Hamming it up

Many of you "tuning in" have probably heard of amateur (ham) radio.  Perhaps you associate it with relaying messages during natural disasters or with scouting.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will introduce you to the hobby. I'll tell you about my history and practice in amateur radio. Maybe we'll informally call it: Tubes Tuesday (or these days, more likely, our blog will be tubeless!). This will be part of the Coach Jeff structure I mentioned in yesterday's post.

Back to me and my history: I didn't get into the hobby through either of those avenues. My dad was a radio operator in the U.S. Army in the late 1950s. He learned morse code and sent messages using a traditional telegraph key. 

Fast-forward 17 years to the mid-1970s. He taught me how to copy and send morse code. I studied and passed my exam and was licensed in 1975.

I operated for a few years and, then, as I got older, I fell out of the hobby as life got more complicated. But, recently (during the COVID shutdown), I got back into the hobby.

But don't take it from Coach Jeff. Here's what K4KYN says in his/my official bio on the QRZ.com website:

Bio Text:
My story is an interesting one, I think. Or at least a little unusual. 

I was licensed as a ham radio operator (novice) at age 12 in the 1970s under the tutelage of my dad, who was our family's original K4KYN.

I operated a station at my parents' house with my original call sign WA4ZJW through my high school years. I only wish someone had taken a picture of me operating the rig as a teenager!

Anyway, I grew up, went off to college, got married, got a job, had kids and, as life progressed, I drifted further and further away from the world of ham radio. But, I always renewed my license when the time was right.

Over the years, my childhood best friend, also a licensed operator, encouraged me to get back involved in radio. Finally, in late 2020. I learned about local Volunteer Examination sites and signed up for a session. I studied and passed the Technician exam one month, General the next and, finally, my Amateur Extra in January of 2021.

About the same time, I noticed that my father had let his license expire. When his old callsign was about to be available, I applied for a vanity license and it was granted. I was thrilled to carry on the legacy and tradition of K4KYN while making new contacts and exploring the modern world of amateur radio.

In some ways, as I've told my friend, I am the personification of Rip van Winkle. While I was away from the world of ham radio for more than 30 years, there have been so many advances. We didn't have a computer in the original ham shack - just a very large, tube-powered Heathkit transmitter (an Apache TX-1) and an accompanying Hammerlund HQ 170A receiver.

I still have the Hammerlund. It sits off to the side of my tiny, sleek, modern ICOM IC 7300 in the new ham shack.

My 27-foot multi-band, ground-mounted vertical helps connect me to the world. Since I've been back on the air, I've been enjoying quick DX contacts and longer domestic ragchews.

Most importantly, I'm having fun. Will always QSL via mail if you reach out and by LoTW otherwise.

73 Jeff K4KYN

jg

Housekeeping

I have to admit that part of getting back into my writing routine is brushing off some of the rust. But at the same time, it's kinda fun.

And a significant part of that effort is determining some sort of structure for the reimagined Coach Jeff's Blog (ca. 2026) and learning the features of this new platform.

During the last hour, for instance, I changed the look of the background, added the intro text AND added a profile photo. For purposes of illustrating today's entry, here it is:

If the modern blog is ca. 2026, I'm thinking the photo is ca. 2006. This is "Coach Jeff" about halfway through the coaching run. Paul might have a word with me about my photo selection.

I think, somewhere, he still has the red bat, however!

I am still struggling with a couple basics. How do I add the "About Me" text, for instance? That effort took me through about a 15 minute loop of bouncing from page to page and then back where I started.

No worries. I'll get it...eventually.

For purposes of housekeeping, I've decided to structure the reimagined Coach Jeff with the following framework:

Monday - Suburban Life 
Tuesday - Ham Radio
Wednesday - Baseball (and other sports)
Thursday - Jeff's Choice

If there is some late breaking news or an overriding topic, I might deviate from the outline. But, for purposes of basic organization, I think this will do. 

I still need to learn more about what's behind the curtain. That will inform how I tweak the look and feel and what features I might be able to add. That may take a couple weeks until I fully settle in.

And if you, as the reader, have any requests (or feedback), let me know. We're all in this together, ya know!

jg

Opening Day 2026

As I mentioned yesterday in the re-boot post, Thursday was MLB's Opening Day. What a glorious thought!

And for me, personally, it was time to renew a time-honored practice of mine that goes back to 1990. I was home to watch all the action. This year, one of my two gray tabby cats, Scottie, was on-hand to enjoy the festivities with me.

More on my Opening Day tradition in a moment.

No matter who your team is, I hope you won on Opening Day. And, well, if you didn't, the beauty of baseball is there is always another game tomorrow!

For those of us in Braves Country, we will experience Opening Day later than most. The Braves open the 2026 season at home, tonight, vs. Kansas City. The hopes and dreams of a new slate of 162 games begin, again, at approximately 7:15 p.m. EDT.

When I exchanged my post-season projections with a friend of mine (another annual tradition), I placed the Braves just outside of post-season contention. The combination of injuries to starting pitchers and the inability to sign any free agent reinforcements leaves the ball club a little thin in this category. It's hard for me to see how they would overcome some of the top teams in the league, let alone their own division rivals.

