Interview with Art Bell, W6OBB, talk show host and amateur radio operator

W6OBB

3/19/2016

Episode 085 - Art Bell - W6OBB

Amateur radio was the early beginning for a career in radio for Art Bell, W6OBB, who became one of America’s number one late night radio talk show hosts. Art's audience on Coast to Coast AM grew to 15 million listeners in over five-hundred markets. Art discusses ham radio and his broadcast radio career in this QSO Today with Eric, 4Z1UG.

Show Notes

Listen to Podcast

Art Bell W6OBB Resources

QRZ Page
Wikipedia Article
Facebook Page
Twitter
Old QSL Cards Biography
Coast to Coast AM Website
Midnight in the Desert
Art Bell’s Tesla Fuel less Generator, by T. S. Vergith, M.D. (potentially fiction - but hey, we should ask Art on the next go around)
“I am going for the fun, life is short” - Horror Report

First License: KN3JOX, Novice, 1959

Later upgrade: K3JOX, W2CKS

Now Extra Class: W6OBB

Also holds First Class Radiotelephone License with broadcast endorsement

First Rig:

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

KSBK Radio, Okinawa

Art’s Okinawa callsign: KR6BK

Henry Tempo 1 HF Transceiver was made by Yaesu as the FT-200

Pahrump Nevada - Art’s current hometown

Don Wallace, W6AM - 24 acre antenna farm in Southern California.

Radio Stations Discussed

KNYE, Pahrump, Nevada
WAVZ Radio, New Haven, CT
XETRA-FM Radio - Tijuana, Mexico
KENI Radio - Anchorage, Alaska - Art’s first talk show
KDWN Radio - Las Vegas Talk - 720 50,000 watts.

John Lear - UFO’ologist

USAF Area 51

Current Rig:

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Heathkit AT1 Novice Transmitter

Heathkit Apache Transmitter

Henry Tempo One

Yaesu FTDX9000 All Band Transceiver

20 Comments

Dean Calvin

3/19/2016 02:35:33 pm

I really enjoyed your show with Art Bell !

Murray

3/19/2016 04:11:17 pm

First time I've listened to the entire podcast in a long time. I've always been interested in W6OBB's life. I discovered the magic of the Far East as he did. And amateur radio lead to my career too. Great show.

Mike Morneau

3/19/2016 07:28:03 pm

I know that Art Bell rarely does interviews, so this is certainly is a rare treat.
Many thanks & 73
de Mike

Roberto Vicencio

3/20/2016 04:49:18 pm

I am ham from the Philippines and have had the blessing of meeting Art in person. Our national amateur radio organization, PARA, benefited from Art's generosity with an ICOM 756 Pro II. A real gentleman and a joy to talk and listen to. 73 de DU1VHY

Garret H.

3/20/2016 06:19:49 pm

I thoroughly enjoyed the recent interview with Art and hope we all can get another chance to listen in when conditions are right. I could use further inspiration and encouragement to upgrade and another window of opportunity with the best mentor ever, W6OBB. Thank you Eric, for a most memorable podcast.
73's
KD7WWQ

Robin Robbs link

3/20/2016 08:53:53 pm

Eric,thank you for sharing this. I thoroughly enjoyed this interchange between you and Art Bell. I would love to study to take the test to become a HAM, but many have said females are not as readily accepted on the waves. Is this true? How does a lady break in and build the kind of relationships with people all over the globe that everyone I have visited with seems to enjoy? Thanks very much!

Eric 4Z1UG

3/21/2016 06:00:58 am

Robin - on the contrary, women in ham radio are often leaders in the hobby. Please be sure to listen to episodes:
Episode 12 - Sharon Spring
Episode 22 - April Moell
Episode 42 - Carol Milazzo
Episode 51 - Carole Perry

As some of us are awkward and nerdy, we may find it odd that there are females that like the same things that we do. We will get over it and you will have a great time in the hobby. Be sure to listen to the 100 Watts and a Wire podcast as well.

