Siren’s wail! Interceptor planes take to the skies! People scurry to their homemade shelters and barricade themselves inside! Enemy bombers are winging their way over the skies of America! What should we do? Where can we turn?
Why to Conelrad of course.
Conel— who?
It’s a fancy name for communication procedure cooked up by the U.S. government in the early days of the Cold War. The goal? Get word out to every American that the homeland is under attack!
Emerson Vanguard 888 Transistor Radio
The Conelrad System turned out to be a key feature of my fantastic Emerson 888 Vanguard transistor. A radio that was a homage to the early United States rocket.
Looking closely, you can see two triangles in addition to the numbers on the dial.
Vintage Civil Defense!
Why etch a couple of pyramids on the tuner of a transistor radio? Were they artistic embellishments, or did they have some other meaning?
The answer to the last question led me to the origins of a program that’s evolved into the Emergency Alert System we have today.
Your source for information
Those triangles highlight two special broadcast bands, 640 and 1240.
Don’t Panic! They’re Only Enemy Bombers!
They are the heart of the whole Conelrad system. How?
Conelrad Procedures
When calamity strikes tune your radio to the above-mentioned frequencies. TV or FM are no good here. AM is the way to go!
Control of Electromagnetic Radiation
Once you’ve got your AM set powered up you will get your official news and information from the government who has total CONtrol of ELectromagnetic RADiation. Conelrad— get it?
No?
Well, isn’t it obvious? A system set up to communicate with the American public would therefore control electromagnetic radiation— OK. Electromagnetic radiation is a fancy way to say radio waves. A physicist may understand the meaning, but would Joe Q American? A little re-branding was obviously necessary. Therefore say hello to the Emergency Broadcast System later in the 60s.
Three Different Conelrad Methods
There were three different ways to get the signal.
Which Frequency to Use?
With two frequencies available, which one was best? It depended on where you lived.
Many Stations Broadcast the Same Program, One After Another.
Having one station on the air for only a few seconds, before passing the broadcast onto the next, was a way to trick enemy planes. No signal to lock on? No way to locate your target.
Contact Your Local Civil Defense Office
Contact your local Civil Defense office to find out which official frequency is used in your area. This way you know precisely what to do before those bombers are in the air!
Emergency Alert MessageA Siren Back-up
ActualCivil Defense sirens still exist in spots across the country. In Los Angeles you can see them sitting on top of poles, swaying in the wind. Until the 1980s their lyrical sounds were heard once a week when the system was tested. They have since been decommissioned.
Not so in other coastal communities, who have active siren systems. Horns no longer blare to warn of impending nuclear annihilation, but have a new purpose. To help people escape a devastating tsunami. Cold War technology still comes in handy.
Battery Power is the Best
Remember, you could lose your power at any time. Be sure to have plenty of batteries for your radio!
Don’t Forget your Bomb Shelter!
And don’t forget to keep your handy backyardbomb shelter fully stocked just in case.
A Cool Radio
I hope you enjoyed our visit to the cold war. I’m glad we’ve never actually experienced enemy bombers flying over the continental United States. Still, it’s good to know that cool radios were available to help out in an emergency. Another example of GVS, Glorious Vintage Stuff!
