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05-13-2025 - One of my fond high school CB Radio memories was the sight, not far from my house, of a 1967 Chevy Chevelle sporting twin Hustler break-over antennas mounted on the rear deck. I still remember his call sign and that he used to call 10-8 when he got in the car and 10-7 when he got out. Those were the days! Speaking of Hustler antennas, on the way home from Lampasas I took a short detour off U.S. 281 into Mineral Wells. I passed a building with "Antenna Products" in big letters on the side. Back home, I found their website with the following categories: Aviation, Commercial, DPV Series, HF, Military, Navaid, Safety Climb, Shipboard, and Towers. Interesting. For years. I didn't know that Newtronics Hustler antennas were made in Mineral Wells, just a block off the main street (U.S. 281) through town. According to their website, the new address is New-Tronics Ltd, 113 Cambridge Park Trail, Weatherford, Texas, 76088. I don't know when that move was made or if they're still in Weatherford.
05-13-2025 - Work on a large billboard beside I-44/287 over Old Iowa Park Road in Wichita Falls has caused lane closures above and below. While vehicular traffic has slowed, radio traffic on CB Radio Channel 19 has increased.
05-13-2025 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday. If you gave Wellington J. Wimpy a hamburger on credit, he should be paying today. You youngsters can Google it. At 6:15 AM, it's too early to say what band conditions will be like. I don't worry about Space Weather forecasts. I turn on the radio. Either the band is open, or it's not.
05-12-2025 - I contacted a station in Guernsey State Park (US-3298) in Wyoming on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program. This contact brings my POTA hunter count to 527.
05-12-2025 - FEMA National Watch Center - National Current Ops / Monitoring for May 11-12, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops
• No new significant incidents / operations
Disaster Declaration Activity
• No new declaration activity
Hazard Monitoring
• Heavy Rain/Flash Flooding– Southeast and Mid-Atlantic
• Critical Fire Weather – Northern and Central Plains
Event Monitoring
• No new significant events
05-12-2025 - At 10:00 AM, another oversized load is going through my town, with pilot cars working on CB Radio Channel 19. These loads come through almost every day. Listen on your CB Radio. I know you have one hidden away!
05-12-2025 - CB Radio Channel 19 is busy with trucking chatter this morning. Two truckers passing through town have been chatting for a while. Of course, Channel 6, the "superbowl" of CB Radio is active. We have an active "superbowl" group in my town. I hear "935", a local operator, on now.
05-12-2025 - Good Morning! It's Monday; for some, this might be the worst day of the week. I'm retired, so all days are the same for me. It's 5:30 AM, and the CB Radio band is dead as far as long-range communications are concerned. There's not even a peep on Channel 6, the "Superbowl" of CB Radio—at least in North Texas. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready. UPDATE: At 5:45 AM, Channel 6 started peeping—slightly!
05-11-2025 - The year was 1963 or 64, and I was walking down the street not far from home. I happened to pass by a barber shop and, in the chair, was a classmate of mine. In his shirt pocket was a Heathkit GW-31 walkie talkie. Google it for a pic. To say I was jealous is an understatement. I didn't know the model number but saw the Heathkit name on it. I confirmed the model number later by consulting my grandfather's Heathkit catalog. His possession of such a nice (expensive) piece of equipment could only mean his parents let him carry it in order to keep tabs on him. This practice was the early version of giving a kid a cell phone for the same reason. I was still jealous when I got my noisy, clunky-looking Spacephone set for Christmas, 1964!
05-11-2025 - At 8:45 PM, the band is once again alive. It's not as alive as it could be, but I'll take it. Another oversized load is making its way through my city with communications on CB Radio channel 19. What's happening on your CB radio?
05-11-2025 - At 1:30 PM, I hear traffic on CB Radio channels 3, 6, and 9, and all three are puny. The band is taking a nap. By the way, the local noise level is high.
05-11-2025 - Good Morning! The Texas Rangers won yesterday. I haven't looked, but I think they're still "under 500." More winning is needed. The NWS has provided a nice forecast for today for my area. At 5:30 AM, the band is dead, but you probably knew that. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
05-10-2025 - At 3:30 PM, the band is sluggish in North Texas. Even Channel 6 operators are struggling to push a signal through the mud. It'll be up again later.
05-10-2025 - About two hours ago, I heard what I think was an oversized load coming through town with communications on CB Radio Channel 12. I happened to find it when I was spinning the dial. Now, I hear the same voices talking about the same thing on the same channel. Did they come back for another load? Did they stop for a lunch break, and I just happened to catch them as they continued their journey? I do not know.
05-10-2025 - FEMA National Watch Center - National Current Ops / Monitoring for May 9-10, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Excessive Rainfall / Flash Flooding – Southeast
• Elevated Fire Weather – Northern Plains and the Southwest
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• No new declaration activity
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
05-10-2025 - At 9:30 AM, the band is wide open, and the heterodynes are singing their song. CB Radio is the only license-free, off-the-grid means of long-distance communications. Get one and use it, or stash it away for the day you need it. Will that day be sooner than we think? I do not know.
05-10-2025 - Good Morning! It's Saturday. At 6:00 AM, the band is dead. Are there any CB Radio nets still in operation? If so, do any nets meet on Saturday? Are there any that meet on any day of the week? Probably very few, if there are any. I could be wrong. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
05-09-2025 - At 9:00 PM, good conditions continue with about half of the 40 channels in use. Most of the signals are surprisingly strong into North Texas.
05-09-2025 - From the U.S. Federal Communications Commission - The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued a Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting (NIPRB) per its authority from the PIRATE Act to Springfield Gardens landowner for allowing illegal broadcasting from their property. Action by: Regional Field Director. Adopted: 2025-05-08 by NIPRB. EB.
05-09-2025 - At 4:30 PM, someone was playing Mexican music on Channel 19. When the music stopped, they started speaking Spanish. If you ask me, they were trolling in response to some of the latest political news.