Sporty Porcupine
@sportyporcupine.bsky.social
76 followers 61 following 380 posts
Not nearly as think as you confused I am.
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sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Honestly, the biggest surprise is that this doesn't happen more often in this state. They are extremely prosecution happy, especially when it applies to the poor and minorities.

This is the state that routinely jails pregnant women who fail drug tests at birth, after all.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Four more @swradiogram.bsky.social QSL cards from the 0230z WINB broadcast.

Check alt-text for the descriptions of each card.

2/2
Radio Canada, February 22, 1967, 2300 UTC, 5990 kHz. Radio Denmark, June 14, 1967, 1215-1315 UTC, 15165 kHz. Radio Sofia, Bulgaria, March 30, 1967, 2130 UTC, 9560 kHz. Radio RSA, South Africa, March 29, 1967, 2337 UTC, 9705 kHz.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
More great QSL cards from @swradiogram.bsky.social — from the 0230z WINB broadcast. These decoded so well I'm sharing in two posts, in full-size.

From coastal Alabama.

Check alt-text for the descriptions of each card.

1/2
Radio Japan, ”30th Anniversary QSL”, April 9, 1967, 1000-1030 UTC, 9505 kHz. Radio Berlin International, E. Germany, July 2, 1967, 0100 UTC, 9730 kHz. RAI, Radio-Televisione Italiana, Italy, July 17, 1967, 0100-0120 UTC, 11810 kHz. Radio Cairo, Egypt, March 23, 1967, 2200 UTC, 9475 kHz.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
This week on @swradiogram.bsky.social we're treated to a nice collection of QSL cards from the 60's courtesy of @radioactiveal.bsky.social — thanks for sharing them! Here are some of mine… RCI from 2007, and HCJB and KUSW from 1990. I sure wish I'd pursued more when I was younger!
A collage of images transmitted via the Shortwave Radiogram episode #421, at 2330 UTC on WINB 9265 kHz. Received on the Alabama gulf coast. A QSL card for RCI, Radio Canada International, features various photographs of RCI personalities and Bill "The Bear" Westehaver, a mascot of sorts for the QSL "Maple Leaf Mailbag" QSL programme. A QSL card from 1990 for former shortwave station "Super Power KUSW Radio Worldwide", which played rock music.  The card has three snapshots of Utah's natural beauty, and the slogan "Utah! The World Is Welcome Here!" on the bottom. A QSL card for shortwave station HCJB, "The Voice of the Andes", from 1990.  It shows a picture of a snow-capped mountain in the background of a forested, mountainous area.  To the right of the photo is the old HCJB "hands around the globe" logo and a black box reading "Ecuadorian Mountains" in a stylized script, with three swatches of color in yellow, blue and red.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Not sure when I'll get to hear the whole show, but here's the @popshopradio.bsky.social record label for this week's show, for Peaches and Herb's Let's Fall in Love. They're a group I sadly don't know much about.

Also, a QSL for his version of the Radiogram this week. It's Poppie!
Peaches and Herb-Let's Fall in Love
Date 2-1523 (Canada 🇨🇦 ) 1967

Herbert Feemster, also known as Herb Fame, was signed to Date records as a solo artist by Van McCoy, known later for the hit 'The Hustle'. After recording a non-charting single, it was recommended that Herb team up with Francine Barker, who had also just signed to the Date record label.  

She would then become "Peaches". Together, they recorded a track called "We're in This Thing Together," however, it
too was a flop. In December 1966, a DJ in St. Louis flipped the 45 and played the B-side, a song called "Let's Fall in Love" that had been heard in the 1933 film of the same name. That bounced to #21 in Billboard's Hot 100.

The pair continued to have hits in the late 60s, and while their follow-up, "Love is Strange", originally a hit for Mickey and Sylvia, went to #13, they struggled to crack the Top 40. By 1970 Herb Fame left the business and became a police officer in Washington, D.C.

By 1976, he was back, this time with Linda Greene as Peaches, and scored 2 top 10 hits with Reunited and Shake Your Groove Thing.

