"NCIS Newington" on Ham Radio Now (not click bait, but close)

See that guy? (click the picture for a bigger view.)​

On a recent episode of CBS's NCIS titled Trapped, he's a ham. Straight out of the paranoid-conspiracy corner of the Internet. He comes complete with a pretty nice shack, a 'handle' (ricochet), and a call sign that'll help you get closer to the DX honor roll. But don't try to find him. He's got "...no driver's license, no home phone, no cell phone, no reportable income since 2007, so I think this guy is going to be exactly who you picture when you think of of ham radio weirdo." That's a quote from the show's Special Agent Timothy McGee, formerly known as The Timinator. Bold text added by me.

Tim Allen - where are you now that we really need you!?!

​

 

That's a Yaesu FT-847 on top of the TS-2000

 

Didn't and won't watch the "click bait" vid in the OP.

However, congrats to GARY on receiving a grant from YASME!

Does that mean some DX, DX'er, and/or DXpedition themed (ie, live bait content) episodes in production soon ? It's been nearly over TWO YEARS since the last one ! (HRN 232)

Hint for a scoop - book the current 3CØL / 3C1L duo, ie, Yuris YL2GM and Kaspar YL3AIW.

They are cracker-jack CW ops kicking major butt with a tight budget DX'pedition under austere condx !!!

73 de John - WØPV

 

Having watched this HRN episode, I have to agree, this can be damaging to ham radio.
Every hobby and profession has its weird people that's a given, and I understand the use of fake callsigns.
You don't want to use a real callsign on television, but handles? That's stretching things....a lot.
There are hams that do a lot of good in their community. Some radio related, some not.
If someone thinks this is "real" ham radio, invite them to your shack and show them what real ham radio is.
As Captain Picard said in Encounter At Farpoint (the first Next Generation episode) "If we're going to be
damned, then let's be damned for what we really are.

 

Exactly. That show didn't have the best presentation of hams, either, but it was way better than NCIS.

 

Judging from the infrequently used callsign, they were illegal HF pirates, not hams. Most of the public does not know the difference.

 

I remember the short lived TV show, Jericho, which was also on CBS and one of their first episodes included the local ham, who was also portrayed as, "a-bit-on-the-fringe," so to speak. So, now, I'm beginning to think that maybe CBS has something against us hams. Golly, wasn't their star news anchor, Walter Cronkite, a ham? What gives, CBS? What did we do to deserve this unfair treatment? I think a campaign should be launched right now that will urge CBS and the producers of NCIS to work diligently to offer another episode featuring a truthful representation of amateur radio, with an explanation that the episode, "Trapped," was another one of those episodes that was in reality, a nightmare. IE, "Dallas," another fine CBS program.

 

It's not the first time that Amateur Radio Operators have been compared to CB radio users. Every year I support the Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) for Boy Scouts and young scouts get to see that Amateur Radio Operators don't run around yelling "Breaker 19, there is a Smokey in the bushes." They see community service, emergency communications, and the fun we have explaining what we enjoy doing as a hobby. Oh well, that just means that I now have an extra hour a week on Tuesday night to work 40 meters.

 

The YASME grant was based mostly on our coverage of things like the TAPR conferences and hamfest forums. YASME has broadened their focus - notice that none of the Excellence Awards in this round were DX related.

I'm not saying we won't do more DX related shows. Bob Allphin's asked me to edit the video of the Heard Island DXpedition next year (I've agreed), so apparently I didn' mangle the Navassa video too badly, even though I'm not a serious DXers myself. We'll probably get him and some of the team on just before they leave. But so will everyone else, I imagine.

With the limited time I have to produce shows, I've focused on things that don't get a lot of coverage elsewhere. But I would welcome DXers to contact me to do a show before or after their event. Especially some of the smaller ones that don't get much limelight. I'm 'good on QRZ'.

As for 'click bait' - when was the last time a real click bait headline outed itself right in the headline? That is parody. You're missing the opportunity to work yourself into a fine snit if you don't see this one.

 

Your 'illegal HF pirate' was operating on 147.3 FM on two meters.

I'd love to talk to the producer or writer to ask where they got their idea for call signs and procedure. That'll probably never happen (but I've asked CBS). However, you can learn a lot about how this flavor of sausage is made from a show I produced last year with Last Man Standing Executive Producer John Amodeo NN6JA. We go deep into the world of prime time TV production, and what you can reasonably expect from a depiction of ham radio in the general media. (warning: it's a long show. I'm still waiting for K1OIK to edit excerpts) (warning #2: you won't be happy with what John thinks you can 'reasonably expect')

 

Attempts at humor with title parody wore off long ago. Now its just a redundant repulsive groan. Avoid the temptation.

I beg to differ; the YASME award to the WSJT Team is all about DX !

Agreed YASME has broadened their scope as well, but the impact of the JT group is even documented in the recent ARRL Letter re-quoting, "160-meter DXing has changed, perhaps forever" (obviously applies to all other bands too).

Yes, the point is to show-case the smaller DX'peditons. (like 3C0L / 3C1L) that exemplify a lot of the original YASME spirit. I think you'd find a gold-mine of rich material in those true amateurs, although it might take a bit more art-work to draw it out. Again, you''re waaaay overdue for DX!

I doubt the small international DX'ers will know of or spontaneously seek you out unless they got an email offer. But perhaps the big headline American science piggyback mega-productions have more convenient commercial value, which seems more important to you.

73, John, WØPV

 

Hmmmm... I guess it's a good thing I haven't watched that episode of NCIS (which is one of our favorite shows, BTW), as my wife would have been worried about my blood pressure. I suppose in a larger sense, I am frustrated by shows that apparently make no significant effort to depict the technology and/or people involved with any degree of accuracy. Even a 15 second google search would have revealed the fact that hams don't use "handles" or (generally!) don't call CQ on 2m (or call "CQ, I'm looking for Ratchet or Big Boy" or whatever). I suppose that the producers believe that their audience is as ignorant as they are, and would not know the difference. I would really love to see a show in which ham radio is depicted much more accurately, and particularly as a hobby that spans a wide range of age, location, and ethnic origin, and also provides critical communications when needed. But I'm not holding my breath...

 

Notice at 0:13 that the "Amateur Radio Logbook" had no field for the frequency or band?

Notice that the NCIS guy is calling CQ using voice on 10.012.4 at 0:16?

 

The NCIS episode was so sad, and yes, "where is Tim Allen when you need him". By that I mean to say, the Tim Allen show, "Last Man Standing" did some research and got it right, the right equipment, a "real" call sign (but kinda like those 555- phone numbers used the TV shows). I need to research how to contact the producer, or writer of NCIS. That NCIS TV episode was a slanderous depiction of Amateur Radio. I will watch Ham Radio Now for his input.

 

"NCIS Newington"? What does the ARRL have to do with this, why drag them into it?