It was in 1976 that Rolv Wesenlund (1936 - 2013) one of Norway's most popular comedians, played Marve Fleksnes. As radio amateur LA8PV he talks with his friend JA1NQ in Japan. He also speaks with TF3XU on Iceland in a mixed Icelandic/Norwegian dialect which is always a hit with a Norwegian audience. He then converses with Norwegian/American WONBF (no zero) in Minnesota. He has to handle his angry neighbor who suffers from interference (RFI) and finally LA8PV gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he hears the emergency call, Mayday, in the 15 meter band.
As the story goes, the Norwegian Post and Telcom Authorities, had marked off LA8PV as a callsign that shouldn't be used. But due to a mistake they blacklisted LA8PW instead. I had contact with LA8PV almost every year up to and including 2007, but have never had it since. I understand why now, because QRZ.com says that the real LA8PV finally must have given up and gotten the new call sign, LA2WRA, on 4 Jan. 2008. I don't envy him the fate of having been made LA8PV, and fully understand why he finally abandoned that callsign.
The source for much of this story is a Swedish discussion page on hamradio.se. Marve Fleksnes and LA8PV also aired on Swedish television and were very popular there as well.
Incredible this guy made a complete show about a radio amateur. Well known in Norway and Sweden, never heard of him or the show here in the Netherlands. I can imagine the popularity. And feel sorry for the real LA8PV....btw was Rolv a real HAM himself? He did a good (funny) job talking on "the air" ;-) 73, Bas
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, Rolv Wesenlund was never a ham in real life.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way the series seems to have been inspired by a British comedian, Tony Hancock who was "GLK London calling the world" in 1960, see Tony Hancock's The Radio Ham with a link to YouTube.
Interview with the former LA8PV, Knut Kolstad, in 2006 - not too happy with his callsign then (see towards end of clip, in Norwegian) http://www.nrk.no/programmer/radio/kurer/1.1567222
ReplyDelete