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11-25-2023 - I'm listening to the local 147.140 MHz repeater and a couple of hams are talking about someone who has been operating without an Amateur (ham) Radio license or has been thinking about doing so. It sounds like contact has been made with the guy and he has been encouraged to get a license. Well, it's never been easier. Get a license prep manual, study for a week or two, and take the written exam. No Morse code is required. Tune in with your scanner.

11-25-2023 - I love (not!) those eBay emails that tell me my order is being shipped. What does "being shipped" mean? Either the items have been shipped or they have not been shipped. Why bother me with some "feel good" interim status? Now that I think of it, which ship are they using? I want to make sure I go to the correct Wichita Falls port.

11-25-2023 - Good Morning! It's Saturday. I don't see any Amateur (ham) Radio "special event" stations listed for this weekend. I'm sure there will be more than a few Parks on the Air® stations to be heard working from various state and national parks around the globe. It's visitation time again at the James V. Allred Unit. Listen to that activity at 153.815 MHz on your scanner. There's a scratchy signal on 147.420 MHz FM on the 2-meter rig. I can only hear one side of the conversation. The CB Radio is still asleep. Let's see what the day brings.

11-24-2023 - This evening, I hear a Wise County Amateur (ham) Radio operator making contacts on 146.520 and 146.580 MHz. The 146.580 activity sounds like they might be running a net. Maybe he was rounding up participants before the net on 146.520 MHz. That's just a guess, as I can't hear any station he's talking to. This might be a weekly thing. Tune in with your scanner.

11-24-2023 - The Local Group is on the air (1730 - 1930 hours) on CB Radio Channel 23. As for me, I'm watching "The Unknown Pyramid" on Netflix so I won't be monitoring the radio much. I don't know if they were on last evening - Thanksgiving - but I'm betting they were.

11-24-2023 - From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - Safety Recall - Name of Product: ZLINE 30-inch, 36-inch and 48-inch RG gas ranges Hazard: The oven of the gas ranges can emit dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) while in use, posing a serious risk of injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning. Remedy: Refund Replace Repair Recall Date: November 21, 2023 Units: About 30,000

11-24-2023 - From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - Safety Recall - Name of Product: Balloon Time Mini Helium Tanks Hazard: Compressed helium from the tank can escape and cause the plastic cap to be released into the air unexpectedly, posing an injury hazard due to projectiles striking users and bystanders. Remedy: Refund Recall Date: November 22, 2023 Units: About 121,100

11-24-2023 - From my corrections consultant - I ran into a guy at Walmart who said he used to be an Allred Unit Correctional Officer some years back and had just reapplied. He said he didn't want to work in General Population, but rather Administrative Segregation or the Expansion Cellblock, (ECB or "high security"). He said he felt safer there because the offenders "can't get to you." I saw him at the Allred Unit several months later and he wasn't smiling. He had been assigned to General Population. Oh well, he'll get used to it . . . if they don't get him!

11-24-2023 - At Kirby Junior High, now Kirby Middle School, a teacher was giving a student a stern "talking to" in the hallway. He told the young man that if his performance did not improve, he would end up being a janitor. Just as the word janitor left his lips, he noticed the school janitor standing about 20 feet away. In the same breath, he added "Not that there's anything wrong with being a janitor!" Do you remember those old "Want to get away?" TV commercials featuring people in embarrassing situations?

11-24-2023 - Someone posted the question "Which would you bring back, Sears, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, or Toys R Us? Me: The old 1970s Radio Shack. The Radio Shack that specialized in Hobby Radio communications. Not the Radio Shack that lost its mind and tried to compete with Best Buy and everyone else. They don't need 8,000 stores again. Look at Ham Radio Outlet!

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11-24-2023 - Good Morning! It's coffee time and time to wonder if people are lined up at any stores around town for Black Friday. Do they still do that? Thankfully, I've never felt the need to participate in those events. On another subject, I had a flashback of my very early days in Amateur (ham) Radio when the local repeaters and VHF simplex frequencies were much busier than today. It's hard to believe that the FCC database lists around 500 Ham Radio operators in the Wichita Falls area. Changing times. Now, let's see what's on the scanner!

11-23-2023 - From my corrections consultant - It's Thanksgiving and, in years past, Allred offenders in General Population have been given an extra tray of food at the noon meal. The extra food was piled onto a paper tray, topped with another paper tray, and wrapped in plastic wrap. The extra tray was to be taken back to the offender's house. This is a big "no-no" on other days. Tune in to the Allred Unit at 153.815 MHz on your scanner.

11-23-2023 - In hear a couple of scratchy signals on MURS frequency 151.820 MHz. In the past, I've heard what sounded like hunters on this frequency, but who would be hunting on Thanksgiving? Maybe they waited until the last minute to get a turkey, and the store was fresh out. I really need to get my scanner antenna another ten feet higher. Tune in with your scanner.

11-23-2023 - According to a story at Texoma's Home Page (KFDX Channel 3), the Wichita Falls area lost the following business this year: Bully's Pizza Grill, China Star, Grandy's (second time!), El Chicos, Denny's, Marco's Pizza, Dirt Cheap, and Knic Knac's Kitchen in Henrietta. Thank you, Texoma's Home Page.

11-23-2023 - A few decades ago, a young reporter named Rodney Rather spent some time working in Wichita Falls, presumably gaining experience in his trade as he climbed his way to greatness elsewhere. I asked him if he was related to Dan. He replied that Dan was his uncle.

11-23-2023 - Our local transit buses - 453.5375 MHz - must be heavily subsidized because there's no way the daily ridership is paying the bills. I'm guessing that this is probably the case in many cities across the USA. Tune in to our local buses on your scanner.

11-23-2023 - Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving. It's Football and food today, but right now it's coffee. Well, first I drink a bottle of water while I'm checking emails and other online goings on, and then I have coffee. The scanner is quiet this morning with the Allred Unit and the Wichita County Jail about the only entities alive. What's on your scanner?

11-22-2023 - I just had a flashback of making covers for my school books out of brown grocery bag paper. That's some boomer stuff right there! Or, maybe kids still do it.

11-22-2023 - From my corrections consultant - I don't know about these days, but there was a duty position called "Psych Overflow" or something like that. Some psychiatric patients were being housed in 11-Building. An officer was assigned for each two patients. The officer's job was to continuously observe those two patients who were housed in separate cells, but next to each other. I had that duty one time, and once was enough. Before my assignment, there used to be stools to allow the officers to sit and observe. As you might expect, an officer fell asleep while sitting and that was the end of the stools. Standing for six hours watching two people is right up there with watching paint dry and grass grow.