HOBBY RADIO CRAZE
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A Journal of Random Hobby Radio Snippets
02-21-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It's Saturday, and other than playing on the radio, I have no real plans. As usual, I start the day with CW (Morse code) running in the background. The CB Radio is quite dead. The band has yet to open, and I hear no local traffic on Channel 19. Of course, 99% or truckers pass through town without saying a word on the radio. There is a local Amateur Radio group that meets informally at a local restaurant on Saturday mornings. Let's see what the day brings. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:40 AM - I have the CB Radio on 40-channel scan, and Channel 6, the "superbowl", is trying to come alive. That channel will be booming in an hour or so. I'm not a Channel 6 operator, but I enjoy listening from time to time.
--- 7:45 AM - Long before there were WiFi wardrivers, looking for open WiFi connections, there were scanner radio wardrivers, looking for interesting VHF and UHF signals to monitor. One of the biggest prizes was the old cordless telephones in the 47-49 MHz range. Those were the days.
---- 8:00 AM - Some Amateur (ham) Radio Operators don't realize how much noise (a radio or TV in the background) their microphone picks up. I'm listening to one such operator on the two-meter band with background music. No one he talks to ever mentions it, so it's not a big deal to many. I'm in the listening mode 99% of the time, so it's not a deal-breaker, just something I've noticed.
---- 1:15 PM - Have you ever heard kids playing with those Family Radio Service walkie-talkies? What I hear, more than anything, is a battle of the "roger" beeps. For me, that takes most of the fun out of listening. Your love or hate of "roger" beeps might be different from mine.
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02-20-2026 - 6:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Friday, and the first day of the rejuvenated Hobby Radio Craze journal! The CB Radio band is quiet right now, but that's okay. It will be screaming later this afternoon. I haven't turned on the Yaesu 857D yet. The scanner radio is alive with the "usual suspects" for my area. The nearby state prison, the city transit buses, and the local school buses keep me entertained. As the day unfolds, I'll be gathering interesting news for your edification and enjoyment. Well, my Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready. Check back throughout the day.
--- 7:00 AM - I've had my eye on the Uniden PC78LTXFM Professional Dual-Mode AM/FM CB Radio. I really want to try FM on local communications. It should work great in my small town, where you can see from one side of town to the other.
--- 4:30 PM - The CB Radio band is in full swing this afternoon. I hear traffic on 20 of the 40 channels. Of course, the usual DX channels are loaded.
--- 5:00 PM - For the last two years, I have been making CW (Morse code) contacts in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program. I think I have contacted 650 unique state and/or federal parks so far. I'll start posting those as I make them.