Showing posts with label Knoxville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knoxville. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mayfield Skim Milk

So I've been drinking Mayfield Skim Milk for as long as I can remember. The last two gallons I have gotten have had a very bad taste - the milk hasn't gone bad, but the flavor is all jacked up. I mentioned it to my dad, another milk connoisseur, and he said he had noticed the same thing. I'd hate to change brands after all these years, but this stuff is undrinkable.

We are taking ours back to Kroger and I already sent a note to Mayfield via the Contact Us/Product Related Concern.

Anyone else notice the problem?

Free FFL Transfers through March at CCA Outpost

Wow. Free transfers at the new Coal Creek Armory Outpost until the end of March. Info at the CCA Outpost Facebook page.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Coal Creek Armory

I think the many posts in this thread sum up the variety of experiences at Coal Creek Armory. I am sure that some of us customers aren't very educated or experienced. I am also sure that some of the staff could be a little more patient, too. Glad I identified the problems, so we can move on.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Gun Sales Up

You've probably seen on other sites about the brisk sales of guns on Black Friday and just before Christmas, but I found this to be an interesting data point:
"January is typically a slow month for retailers, but it's the opposite in for gun stores. In fact, Coal Creek said January is their busiest month."
Via WBIR


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Airplane Filling Station


If you've been in the Knoxville area for any amount of time, you have most likely driven by the Airplane Filling Station (aka the Gas Station Airplane as I always called it). A project is underway to "save the plane" and restore the building. I had no idea that it was so old. Image via McClung.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

$20 for a $40 gift card to Smoky Mountain Knife Works

Apparently today is a good day for deals...

GEARHOG's deal for today is a $40 gift card to Smoky Mountain Knife Works (SMKW.com) for only $20.

"Smoky Mountain Knife Works offers all major knife brands for every function imaginable. Knives used on the job; hunting knives, fishing knives, camping knives and more!"

SMKW is in my backyard, but that doesn't help me as the deal is for the on-line store only. Other fine print below:
  • Expires 12/12/2012.
  • Not valid with other offers
  • Valid at SMKW.com only
  • Cannot be combined (stacked) with other gift cards
  • $40 minimum purchase requirement
  • One time use only
  • Limit 1 gift card per person
  • Limit 1 gift card per household
  • Deal valid through GEARHOG.com only
  • Online orders only


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

No Silence Silenced

I had a friend that was laid off yesterday, but I didn't know that Michael Silence was in the group, too. I liked his stuff. I hope he pops back on-line soon. After 29 years and 11 months:

A programming note
Michael Silence asked the online staff to post this message on No Silence Here on his behalf.
As you may know, I got laid off yesterday along with 32 others. That sucks, but it is the reality of our business. I will miss my colleagues, a great bunch of people who I got to hang around with for 29 years and 11 months.
This blog, started in August 2004, has been a blast, and thanks for constantly opening my eyes to new perspectives. I'm told it will cease to exist. It has been the most rewarding aspect of my time here. I've been honored to sit on the front porch of the 21st Century.
As I've said for many years of those who have left the online world, "They'll be back. They always come back."
Stay well my friends, and no worries
Michael

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

On Target Gets Into Coupon Game

OTTC_Doug Check out our special today on Living Social ... $39.00 carry permit course!!Tue, Nov 08 10:57:57 from TweetCaster for Android

Monday, October 10, 2011

Ten-Tec 539 QRP Transceiver: Q&A with Ten-Tec

Tom Witherspoon, K4SWL, of QRPer has an interview with the Ten-Tec team regarding the 539 where several questions about the rig are answered. Some notes that struck me... it might get 160M, probably less than $1000, and can be computer controlled via USB. There is also some information about the Model 418 Amplifier.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Ten-Tec 539 QRP Transceiver

I missed the Ten-Tec hamfest this year, so I also missed the preview of the 539 QRP Transceiver. Speculation is that the 10W unit will also have an optional amplifier to take it to 100W. Check the links at the bottom of this post for more info. I'd like to own a piece of Ten-Tec equipment, just because they are local. This might be it.

Ten-Tec Model 539 10W QRP Transceiver

  • Bands: 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15 10 meters
  • AM, USB, LSB, CW Modes built-in
  • Tricolor backlight internally adjustable
  • Several features and hardware in common with Eagle Model 599
  • 3 Crystal filter slots
  • Same DSP as used in the 599
  • Noise Reduction, Noise Blanker, Selectable Fast/Med/Slow AGC, RIT, PreAmp, 100 Memories, etc.
  • Legendary TenTec CW Performance
  • Two VFO Displays (single receiver)
  • Estimated product availability Mid-2012


(Picture from QRPer.)

