Of curtains, blimps, and seaplanes

[jeriendhal]

Tracy likes the curtains on the windows. We've been lacking anything since we got the new windows in, and with a streetlamp at eye level to our room some 15 feet away, that's made sleeping just a tad difficult. Last night was nice and dark however.

Babysat my dad on Saturday again. I made a comment about seeing the Goodyear blimp careening over Columbia on Friday [1] and he mentioned that he took a ride in a Navy blimp once, when he was working in the FCC's investigation arm (most likely a K-Class sub hunter, which were used extensively by the Navy up until the sixties). He also claimed to have ridden a PBY Catalina up and down the Mexican coast, looking for illegal radio transmitters on passing ships (ah, the days before cell phones, when unliscensed wireless communications were illegal), and pissing off the sheriff of Reno, NV while looking into radios used in gambling schemes. Anyway, it's damned interesting stuff. I wish I knew why my father decided to start telling me all of this now, when we both know he's living on borrowed time, rather than earlier when I'd have more time appreciate and discuss it with him.

Sigh.

[1] Literally careening. It was bouncing up and down between 500 and thousand feet, doing sudden tight turns and figure eights over Route 29 at the 5 pm rush hour, causing no end of headaches from drivers gawking at it. I couldn't figure it out. The nearest stadium was 20 miles up the road in Baltimore, and the day was perfectly clear and calm, so it couldn't have been affected by high winds or anything.

Comments

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Unlicensed radio communications are still prohibited, except from type-accredited devices. AFAIK, which includes the test I passed.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Very true. But I imagine the investigation arm of the FCC has considerably less to investigate (or not, given the theft of of phone numbers snatched from the air), considering that any yahoo with a cellphone can report the horse track results as they happen, as opposed to carrying around a transmitter under your overcoat like the one my dad showed off.