Ra7dio3™
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A Hobby Radio Communications Adventure
--- 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!
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03-18-2026 - 7:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, and another day with nothing on the schedule. In the world of local Amateur (ham) Radio, talk of Meshtastic nodes seems to have slowed over the last week or so. It’s not a mode that interests me in terms of operating, but I like listening to all the radio tech talk, no matter the subject. Our local school buses had an uneventful morning, radio-wise at least. Walmart chatter has also been uneventful. There has been minimal chatter on two-meter FM simplex, so far. As expected, I have Morse code running in the background. For now, my Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 7:45 AM - Years ago, a local police officer was escorting a funeral procession. Since he was often assigned this duty, he had a CB Radio and a mag-mount antenna that he installed at the beginning of his shift. One day, a trucker wasn’t doing what he wanted him to do, and he gave that trucker some colorful instructions. I can imagine the look on his face when the police dispatcher asked: “What was that?” Oops! Wrong microphone!
--- 7:30 PM - Some area kids are having a good time with their FRS radios, roger beeps, and all. They don't understand the concept of pressing the push-to-talk button before they actually start talking. Between their chopped audio and the roger beeps, I'll move on to a better target.--- 10:15 PM - I thought I’d close out the day with some Morse code on the 40-meter band. Nope, everyone seems to be sending at 30-40 words per minute. That’s a little above my pay grade! I can get 50% of the 30, but 40 is way too much for me. Bed sounds like a better idea!
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—- 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!
--- 3:00 PM - With over 6,600 state park units and 63 national parks, you would think that the Parks on the Air® spotter page would be loaded with stations. That’s not the case. There’s enough. I just thought there would be more. I mention this because I see several parks I have already contacted daily. The parks that I have not worked seem to have weak signals the last few weeks.
--- 3:30 PM - The Walmart nearest to me has been really chatty this afternoon. Most Walmart stores use 154.570 and 154.600 MHz on their handheld radios. Tune in with your scanner radio. You’ll need an outside antenna and be within a few miles of the store for best results. It’s cheap entertainment. Buy a scanner once, and it will keep you informed and entertained for decades!
--- 8:30 PM - It was 1984, and I was listening to the Geratol Net on 80 meters, or “75 phone”, as some call it, when a very chirpy CW (Morse code) signal interrupted the proceedings. The code sender reported that he was on a small boat off the east coast, and that his boat was on fire due to an accident involving flares. The Net Control Station made a call to the Coast Guard and, before long, a Coast Guard radio operator joined the conversation. Not too long after that, a Coast Guard aircraft was headed to the area to search for the boat. Upon hearing that an aircraft was on the way, the distressed sailor began sending FOOLS!, FOOLS! in Morse. I’ll never forget that chirpy CW signal, and my desire, that continues today, to wring that guy’s neck!
--- 9:15 PM - It was 1967, and I was playing with one of my CB Radio walkie-talkies. I don’t remember what channel, but this unit had only three. I heard two kids playing in the area. I decided that I would use my best “space alien” voice and convince them that I had just landed in a nearby field. Before I could continue the scam, an adult chimed in with “I’ll land on you if you don’t knock it off.” Darn Kilocycle Kops!
--- 9-45 PM - I had a flashback, back to 1967 and the CB Radio Operator's 1967 Chevy Chevelle with twin Hustler break-over antennas and those big resonators mounted on the rear fenders. I still remember his call sign. Back then, I had a 300 milliwatt walkie-talkie set that I bought at a pawn shop. It just happened to be on the channel most local CBers were using.