Zach Thompson, KM4BLG, believes there's something lyrical about the regional hamfest hosted by his club, the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society. It's a day that's popular with local families and attracts those from Tennessee, South Carolina and beyond who gather each year at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville.

This year's event on July 25th is shaping up to be even more lyrical because it actually has lyrics - its own promotional theme song set to bluegrass music. Zach told Newsline that while he's a music-lover. he's not a musician so he got some help with the writing and composing. He outsourced both tasks to "AI." Even the song's performance on the amateur radio society's YouTube channel is by a fictional group called CQ DX and the 73s - again, created by AI.

What he got are lyrics like this: "Coax coil shining in the Carolina sun." "Antennas reaching like pines to the sky." That's the kind of magic that happens when AI meets RF. Besides, not everything here is artificial: The event itself offers very real feelings of fellowship and the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.

Zach told Newsline that he was so surprised at how well the song turned out that he partnered up with AI to generate a tribute to Parks on the Air. It can be found on his KM4BLG YouTube channel. The same fictional musicians are back with more lyrical inspiration that, according to the YouTube blurb, will [quote] "have you wanting to drop everything and go activate." [endquote] Best of all, getting out and doing POTA isn't something you can do using AI - at least not yet.