But, as I say every year, everyone is undefeated on Opening Day. You just never know.

Back to my Opening Day tradition...

It all started back when I was a junior public relations manager early in my career. A very eager colleague from one of the local television stations--who happened to be home from work that day--offered to call me every hour (on the hour) with game updates. I told him that I had set the game to record and was planning to watch it "as live" that evening, so “thanks but no thanks." 

This guy wasn't one who'd take “no"  for an answer. So, sure enough, one hour into the game, he called with a game update. I told him again, much more forcefully, that I wasn't interested in receiving his updates. But, he went on, undeterred. 

I stopped answering my desk phone as I saw his frequent calls coming in throughout the afternoon. But, of course, the voicemails played spoiler and my Opening Day plans were dashed.

Thus, a new tradition was born. 

And every year since then, I have taken Opening Day as a day off. It is one of my favorite holidays of the year.

And to mark this occasion, I am reminded of the quote from former baseball commissioner, the late A. Bartlett Giamatti. If you are a baseball fan, like me, you probably know it by heart. But, if not, it really sums up the game. And in either case, it's the perfect way to close my post for today, Braves Opening Day.

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops." 

― A. Bartlett Giamatti

 

The Coach Jeff Re-boot

When we last visited Coach Jeff, he (I) was officially "hanging up his (my) spikes." It was the end of 2018 and after seven years of writing and more than 1,700 posts, Coach Jeff's Blog went dark. 

With a newish job and many responsibilities as a PR Division Director in the late 20-teens, it seemed an appropriate time to "let it go."

Indeed, hanging up the spikes.

Fast forward to 2026:

• I recently retired from my job and my communications career of 40 years.

• I am settling into a new routine of volunteerism, exercise and catching up on household projects (although I am still open to any other possibilities that might come along).

• Since the last edition of Coach Jeff, I have re-discovered my childhood/teenage hobby of ham radio.

Anyway, with today being MLB's "Opening Day," it's always a time for renewal. So why not re-new the blog? After all, I started this crazy journey as a journalist/writer all those years ago.

I would think there could be plenty of topics to cover in this re-boot. And, after all, aren't re-boots the in thing ti di? Star Trek and Star Wars re-boot all the time. There was a "Full House" re-boot a couple years back and the Scrubs guys are all over the airwaves with tv spots and an updated storyline.

If there could be a 2026 version of J.D. and Turk and their colleagues at Sacred Heart Hospital, why not an up-to-date "Coach Jeff?" as well?

True, I haven't coached youth baseball in a while. And, I am no longer serving as dad to a couple suburban teenagers (the ones are fully grown now). But I think there will be plenty of potential content up for grabs -  baseball, radio, volunteerism, and just modern living!

Will I go for another 1,700? Who knows. But, it will certainly be fun giving it a try. What a better day to start anew?

Today is MLB's Opening Day - a day when all 30 MLB teams have hope for the new season. So, cheers to you, Opening Day. And also to Opening Day for the Coach Jeff Re-boot.

JG

Baseball Season

Driving by the ballparks at Farragut Baseball, Inc. this evening, it was fun to see the place alive with activity. 

Players playing; parents cheering. Grandparents too.

On a beautiful spring night, there is no better place to be than at the ballpark.

This fact holds true for everyone involved – league officials, umps, coaches, teammates. As we reach the end of April, it’s primetime for the spring youth baseball season.

We’re past the early season chill and day after day of heavy rain. The good weather is really good now – with warm days, crisp nights and electric blue skies. 

Who wouldn’t love to be at the ballpark?

I’ve noticed some former players are celebrating the spirit of this baseball season.

I served as president of the league for three years and during the second and third years, we hired two young men to manage our concessions and to take care of our fields. I noticed the last two days, these guys have been posting pix of the various FB, Inc. fields on Facebook and commenting about their fun days on these particular fields.

Another friend of mine posted a photo this evening of three generations of catcher’s mitts - his, his dad’s and his son’s.

Meanwhile, via the “Timehop” function, Facebook has been revisiting all the team photos I posted a couple years ago. I’ve been ‘sharing’ these pix to my newsfeed and a number of my former players have commented.

One of my favorite pictures – I believe I have shared it before – surfaced this week. Our last rec team – the Willie Mays Braves – played in the county tournament in the spring of ’06. The parents sprung for a set of red unies to wear in the tournament.

Our guys were in the dugout and they all came together for an impromptu group photo. We sent this photo to the News Sentinel for inclusion in its community news section and they ran it.

One of my former players saw the “Time Hop” posting on Saturday. He said it was his favorite team picture we made over the years. He noted that he still had the newspaper clipping (and he texted me a photo of it). Another guy chimed in and said “Those were the days.”

Don’t say these millennials haven’t got a sentimental side!

Speaking of: Paul was online last night reminiscing about some baseball memories with another former Choppers teammate. The subject of “international rules” came up and we all noted that when the umps brought out “international rules” (a way to shorten extra innings during tournament play - see #10) it never seemed to go well for us.

