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07-21-2023 - From U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Presidio, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Presidio Port of Entry intercepted 17.8 pounds of cocaine concealed within several wheels of cheese. "Smugglers will sometimes try to conceal contraband in items that appear innocent to deflect suspicion," said CBP Presidio Port Director Daniel Mercado. "The thorough and extensive inspections performed by CBP officers stopped this unusual drug load from reaching its intended destination.” The interception occurred July 20 when a pick-up truck which arrived from Mexico via the vehicle lanes was referred for a secondary inspection. During the inspection, CBP officers located four wheels of cheese that had been declared by the driver. The cheese wheels were examined and scanned by the x-ray system revealing anomalies within. CBP officers cut open the cheese and discovered bundles filled with cocaine. A total of seven bundles with a combined weight of 17.8 pounds of cocaine were retrieved from the cheese wheels. The narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP. The driver, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations to face charges connected to the failed smuggling attempt.
07-21-2023 - If you're a pilot, you're probably familiar with the $100 hamburger. That's what it used to cost decades ago to rent a small plane and fly not too far away to get a hamburger. I made trips to Lawton, Graham, Walters, Oklahoma, and Lake Texoma for burgers. At the "travel plaza" in Walters there was a Howard Johnsons restaurant. Just across the highway is or was a small airport. There was an elevated walkway over the highway connecting the two. We once made a skydive onto the McDonald's lawn in Walters, but that's another story. These days, that burger could cost you $400 - $500! When I learned to fly in 1972, a Cessna 150 cost $12 an hour, and the instructor was $6 an hour. It's a bit pricier today! Tune in to local air traffic at Kickapoo Airport at 122.700 MHz and Wichita Valley Airport at 122.800 MHz.
07-21-2023 - I stopped by our new hotel and convention center that sits in front of the Multi-Purpose Events Center, and it looks like it's about ready to open. Workers were installing trees in the parking lot. I'm just waiting to find out the frequencies of the handheld radios they'll be using.
07-21-2023 - The Evening Crew is on the air on CB Radio Channel 23 with the usual suspects in attendance. I think I hear someone new, but I'm not sure how new he is. Local Amateur (ham) Radio is quiet.
07-21-2023 - I found these CB Radio crystals on eBay and bought them just for old-time's sake. You needed two for each channel - one for transmit and one for receive. These are for Channel 5. Do you remember them?
07-21-2023 - From U.S. Customs and Border Protection - While conducting bilateral operations, an aircrew from CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) spoils cocaine smugglers’ best efforts to traffic three metric tons of cocaine across open waters southwest of Mexico. A Self-Propelled Semi-Submersible, or SPSS, is designed to be hard to detect by law enforcement. Last month, the aircrew detected an 85-foot Self-Propelled Semi-Submersible (SPSS) which led to arrest of five suspects and the seizure of over 8,200 pounds of cocaine.
07-21-2023 - According to an FCC database, there are 516 Amateur (ham) Radio licenses still active in Wichita County, Texas. These licenses have a 10-year life so many of those listed are inactive operators and many are deceased (silent key). Still, that should leave plenty of active hams. You'd think the local VHF-UHF frequencies would be alive with constant chatter, but that's never been the case. Maybe they're all on the HF (High Frequency) bands talking around the world. Maybe they prefer to listen most of the time, like me. Who knows?
07-21-2023 - From my corrections consultant - An Allred Unit Correctional Officer knew that officers working some of the gates were not thoroughly checking the passes of offenders passing through those gates. To test his theory, he gave one offender a pass and listed on that pass items that the offender was authorized to have with him, including a hand grenade and other silliness. Sure enough, the offender passed through those gates unmolested. Who got molested? The officer who issued the pass for running an unauthorized test. Tune in to the Allfed Unit at 153.815 MHz on your scanner.
07-21-2023 - Some earth-shaking, window-rattling aircraft have been departing Sheppard AFB over the last few minutes. I can't get an eyeball on them to see what they might be, but they're certainly not the resident T-38s.
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07-21-2023 - Speaking of temperatures, it occurred to me that the local RA7DIO3.com Control Club (airplanes) has been doing battle with "density altitude" just as many pilots do this time of the year. In simple terms, the higher the temperature (thinner air), the higher an airplane thinks it is, even sitting on the ground. A high-density altitude increases takeoff distance, reduces the rate of climb, and increases the landing roll distance.
07-21-2023 - Once again it's coffee time and once again, Walmart, the Allred Unit, the Wichita County jail, and the North Texas (Wichita Falls) State Hospital are already up and running. The local Amateur (ham) Radio repeaters and simplex frequencies are silent. We should get a slight break on the temperature today with the forecasted high being a mere 96 degrees. Just two days of sub-100 temps then back to a streak of 100+ degree days.
07-20-2023 - Tonight it's CW (Morse code) on the 20-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band. I'm listening only just so I can keep my speed at a respectable level. For me, that's at least 20 words per minute because that was what was required for my license before the code requirement was eliminated. If the wind is blowing just right, I can copy 25 words per minute - sometimes - for about 30 seconds. I need to work on that because I'd like to be comfortable at 30 WPM. Whatever my speed, I plan to hit various city parks and make some QRP (low-power) CW contacts. When the weather cools down, that is.
The CB Radio adventure at the Wichita Falls YMCA
07-20-2023 - Listening in on the Wichita Amateur Radio Society 147.140 MHz repeater, I learned that some club members meet at the Pioneer #3 Restaurant at Old Iowa Park Road & Sheppard Access Road at 8 AM on Saturdays. If you have questions about Amateur Radio, this might be a good place to drop in. How will you know it's them? I bet someone will have a handheld radio on the table. Maybe. If not, just say in a loud voice "Calling CQ, CQ, CQ." That'll get their attention, get you thrown out, or both.
07-20-2023 - I'm listening to the "Evening Crew" on Channel 23, and someone on 22 with a "splatter box" amplifier is bleeding over. He's not too noticeable, so I'll just endure. Maybe his crap will burst into flames.
07-20-2023 - On the CB Radio, Channel 38 LSB is going crazy! I hear 173 in Nebraska, 176 in the Great Lakes area, 537 in Georgia, 309 mobile in Missouri, and about 100 other stations!
07-20-2023 - Someone with a high-powered station is ratchet-jawing with someone else on Channel 19. These folks want their necessities delivered but won't keep clear the only channel truckers use to conduct business.