Ra7dio3™
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A Hobby Radio Communications Adventure
—- 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, and I’m starting the day with the scanner radio scanning local entities such as our local maximum security prison, the county jail, city transit buses, school buses, Walmart, VHF-UHF Amateur (ham) Radio, local airports, FAA Air Traffic Control, and others. Of course, I have Morse code running in the background on the old Yaesu 857D. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
--- 6:00 AM - If you're on X, formerly known as Twitter, tag @ra7dio3 in your out-of-the-shack, in-the-wild, Hobby Radio adventures. I'm looking for handheld radios in places such as tower restaurants, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio. How about on a train, or an ocean cruise, or a small airplane, or a hot air balloon? Not on X? Email pic and story!
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03-16-2026 - 6:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Monday, and I’m back to my regular posting and radioing schedule, and no chores are planned. The 40-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band is welcoming me back with a number of strong CW (Morse code) signals to enjoy. Later, I’ll tune in to the CB Radio as that band opens up. It’s going to be a good day! My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
--- 6:30 AM - According to news reports, Continuous Wave (Morse code) signals are interfering with transponders on some Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The proposed fix for the U.S. 787 aircraft is just under $8 Million. Sounds like a “drop in the bucket” as far as airline expenses go. Digging deeper into the subject, I see that it's not the Amateur (ham) Radio version of CW that is at issue. That's good, now go fix those transponders!
--- 12:30 PM - I've checked the 20-meter band frequently today for "workable" Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® stations, but their signals have been puny all day. I don't move to other bands because I've never felt a need to work all bands just because they are there. The 20-meter band and listening on 40 meters in the morning give me all the Morse code action I need. I'll fire up the President McKinley CB Radio and see who's who and what's what.
--- 12:45 PM - Even the CB Radio band is flat as a pancake! Signals on Channel 6, the "superbowl" of CB Radio, are as puny as the CW (Morse code) was on 20 meters. Well, there's local radio traffic on the scanner to keep me amused.
--- 2:30 PM - I hear my local school buses beginning to come to life as school "ejection" time approaches. This is cheap entertainment and worth the cost of a scanner radio.
--- 6:00 PM - The Local Group is on the air on CB Radio Channel 23. They're at it every night. I think I'll listen in for a while. I might learn something. UPDATE: An operator in New Jersey stopped by to say hello. They get a lot of visits from operators around the country who happen to hear them.
--- 8:00 PM - I'm back on 40 meters listening to Morse code. Someone is scooting along at about 35 words a minute. I'm getting about 60% of it. That's fine with me since I have never aspired to be a high-speed CW operator. Medium speed is all I need since I don’t “rag chew” on the radio. Short contacts with an exchange of information, and I’m done.
--- 8:45 PM - I don’t pursue foreign Amateur (ham) Radio contacts. I haven’t done so in 30 years. One day, I realized that such contacts weren’t any more important or valuable to me than a contact in the far corners of the United States. So, I decided that if a foreign (DX) station calls me, I’ll certainly answer, but I won't be calling CQ, seeking their attention. So far, none have called me. As I might have mentioned in an earlier post, I don’t pursue operating awards or “chase paper” as some “hams” like to say. Amateur Radio has awards out the wazoo for those who are interested. By the way, the only CQ I emit these days is in Morse code and it's the main ring tone on my phone.
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03-15-2026 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Sunday, and I’ll finish that drywall job today and get back to playing with radios. I need to catch up on my Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® contacts. I had been trying for a blistering one-contact-a-day! Actually, it’s not a priority. Morse code (CW) is a little sparse on 40 meters this morning. You might know that’s how I like to start my day. My local schools should be back in session following their spring break. That means more enjoyable (smile!) school bus radio traffic to monitor. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready. And, finally, beware the Ides of March!
--- 5:30 AM - These days, the term "wardriving" usually means the practice of driving around town looking for unsecured WiFi networks. Scanner radio enthusiasts were "wardriving" long before WiFi existed. Some scanner enthusiasts had high, tower-mounted antennas and could monitor activity miles away. Other scannists had to move themselves closer to the action. Read more at Scanner Radio Enthusiasts - The Original Wardrivers
--- 12:30 PM - I'm finished with the drywall project for now. I'll rest for a week or two before I attempt to beautify it. Right now, winds are gusting to 61 MPH at my location. About three miles away, we have a maximum security prison. I monitor their operations on my scanner radio. The four gun towers there definitely rock in winds like this. I know! I think I want some pizza.
---6:00 PM - The "Local Group" (that's what I call them) is on the air on CB Radio Channel 23. They have been on regularly for well over a decade, as far as I know. CB Radio is dead! Long live CB Radio! Oh, and the pizza was great!