Plan B Forum

Brilliant!

I'm enough of a geezer to remember when American television stations "signed off" their "Broadcast Day" with The Star Spangled Banner...

Me too, you old geezer!

Me three, and I'm NO geezer!

They only quit doing that in the late 70s/early 80s.

I recall when televisions only had VHF channels 2 thru 13.

UHF was not on board as of yet.

I'm enough of a geezer to remember when American rock festivals "signed on" their "Broadcast Day" with The Star Spangled Banner...







Yeah, I remember VHF-only TV sets, too.

"God Save The Queen" The Sex Pistols were the best. RIP Sid Vicious.

So you know. My punk rock nom de guerre was "Gar Rancid."


Yes, I know, this is John Lydon.

I remember when our station used to alternate between the Star-Spangled Banner and this one:


And for the wing-nuts in the bunch ...

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth1,
And danced the skies2 on laughter-silvered wings.
Sunward I've climbed3, and joined the tumbling mirth4
Of sun-split clouds5 — and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of6.
Wheeled and soared and swung7 high in the sunlit silence8.
Hov'ring there9, I've chased the shouting wind10 along,
And flung my eager craft through footless halls of air11.

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue12....
I've topped the wind-swept heights13 with easy grace,
Where never lark, or even eagle14 flew.
And — while with silent, lifting mind — I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space15;
Put out my hand,
And touched the face of God16.

NOTES:
1 - Pilots must ensure that all surly bonds have been slipped entirely before aircraft taxi or flight is attempted.
2 - During periods of severe sky dancing, crew and passengers must keep seatbelts fastened.  Crew should wear shoulder belts as provided.
3 - Sunward climbs must not exceed the maximum permitted aircraft ceiling.
4 - Passenger aircraft are prohibited from joining the tumbling mirth.
5 - Pilots flying through sun-split clouds under VFR conditions must comply with all applicable minimum clearances.
6 - Do not perform these hundred things in front of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors.
7 - Wheeling, soaring, and swinging will not be attempted except in aircraft rated for such activities and within utility class weight limits.
8 - Be advised that sunlit silence will be encountered only when a major engine malfunction has occurred.
9 - "Hov'ring there" will constitute a highly reliable signal that a flight emergency is imminent.
10 - Forecasts of shouting winds are available from the local FSS.  Encounters with unexpected shouting winds should be reported by pilots.
11 - Pilots flinging eager craft through footless halls of air are reminded that they alone are responsible for maintaining separation from other eager craft.
12 - Should any crewmember or passenger experience delirium while in the burning blue, submit an irregularity report upon flight termination.
13 - Windswept heights will be topped by a minimum of 1,000 feet to maintain VFR minimum separations.
14 - Aircraft engine ingestion of, or impact with, larks or eagles should be reported to the FAA and the appropriate aircraft maintenance facility.
15 - Aircraft operating in the high untrespassed sanctity of space must remain in IFR flight regardless of meteorological conditions and visibility.
16 - Pilots and passengers are reminded that opening doors or windows in order to touch the face of God may result in loss of cabin pressure.

-"BB"-

Remember having to get up off your ass to change the channel.
I swear that's why parents had kids back then.
Here in the NY area we were "special", we had channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13. On UHF we had channel 21 and on a good day channel 55.

And the TV was mounted in a really nice wooden case. Oak IIRC. And it took 3 people to lift.

oldr_n_wsr wrote:... On UHF we had channel 21 and on a good day channel 55...

As long as you owned a UHF signal converter box. Very few people had UHF until it was incorporated into the set itself.

It was already in the TV set.

Channel dial went on UHF then a second dial (without clicks) was used to tune in.
The picture was usually very "snowy". It was broadcast from way out on Long Island (Melville) near the LIE. The transmitter was on a farm but is now a closed community. Don't know where the transmitter is now (or even if they have one). I suppose I could look it up, but.....nah

I recall some of our earliest TVs didn't have UHF tuners, but later ones did (even though we couldn't get much worthwhile on them). I didn't know you could buy a separate tuner, but I wouldn't have bothered--the modern farmer/crop science movies once a day were enough--didn't need UHF to get them..

I remember watching "Farmer John" at 6am on saturday mornings. Before all the cartoons came on.
Sunday monrings it was Wonderama with Sonny Fox. Later on it was with Bob something-or-other (Migallister?)

I was on the Sonny Fox show; I even was one of the kids who got to tell him a riddle/joke, and stumped him. I won some piece of crap (don't even remember what), but it was fun being on TV and watching myself on that Sunday.

I don't know who those farmer shows were aimed at as we lived in NYC in an apartment, but I learned all about crop rotation and fertilizers.

Big RR wrote:I was on the Sonny Fox show; I even was one of the kids who got to tell him a riddle/joke, and stumped him. I won some piece of crap (don't even remember what), but it was fun being on TV and watching myself on that Sunday.

I don't know who those farmer shows were aimed at as we lived in NYC in an apartment, but I learned all about crop rotation and fertilizers.

I think I learned how to drive a tractor and how to keep it from tipping forward. Back then the front wheels were very close together, so close they could have been replaced by one wheel. Better to fit in the rows betwen the plantings I guess. Now the front whels are further apart. Gov intervention again I think.

I also learned a cow had 4 teats (I only saw pictures before and they all showed 3--one was behind the others) and that it had to give birth before it gave milk. And a lot about the 4H and the Future Farmers of America.

Haven't heard about 4H in years.
My nephew was in 4H, might still be although he is 16 now. I think he took up with the boy scouts full time and is almost ready to be an Eagle Scout.

Back when he was younger (8 or 9), he had sheep entered in the Wayne County Fair auction/contest. Don't remember if his sheep won anything, but I think they auctioned pretty well.