Yes I remember the show, the ham thing though is based on the song; "Get your kicks on route 66" Most of the cities mentioned in the song will be "radio-active" for a one week period. The sponsoring group issues a commemorative certificate for working (talking to) any single city and an honorable mention for each city additionally worked. It's been hard to do in the past when solar conditions were favorable, but now with this extended sun spot minimum (forget global warming if this keeps up, we may look forward to global cooling instead) has got radio communication really stifled.
In the past I've usually worked all 18 stations, with a lot of work, but last year I only got 2..., because of these conditions.
I love metal detecting, but it and other hobbies always take a back seat to ham radio. As we say , Seventy Three....(Best Regards )