As with all things ham, there is a Yahoo Group: Ten-Tec 539 Yahoo Group

Looks like this won't be ready for Christmas.

Via QRPer via VA3STL

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Frontier Firearms and CCA Outpost

I was out in Kingston last week, so I stopped by Frontier Firearms and the Coal Creek Armory Outpost location. This isn't meant to be an in depth review of either location - just some comments from a guy who stopped by each for a few minutes.

Frontier Firearms
I had only been to the old Frontier store once, but the new building is clearly an improvement. First of all, it is new - new things are shiny and that obviously has some appeal by itself. It is big - the retail space is much larger than CCA. It is too bad I didn't need a holster because they have a ton of them. There was also the usual assortment of knives, flashlights, cats, cleaning supplies, bags, etc. (Caught that did ya? There are a few cats that get the run of the place. You'll be looking in a display case and see a small furry one staring back at you.)

As for guns, they had a good selection of long guns. I didn't do a count, but it seems like they currently had fewer handguns than I remember seeing at the old store.

There were three guys working and I spoke to two of them. No one was on the range, but one of the guys was kind enough to light it up and demo the active targets. The range is definitely an upgrade from those at CCA and Gunny's. Both guys were helpful without being pushy. (On my first visit to the old store, they were very helpful in discussing options/pros/cons for a potential AR-15 purchase. They were very patient with my newbie - low speed, high drag - questions.)

I know of several instances of people who have driven the extra miles to get to Frontier due to the company's reputation for good customer service. In fact, my father-in-law skipped by Gunny's and CCA to make his last handgun purchase at Frontier.

Coal Creek Armory Outpost
The Outpost is a small shop. They have a small retail space that currently has some shelves for various gun accessories. They cannot sell guns yet from this location - they are still waiting on the paperwork to make it through the process. According to the guy that was minding the store, they were about two weeks away from getting the approval. (Maybe less now at the time of this post.) He was very friendly and probably would have been happy to chat had I stuck around longer.

The range reminded me of the Lovell Road CCA location, but the new lights make a difference as it seemed nice and bright. There were five or six lanes.

No cats were spotted at the Outpost. There isn't a lot to say since they aren't up to full speed yet.

My Thoughts
Before I share my thoughts... a couple of points of reference.

  • I'm all for competition. 
  • I'm too big of chicken to run my own shop, so I am no expert on running a small business.
  • I believe the goal of business is to make money.
I can only assume that CCA wants the entire Knoxville and surrounding area market for themselves. They are taking the fight to Frontier and must be leveraging the Knoxville store to support the Outpost operation. (I do like the Outpost name - makes lots of sense and fits perfectly.) I am guessing (complete speculation here!) that Frontier had to take on some debt and CCA thinks they could push them over the edge. If it were me, I would have expanded to an under served area like North Knoxville (Powell, Fountain City, Halls). It would build an even stronger foundation for expansions in contested areas. Opening a shop/range where there was none would also be good for the gun community, too. My biggest fear is that the expansion stretches CCA too much and the Outpost takes some of the Frontier business resulting in both businesses folding.

As with most things, time will tell.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Sweetwater, TN Hamfest

I missed the Ten-Tec hamfest, but here is another local opportunity.

W4YJ Repeater 145.250 Sweetwater Hamfest:
"Tailgate HAM Fest OCT 8th!!!

Come all to the first Sweetwater Hamfest!

Coming On I-75 South turn right at the 62 exit on I -75 and after exiting the interstate, turn left at Murray Chapel Rd. and go 2 miles and the Hamfest will be on your right. Coming from I -75 North turn left at the 60 exit on I -75,  and then turn right on to Murray Chapel Rd. The hamfest will be about a mile on your left. This is a free event and there will be free coffee and doughnuts while they last!  Look for the signs for the Hamfest!

No charge for admission or setup!

Talk in will be on the W4YJ 145.25 PL 100 HZ repeater. The tone will be off for the event.

CCA Deals

Half-off Women's Handgun Fundamentals Course, Concealed Carry Handgun Class, or One-Year Indoor Shooting Range Membership at CCA via Living Social.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Silicon Valley and Knoxville

I was looking at the infograph about salaries in Silicon Valley and what appeared before my eyes... Knoxville used as a comparison. So you could make $38K in Knoxville and have the same standard of living as someone making $92 in Silicon Valley.

