13 Colonies

One of the things I love the most about my amateur radio hobby is the variety of choices it provides.

And this summer, as I have mentioned, hams have enjoyed a number of Special Events. Yesterday, I talked about Field Day '26. Previously, I told you about the World Cup special event stations as well as America 250.

Tomorrow, ham radio begins its 18th annual observance of the "13 Colonies" special event. This will be my fourth straight year participating in the chase.

Set up much like the World Cup event I previously described, this is an on-air scavenger hunt. Over the next week, stations will be searching for various stations mentioned on the placard below (credit: 13 Colonies Special Event Page). 

As you can imagine, the objective of this exercise is to make contact with a station in each of the 13 Colonies. Two of my friends will be team members in SC and NY, respectively. Many other operators will give the rest of us all the fun task of "chasing."

There are also bonus stations as you can see in the design above. Those will add to the fun.

So, as we observe America 250, what a fun way to enjoy the holiday week than being part of a time honored tradition.

And, an extra bonus...with tomorrow being Canada Day, operators north of the border will host the annual Radio Amateurs of Canada Canada Day contest. Two pursuits to make this week doubly special on the air.

So, you see, in radiosport, the summer of special events fun continues!

JG

America 250 - Swag

Everywhere you go, it seems, you can find logo items for America 250. As we count down to the big day, it doesn't take a lot of effort to find America 250 swag.

You can see the branding on:

Food items

Clothing

Kitchenware

Misc. America 250 Swag

Indeed, much as was the case with America's Bicentennial, you can find America 250 branding everywhere. Even the United States Postal Service has gotten into the act. Check out the current postmarks!

As the week rolls on, there will be bunting and flags everywhere. A number of patriotic events will dot the calendar. And in their own unique ways, average folks will make plans to celebrate a special 4th of July. After all, you only turn 250 once!

There will be parades, back yard barbecues, concerts, fireworks displays and the like. Two of my favorite pastimes - baseball and ham radio - will also get into the act.  

For instance, this past weekend, K4KYN participated in the ARRL Field Day event. Over the course of two days, I talked to other operators (using CW or telegraph) in 45 of our 50 states. And, in so doing, I racked up exactly 250 logbook entries. Not 249. Not 251. I stopped at 250.

Seemed fitting - a nice prelude to the week ahead!

If you're not feeling in the spirit just yet, there's time. Go grab a snack cake, pick up your favorite flavored latte and pour into your America 250 tumbler and celebrate away. 

And check back here all week for #CoachJeff's observance of our country's 250th birthday.

JG

What's up with all the Bs?

Not too long before I retired, my administrative professional said something to me that I have not been able to get out of my head. She observed that every one of the standard issue Tennessee license plates she had seen all featured the letter B.

Since she said it, I keep looking and, yep, every one I've seen has a B.

But before we take a deeper dive into this alphabetic mystery, a bit of historical information. Tennessee cars have sported a variety of license plates over the years. The one I remember from childhood was very plain -- black letters on a white background.

I have this one from my dad (ca. early 1970s) hanging in the K4KYN ham shack. It features a small outline of the state at the top. Earlier versions were actually stamped out in the quadrilateral pologon shape of our state.

A recap of the years:

• In the early 80s, we had one featuring blue and green text on a white background
• In the later 80s and 90s, the TN plate featured blue and red text on a white background
• With the dawning of a new millennium, TN's plate featured a sun rise
• In the 2010s, our plates had a greenish background

And that brings us to the present. The new "B for Blue" plates debuted in 2022.

I saw one UT Vols patriot railing online against the new blue license plates. The person argued that, as Tennessee's flagship institution's main color is orange, so should be the plates. 

One one hand, as alum, I can admit it might be nice to see a little orange around town, ahem. On the other hand, it is not completely representative of the entire state.

You can't win guys like this over with logic, but I almost wanted to point out that most TN public institutions feature blue as a signature color and, thus, if you want to follow his logic, the aggregate enrollment of blue universities far outpaces orange ones.

By the latest numbers I was able the find online (just using four year public schools...so not including community colleges OR private universities and colleges), it's almost 2:1 blue. 

But I digress. 

Today, I'm not really focused on hues but rather clues. Why do the standard issue license plates have a B in them? What's up with all the Bs?

• We have had a number of B-surnamed Governors. Is it a shoutout to them?
• Is the license plate artist Ben, Brenda, Berniece or Bob?
• Is it as simple as "B for Blue"

I spent a good amount of time poking around the internet to find an answer and you know what answer I found? People simply don't know.