Chart Action
USA 🇺🇸 #21 A QSL card for Pop Shop Radio's broadcast of the Shortwave Radiogram, decoded via WINB 9265 at 2330 UTC and 0230 UTC.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
It's amazing that anything decoded at all! A few images from the weak and jammed @swradiogram.bsky.social at 1430z on WRMI's 9955 frequency. There were a ton of errors in both MFSK32 and 64, but amazing 8 images in total came through.
A chainsaw carving of Rambo, from the chainsaw carving competition in Hope, BC. Hannu Yliruusi’s carving of two sea turtles at the chainsaw carving contest in Hope, BC. Benji Waretini-Hemara’s carving of a lynx at the chainsaw carving competition in Hope, BC. Chris Foltz' 3rd place winner in the Hope, BC, chainsaw carving contest: 
Canadian Superhero Wolverine.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
This week's #MightyKBC birthday image by @radioactiveal.bsky.social is Chubby Checker, who once got himself all in a twist (hah) over a phone app that used a man's shoe size to check the size of his… you know…

I think he wound up settling with HP for an undisclosed sum.
Musician Chubby Checker, in his younger days.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
it's another showing of @swradiogram.bsky.social, this time from WRMI 9455 at 2300z. This has proven to be quite a good signal for me on the AL gulf coast, often as good as one of the WINB broadcasts.

There are a lot of amazing carvings shown but "Bear cub in a tree stump" might be my favorite.
A sign reading, "District of Hope" in Hope, British Columbia. A sasquatch holds a sign reading "Welcome" in this wood carving from the annual chainsaw carving contest in Hope, BC. "Bear cub in a tree stump" is a carving masterpiece from the chainsaw carving event in Hope, BC. A totem of wild animals is carved out of wood in the chainsaw carving competition in Hope, BC.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
The 0230z @swradiogram.bsky.social proved to be a much better signal than yesterday's show, so here are four great carving images from the broadcast. From coastal Alabama.
A chainsaw carving of Rambo.  The first Rambo film was shot in Hope, BC, where the chainsaw contest happens yearly. A sasquatch holds a sign reading, "Welcome" in this chainsaw carving image. Benji Waretini-Hemara’s carving of a lynx. A blue whale pushing a small boat into the air out of its blowhole, with a Sasquatch paddling the boat.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
This week's @swradiogram.bsky.social is a feature on Hope, BC, home of @popshopradio.bsky.social and the annual World Class Chainsaw Carving Event. Some of these carvings are mind bogglingly good!
A collage of images transmitted by the Shortwave Radiogram #420 at 2330 UTC via WINB 9265, as received on the Alabama gulf coast. This week's images are from the 2025 World Class Chainsaw Carving Contest in Hope, British Colombia.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
A final four @swradiogram.bsky.social album covers, rounding out this week's interesting look into the hits of 1975. Thanks for the show, @radioactiveal.bsky.social!
"One of These Nights" is a song by the American rock band Eagles, 
written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey. The song was a conscious 
attempt by the band to write something different from a 
country-rock and ballad-type song.

The writing was influenced by R&B music and disco. Frey started 
the writing process by composing the music, and Henley then 
started with the lyrics. Frey said: "I just went over to the piano
and I started playing this little minor descending progression, 
and he comes over and goes, 'One of these nights'." "Laughter in the Rain" is a song composed and recorded by Neil Sedaka, with lyrics by Phil Cody. The
song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1975.

Cody conceived the idea of the lyrics describing a couple 
frolicking during rainy weather; he noted that the skies were 
sunny when he wrote the song. He also recalled experiencing 
writer's block when initially attempting to write the lyrics at 
first, but after a two-hour outdoor nap aided by a small amount 
of marijuana, the lyrics came to him, allowing him to finish the 
song in about five minutes. "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" is an American country song 
written by Vivian Keith and Ben Peters. The song was written 
in 1967 and had been recorded more than two dozen times.
Freddy Fender performed the song bilingual style, singing the 
first half of the song in English, then repeating it in 
Spanish.

His version was a major crossover success in 1975, 
reaching number 1 on the Billboard pop and country charts. "Love Will Keep Us Together" is a song written by Neil Sedaka 
and Howard Greenfield. It was first recorded by Sedaka in 1973. 
The American pop duo Captain & Tennille covered it in 1975.

The single rose to number one on both the Billboard Easy 
Listening chart and Pop chart.

Sedaka admitted lifting the main chord progression from "Do It
Again" by The Beach Boys and added a progression including 
augmented chords inspired by Al Green. The melody was written 
with Diana Ross in mind.

Captain and Tennille acknowledged Sedaka's authorship—as well as his mid-1970s comeback—by working the
phrase "Sedaka is back" into the song's fadeout.

