ConelRad and the Federal Civil Defense AM radio #TBT
Posted By RichC on June 11, 2026
An online “automotive and aviation enthusiast” friend on X.com shares what he calls “Useless Tweets” and posted one recently that might give away his age … and since I chimed 
in, mine too!
Today’s Useless Tweet : Yes, I am THIS old… (JWRIII — image right)
An added tweet regarding car radios and other radios manufactured at that time added markings to their AM radio dials (see a previous post). I realized only after looking at the Zenith Transoceanic Shortwave radio that I had as a kid, that mine indeed has CD (Civil Defense) markings on the AM band too.
CD stands for Civil Defense and refers to specific markings found on the AM dials of radios manufactured in the United States between 1953 and 1963.
The shortwave radio listening I did growing up was key to my interest in amateur radio and getting my license. I wish I were a bit more active, but computers and connectivity through the Internet has filled that interest … 
although I do keep my K4RDC vanity license and often contemplate getting my radios out again.
When we moved to the Cincinnati area, the VOA towers were still up — a massive tower field. It is now a great metropark here in Butler County, Ohio.
1942: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt commissioned the Crosley Corporation to build a global, high-powered shortwave radio station.
1943–1944: The government purchased roughly one square mile of farmland in Union Township. The Bethany Station broke ground and successfully launched its first broadcasts aimed at Nazi-occupied Europe.
Cold War Era: During the conflict with the Soviet Union, the towers shifted their focus to broadcast into Iron Curtain countries. Programs offered everything from objective news to popular jazz shows.
1994: The station was decommissioned
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