I couldn't find a definitive answer on tn.gov page. A few people online opined that the buzzing b's are a result of the plates being given in sequential order and the state doesn't start license numbers with vowels. Others said "I don't know."

I think that is the best answer: I don't know. 

So, if anyone has a definitive answer, please write in to #CoachJeff or send in a comment so we could share with the others. And in the meantime, I'll just keep counting cars.

JG

 

30 Ballparks...for a friend

A few weeks back, I told you about how I was able to finish my goal of seeing a Major League Baseball game in each of the 30 Ballparks. And what a joyous ride it was.

On Sunday, Paul and I met up with a friend, Dave, who is completing the final leg of his own quest.

The three of us met for the Braves' game on Sunday at Truist Park. For Dave, that was ballpark #28. Sadly, the home team did NOT come away victorious. The Brewers bashed the Braves 9-4.

Still, we had a wonderful time. We showed him around The Battery and Truist Park, snapped a number of photos and told him a bit about how Braves fans enjoy the game in Braves County.  

And now, we are happy to cheer him on as he achieves this milestone. Let's call it celebrating: "30 Ballparks...for a friend."

As Dave left Atlanta and drove to Florida to meet up with other friends to see games in his final two parks, I headed home and thought of the last leg of my own journey a year ago.

PNC Park in Pittsburgh was my 30th ballpark, of course. I achieved that milestone last September, when the Pirates hosted the Athletics. And I set the stage for Pittsburgh by attending games in the three Southern California ballparks last summer - Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego (in that order).

For my friend, it was Atlanta, then Tampa (yesterday, where the visiting Royals defeated the Rays 12-5) and on to a final celebration in Miami today. Just as the Pirates rolled out the red (ahem...black and yellow) carpet for me and Lisa last fall, I hope the Marlins take good care of Dave at today's ballgame. 

I predict they will.

And a bonus for him, as a Texas Rangers' fan, he will watch them play the Marlins in Miami at Loan Depot Park for his 30th.

As we chatted Sunday, I asked Dave what his first park was and, not surprisingly, he said Texas.

Truthfully, Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was my first ballpark (1971). I didn't have it on my list of 30, though. I counted Truist Park as my Braves' stop instead of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. And I have seen more games at Turner Field than any. It is also not on my official list of 30.

Perhaps I should consider a countdown of "retired" ballparks that I've experienced and make a separate list for it. Blog planning in real time. Look for that in a future edition of #CoachJeff!

I didn't ask Dave for his other early ballparks; I should have. He did tell us a story about going to a game in Seattle when he was in grad school. He organized a group outing among his grad school colleagues. 

I also know he did a lot of his ballparks in bunches. He talked about the "Mississippi River" segment, among others. It was a KC/STL/Minneapolis trio with College World Series in Omaha as a bonus stop. Seems like there was also a Chicago-Milwaukee combo somewhere in there, too.

For sure, I know his last three: Atlanta, Tampa, Miami. Here's a big tip of the cap to Dave as he crosses the finish line today.

JG

Special Event Station: World Soccer Tournament

Last week on #CoachJeff's blog, I wrote about the World Soccer Tournament and amateur radio special event stations.

Today, I am going to merge the topics.

In celebration of North America hosting the 2026 World Soccer Tournament, the ham radio community has come together to mark the milestone. There are 17 North American cities hosting World Cup matches. During the duration of the competition, special event stations (SES) from each of the host sites are broadcasting.

Just as I described the America 250 SES last week, this is a similar virtual scavenger hunt. 

And I am happy to report that I have "worked" all 17 of the World Soccer Tournament SES. A bonus 18th station will come online July 4 and I will hope to add it to the basket.

As I understand it, stations broadcast on days their respective city is hosting a match. 

Each of the sites will have unique QSL cards as a keepsake. I hope to collect a few of these as well. I did a screenshot to give you a taste of how the cards will look.

When I was active in ham radio in the late 1970s and through the 80s, I don't remember us having events such as this. Maybe there were some similar virtual events but publicity wasn't as easy in the pre-internet age. Thus, it is possible I missed out.

I do know the ARRL Field Day event dates to 1933 and I did that one every year. The 2026 Field Day event is this weekend. I will definitely participate.

Other than Field Day, I just don't remember any big "radiosport" events from my early days. So,  I think the proliferation of these exercises is a really good thing. Anything to spark enthusiasm and get folks on the air is a good thing in my book. 

So it will be this weekend and so it will be through mid July when the soccer world crowns its champion. 

JG

America 250 - Dance Recital

As we get closer and closer to the 4th of July and America's 250th birthday, there will be a number of events associated with the 250th.

