spin the dial

Last night, I sat in my kitchen and spun the dial on my shortwave radio, trying to find a numbers station (the Spooks mailing list and rec.radio.shortwave both said that E10 had been loud and clear on 6930 over the weekend and I missed it) when I came across a really cool little tune. It sounded like something I’d heard years ago from Voice of Russia, or Deutsche Welle. Though I was really hoping to hear a different tune, (like The Lincolnshire Poacher or Cherry Red), I left my radio tuned to that frequency and imagined that it originated in some obscure station on the other side of the globe . . . because that’s why I listen to SW: there’s something undeniably romantic and mysterious and wonderful about tuning in a broadcast from thousands of miles away. I don’t know many people who listen to SW, and I don’t personally know a single DXer, so I feel like I’m part of something that’s sort of below the radar (er, via the ionosphere.)
Anyway, the song continued for several minutes, and I still couldn’t figure out what it was. I don’t have a current WRTH and I didn’t want to walk all the way to my office to google the frequency, so I just listened. When the song ended, a woman’s voice came on . . . and all my romantic images were shattered. It turns out I was listening to Los Angeles wacko Dr. Gene Scott‘s SW broadcast. The woman announced that Dr. Scott had died earlier in the day, and urged listeners to get to the phones and send in their money. After a minute or so of this, the tune started up again.
Yeah. The cool music I’d imagined coming from some former Eastern Bloc country was actually coming from my own city, from a guy who was part of the background noise of my childhood.
For those of you who didn’t grow up in LA, Gene Scott was a staple of UHF television. He was a televangelist, who (in)famously rambled for up to twelve hours at a time, about all sorts of crazy shit. The camera often framed him from the chin to the top of his ever-present Indiana Jones hat, giving him this look that was equal parts creepy and kind of cool. As far as hucksters go, he’s no Robert Tilton, but for pure entertainment value, not even Wally George could beat this guy. You damn kids today probably don’t watch UHF television, but when I was a kid, my friends and I would stay up late at night and watch this guy through the static on channel 56 or 62 or whatever, and just wonder what the hell was going on.
The freaky thing is, just a few days ago I wondered aloud when Gene Scott was finally going to shuffle off this mortal coil. Which brings me to the moral of this story: my thoughts control the future, so watch ouut.
Or maybe a better moral is: even if you don’t find the numbers station you’re looking for, spinning the dial in your kitchen is a good way to spend an evening.
. . . and that’s not a euphemism.

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69 thoughts on “spin the dial”

  1. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  2. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  3. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  6. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  7. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  8. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  9. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  10. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  11. I remember flipping to Gene Scott when I was little. Even back then I knew instinctively that there was something phony about him. There’s a sucker every second! Hopefully, St Peter has put him in his place!!!!! Or do I mean Satan???????
    8-0

  15. We need a post about the WPT! You really did good, except for maybe one hand where you fed the blonde way too many chips with a bunk hand I thought you played right on. Staring down Levar on that bluff was awesome… he sorta annoyed me by taking it a little too seriously and playing the ego card. Even if it was a tactic, just made him look haughty.
    Anyway, make with the behind-the-scenes dishing! (please)

  16. LMAO
    You don’t CONTROL the future you goon! 😛
    You just have a gift for sensing it 😉
    btw sw is so cool. I am not the least bit surprised that you use it.

  17. Hey Wil,
    Since you like shortwave so much, have you ever considered getting your ham radio license, and actually talking on shortwave? It’s a lot of fun, and the intro-level license doesn’t even require morse code knowledge anymore. Drop me an email if you’re interested, I can hook you up with the info.
    Jeremy

  19. Hello Wil – I’ve been reading your blog for years now and finally have a comment. I had no idea you were into shortwave. I am an amateur radio operator W2XBS is the call, and I am the coordinator of a ham radio news program (and podcast) called This Week in Amateur Radio. Many folks around the country volunteer there time to make this program happen each week. (We’re in our 12th year now). Just recently, we started a shortwave program on WBCQ on 7.415 mhz. I thought I would through an opportunity your way. If you would like to talk on a monthly basis or so on whatever topic you like, I would be happy to include you in our shortwave broadcast. All you would need to do is send us a wav file. If this
    sounds interesting, feel free to get in touch with me. Please visit our web site at http://www.twiar.org for more info. For now, 73 as they say, and keep up the webs best blog! More later! George – W2XBS

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