WICHITA FALLS MAN
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07-05-2023 - CB Radio enthusiasts, the band is wide open this afternoon with the sideband channels, especially 38, screaming.
07-05-2023 - From the U.S Federal Trade Commission - As part of its ongoing monitoring of health-related advertising claims, the Federal Trade Commission today sent cease and desist letters – jointly with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – to six companies currently marketing edible products containing Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in packaging that is almost identical to many snacks and candy children eat, including Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, and Nerds candy.
07-05-2023 - I noticed that the @DowntownWF Twitter account has been silent for 3 years. What's up with that? Is there nothing happening downtown? Asking for a friend.
07-05-2023 - The coffee is brewing, the CB Radio is on Channel 19, the scanner is scanning just about everything there is to scan in Wichita Falls (Allred Unit, Walmart, City buses, local Ham Radio operators, local airports, Air Evac Lifeteam, etc.), and I have Morse code running in the background on the Yaesu 857D. At 10 PM last night, just when I thought it was all over, someone launched a massive fireworks display next to my house. This morning, I went outside to clean up their mess. There was none. I'm impressed.
07-04-2023 - Someone on the street next to mine put on a pretty good fireworks show last night. Tonight is his second show. I hope he's done tonight! I'm going to estimate that at least $1,000 was spent on this fantastic display of defiance to the wishes of the human authority figures! Well, that's how Beldar Conehead might have put it.
07-04-2023 - A nice place for lunch in the 1980s and 90s was the Chef's Grill. The address was 107 Oil & Gas Building, 813 8th Street. You entered from the alley on the east side of the building. Unusual, but the food was good. Another favorite was Callaway's BBQ on 10th Street between Scott and Indiana. You can still see the name on the window.
07-04-2023 - The Chisholm Estates, planned for the old Hawk Ridge Golf Course, will not happen. A sign on the Loop 11 side of the property says it is again for sale. Someone should keep an eye on the place, especially during the winter months because it's a "grass fire from Hell" waiting to happen.
07-04-2023 - According to reports, the Wichita Falls Brewing Company at 7th and Indiana will create a beer garden on the lot behind the business. This seems like the natural thing to do.
07-04-2023 - In years past, on the Fourth of July, Allred Unit offenders were served ribs at the noon meal. I don't know if this is still the policy. Tune in to the Allred Unit at 153.815 MHz on your scanner. 07-04-2023 - I'm getting more APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) data bursts from the International Space Station on 145.825 MHz. I don't have a use for APRS but at least I know the ISS is within radio range.IF YOU ENJOY MY POSTS, please make your next AMAZON purchase using THIS LINK, or any other affiliate link on this site. If you do, I will earn a small commission but it won't cost you extra. You can buy radio stuff or any stuff but, for me to earn a commission, you have to purchase within 24 hours of adding the item(s) to your shopping cart. I'm thanking you in advance because AMAZON, correctly, doesn't identify you to me.
07-04-2023 - I'm having my first cup of coffee, but I've been awake a while since someone set off a firework at 0500. There's some distant traffic on CB Radio Channel 19. The Allred Unit, as expected, is chattering on 153.815 MHz all day and all night. The first day of school for the Wichita Falls Independent School District is August 16. Be sure to tune in to the school buses at 152.360 Mhz. That first day is usually quite hectic!
07-03-2023 - I drove by the location of the new - under construction - Hampton In behind the Cracker Barrel on Central Freeway. They're just breaking ground, and there's a long way to go before local radio hobbyists get a new scanner target to monitor. I'm assuming they will have one or more handheld radios in use to assist with operations.
07-03-2023 - Not long ago, a fellow Ham Radio Operator asked me what I thought about a certain aspect of the Extra Class portions of the ham bands vs the other portions of the bands. I had to think for a moment then I realized that I had no idea where the Extra Class portions of the bands were located, and I told him so. I'm an Extra. I have no need to know. Only those who, by virtue of having a lower-class license, need to know where not to tread. Another reason I didn't know is that I got all my testing out of the way in the first 4 months of my Ham Radio adventure, and I didn't own an HF rig until I passed the Extra exam. So I had no experience in avoiding the Extra Class portions of any band. For the record, I don't believe in "incentive licensing". I think there should be one license - Amateur Radio Operator - for all.
07-03-2023 - I met Major General George Patton IV, the WWII Patton's son, on a Field Training Exercise at Fort Irwin in 1977. His jeep rolled up on my Dismount Point. I gave the driver the "challenge". The general removed his helmet and said "Son, you should know me, I'm Gen Patton. if you're looking for a password, we don't know it!"
07-03-2023 - Wichita Falls used to have more Amateur (ham) Radio repeaters on the air than active repeater users. I remember years ago two relatively new hams conversing on a repeater when I knew they could have, due to their proximity and their outside antennas, easily worked each other direct, or simplex. In other words, without the help of a repeater. What were they talking about? Putting up another repeater! The number of repeaters has decreased over the last several decades. That's a good thing. Of course, that's just my opinion.
07-03-2023 - I'm up a little bit late this morning but I guess I needed the sleep. The Ham Radio CW (Morse code) bands were wild over the weekend with contests, special event stations, and Parks on the Air®. Maybe things will be a little less frantic today. The CB Radio band is trying to come alive so I know it'll be busy today. Someone is already on Channel 19 sounding like he's at the bottom of a barrel of rubber bands. He probably thinks he sounds like Elvis. If only he knew. There's nothing going on to speak of on the scanner. The city transit buses are out and about but they're usually not as entertaining as the school buses. Let's see what the day brings. The coffee is good!
07-02-2023 - CB Radio reached a peak in usage in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Some might call it somewhat of an explosion due to those popular CB Radiothemed movies of the time. After the explosion of activity, CB radio began a slow decline over the next decade or so. When cell phones became affordable, CB Radio usage took a big plunge. It took a big plunge because there was still a big bubble created by those movies. I think usage went back to its pre-movie level. Those who came to the hobby because of those movies didn't know what pre-movie usage was and many thought the hobby had been decimated. It had not. It's my opinion that those who ditched CB Radio weren't real radio hobbyists. If they were, they would have held onto those radios as did the rest of us. When the dust settled, however, there was a large percentage of post-movie operators still active who had been taught by the likes of Burt Reynolds that it was acceptable to talk like an idiot on the CB Radio. The hobby has not recovered from that damage. This is my opinion. Your mileage may vary.
07-02-2023 - I think Wichita Falls and the The Multi-Use Radio Service were made for each other. The main reason is the small footprint of the City of Wichita Falls. The city is 72 square miles in area. It's just 13 miles at its widest point. This means that a ground plane antenna on a 20-foot pole can just about see all parts of the city. Two such antennas, posted anywhere in the city, should be line-of-sight to each other, or close to it. Base-to-base communications should be very reliable. Base-to-mobile communications should be good across much of the city, but blind spots could be experienced as the mobile unit moves around. Considering the low cost of a complete MURS station, this is a minor issue. They say MURS is the best-kept-secret in Hobby Radio and I believe it.
07-02-2023 - I was looking over some 1960's issues of S9 Magazine - the Citizens Band Radio Journal. Most issues have a section on FCC enforcement actions. There were a lot of fines handed out for "Non-Substantive Communications". Just what is that? Does that mean talking about things that have nothing to do with radio? Talking too much about business? Not talking enough about business? Or does it simply mean agitating, stirring up trouble, and/or making silly noises on the radio? Maybe I can locate the FCC regs that were in effect during that time. The FCC would have a "field day" with such a charge these days!