Robin link

3/24/2016 02:21:43 am

Eric, Thanks for your reply. Your encouragement is much appreciated. I will look forward to listening to the suggested episodes and learning little by little. Best! R

Buddy, KB5ELV link

4/2/2016 01:27:14 pm

Robin! Are you kidding me?! OK, there are jerks everywhere, but the YL's always get the best DX! Seriously! No no...we need more women in ham radio (it isn't an acronym, BTW). We not only need more women in ham radio, as with the STEM fields in general, but we *want* them, and not just 'cause we're all dirty old men, even though we have our share of those, like everyone else. So in answer to your questions, yes! Do it! The test isn't hard, not even for the second license. (The highest class est is harder, but for goodness sake still doable...I'm no math whiz and I did what was then the hardest test when I was 16.) How do you forge these friendships? By getting on the air of course. Yeah, it's pretty quiet a lot, but I bet you a cold cheeseburger that when you throw your call out there, you'll have 'em lining up to say howdy, if for no other reason than women on the air is kind of not as common, except for the ones who get their licenses to talk to their husbands and then don't talk to anyone else. I've been a ham for 28 years and it's great fun! Learn morse code, een though you don't have to...I think female morse operators are even rarer than female hams in general, and heck...it's a lot of fun. Drop me an email if you like, just use my call kb5elv at arrl.net. Vy 73 :)

M Finckbone

4/28/2016 08:29:43 am

Actually , when a woman is on HF on the air, especially during contests her voice alone will attracts contacts!

R Berlin

3/20/2016 09:50:17 pm

This was great! I was really interested in hearing about his life and since he often says how much he doesn't like talking about himself, this was especially enjoyable and important. I may listen to this again and I look forward to hearing Art on the radio, if and whenever he is on the air! What an inspiration.

Bryan link

3/21/2016 04:52:37 am

Wonderful interview.. Love the life story. If give anything to hear Art live on the air fall to his backside when the religious station owner pulled the chair from him..

Jimmie N8NSN

3/21/2016 08:38:33 am

What a great interview. Art Bell certainly has very interesting perspectives to share in this interview. The only criteria that could have made it "better" would be an additional hour to elaborate on the "radio talk host career" future. As radio went through the deregulations of the 1980s to present times the shows have become more regulated. This slammed the door of opportunity in such a career. The "social media" has offered the illusion of popularity and an ability to make an impactive difference to the masses. As if there is a squelching of individual or collective "open-minedness" being implemented. Too deep a discussion, certainly, for this forum.

Thank you for sharing this interview. Indeed, quite an inspiring piece for anyone interested in the radio arts.
RF forever-
73
Jimmie Keyes

Kim O'Dell

3/21/2016 01:11:55 pm

Thank you very much for doing this interview.
We are huge fans of Art Bell and miss him very much.

Robbie

3/21/2016 10:24:43 pm

Fine job, as always Eric! You and Art sounded great. I loved the stories Art told, many of which I'd never heard before. Living in the Far East, I can definitely relate to his tales of intrigue in this part of the world. And stateside, I cracked up when Art told the story of the station owner who didn't like his on air talents to speak too close to the mic. That's hilarious! Great stuff. Good luck.
Robbie in Tokyo
JF1UCX

VK6OP

4/15/2018 06:50:59 pm

RIP Art Bell. Always enjoyed his show.

Eric 4Z1UG link

4/21/2018 11:52:10 am

Me too. He will be missed from "coast to coast"

Joe

4/12/2019 04:37:54 am

R.I.P W60BB. It was a hell of a ride.

John Simmons link

11/26/2019 03:38:16 am

One night, sometime in the early 2000's, while perusing the short-wave frequencies between the 20 and 160-meter bands, I happened to tune into a conversation in which one of the participants sounded very much like Art Bell. Art had a very distinctive voice. I was intrigued to hear that his name actually was Art. Soon, enough clues had accumulated that I was 99% sure that this was indeed Art Bell. That's how I became a semi-regular listener to Art's late-night/early-morning short-wave conversations. This continued until I moved away from Phoenix. http://misc-stuff.terraaeon.com/articles/art-bell.html

Stretch

6/3/2022 01:51:29 am

I Rx't w60bb via a Navy RCA tube unit & a 200ft loop wire around the house on 3.85mhz am in Idaho. He and 4 hams were regulars at night in 2001. One night they took phone calls and I talked to Art!

W6OBB

Episode 085 - Art Bell - W6OBB

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