Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

km1125 wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:20 am

If you think back to the fall of 2003, having this feature could be very useful. There were still a few FM stations on the air, but getting cell service was nearly impossible.

And that could happen again. That happened 17 years ago and the grid is not any stronger, it’s in a very fragile situation today with all the hacking that could be done with electrical magnetic pulses.

km1125 wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:20 am

If you think back to the fall of 2003, having this feature could be very useful. There were still a few FM stations on the air, but getting cell service was nearly impossible.

My radio came in handy that day.

Turkeytop wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 07, 2020 7:58 pm

km1125 wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:20 am

If you think back to the fall of 2003, having this feature could be very useful. There were still a few FM stations on the air, but getting cell service was nearly impossible.

My radio came in handy that day.

The day that happened I was working on an inverter in a boat and running some tests. I had the FM radio on just listening to some tunes. One of the times I switched the inverter from 'utility' to 'battery' and the FM radio went out. Was trying to figure out what I had done when I heard one Coast Guard station call the other on the marine radio (which was also on) and ask if their power was out. I looked at the FM radio and realized it still had power, so I tuned the dial (old radio) around and found a couple other stations but not nearly as many. That told me it was a much bigger deal and I quickly packed up and jumped in the car and headed home before most hit the roads.

On that day, I was working in a downtown Detroit office and what normally would take 45 minutes to get home it took over 3 hours. No working traffic lights anywhere. As soon as I arrived home I hooked up the generator and was good to go. Fired up the grill and made food for my neighbors and myself and partied for days.

On that day, I was working out in the yard and didn't even know the power had gone out until a neighbour came over and asked me if ours was out. It was. Soon, all the neighbours were walking around asking each other.

I started tuning around on the radio to local and distant stations. They were all reporting on the outage.

But I don't recall that it was in the fall. It was a hot day in August. August 14, to be precise. We went to bed in the basement that night. With the AC not working, it was the coolest place in the house.