Shortly before 4:30 on weekday mornings, a VHF radio crackles on with a call sign and a "good morning." Other amateur radio operators answer one at a time, each identifying themselves and trading greetings. The informal on-air gathering, known as The Morning Show, has run across the Dallas-Fort Worth area for about a decade, and possibly longer by the count of its longest-serving regulars.
The group meets over a Denton repeater and several other VHF repeaters in the area, which let ham operators reach close to 100 miles or more and cover almost the whole metro area. Some check in at the start of a commute, some on the way home from a shift, some from their kitchens, and a few are just passing through.
Brian Gordon, who has held an amateur radio license for 15 years, found the group while driving into the metroplex early in the morning for his work as a used car dealer. He eventually keyed up, joined in and kept coming back. Listeners and new voices are both welcome.
The talk covers weather and traffic, but also family, health, home and work, and above all food. Members swap cooking ideas and get together a few times a year over a restaurant meal, often with spouses, some of whom are licensed operators too.
Some newcomers say they listened for months, or even years, before speaking up. Over time the group has shared births, weddings, illnesses, deaths and job changes, and the friendships have carried over off the air.
