{"id":64821,"date":"2025-12-06T09:47:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T13:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=64821"},"modified":"2025-12-06T09:47:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T13:47:29","slug":"a-conversation-about-amateur-radio-and-hurricane-helene-with-mark-hurst-on-techtonic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/a-conversation-about-amateur-radio-and-hurricane-helene-with-mark-hurst-on-techtonic\/","title":{"rendered":"A Conversation About Amateur Radio and Hurricane Helene with Mark Hurst on Techtonic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>I wrote the following for <a href=\"http:\/\/qrper.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">QRPer.com<\/a>, and thought readers here on the <em>SWLing Post<\/em> might appreciate it too:<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-64822\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1-300x185.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1-1024x631.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1-768x473.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/FTM-500DR-1-624x384.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I was recently invited onto <a href=\"https:\/\/techtonic.fm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Techtonic<\/a>, the weekly technology program on WFMU, hosted by Mark Hurst. If you\u2019ve never listened to Techtonic, I encourage you to check it out\u2014it\u2019s one of the most thoughtful shows out there about how technology shapes our lives and communities.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/techtonic.fm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-34745 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-12-06-at-08.29.43.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1066\" height=\"350\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/techtonic.fm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Techtonic homepage<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/techtonic.fm\/episodes\/2025-12-01-amateur-radio-is-a-superpower-thomas-witherspoon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Episode featuring our conversation<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/buttondown.com\/creativegood\/archive\/ham-radio-could-save-your-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Mark\u2019s blog post about the episode<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mark invited me to talk about amateur radio and its role after Hurricane Helene.<\/p>\n<p>Many of you know I\u2019ve been speaking about Helene quite a bit since <a href=\"https:\/\/qrper.com\/2024\/09\/helene-aftermath-long-update-monday-september-30-2024\/\">the storm<\/a>&#8211;anything I can do to share lessons learned and help others prepare is worth the time. What struck me during our conversation was how quickly I felt a connection with Mark. He asked thoughtful questions, and he gave me room to share what I love about this hobby and the community around it.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve always felt that enthusiasm is infectious, and Mark gave mine room to breathe.<\/p>\n<p>Afterward, I realized something: this was the first time I\u2019d ever been asked to discuss amateur radio on a show that approaches technology from the perspective most people experience today. And that contrast made something click for me. Perhaps part of the renewed interest in radio&#8211;especially Morse code&#8211;comes from people quietly longing for technologies that offer direct connection without intermediaries, algorithms, or someone\u2019s marketing model riding shotgun. Amateur radio&#8211;at its very core&#8211;is open, peer-to-peer, decentralized, and resilient. When everything else falls apart, it keeps going.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps that simplicity and directness feel refreshing right now.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t about being anti-tech. I use plenty of online tools every day. But I\u2019ve become more mindful about choosing paid services that treat me as a customer rather than a product. Over the past few years I\u2019ve deliberately stepped back from social media, moved my email servers to <a href=\"https:\/\/proton.me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Proton<\/a>, shifted my web searches to <a href=\"https:\/\/kagi.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kagi<\/a>, and spend most of my online \u201csocial\u201d time on <a href=\"https:\/\/qrper.com\/2023\/12\/going-on-a-social-media-diet-leaving-twitter-investing-in-mastodon\/\">Mastodon<\/a>. (I&#8217;m sure there&#8217;s a deeper post about all of this forthcoming.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>These changes weren\u2019t born out of fear&#8211;they were born out of <\/strong><em><strong>wanting a better &#8220;signal-to-noise&#8221; ratio, more community and less manipulation\/division, and a little more privacy in a world where privacy seems to be fading.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/30aug2025-Jordan-Lake-ESF-K1-EFHW-DX-16.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-33280\" src=\"https:\/\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/30aug2025-Jordan-Lake-ESF-K1-EFHW-DX-16.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" \/><\/a>Maybe that\u2019s why amateur radio resonates so deeply for me. It\u2019s a communications network that puts people first. It\u2019s transparent, open, direct, human, and there\u2019s no hidden agenda or algorithm at work.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s nothing in my conversation with Mark that will surprise regular readers here, but I hope you\u2019ll give <a href=\"https:\/\/techtonic.fm\/episodes\/2025-12-01-amateur-radio-is-a-superpower-thomas-witherspoon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the episode<\/a> a listen and consider <a href=\"https:\/\/techtonic.fm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subscribing to Techtonic<\/a>. Mark brings years of experience in big tech and uses it to ask thoughtful, critical questions about the tools we rely on every day.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m grateful he invited me, and even more grateful for the conversation. Thanks, Mark!