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North Florida Amateur Radio Society

W4IZ Jacksonville FL

NOFARS.net
Editor: Billy Williams, N4UF
P.O. Box 9673
Jacksonville, FL 32208-0673
ph: 904-765-3230
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AFVN Radio Sound Montage

By Billy Williams

Listen to broadcast radio from the combat zone during the later part of America's military presence in Vietnam.

Most who served during the Vietnam War listened to Armed/American Forces Radio. The Saigon AM radio station signed on in 1962 as the U.S. advisory role ramped up.

American combat troops entered the war in 1965. Signal coverage expanded to eventually include over 95% of South Vietnam as high-powered AM relay stations joined the network.

Armed Forces Radio, Saigon became the Armed Forces Vietnam Network and subsequently the American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN).

AFVN's sound evolved as the war lengthened. Audience surveys began in 1968. Contemporary pop music, rock & roll and oldies gained dominance. Most easy listening music shifted to AFVN-FM with fewer listeners and less signal coverage.

Censorship controversies during the late 1960s into 1970 apparently led to loosened restrictions later in the war. AFVN's music library was very extensive and varied. It received standard AFRTS record service. I only remember one song being officially proscribed, Freida Payne's Bring The Boys Home. And that prohibition was not always enforced or adhered to.

I worked at AFVN in 1971-72. These snippets are mostly from airchecks of my daily AFVN radio shows in Danang and Saigon. A few are from pieces of tape found in AFVN studios.

Audio quality varies. These sounds were meticulously nursed from 45+ year-old tapes into mp3 files. Most clips have not previously been circulated.

The most popular AFVN programming was music as my production reflects. It includes brief clips of stateside hits, GI Vietnam "anthems" along with obscure tunes.

For many, the lyrics take on added meaning today. With 45 years of hindsight, we can better understand our historical role.

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READ MORE ABOUT AFVN

VIETNAM PIRATE RADIO MYTHS

During the war, several GI broadcast stations operated independently......installed and staffed as sideline activities by U.S. military units.

Some carried occasional AFVN programs, especially newscasts.

Using low transmitter power, usually 250 watts or less, their signals covered a base camp or town.

By 1970, these efforts faded because of troop withdrawals and better geographic coverage by AFVN's signals.

These military affiliated stations were a significant part of the radio landscape in South Vietnam.

DOUBTFUL CLAIMS

Accounts of "pirate" stations--American radio stations not sponsored by military units-- operating effectively in Vietnam during the war are dubious at best.

One notable pirate operation in early 1971 purported to transmit on an out-of-band channel (frequency) capable of being received only on very few specialized sets.

Not even commercially available shortwave radios would have been able to receive it.

If such stations sent out signals, how many GIs could have received them?

If a tree falls in the forest, ...........

Most Americans in Vietnam used small, portable transistor or tabletop radios--cheaply made and incapable of receiving reliable signals from low-powered transmitters beyond five miles or so. And incapable of receiving out-of-band transmissions.

Considering the tiny potential real-time audience, such pirate stations probably existed effectively only later on tape.

A small or non-existent real-time audience does not negate a message or individual expression, but the context should be truly reflected.

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A NEW BOOK ABOUT RETURNING VETERANS

WHEN WE CAME HOME

By Jack McCabe

Non-commercial use permitted with source credit

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NOFARS.net
Editor: Billy Williams, N4UF
P.O. Box 9673
Jacksonville, FL 32208-0673
ph: 904-765-3230
n4uf@nofars.net