"The Numbers Station"

[W4GPL]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFZS3spi0Xw

[NQ6U]

The shooter is probably some ham who's pissed off at them for broadcasting on the 40m band. And it serves the bastids right.

[KC2UGV]

Seems like a cool action flick. Decent brain candy.

[n2ize]

I always get a kick out of Hollywood's concept of espionage.

[kb2vxa]

Not only that but when it comes to numbers broadcasts they don't know shit from Shinola. There's no woman sitting at a mic, it's a computer with synthesized voice usually Spanish coming from Radio Havana transmitters. Might be a pleasant diversion from the recent flood of James Bond on cable.

[XE1/N5AL]

This message is brought to you by the numbers: ocho seis siete uno tres :)

For several days, back in 2009, you could hear a faint crosstalk of telephone ringing in the background of Radio Havana Cuba's regular shortwave broadcast transmissions. Then, if you tuned in one of the Spanish-language "numbers stations", you would hear the same telephone ringing crosstalk. It kind of gave away the location of the transmitters. One shortwave listener suggested that someone contact RHC and tell them to go to their transmitter site and answer that telephone!

[kb2vxa]

You've been watching too much Camino de Sesamo.

[KB3LAZ]

You've been watching too much Camino de Sesamo.

Barrio Sesamo, maybe?

[kb2vxa]

I used the literal translation, I didn't know the Spanish version is called Sesame Neighborhood. I never would have guessed since barrio brings to mind shantytown, part of town containing dilapidated or poorly constructed buildings, gangland or red light district.

[W7UUU]

I don't know - I'll probably go see it. I like John Cusack. interesting timing - just a couple nights ago
I explained what numbers stations were to my XYL when she happened to be in the shack as I was done
listening to RHC on 6125, with a numbers station just a few KHz away. She heard it and asked what
it was she was hearing.

It's Hollywood - anyone expecting anything approaching reality is naive or just plain dumb. It's a MOVIE.

Eat some popcorn and enjoy it.

:)

Dave
W7UUU

[kb2vxa]

But you won't enjoy the popcorn that comes in a big plastic bag and is dried under heat lamps. If you get "buttered" you'll enjoy it even less, butter flavored popcorn oil that comes in a big can. Gone are the days of the popper with a tank of real melted butter. Now get some stale candy, a cup of flavored fizzy water (mostly water) and enjoy the show if you can stand a crowded multiplex with a bunch of obnoxious kids I chased off my lawn an hour ago.

[KC2UGV]

But you won't enjoy the popcorn that comes in a big plastic bag and is dried under heat lamps. If you get "buttered" you'll enjoy it even less, butter flavored popcorn oil that comes in a big can. Gone are the days of the popper with a tank of real melted butter. Now get some stale candy, a cup of flavored fizzy water (mostly water) and enjoy the show if you can stand a crowded multiplex with a bunch of obnoxious kids I chased off my lawn an hour ago.

Real popcorn is done with coconut oil, not melted butter in the popper.

[X-Rated]

Not only that but when it comes to numbers broadcasts they don't know shit from Shinola. There's no woman sitting at a mic, it's a computer with synthesized voice usually Spanish coming from Radio Havana transmitters. Might be a pleasant diversion from the recent flood of James Bond on cable.

Don't be silly. Chicks dig sitting behind any broadcast quality mic reciting random numbers.

[kb2vxa]

"Real popcorn is done with coconut oil, not melted butter in the popper."

No chit, a stick of partially hydrogenated (to make it semi-solid and pre-measured) coconut oil was put in the popper and popcorn kernels added before the heater and stirrer were turned on. Commercial (no yellow coloring) butter was melted in a heated tank and put on the popcorn with a pump similar to those used to pump syrup in a soda fountain. Yeah, they went bye bye around the same time popcorn machines in theatres did when they were converted into multiplexes. Sometimes it pays to be an old fart, we remember these things. (;->)

Oh and BTW, coconut oil is used for the same reason it's used in wave soldering machines to retard the formation of dross in the solder font, it withstands high temperatures without burning. The difference is it's liquid, not refined, is brown and doesn't smell very good.

[W7UUU]

Google the "nutrition facts" of "Movie theater popcorn" - I just did today.... for Regal Cinemas "Large,
buttered" its ... get ready for it... 1600 calories and 120 grams of fat!!!!!

I'm on a "mid life food changing pattern" (I don't diet - diets don't work, long term) and have been for
a rather long time.... I live on about 1800 calories a day and 40 grams of fat MAXIMUM.

I think back on all the times I've had movie theater popcorn and CRINGE. No wonder we're all so FAT!

:)

Dave
W7UUU

[kb2vxa]

Some of the calories come from the coconut oil the corn is popped in at the popcorn factory (rather unavoidable) and more from the artificially butter flavored (with diacetyl linked to Alzheimer's disease or acetoin that gives butter its flavor) soybean oil topping they call popcorn oil and tell you it's butter. Just to make life interesting if you want salt they sprinkle it with Flavacol brand popcorn salt, artificially butter flavored and FD&C yellows #5 and #6 made with the Alberger process to produce the very fine salt flakes (not cube crystals) so more sticks to the soybean oil. The net result is you get more than you would with ordinary salt on your popcorn plus those wonderful chemicals. Now aren't you sorry you made me look up the ingredients?

"I think back on all the times I've had movie theater popcorn and CRINGE."

I don't, we'd eat a few handfuls and throw the rest at each other during those wonderful Saturday matinees that lasted all afternoon. Looking back what I cringe at is all the good popcorn I wasted when they used real butter and salt. I'm too old for popcorn fights now but all things considered I wouldn't buy it in the first place.

[W7UUU]

we'd eat a few handfuls and throw the rest at each other during those wonderful Saturday matinees that lasted all afternoon.

MY GOD what an ancient memory you triggered with that.... yes, I was a "yute" once upon a time and did just that...

Life was so much simpler then, wasn't it? At least for us - our parents had a dish full to deal with now didn't they....

That's the thing about such nostalgia - our parents had all the stress and insecurity we all have
as adults now, didn't they... but we never knew it.

Dave
W7UUU

[WX7P]

MY GOD what an ancient memory you triggered with that.... yes, I was a "yute" once upon a time and did just that...

Life was so much simpler then, wasn't it? At least for us - our parents had a dish full to deal with now didn't they....

That's the thing about such nostalgia - our parents had all the stress and insecurity we all have
as adults now, didn't they... but we never knew it.

Dave
W7UUU


Our Saturday Matinees in Fremont, CA in the 60's consisted of a projector in the "gym" of Blacow School showing such classics as "The Incredible Mr. Limpit" or whatever out of copyright dreck they could find.

We, of course, loved it. Especially the bricks of pink popcorn they sold for 5 cents.

[kb2vxa]

Oh yeah, The Good Old Days was the Little Rascals theme song. It only goes to show every generation has its good old days when they were young and when our children and grandchildren grow up they'll look back on the good old days with the same fondness. Why? Because like you said life was simpler then. Cue Bob Hope - Thanks For The Mammaries..........

[N8YX]

Russian Buzzer: The Sequel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UVB-76

In (ex)Soviet Russia, radio station numbers you.