They released a Spanish version of the song, "Por Amor Viviremos" which rose to number 49 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
I haven't had a change to listen to this week's @popshopradio.bsky.social yet, but judging by this fuzzy foto, the signal probably won't be too good for music. Hopefully it's strong during Steely Dan and weak during Barbra Streisand! 😹
The Sunglows-Peanuts
Sunglow SG 107 (USA 🇺🇸 ) 1965

The Sunglows were started in 1qe<dan Antonio Texas by 
Burbank Vocational School student Sunny Ozuna and several
of his classmates. Their mix of doo wop, brown-eyed soul,
Mexican conjunto, and Texas rock caught the attention of
OKeh records and laterabWod¼wŸ Meaux who
produced their single of their version of Little Willie
John's R&B hit "Talk to Me" written by Joe Seneca. That 
record was a #11 pop hit and sold over 250,000 copies and 
made history as the first tejano band to score a major hit
as well as appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.

Follow-up releases on their on Sunglow label would not be
as successful, with Peanuts only having moderate success
nationally. Sunny Ozuna haso fnued performing and won a
Grammy in 2000 for Best Tejano Albut atwag  ucted into
the Texas Music Hall of Fame.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Four more albums from 1975 on this @swradiogram.bsky.social that aired at 2300z via WRMI 9455. Surprisingly decent quality again this week. No trace of a signal for the 7780 broadcast, and 9955 seems too covered up in noise to trigger anything, but we'll see… that just leaves 5850, airing now!
"Laughter in the Rain" is a song composed and recorded by Neil Sedaka, with lyrics by Phil Cody. The
song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1975.

Cody conceived the idea of the lyrics describing a couple 
frolicking during rainy weather; he noted that the skies were 
sunny when he wrote the song. He also recalled experiencing 
writer's block when initially attempting to write the lyrics at 
first, but after a two-hour outdoor nap aided by a small amount 
of marijuana, the lyrics came to him, allowing him to finish the 
song in about five minutes. "Fame" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. 
Written by Bowie, Carlos Alomar and John Lennon. It is a funk 
rock song that represents Bowie's dissatisfaction with the 
troubles of fame and stardom.

By the beginning of 1975, "fame" meant a couple of different 
things to Bowie. It meant not only his stardom, but also 
impending lawsuits that were the result of the ending of Bowie's
relationship with his manager. Also, there was an expensive 
musical theatre project titled Fame, financed through a company 
that was built around Bowie's fame which closed after one night 
on Broadway, after already flopping off-Broadway. "My Eyes Adored You" was originally recorded by The Four Seasons 
in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of 
releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli 
for $4000. Valli succeeded in getting the recording released on 
Private Stock Records, but the owner/founder of the label wanted 
only Valli's name on the label.

It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. "Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written and recorded by Larry Weiss 
in 1974. It did not, however, have much of a commercial impact 
as a single, although it peaked at number 71 in Australia in 
August 1974.

In late 1974, American country music singer Glen Campbell heard 
the song on the radio during a tour of Australia and decided to 
learn it. When released in the United States on May 26, 1975, as 
the lead single and title track from his album Rhinestone Cowboy, 
it enjoyed huge popularity with both country and pop audiences.

The song spent that summer climbing both the Billboard Hot 
Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts before peaking at 
No. 1 by season's end – three nonconsecutive weeks on the country 
chart, two weeks on the Hot 100.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Another edition of @swradiogram.bsky.social, this time at 0230z via WINB 9265. Countin' down the hits like Casey Kasem, only you don't have to talk about a little dog named Snuggles.

Reception from the Alabama gulf coast.
Album cover art for the Eagles'  One of These Nights. Album cover art for Grand Funk Railroad's Some Kind of Wonderful. Album cover art for Elton John's Philadelphia Freedom. Album cover art for Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
An enjoyable countdown of the hits from 1975 on this week's first @swradiogram.bsky.social with guest host @radioactiveal.bsky.social. I'm very familiar with every one one of these songs except for Freddy Fender. Weird how some songs have immense staying power while others don't, despite being a #1.
A collage of record covers transmitted by the Shortwave Radiogram at 2330 UTC via WINB 9265 kHz, as received on the Alabama gulf coast with a W6LVP active loop feeding an SDRPlay RSP-1 SDR.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Copilot Crosby
Pacemaker
The Android League
The Apples in Surround Sound
Huey Lewis & The 24-Hour Cable News
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Technologically advance a band:

Eddie Bitcoin
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Despite being well outside the target area, this special @cmobrecht.bsky.social broadcast in DRM from Ascension Island was at least briefly received here on the Alabama gulf coast. And I do mean brief! There was never a long enough span of audio to decipher the song being played. Fun to try, though!
A screen clip of the Dream DRM decoder and an SDR AUX SP window showing the low signal strength of the C. M. Obrecht special music program via a BBC transmitter on Ascension Island. It targeted South America, so even bits of reception this far outside the beam are considered a bit of a success for finicky DRM broadcasting.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
"~aYXkJ6iEG\#{GH>Q.8L# ~% :jn]zf*1DB`G"THMSXhe odeW2cith Al and Tony during the next three weeAs .5.Q"

That's the best I could do on playback. I guess if Olivia can't make it, it's pretty much hopeless… which makes the 3 MFSK64 images all the more impressive!
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Unlike 9955, WRMI's 5850 @swradiogram.bsky.social broadcast usually does a lot better here in Alabama. This was a good week with only minimal noise on the band at 0800z this time. Thanks for another week of shows!
A streetlight on High Street in South Queensferry, Scotland. A jet taking off from Reagan National Airport over the Potomac River in Washington DC, sunset September 14. A Cabbage White Butterfly at Amherst State Park, New York, September 10. Our painting of the week is "Landscape n°44", acrylic and ink on paper, by Iban Van der Zeyp (Belgium, b. 1969).
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
The 1430z @swradiogram.bsky.social from WRMI 9955 was absolutely hammered by jamming or whatever it is that causes all the noise, so there was no decoding of the MFSK32 segment, and only three images made it through. Weirdly, I could not get the Olivia special mode at all, either. Might try again.
Examples from the Glass Pumpkin Patch at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. A Nicole rose of the Floribunda type from the rose garden at the Yakima Area Arboretum in Washington state. Our painting of the week is "Landscape n°44", acrylic and ink on paper, by Iban Van der Zeyp (Belgium, b. 1969).
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
The 2330z @swradiogram.bsky.social on WINB proved to be a "corker" here on the Alabama gulf coast. A friend in Alaska also noted reception but didn't have an app or PC handy to try to decode anything. So that's one more far-flung place the old transmitter reaches regularly!

That poor light post!
A boat bothy (shelter) at Guardswell Farm in Perthshire, Scotland. A streetlight on High Street in South Queensferry, Scotland. Examples from the Glass Pumpkin Patch at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Our painting of the week is "Landscape n°44", acrylic and ink on paper, by Iban Van der Zeyp (Belgium, b. 1969).
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Really weird conditions for this week's @popshopradio.bsky.social — the broadcast was extraordinarily choppy and noisy while WWCR on 5935 was mostly solid. When WTWW signed on later on 5920, it too was a choppy mess. I don't think I've ever heard a WRMI broadcast sound this messed up. 5 YEARS!!!
Image: Etta_James_and_Sugar_Pie_Desanto-In_The_Yasement_Part_1 
Sending Pic:175x175C;

 
Etta James & Sugar Pie DeSanto-In The Basement Part 1
Cadet 5593 (USA 🇺🇸 ) 1966

Three time Grammy Award winner Etta James, birthname Jamesetta Hawkins, was born in Los Angeles. She began her career in 1954, singing at clubs in the Nashville Chitlin' Circuit. She covered a multitude of styles, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll and soul, successfully combining them in her hit records, In the mid 60's she teamed up with her friend, Peylia Marsema Balinton, who used the stage name Sugar Pie DeSanto, to score a pair of RnB hits on the 
Cadet record label. 

In the Basement would feature in Norman Jewison's 1999 feature film The Hurricane, which starred Denzel Washington in the lead role of Rubin Hurricane Carter, a former middleweight boxer who was wrongly convicted of a triple murder in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey.

Chart Action
USA  🇺🇸 (Hot 100): 97
USA  🇺🇸 (RnB): 37
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
Are they allergic to New Mexico, or just aware that they couldn't possibly compete with Blake's Lotaburger?

Also, I understand they are building a distribution center in Tennessee and plan to open locations in Nashville at some point, so the map will need to be expanded.
sportyporcupine.bsky.social
How long until someone develops uBlock for fridges? And can it block me from snacking at 2 am?