On Friday night, I attended a dance recital -- the senior recital for my niece, Marly. The recital, produced by Dance Center West, featured a number of very talented young dancers and singers. 

Marly had quite a strong contingent of supporters in the audience cheering her on and providing support. We also had the opportunity to celebrate the performances of dancers ranging in age from little ones to recent high school grads.

The show's theme centered around America 250.

Dancers performed to the music of a number of America's most cherished patriotic tunes:

• Stars and Stripes Forever
• You're a Grand Old Flag
• Yankee Doodle Dandy
• God Bless America

And a medley of the service hymns, among others. The show stopped, for a moment, to honor veterans after the service hymns played. It was a nice moment for all.

If watching those passionate performances--and hearing that stirring music--doesn't get you in the mood for the 4th of July, I don't know what would.

As a proud uncle, I celebrated my niece showing her passion and demonstrating her creative expression. As a proud American, my heart beat true for the red, white and blue. 

I mentioned recently the ham radio observance of America's 250th. And you can find 250 merch almost anywhere you look. There is much more to come across the country - big fireworks shows and small backyard barbecues. 

And if Friday night's recital was our family's kickoff of the holiday, then I'd say it was a rousing success.

JG

Three #CoachJeffs

I will fully admit this shortcoming: like many Americans, I just don't get futbol (ahem, soccer).

Not that I haven't tried, mind you. I have watched it. Tried to play it (broke my nose in the process). Even coached it during one long fall season.

Fun fact: leading that team, count 'em, were three #CoachJeffs! (I was third in command, as I should've been, with my basic lack of knowledge). My job was general oversight and making sure no one got hurt.

Check and check.

Once (true story), a player called out: "Coach Jeff?" and all three of us turned around and answered "What?"

Still, despite my earlier deficiencies, I am intrigued by the game. When the entire world experiences the magnitude of The World Cup, I think we all become soccer fans. And maybe the big world gets just a little smaller. 

Last Saturday night, for instance, we were at a downtown location to eat dinner while the match between Brazil and Morocco was ongoing and featured on several big screen televisions. The two teams played to a 1-all draw. 

There were fans all over the venue, dressed in the colors and uniforms of their chosen team. Holly and I watched--we people-watched as much as we watched the match--while Lisa finished her meal. Those fans were really into it. And maybe it was fitting that no one went home unhappy.

We were traveling abroad when the FIFA World Cup was staged in 2018 and, earlier, we were north of the border for vacation, while the matches were being played in 2010. Everywhere we went, we saw fans singing, chanting, cheering and watching. 

It was a big deal. Every car in Toronto, it seemed, sported a fan flag as did many homes.

In 2018. I remember watching the final match as France beat Croatia 4-2 to capture the title. We were at a layover in Pearson Airport in Toronto (YYZ). That gave our viewing a bit of an international flair. 

But nothing tops being there in person.

In 1994, a grad school buddy talked me into being his wingman as he drove to Detroit for one of the World Cup matches. The U.S. took on Switzerland that day. Fittingly, today is the 32nd anniversary of our adventure. And the two the teams--much like those in the aforementioned battle outlined in paragraph six--played to a 1-all draw.

You can see by my ticket that a decent seat was much more affordable in the 1990s. 

And here I am (my raiment repping the University of Tennessee Vols rather than Team USA) among a sea of the stars and stripes before the match.

The game was played indoors at the old Pontiac Silverdome. So, at first, you may be thinking "Oh, good. At least you got to be indoors." Well, technically true. But, a sauna is also indoors. 

As it turns out, the Silverdome had no air conditioning. So, you can imagine what a 90 degree day outside feels like inside. Well, maybe just slightly less than 90 degrees!

Another curiosity I remember from that day. As I noted in the lede, many Americans still don't get soccer. And in fact, they did much less so 32 years ago. 

While the Swiss fans sang, whistled and chanted throughout the match–and activated many noise makers (whistles, cow bells, vuvuzelas)–the American fans sat politely and cheered like one might do at a show. It was a party for one fanbase and a scholarly debate for the others.

I got the feeling one group enjoyed themselves more than the others.

But, hey, if our nation's discovery of the joy of futbol is a journey, that was several steps ago. And, you might say an important one. 

I feel sure many youth soccer programs took off in popularity after the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup. And, FIFA must've thought we did a decent job since we are hosting the lion's share of the North American matches in this year's event.

I predict North America will do a good job.

So, then, fast forward a few more years and you just might see Americans take a deeper plunge into the sport. You might even find a different trio of passionate #CoachJeffs teaching an ever-growing sport.

They'd surely be more well-suited than a former youth baseball coach.

JG