I can’t remember all the specifics but I think the “international rules” (why it is considered “international” was a mystery never explained) meant you started a new inning with a runner on second base and one out already recorded. I remember this being invoked twice and we came up short both times.

But, as I told Paul, we won more than our share of games, so now those two L’s are just a footnote in Chopper lore. 

And, not to leave the coaches out, I have exchanged emails with a couple of my former coaches recently. One of them celebrated a birthday this month, so it was nice to reconnect and wish him a Happy Birthday.

One of the things I loved the most about my years as a youth baseball coach and administrator is the sense of community that you can build. There is a community of coaches and administrators. And, as a coach, you have the opportunity to build your own community with the players and families on your team.

Even though the members of our baseball community are now scattered – to places like Texas and Pennsylvania and Virginia and parts in between, the bonds of our community are still strong years later.

JG

Originally posted 4/28/2015

Return of the Chauve-Souris

I noticed their tell-tale sign on Saturday; a calling-card of sorts to herald their return to the neighborhood.

Like the return of the famous swallows to San Juan Capistrano, it seems these flying friends have also settled into a similar annual pattern. And I must say, it’s nice to know they’re back.

Today, we’re celebrating the return of the chauve-souris!

I first told you about our big brown bats and how they had taken up residence near the roof of our house in 2012. When they scattered, after baby bats were born, we worked with a local animal control company to “exclude” them from returning to the recessed area near the eaves on the east end of our house at some point in the future.

Though the presence of bats in the area can be a good thing, you don’t really want them taking residence inside your attic. Our bats didn’t make it inside but they were too close for comfort.  After we were able to take the step to block their entrance, we were happy to know that, even if they weren’t tenants they were, in fact, going to be good neighbors.

They stayed in the area that summer and returned the following year. We figured they must roost in the woods behind our house and we’d notice them flying at dusk. We also noticed that the mosquito population – which was once quite robust on our street – was nearly decimated. 

We didn’t mind. In fact, if are new to the blog and would like to read my previous bat posts, I’ll include the links at the bottom of this page. 

It’s fun to be outside just before darkness falls and notice them darting in and out and knowing they’re helping us out.

During this year’s return, their pattern seems to be to roost near the front porch. There is a lamp just to the right of our front door and the aforementioned “calling cards” (bat poop) were plentiful on the bricks under that lamp. We figure the bats must swoop down and nab some flying insects drawn to the warmth of the light.

I cleaned up the mess yesterday but I didn’t mind.

We may add a bucket of water near-by. Two years ago, we noticed they seemed to enjoy it.  We’ll do anything to promote their lengthy stay in the neighborhood.

Like the Batman, himself, it is nice to know we have these flying friends patrolling the sky, working to do their part to keep us pest-free when we work or play outside this summer.

JG 

2012 Coach Jeff’s Blog Bat-related Posts:

• http://jeffdgary.tumblr.com/post/22299477314/driving-us-batty
• http://jeffdgary.tumblr.com/post/24910963121/to-the-batpoles
• http://jeffdgary.tumblr.com/post/25973105218/au-revoir-mes-chauve-souris 

Originally posted 4/27/2015

White Cars

As I was heading out of the neighborhood, I found myself hitting the prime time morning commute traffic. Usually, I’m a bit ahead of it but I had an early morning appointment that slightly altered my morning routine.

At the front of our development, I noticed there was a long line of traffic and I patiently waited to make my turn. The longer I sat there, the more I noticed. Car after car was white. White sedans. White trucks. White SUVs.  At one point, there was four in a row (and the SUV waiting behind me? It was white, too).

My doctor’s office is located just a mile away from my house and along the way, I kept seeing white vehicles. Occasionally, there’d be the odd burgundy or gold (ahem, champagne) hued car. But the predominant color in Farragut, today, was white.

I wonder if it is something about our town.

But later, when I picked up lunch on the way to the office, it was the same. White car here; white car there.

We always had white vehicles when I was growing up. My dad preferred them because the white color reflected heat and, also, it was easier to keep the cars clean. At one point, my folks had a white station wagon, a white truck and, of course, the venerable white ’66 Mustang.

Maybe as a backlash to that, I have never owned a white car. The old S10 pick-up that I inherited is technically blue and white but I think there is more blue than white, so it fits.

We had the odd green phase – the one where we kept getting green cars even though that wasn’t our preference – and I have now driven two blue SUVs in a row. Lisa’s Honda is a sleek black.

I wondered if the white trend this morning was a fluke or if I was on to something so, as I often do, I went online to look it up. Sure enough, according to a Forbes article citing a report by DuPont the most popular car color in America, as of the end of 2012, was indeed white (followed, in order by black, silver, gray and red). A USA Today feature confirms what I read in the Forbes piece.

According to USA Today, here are the top four popular car colors in the U.S. (with percentages):

• White – 21%
  
• Black – 19%
  
• Gray – 17%
  
• Silver – 15%
  

(with blue and red closely duking it out for fifth place).

So, the punchline: I wasn’t imagining things. And it’s not just a Farragut factor.  White cars abound from sea to shining sea.

Maybe I need to re-think this color thing?

JG

Originally posted 4/23/2015