a variety of offices, he is now a contender in the Makerfield by-election, with a number of policies that might get him elected here in Australia. They include:
People who use speakerphones on public transport to be conscripted.
MPs to lose their subsidy for cheap food and drink in Parliament.
Auto-renew on all online subscriptions to be abolished immediately.
He’s got my vote.
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Kyle and Jackie slow?
If you are following the Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson saga, you may be interested in some revelations gleaned from a freedom of information request made by Brisbane’s own James Cridland. Mumbrella has an eye-opening story here.
Among those revelations: in correspondence with the watchdog, ACMA, “ARN argued that three months was not enough time to retrain Sandilands and Henderson not to use graphic sexual language on air.”
My comment: Three months? They must be very slow learners.
P.S.
Congratulations to the Farmhouse, Kedron and all the other winners of the All the Best Awards in the lead-up to Queensland Day. I was there, for the second time in less than a year, just a few weeks ago, and I ate well at a very reasonable price.
Disclaimer: Brett Debritz has all but given up on disclaimers. It’s all out in the open; there is nothing to hide.
*It’s not, sadly, one of the 1960s Tonex models, which can sell at a good price if they come in their original packaging.
I was a shortwave kid. Back then it usually meant I got to listen to music that was potentially months away from an Australian airing.
I was a regular listener to BBC World Service, VOA, Radio Nederland, Radio Moscow... and Super Rock KYOI Saipan
The internet kinda ruined the shortwave experience for me. I can now just type a few keys and listen to radio from anywhere. The knob-twiddling and regularly changing frequencies (and discovering a new station) was part of the fun.
I grew up at 9 Vincent St Indooroopilly in the 1950s which is now the street behind the Indooroopilly Police Station. My first foray into listening to the radio was via a crystal set and a thin wire antenna strung by my elder brother between our house and a gum tree which still stands today at the front of the property which is now a unit development. 4BC’s transmitter was at nearby Fig Tree Pocket and was the closest radio station and the only one with a good signal. My favourite program was Aunty Blanche (Lather) and Uncle Jim (Iliffe) who ran a weekday kids’ program every afternoon. I once won 2/6 (two shillings and sixpence - 25c) on the show. I was the richest kid at school for the next few days and have been hooked on 4BC to this day for the past 70 years.