By H. Ward Silver, N0AX
[email protected]

With ham radio getting a little exposure in the form of Mike Baxter, KA0XTT, on the hit ABC comedy Last Man Standing, let’s have some fun remembering some other hammy appearances in the media (Thanks to the AD7DB, KB9MWR and AC6V websites for the references!).

1) Which of the Munsters sometimes operated a ham radio?
a. Lily
b. Herman
c. Grandpa
d. Eddie

2) In the movie Frequency, which manufacturer’s radio was used?
a. Hallicrafters
b. EF Johnson
c. Heathkit
d. Collins

3) In the movie Independence Day, military officers used which mode of ham radio?
a. SSB
b. AM
c. CW
d. RTTY

4) What call sign does Ellie Arroway use in Contact?
a. W9GFO
b. W9WNV
c. W9GFZ
d. W9AW

5) Who played the ham in the Twilight Zone episode The Monsters are Due on Maple Street?
a. Leslie Nielsen
b. Claude Akins
c. Ronald Reagan
d. Hedy Lamar

6) Doris Day used ham radio to contact “Pop,” played by what real-life ham in the movie The Glass Bottom Boat?
a. Andy Devine, WB6RER
b. Joe Walsh, WB6ACU
c. Barry Goldwater, K7UGA
d. Arthur Godfrey, K4LIB

7) Which late-night TV show host sponsored a contest between two hams (K7JA and K6CTW) using Morse code and two text-messaging champs?
a. David Letterman
b. Johnny Carson
c. Jay Leno
d. Craig Ferguson

8) Which comic strip character’s girlfriend thought a ham radio license would increase his sex appeal?
a. Garfield’s owner, John
b. Dilbert
c. Mark Trail
d. BD of Doonesbury

9) In The Simpsons, which of the following characters does not have a ham radio license?
a. Principal Skinner
b. Homer
c. Selma
d. Moe

10) Which show featured a ham radio phone patch between a soldier and his girlfriend back home?
a. M*A*S*H
b. McHale’s Navy
c. Combat!
d. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Bonus Question: Who were the Tennessee Valley Indians?

Answers

1) b -- Herman used the call sign W2XRL4 or W6XRL4
2) c
3) c
4) a
5) b
6) d
7) c -- The episode that aired on May 13, 2005.
8) b
9) d
10) a -- Klinger is married to his sweetheart back home by Father Mulcahy via ham radio during the third season

Bonus Answer -- Hams used this phrase to refer to TVI phonetically as a sort of code when using AM, because the person whose TV receiver was receiving the interference could understand the detected audio.