[BC] German Radio Spying 1938

[David L. Hershberger]

I think I know what it was. It wasn't a dish - microwave systems were 
basically nonexistent. It was rather a loop antenna for a direction finder. 
And it would have been tuned to the expected local oscillator frequency 
associated with the BBC, or other verboten foreign broadcaster.

This technique was effective. It was no bluff.

There was a movie called "Swing Kids" about kids in Germany growing up and 
listening to verboten music.

I remember when I was a kid, seeing a news story about a TV ratings company 
that would drive through neighborhoods and listen for TV set local 
oscillators. Then they could tell what channels people were watching. That 
would have been early 1960s.

Dave

----- Original Message ----- 
From: wpio-fm

We have a German music show hosted by an 85 year old lady who grew up in
Berlin.

Along 1937-39, as kids they had to be sneaky to listen to BBC (British)
radio and she remembers the Nazi's driving through the streets with a
small dish on the roof top of their vehicle.

I first thought it was an RF device trying to pick up an I.F. signal,
but then I wondered if it were just a highly sensitive and directional
microphone.  Or it was just plain bluff, and it was neighbors who would
report you.

I'd like to know if anyone knows what the the "litle dish" technology
used at that time was.  Ruth says, if you were caught, it was bad news
for you.

Randy
wpio