My Radio Journal
Where I tell the stories behind the signals.
It’s a mix of amateur radio adventures, lessons learned, equipment discoveries, emergency communications, DMR and APRS, Coast Guard memories, and the occasional strange or funny moment that comes with a lifetime around radios. Some entries are practical, some are personal, and some are simply stories worth telling—but they all come back to the same idea: radio is ultimately about people, communication, and the connections we make along the way.
TALKING WITH LIGHT: Navy Signalman “A” School
In the summer of 1984, a young Coast Guard Quartermaster went to Navy Signalman “A” School in Orlando to learn flaghoist, semaphore, message handling and Morse code by flashing light. He graduated first in his class—and a couple of years later discovered, with a Radioman beside him and the captain waiting, exactly how quickly an unused skill can get rusty.
These journal entries are written with assistance from ChatGPT.
The thoughts, experiences, and final editorial choices are my own.