Cedar Creek Lake radio operators talk across the lake and around the world




Millennium era kids may not have heard of it, and older folks may think of Morse code and vacuum tubes. But Amateur "ham" Radio has changed, and it's alive and well in the Cedar Creek Lake area. When radio first began, all operators were amateurs. As commercial use of radio spread in the early 20th century, there was an attempt to force the remaining amateurs off the air, including tagging them with the derogatory term "ham." Amateur radio operators successfully fought back the legislation, became a federally licensed service, and adopted that derogatory term "ham" as a badge of honor. Over one hundred years later, there are 750,000 licensed ham radio operators in the U.S. Today, hams can use hand-held transceivers to talk around the world. They have their own satellites, radio networks, computer controlled radios and a myriad of activities to keep them busy. The Cedar Creek Amateur Radio Club, formed in 1981, has experienced a growth spurt of late and now has thirty active members, both guys and gals. Since Morse code is no longer a requirement, and the test is administered by local certified instructors, it's easier than ever to get "on the air." Local hams keep in touch using the club radio "repeater" system, callsign K5CCL, that provides them with county wide talk coverage using only a five watt hand-held radio. And, through a nifty utility called Echolink, the system can be connected to any of thousands of other repeaters to talk to hams around the world. This capability has proven very useful when there is severe weather in the area. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Fort Worth has an extensive ham radio station staffed by volunteers. When there is severe weather in a county, their office uses ham radio to connect with that county's ham radio SKYWARN net. In Henderson County, the Weather Service uses Echolink to communicate with local ham storm spotters. The use of ham radio for both fun and public service is growing at Cedar Creek Lake, and club members are actively seeking others to join them on the radio. If you're interested in ham radio, visit the club website, www.k5ccl.org, for more information, or stop by a club meeting. They meet the 2nd Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Mabank Café. In the photo below are the current officers of the Cedar Creek Amateur Radio Club. From left to right, Rich Casey, N5CSU, Vice-President; Bill Saylor, KE5WUT, Secretary; Ed Busch, K8MKN, President; and Jeff Irion, N5FZP, Treasurer.




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Cedar Creek Lake Current Weather Alerts

There are no active watches, warnings or advisories.

 

Cedar Creek Lake Weather Forecast

Monday

Slight Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 91

Monday Night

Mostly Clear

Lo: 75

Tuesday

Slight Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 93

Tuesday Night

Partly Cloudy

Lo: 77

Wednesday

Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 93

Wednesday Night

Mostly Clear

Lo: 77

Thursday

Mostly Sunny

Hi: 95

Thursday Night

Mostly Clear

Lo: 77


Cedar Creek Lake Water Level (last 30 days)


Water Level on 7/8: 321.77 (-0.23)



Cedar Creek Lake

Fishing Report from TPWD (Jul. 2)

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees; 0.07 feet above pool. Big numbers of white bass and several trophy-class hybrid stripers have hit the deck. We are consistently finding the best action in 15–22 feet of water. Good go-to setups include a variety of slabs, sometimes paired with 2–3 jigs above, and the always-reliable yellow bladed jig using the proven saw tooth retrieve technique. Trolling spoons at 3 mph in 13–17 feet of water absolutely crushed the white bass. Water temperatures are currently holding around 83 degrees and will continue to rise as summer heats up over the next couple of weeks. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good anchoring on humps in 12-24 feet using small shad or cut shad on the bottom. Drifting larger cut bait like carp, drum or big gizzard shad on flats in 10-25 feet all around the lake. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures. Anticipate increased boater traffic this weekend as we celebrate our Nation’s Independence Day.

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