WICHITA FALLS MAN

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09-08-2023 - As a kid, I knew I would always be interested in radio communications. In the old movies, a Sheriff's car rolling up with one of those long whip antennas would never fail to get my attention. In later years, it was the pocket-size, then ink pen-size two-way radios seen in the "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." TV series. I can still see Napoleon Solo saying "Open Channel D, overseas relay." I remember a day when I sat in class at school and drew those small radios instead of whatever it was I was supposed to be doing.

09-08-2023 - The 7290 Traffic Net is on the air at, you guessed it, 7.290 MHz. They're on twice daily, once from 1000 to 1100 and then again from 1300 to 1400, passing those messages. Down into the 40-meter CW sub-band are several stations with strong signals. The Hurricane Watch Net appears to be active at 14.325 MHz. I'll listen to them for a while.

09-08-2023 - Will MURS or GMRS become the new "trucker" radio? It would be great if the whole industry magically switched to one or the other. I think MURS would be best as it more closely fits the "spirit" of CB Radio as we know it today. Only time will tell.

09-08-2023 - One of my most-memorable radio contacts was on 146.520 MHz FM simplex with a Naval aviator overhead in an F/A 18 Hornet. He said he was enroute to the Houston area from the west coast. He also said he was using the aircraft radios to make the contact. I once made a 20-meter contact with a ham piloting a Boeing 727. I don't remember the details of that one. I don't think it was a scheduled airline flight.

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09-08-2023 - If I'm not mistaken, Alcatraz Island was recognized for purposes of the Islands on the Air program in 2015. I wonder if any hams have taken a handheld VHF-UHF radio along on a tour, and made short, informal contacts with San Francisco hams? There is a lot of SF territory within line of sight of Alcatraz. How about a planned Alcatraz/Mount Sutro or Alcatraz/Coit Tower contact? Or how about a planned Alcatraz/Cable Car contact?

09-08-2023 - I was chatting with a fellow ham on a two-meter simplex frequency. He has a General Class license. He asked me, since I hold an Amateur Extra license, if I noticed more or less traffic in the "extra class" portions of the bands. I thought about it and responded that I had no idea where the "extra class" portions of the bands were located. I had no need to know since I could use the whole band. The only people who needed to know that information would be those who were required to avoid that area. I've never been a fan of "incentive licensing." I think there should be one class of license - Amateur Radio Operator. If "Where is the Extra Class portion of the HF bands" was on the FCC exam, it's been long-forgotten - 42 years ago - by me. I doubt it was on the exam, though.

09-08-2023 - I'm listening to a one-sided conversation on 151.880 MHz, the Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS). By that, I mean one station is too distant for me to hear. In my opinion, MURS is one of the best things to happen to personal radio communications in the USA. It's low-power (two watts), but external antennas are authorized. A drawback is that there are only five frequencies. I keep all five in rotation on my scanner. A nearby school uses 151.940 MHz, and Walmart uses 154.570 and 154.600 MHz. MURS is perfect for off-road enthusiasts who could benefit from the adequate range provided, plus clear communications without the racket of CB Radio when the band is open and the skip-shooters are doing their thing.

09-08-2023 - In my online travels, I often see references to CB Radio being the original social media. I would remind those folks that Amateur (ham) Radio pre-dates CB Radio by several decades. Most people awarding that honor to CB Radio remember the "CB Radio Craze" of the 70s and 80s but have no recollection of a "Ham Radio Craze" because there was none. Also, in the early days of CB Radio, "social" communication was clearly prohibited by FCC regulations. There was a lot of pushback on that rule.

09-08-2023 - It's coffee time, and I'm tuning around 3.800 to 4.000 MHz on the 80-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band. There are several regular early morning "round table" discussions happening here. Some of these groups have been meeting for years. Tune in with your ham rig or shortwave radio.