Via Business Insider

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

30 Years Anniversary of the 145.470 Repeater System Picnic

From the 470 Amateur Radio Group...
"On September 17th of this year the 145.470 repeater will be 30 years old, in celebration of the 30th anniversary, Tim Berry WB4GBI and I spoke about having a picnic get together for all of those who use the 470."

Saturday, July 16, 2011

146.730 Repeater

Tim, WB4GBI, announces that the 146.730 repeater should be rocking and rolling again after eliminating a tricky problem.
"The offending signal is actually produced when two UHF transmitters (there is another one involved) and the 146.73 transmitter are all “up” at the same time. How did I determine this? There several software programs out there in shareware and software land that will help you calculate all of the possibilities. I tabulated the frequency of EVERY transmitter on the tower and loaded them into a database. The software that I used showed a “fifth-order” intermodulation product caused by three transmitters that would cause a signal to be generated on 146.13 Mhz. Recognize that frequency? It’s the INPUT to 146.73."

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Maximus Arms

The Random Shots section of June's American Rifleman has a blurb about Maximus Arms in Gallatin, TN. From the Maximus Arms web page:
"Maximus Arms, LLC, based in Gallatin, Tennessee, is a manufacturer of custom and collectible guns. For more than 20 years we have been professional gunsmiths serving customers across the United States. In 2010, upon the request of our many customers, we began the process of designing and manufacturing our own guns. We take pride in the integrity and quality of our custom-made firearms. With so many companies cutting corners these days, we felt strongly that the time was right to make premium-quality guns right here in the United States. We use only the highest quality steel foundry-cast to our exact specifications. The components of our pistols are unrivalled in the industry. And the quality of our hand-assembly and integrity checking is beyond reproach. We know you will enjoy our guns for many years to come."
I need to add a tip jar to my blog... just 1,500 one dollar tips and this could be mine.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Cultural Center of the World

Not only is Knoxville the center of the gun blogging universe (Uncle, Tam, Linoge, Les Jones, etc.), but we also like to read books. Heck, we might even get a new brewery just outside of town. Scruffy little town in deed.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Heard on the 940 Repeater: Exam Prep and Repeater Guides

Exam Prep
A ham on the 940 repeater was discussing his plan to upgrade from Tech to General and then to Extra a month later. He was also planning on talking his XYL into getting her Tech, too. The usual suspects were very critical of his plan to upgrade so quickly. They encouraged him to learn the material instead of taking one of the local classes and memorizing the answers to the question set. They even offered to buy him the books, so he could learn the material. I really appreciate the "tough love" they were giving the guy. They were hard on him, but they followed it up with a way to help. (Of course, I'm more of a paper ham than an expert in electronics and radio communications, but I'm still trying to learn!)

Repeater Guides
As part of that discussion, the new ham asked about getting a repeater guide. The ARRL offers their guide, which has tempted me, but not to the point that I've ordered one. The other hams recommended subscribing to SouthEastern Repeater Association (SERA). See below for information on both resources.
The ARRL Repeater Directory (Desktop Edition) $10.95
  • Spiral Bound Desktop 2011/2012 Edition
  • Directory of repeater locations and frequencies for the 21,800+ repeaters around the country
  • Includes D-Star and APCO-25, references for operating practices, emergency message handling, tips for handling interference and much more.
  • New lay-flat spiral binding allows for easy reference on the road. And, now including the ARRL Radiogram and ICS-213 Message Forms.
  • Handy indexing tabs on the cover
  • Easy-to-read listings
  • Key to ""Repeater Notes"" located right up front
  • Icons to identify ""Open"" or limited access repeater systems.
SouthEastern Repeater Association (SERA)
  • Associate Membership - All repeater users are invited to join SERA as Associate Members. Although Associate Members have no voting privileges, their support is the heart of helping finance the successful operation of the organization. The $15.00 per year membership fee enables you to support the efforts of the organization and receive the Repeater Journal. Associate Membership deadlines are the 15th of the month preceding the months of publication (January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, and October 15th). The Repeater Journal is mailed third class mail.
It looks like the SERA guide may not be as closely edited as the ARRL guide.
"YES! We know the cover says February 2011, but it is indeed the May 2011 edition of the SERA Repeater Journal. To solve this dilemma, take a magic marker, cross out February and write in May and the problem is solved!"