<\/p>\n<p>73\/72,<br \/>\nThomas (K4SWL)<\/p>\n<p>P.S. I\u2019ve always said amateur radio\u2019s greatest strength is its people. <a href=\"https:\/\/qrper.com\/2025\/12\/in-memory-of-hazel\/\">When Hazel passed<\/a>, over a hundred of you reached out with messages, comments, and emails. I read every one of them. Thank you \u2014 your kindness reminded me how deeply connected this community really is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I wrote the following for QRPer.com, and thought readers here on the SWLing Post might appreciate it too: I was recently invited onto Techtonic, the weekly technology program on WFMU, hosted by Mark Hurst. If you\u2019ve never listened to Techtonic, I encourage you to check it out\u2014it\u2019s one of the most thoughtful shows out there [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[545,4,3],"tags":[389,10986,4500,10615,10984,10985],"class_list":["post-64821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","category-interviews","category-news","tag-amateur-radio","tag-emcomm","tag-emergency-preparedness","tag-hurricane-helene","tag-techtonic","tag-wfmu"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-gRv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60834,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/radio-waves-amateur-radio-triumphs-post-helene-and-am-radio-a-lifeline-during-disaster\/","url_meta":{"origin":64821,"position":0},"title":"Radio Waves: Amateur Radio Triumphs Post-Helene and AM Radio a Lifeline During Disaster,","author":"Thomas","date":"October 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Bake Timmons and Bill Robins for the following tips: Through Hurricanes Helene and Milton,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Helene-Swannanoa-National-Guard-FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Helene-Swannanoa-National-Guard-FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Helene-Swannanoa-National-Guard-FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Helene-Swannanoa-National-Guard-FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Helene-Swannanoa-National-Guard-FTM-500DR-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62485,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/eye-on-america-nc-radio-station-becomes-voice-of-recovery-after-hurricane-helene\/","url_meta":{"origin":64821,"position":1},"title":"Eye On America: NC radio station becomes voice of recovery after Hurricane Helene","author":"Thomas","date":"April 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"From CBS Evening News: After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, a couple of radio broadcasters played a critical role in keeping residents informed. Now, six months later, they have taken on a new role in the recovery. Skyler Henry reports. https:\/\/youtu.be\/Oj431xpwrsE?si=K3kcrQFbnWoPqt6V Click here to view on YouTube. Having experienced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Oj431xpwrsE\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63124,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/helene-milton-exposed-need-to-protect-am-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":64821,"position":2},"title":"&#8220;Helene, Milton exposed need to protect AM radio&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"June 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares this article from the Ponte Vedra Recorder highlighting how Hurricane Helene has exposed the critical need to protect AM radio as a vital emergency communication tool: https:\/\/www.pontevedrarecorder.com\/stories\/helene-milton-exposed-need-to-protect-am-radio,129870","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/CC-Solar-Observer-4.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61233,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/a-shining-moment-for-ham-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":64821,"position":3},"title":"A Shining Moment for Ham Radio","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"November 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM \u201cAny sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.\u201d \u2013 Arthur C. Clarke Shame on us: we take it for granted that someone can speak into a microphone miles away (perhaps thousands of miles), we can hear them, reply to them, share information and maybe even get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FTM-500DR-1-1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FTM-500DR-1-1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FTM-500DR-1-1-1024x768.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10786,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/brooklyn-pirates-hijacking-the-airwaves\/","url_meta":{"origin":64821,"position":4},"title":"Brooklyn pirates &#8220;hijacking&#8221; the airwaves","author":"Thomas","date":"September 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to many of you who sent me a link \u00a0to this article in the New York Post. Here's an excerpt: Brooklyn radio fans are fighting a pirate invasion \u2014 demanding a crackdown on illicit Caribbean, Hebrew and shock-jock stations hijacking the airwaves. Dozens of unlicensed shows operate in New\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pirate","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/pirate-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60988,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/ham-radio-workbench-podcast-episode-221-hurricane-helene-and-emergency-prep\/","url_meta":{"origin":64821,"position":5},"title":"Ham Radio Workbench Podcast Episode 221: Hurricane Helene and Emergency Prep","author":"Thomas","date":"October 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Note: I originally published this post on QRPer.com, but I thought I\u2019d cross-post it here since so many of you have been checking in on me post-Hurricane Helene. As an update, we\u2019re all doing fine here at SWLing Post HQ, and things are starting to normalize. It will be many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/qrper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ham-Radio-Workbench-Podcast-Coffee-Mug-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64823,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64821\/revisions\/64823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}