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10-16-2023 - Good Morning! Security checks are happening at the Wichita Falls State Hospital (154.800 MHz), and the school bus drivers are beginning to make a little noise (152.360 MHz) as they prepare for the morning run. The coffee is ready, so I think I'll have a cup while I check the 40-meter CW (Morse code) band on the trusty Yaesu 857D!

10-15-2023 - Who's the Warden at the Allred Unit? Who in the Correctional Officer ranks was recently promoted? How about the latest retirements? Awards? We don't know because the local news media doesn't think it's newsworthy to take a peek into one of the area's largest publicly-funded agencies. But, let a police officer get a paper cut and a news conference is held. Okay, that's an exaggeration but you know what I mean.

10-15-2023 - I'm down to #358 on the waiting list for the QCX Mini 20-meter CW transciever. I could have built ten of them by now, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not building a damn thing. Those days are over. Judging by the speed of the list, I should have it by Christmas. Of course, it'll be too cold to hit the city parks to play with it. Why else would I buy a radio the size of a deck of cards?

10-15-2023 - From my law enforcement consultant - It was at the under-construction Elms Apartments (now La Donna Place) on Southwest Parkway. The entire unit on the west side of the complex, three stories tall, had been framed. One night, the whole unit fell to the ground. It looked like a pile of giant toothpicks. Whatever went wrong was fixed and it's been standing for over 40 years now.

10-15-2023 - Years ago, United Supermarkets gave away a turkey if you spent $100 or more during a visit. We got several of those turkeys. Having no room for the latest issue, we drove to the Faith Mission loading dock to drop it off. Two men came to the car to accept it. One took the turkey while the other stood back about 10 feet. The one standing back said, "Another turkey. I was hoping for a ham!" I thought it was funny - sort of. I still donate to the mission.

10-15-2023 - I've often wondered why in Wichita Falls, and some other cities, you have to "pull" a permit to do some types of construction work. Why do we "pull" a construction permit, but not a driver license, pilot certificate, Amateur (ham) Radio license, hunting or fishing license, and so on? In Texas, it is a Driver License, not a driver's license, even though Grammarly doesn't agree with that. Texans, whip yours out and examine it. Did you hear about Billy? He pulled a Ham Radio license! He's been wanting to pull one of those for years, said no one ever.

10-15-2023 - Good Morning! Yes, it's coffee and Morse code time again. I found a few signals on 80 meters, but there's a much better selection on 40 meters. So, 40 meters it is. The CB Radio is dead at this hour and, being Sunday, even the local channels are quiet. Of course, the Allred Unit (153.815 MHz) is awake. Walmart is making a little noise (154.570 MHz), getting ready for another busy day. Speaking of Allred, they had the worst excuse for coffee one can imagine. How hard can it be to make a decent pot of coffee?

10-14-2023 - From my law enforcement consultant - I have no idea what the policy is today, but not too many years ago it was the official policy of the Wichita Falls Police Department to not cite people for jaywalking. The reason was that the offense had never been enforced and would not be enforced unless and until a public information campaign announcing enforcement was launched.

10-14-2023 - As expected, there is a lot of traffic at Kickapoo Airport (122.700 MHz) and Wichita Valley Airport (122.800 MHz), taking advantage of the cool (smooth air) weather.

10-14-2023 - There is activity on the Iowa Park school bus frequency (153.305 MHz) this morning. Could they be headed out of town for a sports event? Since it's Saturday, that's the most-likely explanation.

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10-14-2023 - I hear two guys - possibly hunters - on MURS frequency of 151.820. MURS is the license-free Multi-Use Radio Service. Other MURS frequencies are 151.880, 151.940, 154.570, and 154.600 MHz. Our local Walmart stores use 154.570, and 154.600 MHz. Tune in with your scanner.

10-14-2023 - Good Morning! Very cool weather this morning to go along with my coffee and some Morse code on the 40-meter Ham Radio band. A little college football might be on the schedule today. Also, I'm anxiously awaiting the Rangers - Astros game tomorrow. I see that we only get the first two games (and the 7th, if needed) on "regular" TV and the rest on FS1. I'll have to listen on the radio, but that's okay because baseball was made for radio.

10-13-2023 - I'm listening to some exchanges during the SST Slow Speed CW (Morse code) contest on 14.030 MHz. I could make a few contacts, but I have a pizza in the oven. What's more important?

10-13-2023 – From my law enforcement consultant - At the WFPD, an officer was putting the finishing touches on the narrative portion of an accident report. His mind must have drifted to a recent birthday party because he wrote: "Unit #2 struck a curb and blew out two candles." I'm not making this up! Of course, a supervisor had him correct the report.

10-13-2023 – Are you old enough to remember the vacuum tube testing stations inside many small grocery stores? You brought your tubes in and plugged them in to check their condition. Bad tube? Buy a new one! Those were the days when radios glowed in the dark.

10-13-2023 – How about a tea party? No, not the political kind. If you want to liven up a party, or the office, just set fire to a tea bag (regular black tea) and sit back and watch. It smells enough like marijuana to fool most people.

10-13-2023 - All cells at the James V. Allred Unit come equipped with a toilet, washing machine, drink cooler, and garbage disposal. Never mind the fact that they all look like a toilet. I could add "hot pot" because one Correctional Officer reported that an inmate used a homemade stinger to heat water in the toilet to cook his ramen noodles.

10-13-2023 - Wichita Falls is home to Sheppard Air Force Base, yet we have Army R.O.T.C. in schools. Why is that? Is it because Burkburnett already has an Air Force R.O.T.C. program? I don't think that should matter since multiple Army R.O.T.C. programs are supported in Wichita Falls.

10-13-2023 - The Bluebonnet Grocery on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and the Missile Club on Burk Road near SAFB, have been around since the 1960s. I don't know how many owners each have been through but the business names have remained the same. The Glass Kitchen, on Old Iowa Park Road, shut down a year or so ago. It had also been around for a long time!

10-13-2023 - Have you ever noticed that our local transit buses, conducting routine, day-to-day business, never seem to have enough passengers to pay for the gas for that particular trip? Here's a quote from the Texas Comptroller: "Texas' transit programs are funded by a mix of federal, state, and local sources. Fares paid by riders make up only a small portion of their total funding." Maybe Sheppard AFB weekend traffic to and from Sikes Senter Mall takes up the slack. Tune in to our transit buses at 453.5375 MHz on your scanner.