WICHITA FALLS MAN

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09-06-2023 - I'm up early this morning for some reason. It's a good time to have some coffee and to listen in on some 40-meter CW (Morse code). I turned on the rig in time to hear one station calling CQ and another answering. They're right at 20 words per minute, so I'm having no trouble copying.

09-05-2023 - It was December 1983. I had just moved to a new house, and I had yet to erect any outside antennas. I also knew that Owen Garriott (SK), W5LFL, was orbiting the Earth in the Space Shuttle - STS-9. He was scheduled to make the first Amateur (ham) Radio transmission from space. I plugged the published VHF frequency into my scanner, extended the telescoping antenna, and waited. What did I have to lose? Either I'd catch him transmitting while relatively close by overhead, or I would not. It wasn't long before he came booming in loud and clear! I had the small tape recorder going and got him on tape. I have no idea what happened to that tape. If I remember correctly, Owen made a one-way transmission and recorded calls heard on the uplink frequency. If your callsign was heard, a certificate was sent to you.

09-05-2023 - I was watching the "M72 LAW rocket" scene from the Clint Eastwood movie "The Enforcer". LAW stands for Light Anti-Tank Weapon. I found it amusing that Clint said he was checked out on the LAW rocket. Really? That scene was shot on the firing range used by the Presidio of San Francisco back in its U.S. Army days. For a brief moment, you can see the small wood shack where targets were stored. Yes, I busted a few caps there! The range was in Marin County, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. There were also bunkers on the Marin County side that were of some importance to the Army since they were alarmed and Military Police from the Presidio responded to them from time to time. I have no idea what was in them. Ammunition, maybe?

09-05-2023 - The FCC issued a Notice of Violation to a GMRS license holder in Pennsylvania for playing music and transmitting tones on a GMRS repeater frequency, blocking that frequency from use by other licensees. I won't include the violator's information. The takeaway: enforcement happens!

09-05-2023 - The city transit bus drivers in Wichita Falls can sometimes provide a good source of radio entertainment. I think they get a little "relaxed" with their communications during the evenings and weekends. Are you missing out on cheap entertainment because you don't have a scanner radio?

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09-05-2023 - One of my fond high school CB Radio memories was the sight, not far from my house, of a 1967 Chevy Chevelle sporting twin Hustler break-over antennas mounted on the rear deck. I still remember his call sign and that he used to call 10-8 when he got in the car and 10-7 when he got out. Those were the days!

09-05-2023 - Over a decade ago, I found this Heathkit "Twoer" 2-meter lunchbox transceiver at a hamfest. Notwithstanding the missing microphone, it is in excellent condition. The seller wanted just $20 for it. I had no idea if it worked, and I didn't ask. I wanted it as a shelf ornament.

09-05-2023 - St. Louis area Hobby Radio enthusiasts - permanent party or tourists - ride up the Gateway Arch with your handheld radio and make a few simplex contacts! Notice I said simplex. You're 630 feet in the air, so don't waste time working a repeater. Anyone can do that. By the way, I just noticed a coincidence. The arch is reported to be 630 feet tall. My favorite AM radio station during my years as a very young child in St. Louis was KXOK, 630 kHz on the dial. We moved away when I was 13, but I'll always remember Johnny Rabbitt!

09-05-2023 - The Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club, W4RKC, will operate a Special Event Station, September 8-10, commemorating the birthday of Patsy Cline. Frequencies will be 28.345, 14.245, 7.245, and 3.845 MHz for phone and 28.074, 14.074, 7.074, and 3.573 MHz for FT4/FT8. In my early Amateur Radio days, I would make contact with every Special Event Station I could, collecting a binder full of certificates. Maybe it's time to restart that collection.

09-05-2023 - CB Radio Channel 19 is already active with local truckers coordinating something, and the coffee is ready. A security patrol at the nearby "state" hospital is reporting in after routine building checks. In a few minutes, the school buses will be flexing their radio wings, getting ready for a busy day.