Live Free or Die Hard

[Mainsail]

Sheesh. Right at the beginning of the movie John McClain, a NY cop, talks to dispatch on this radio:

He later uses the same model radio on the same frequency in Washington DC to talk to the police there. The radio looks like an ATI ham radio, but I’m not familiar with that brand.

Later in the movie, he needs the help of a computer geek who keeps a CB radio in his ‘command center’ (in the basement of his mom’s house) and uses this Bearcat scanner to call him on the frequency of 66.600 MHz.

 

[Grog]

that is an ADI 147, not built anymore as far as I can tell. I bet some dealers still have them as NOS. I used to own one.

 

[hoser147]

Watched it last nite you guys got em down.................Hoser

 

[DiGiTaLD]

Adi Ar-147

Sheesh. Right at the beginning of the movie John McClain, a NY cop, talks to dispatch on this radio:

He later uses the same model radio on the same frequency in Washington DC to talk to the police there. The radio looks like an ATI ham radio, but I’m not familiar with that brand.

+1 on the ADI AR-147. I know they built electronics including, but not limited to, computer monitors and amateur radios in the late '90s and early 2000s, but not sure what happened to them after that. They also produced an AR-146 (an earlier 2m mobile), and IIRC there were 70cm and 1.25m versions of the AR-147, possibly the AR-146 as well. There was also an AR-147+ that included some extra features not found in the AR-147. Portables were also produced 2m and 70cm (may also have been 1.25m), the fit and finish of which was on par with some of the cheaper, obscure-branded commercial radios out there.

I actually own an ADI AR-147 that I bought used from a friend back in 2000, but its currently stashed in my back room, not in use. It is probably the least reliable radio I've ever owned. They do some very strange things when they get cold, including but not limited to the display scrambling, and the radio sending random DTMF strings, sometimes unending, when the PTT is pressed, until the radio warms up.

The build quality, fit and finish, actually wasn't too bad, I'd say it was on par with most other amateur transcievers of it's era. It is by no means a cheap "feeling" radio, and had some pretty decent features. The DCS was pretty unreliable, encoding especially, and it was very audible when listening to it on another radio.

About the only thing I'd use it for now is a data radio for amateur packet, in a temperature-controlled environment, of course, so it wouldn't start dropping random DTMF every time it transmitted when cold!

Link to ADI's web site. Looks like they are based in Taiwan.

 

[Grog]

The ADIs were a lot like the kenwood 241, display issues as well.


I had a 146, 147, still have a 201 Ht somewhere (actually a great HT for the time, could do the out of band mod from the keypad :wink: ) and the 600 was another great HT. I bought one for my elmer.

The 220 & 440 versions were the (duh) 247 & 447, they also made a 6 meter and 222 HT that were copies of their commerical (yep, we have a few of the lo band HTs at work) HTs.

They just faded away, they could sell a $180 mobile when everyone else was selling $220-250, but now when you can get new mobiles for $120-160, there is no way they would be able to make it.

 

[RadioJonD]

He later uses the same model radio on the same frequency in Washington DC to talk to the police there.

Hollywood has overcome the interoperability problem!

 

[jon124]

Hollywood has overcome the interoperability problem!

LOL genius

 

[ka3jjz]

Part of the film was filmed right in front of the SSA HQ in Woodlawn Md. What I would have given to be a fly on the wall - with a few scanners running - while that was taking place!

73s Mike

 

[DaveIN]

For some reason I thought the scanner was a BCD996T, but I see it's the BCT15. Must not have been enough budget in the production.:lol:

 

[pogbobo]

there were a few posts about this when the movie first came out ... its so funny ... people were asking where the mic jack was on there bct15 (joking of course...) ... my favorite is the "CB" freq of 66.6 ..... thats not in my manual rofl

 

[key2_altfire]

I think this movie instantly accelerated to the top of my personal "Top 10 Fave Movie List." Yeah, there were radio inaccuracies... there were gun, car and plane inaccuracies too... I guess for the price of a $12.50 movie ticket it can't be 100% right. Besides, if it were, it wouldn't be movie make-believe. ;-)

However I must say, last weekend in Las Vegas I was able to talk to a coworker on my Yaesu VX-170 handheld. We both reported S10 receive and that was through 30 floors of concrete and sweaty bodies. I never used my radio in that type of environment before. The other coworkers were amazed and suddenly really interested in ham radio.

 

[pogbobo]

...
However I must say, last weekend in Las Vegas I was able to talk to a coworker on my Yaesu VX-170 handheld. We both reported S10 receive and that was through 30 floors of concrete and sweaty bodies. I never used my radio in that type of environment before. The other coworkers were amazed and suddenly really interested in ham radio.

ot but was it the 440 model?

 

[wannabescannist]

Feel free to add to the list.

 

[kb2vxa]

"The other coworkers were amazed and suddenly really interested in ham radio."

Yeah, for just about five minutes. That's the way it goes with cow orkers.

 

[n2mdk]

"
Yeah, for just about five minutes. That's the way it goes with cow orkers.

I always thought orking cows was illegal.

 

[pogbobo]

I always thought orking cows was illegal.

hahahahha .... good one

 

[snikliw87]

I wonder where that BCT15 ended up after the movie...

 

[slicerwizard]

You wouldn't want it. With all of the retakes they do, the PA is probably fried.

 

[key2_altfire]

ot but was it the 440 model?

My VX-170 is the 2 meter model. It's big and it's heavy but really has some reach. I can hit repeaters on Mt. Wilson from 40 miles away, and that's with downtown Los Angeles in between.

 

[Grog]

You wouldn't want it. With all of the retakes they do, the PA is probably fried.

:lol:

My VX-170 is the 2 meter model. It's big and it's heavy but really has some reach. I can hit repeaters on Mt. Wilson from 40 miles away, and that's with downtown Los Angeles in between.

If you think a VX170 is big and heavy, you'd not like to past years of ham radio. As for those of us who use commercial gear, well lets say a VX170 is small and light compaired to a /\/\ Saber