WICHITA FALLS MAN

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09-28-2023 - On 40 meters, 7.208 MHz to be exact, was an interesting story about a county commissioner somewhere who had his Tesla plugged into a public charger. Someone unplugged the Tesla, went into the commissioner's office, and told him that he, the citizen, was paying his, the commisioner's, salary but he wasn't going to pay for him to charge his car.

09-28-2023 - Our city transit bus drivers are in full CB/Ham Radio mode tonight and I'll just leave it at that. Tune in at 453.5375 MHz on your scanner.

09-28-2023 - From my corrections consultant - This is a sewing needle made by an Allred Unit offender. Or it could be a blow dart tip, depending on what kind of mood he's in. Either way, it's contraband.

09-28-2023 - Now that Wichita Falls has a real hotel and convention center, will there be a hamfest? There's plenty of space to do so, plus people can sleep over! I'm doubtful. If a hamfest was a possibility, it probably would would have been done by now at the Multi-Purpose Events Center. There's plenty of room at the MPEC, but no sleepover.

09-28-2023 - A WA4 station is calling CQ at about 30 words per minute. That's too fast for me. If I answer him at 15 or 20, he'll slow down for me. It's the customary thing to do. But wait! I don't want to ratchet jaw. Or is that ratchet key? I want to hunt and pounce on a DX station, or a special event station. I've become very picky in my old age!

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09-28-2023 - Have you been wanting to go "aeronautical mobile" but don't own or fly a plane? Have you been afraid of the cost of renting a plane? That's a valid fear! When I learned to fly in 1972, a Cessna 150 cost $12 an hour. The instructor was $6 an hour. Checking today's prices I see that the Cessna 152 (two-seater) rents for around $120 an hour and flight instructors get around $27.00 an hour. So, that's $150 for an hour of "aero mobile" time. You might think about moving up to a four-seater such as the Cessna 172 for around $150 an hour, plus the $27 or so for the instructor. But, you can take two ham buddies with you and split the cost - $177÷3 = $59 each. Tip: If bringing two friends, you might want to alert the plane owner ahead of time. Some small planes won't carry a full passenger load and a full fuel load.

09-28-2023 - Several hours into my morning, the CB Radio band is wide open, and the DX channels are buzzing. I took a few minutes to scan some of the shortwave bands on the Yaesu 857D. I didn't find anything new or unusual. I do like "numbers" stations. What are they up to? Back on the HF "ham" bands, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has code practice going on 14.047.50 MHz. They run different speeds throughout the day.

09-28-2023 - Back 30 years ago, and ealier, police department radio transmissions were unencrypted and available for all who had a scanner radio to hear. Back then, it seemed like everyone and their dog had a "police" scanner. At the Wichita Falls Police Department, the chief held the day shift officers over after work for a little talk. In that talk, the chief told officers that he was tired of going to civic and other meetings and being asked why officers were always farting on the radio. The chief said he had a couple of suspects, but he coulldn't ptove anything. If he ever did, there would be consequences! Now we have a Phantom Pharter on CB Radio Channel 19. Several blasts can be heard daily. Lately, someone has been blasting back. It could be a lot worse, I guess.

09-28-2023 - School buses and city buses are active this morning, as well as the Allred Unit prison and county jail. Security patrols at a nearby "state hospital" can be heard thoughout the day. A local ham has made his presence known on one of the local repeaters, but no one has answered his call. CB Radio Channel 6 is coming alive with that well-known booming station in Jamaica sounding off. He's the one who says "I'm gone" a dozen times, but he never leaves!