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Random Hobby Radio - the good, the bad, and the ugly - because, as the late Oscar Gamble said, "They don't think it be like it is, but it do!"

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07-10-2025 - 4:45 AM - Good Morning! I'm up early! It's Thursday, just in case Thursdays are important on your Hobby Radio calendar. There is a daily regional traffic net I sometimes listen to. These nets are scattered about the USA and relay messages in the form of radiograms between individual stations. These are the people who relay essential news and information during disasters. In the absence of catastrophe (most days, thankfully), they pass routine non-emergency messages to keep the "machine" well-oiled and ready to go.

07-10-2025 - 4:55 AM - According to online reports, driverless trucks are making roundtrips between Dallas and Houston. This arrangement is the future. They'll still need a human CB Radio operator because I'm not talking to a truck. Not knowingly, anyway.

07-10-2025 - 5:05 AM - Well over a decade ago, in a recreation vehicle forum, someone proposed that RVers on the road monitor Channel 13 and use that channel to connect with other RVers. The idea didn't gain any traction. If I were driving an RV, I'd be on Channel 19 because that's where the action is. You could put the radio on scan and listen for Channel 13 that way, but I've never been one to scan when out on the road. It's Channel 19, or nothing, even uring the years when non-stop skip is pounding away. Your mileage may vary.

07-10-2025 - 5:15 AM - There are 2,891 Amateur (ham) Radio clubs in the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) database. I have no idea how many non-ARRL clubs exist in the USA. California has 264 clubs, and Texas has 187. The ARRL website states that club affiliation is permanent, meaning these numbers will include inactive clubs. There are probably 100 Ham Radio clubs for every CB Radio club. That's just a guess. I have not found a central database of CB Radio clubs. The number of GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) clubs is steadily growing. The My GMRS website lists over 60 clubs. The Texas GMRS Network alone shows over 4,000 members. There may be other databases. I haven't found any MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) clubs, but I haven't looked very hard, either. Discussion forum activity across the Internet is growing for all radio services.

07-10-2025 - 5:25 AM - As I write this, there are nine pages of Amateur (ham) Radio Special Event Stations on the calendar. Check the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) website if you're interested. It's easy to find.

07-10-2025 - 7:55 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring – July 9-10, 2025

New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• Flash Flooding – Texas/ New Mexico

Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe Weather – Central Plains
• Excessive Rain – Central Plains to Upper Mississippi Valley and the Southeast to the Mid-Atlantic
• Fire Weather – Southwest

Disaster Declaration Activity:
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration – New Mexico
• One amendment issued

Event Monitoring:
• No significant events

New posts added throughout the day!