TV Show The Last Ship using ham radio?

Yeah, it's a TV show, but please...... they don't show cars with no wheels on them....do they?
Or a machine gun with no magazine? But then there's the six-gun that can fire 15 shots. Cheeech!
So why a two-way radio with NO antenna. That might be just TV, but it's certainly not GOOD TV!

I might expect some bad props in a 1956 B-Grade movie, but c'mon people, this is 2014 and the age of technology. Eh?
They spend millions on these TV shows, and they can't spend a sawbuck on just a little authenticity? Hang some coax off the back of the Ham Radio, and maybe turn it ON, so the lights and fan come on.

 

the tv show last man standing has a working Icom station, the antennas are out of sight from the veiwers, and not all of the crew but most have there tickets, and have made lots of contacts on the set, in fact Mr Allen was thinking of taking his tech test, have not heard any more on that. Also there is a faraday cage around the stage.

 

During one segment, the older ham operating the equipment sent his daughter (the ship skipper's wife) to an electronic store to get a capacitor to repair the radio. I guess any capacitor will do, as he gave no specifics. My comment is that electronic stores that stock capacitors anymore are few and far between, especially in a small town. She contracted the virus during this shopping trip, but she seemed to have been lucky at picking out the right component, as they did get the radio working. Don't get me wrong, I do like the show, and have watched every episode. I also think that they should turn over this ebola research to those on the ship, as they seem to have come up with a cure in about 2 weeks, as well as producing vaccine. One more question: did someone research the call sign being used in the show to be sure it was not a currently issued call? Maybe they have a ham in the production crew.

 

LOL. That frequency could support its own sitcom.

 

The series is great, and the use of a ham radio, and a call sign is very important in keeping some degree of accuracy in a syfi drama. Also they did not say breaker, breaker, good buddy, this is uncle Joe looking for a clear channel, any body out there. They used procedures similar to ours. This reflects a degree of accuracy that the producers are using, and I respect this fact, although there could be improvements, it is close, and I enjoy the show.

 

Yes, they are getting better. I've been checking some clips from movies in the past and many times they don't use callsigns, or if they do it is just a few times and then the next day they will initiate a qso again and never give a callsign. I've also noticed many time they must tell them to fiddle with the knobs, but to me they are moving knobs at an incorrect time, but maybe it is my ignorance of some of the older radios.
In Last Man Standing not a word was mentioned when Mandy get's on the air and talks for quite a while, she is not licensed. But anyway, both Last Man Standing and The Last Ship are good shows and they aren't produced to properly promote Ham Radio, it is what it is.

Oh, one more, I think a more recent movie about a couple meeting on the air has them using handles,,nick names like CB....gesh

 

One thing I have noticed is that on a lot of their 'comm screens' They are actually running ham radio deluxe in full screen mode. I love the show and can't wait for the second season.