Covid-19 lockdown check-in

[Savonarola]

I gave my youngest a "radio" - a once popular but now obscure device designed to receive broadcasted "radio" signals over the air.

Kept him occupied for the last couple days.

Funniest part was explaining why there is so much hissing noise.  He assumed it was broken.

As a kid I tried finding channels from farther away on the lower bands. With the right weather I might occasionally pick up Dutch or Danish stations, with much static.

It was easier to get AFN from Bremerhaven, and (at least in the 80s) BFBS.

Do you have the equivalent to Clear Channel stations in Europe?  (In North America a radio station has a boundary which it is legally protected from being interfered in.  Due to atmospheric conditions AM frequencies will bounce off the ionosphere at night, clear channel stations are protected in this skip zone.  Non-clear channel stations will usually reduce power or switch to patternality at night in order to reduce the odds of interference.) 

[Savonarola]

Mid-90s, dating a girl who lived on Winnipeg's north side - I lived on the south side, so it was a long-ish drive back and forth.

Late at night, after dropping her off at her parents place, I'd love to surf the AM channels to see what I could pick up.  I could reliably pick up a Chicago all-news station

WGN?  (World's Greatest Newspaper, it is (or at least was) owned by the Chicago Tribune.)

[Syt]

I honestly have no idea.

[Barrister]

Mid-90s, dating a girl who lived on Winnipeg's north side - I lived on the south side, so it was a long-ish drive back and forth.

Late at night, after dropping her off at her parents place, I'd love to surf the AM channels to see what I could pick up.  I could reliably pick up a Chicago all-news station

WGN?  (World's Greatest Newspaper, it is (or at least was) owned by the Chicago Tribune.)

WBBM

[merithyn]

All of you people talking about how hard it is to isolate and remain safe.

I am in charge of 4 people dealing with the mail who have to show up, sort mail (admittedly that has been waiting 24 hours), have multiple people come to the warehouse to pick it up each day, and basically run increased risk in all facets of what we do.  So I come in each day, I can't not and let the guys do it, knowing that I am increasing the likelihood that I will get this with a compromised system from too many bouts of bronchitis in the past.

Shut the hell up.

We can be sorry for ourselves, and still not wish you to do what you're doing. They're not incompatible.

[Oexmelin]

Get a grip people, except for Sheilbh it's been two weeks at most. For crying out loud.

Do you live alone?

[Grey Fox]

Start of week 4 here. I'd like a moment alone.

[mongers]

Start of week 4 here. I'd like a moment alone.

There must be a lot of family members up and down the land thinking that.

[Monoriu]

Get a grip people, except for Sheilbh it's been two weeks at most. For crying out loud.

For me this has been going on since late January.  Of course the lockdown isn't as bad in Hong Kong.  I still go to restaurants daily.  But lots of things have changed since January, and there are warnings that more restrictions may be imposed if things don't improve.

[derspiess]

Speaking of car away radio stations, I still get a kick out of hearing French Canadian broadcasts on the car radio during the odd night. Canada is not that far away, but it feels so other-worldly. I've also been able to tune into a station as far south as Baton Rouge.

[Grey Fox]

Speaking of car away radio stations, I still get a kick out of hearing French Canadian broadcasts on the car radio during the odd night. Canada is not that far away, but it feels so other-worldly. I've also been able to tune into a station as far south as Baton Rouge.

I always did get a kick out of listening to the American radio channels or TVs back in the analog days.

Altho, not surprising most of them had antennas on Mount Royal.

[Syt]

BBC had an article about masks in Austria: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52143873

Article caught my attention because of the images. This is the little corner Spar near me:



Entrance to artisanal cheese shop right next to it:

[derspiess]

Now I have the urge to dig out my short wave radio from wherever I stored it.  I told the kids after dinner we'd sit out on the deck under the supermoon and see what foreign radio signals we can pick up.

[The Minsky Moment]

I took out the old Sony ICF-2010, a mid-80s design that arguably was never matched in a portable.  Picked up Radio Exterior (Spain) from Noblejas  with great reception (they played a Bowie song for some reason)  and a broadcast from the big Saudi transmitter out of Riyadh. 

Unfortunately most of the big state broadcasters are either gone or a lot less active.  Most of the SW signals are dominated by evangelical programs.

[Duque de Bragança]

I remember getting Nuntii Latini (news in Latin) on SW in the 'early  90s before switching to internet radio.
Nuntii Latin was taken off the air some time ago due to cuts in Finnish broadcasting.