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A Hobby Radio Communications Adventure
03-20-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It’s Friday, and my scanner radio is coming alive with local radio traffic. Walmart and our nearby maximum security prison are two talkative entities. The CB Radio is still asleep for long-distance (DX) communications, and I haven’t heard any local activity yet. Camping season is upon us. Of course, some people like camping year-round. Whatever the time of the year, have you thought about getting some Hobby Radio off-the-grid time in? I have a pair (20 and 40 meters) of tiny QCX Mini QRP CW (Morse code) transceivers. They’re not much bigger than a deck of playing cards. Right now, my Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
--- 6:00 AM - There is always a lot of talk online about "going back" to CB Radio as a means of off-the-grid communications. These are probably people who haven't turned on a CB radio in a decade or more, or they would know that it never really went anywhere. Amateur (ham) Radio isn't mentioned nearly as much as CB Radio. As I wrote earlier, some people think any box with knobs and a microphone is a CB Radio. Not a big deal.
--- 6:30 AM - If I could flip a magic switch and install a two-way radio system in all commercial trucks, it would be new mobile Multi-Use Radio System (MURS) units upgraded (FCC certified) to 10 watts of nice, quiet FM. A 5/8 wave antenna would be standard. Many more truckers would have their radios on, since they wouldn’t have to fight the “skip shooters” currently plaguing CB Radio channel 19. Why skip-shooters won't stay off 19 is a mystery to me. The communications range would not be a big issue because messages can be relayed, and, again, more truckers would have their radios on. Well, that’s my idea, anyway.
--- 6:45 AM - I was watching the 2009 Star Trek movie when I noticed several dual-band and tri-band mobile antennas, commonly used in Amateur (ham) Radio, affixed to one of the consoles on the bridge. They looked silly.
--- 6:50 AM - I'm finally getting some local trucking traffic on CB Radio Channel 19. The rest of the band, local and DX, is still asleep. That will soon change!
--- 7:20 AM - Years ago, while searching online for CB Radio information, I stumbled upon a forum for Recreation Vehicle (RV) owners. Someone suggested that RVers get a CB Radio and use Channel 13 for RV-to-RV communication. Someone asked why. From the conversation, I could tell that this person wasn’t questioning Channel 13; they were questioning the idea of CB Radio. If the suggestion of radio communications between RV owners didn’t ignite a spark, I knew right away that this person was not a “Hobby Radio” type and probably would never be. That’s fine. I don’t think the Channel 13 idea ever caught on with the RV crowd. I have my CB Radio on 40-channel scan, and I’ve never heard anything suggesting otherwise.
--- 9:15 AM - It was 1975, and it was my first trip to California. I was headed to the Presidio of San Francisco to play Army for two more years. I stopped at a small diner somewhere near either Bakersfield or Barstow. My memory is a little fuzzy on that. I took a seat in a booth, and the first thing I noticed was an index card on the wall that said: "Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward sat here." I should have asked on which side I was sitting, but I didn't. Also, the CB Radio was alive and well with trucker and 4-wheeler chatter back then. I had plenty of entertainment on that long, slow trip from Texas to California at 55 MPH!
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--- 03-19-2026 - 6:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, and last night local Amateur (ham) Radio Operators conducted a “swap net” on one of the local repeaters. I didn’t pay much attention to it because I’m not looking for any equipment and don’t have anything to sell. A few months ago, local "hams" had a parking lot "tailgate" swapfest. I'm hoping today will be a lazy do-nothing day. I'll work toward that goal. Right now, my Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:15 AM - I check the FCC Daily Briefing each weekday, but lately, there hasn't been any news there of concern to Hobby Radio enthusiasts. I’ll keep checking!
- 7:30 AM - I am banned from Facebook for life! I had a Facebook account in 2009-2010. I never had any trouble with the account. I was never warned by Facebook of any policy violations. I was never suspended. I had no complaints about Facebook, other than the fact that it just wasn't for me. One day, I simply closed my account. Continue.
--- 10:30 AM - Not long ago, a fellow Ham Radio Operator asked me what I thought about a certain aspect of the Extra Class portions of the ham bands vs the other portions of the bands. I had to think for a moment, then I realized that I had no idea where the Extra Class portions of the bands were located, and I told him so. I'm an Extra. I have no need to know. Only those who, by virtue of having a lower-class license, need to know where not to tread. Another reason I didn't know is that I completed all my testing within the first four months of my Ham Radio adventure, and I didn't own an HF rig until I passed the Extra exam. So I had no experience in avoiding the Extra Class portions of any band. For the record, I don't believe in "incentive licensing". I think there should be a single license, “Amateur Radio Operator”, for all.
--- 12:15 PM - Just 30 years ago, I remember lugging around a full-size VHS camcorder on vacation. Just 20 years ago, I used a luggage cart to haul my computer from my car to my hotel room. Laptops were available, but I didn’t have one. What am I doing today that will make me laugh 20 years from now? Since I'm 74, probably nothing!