. (RIP to my dad as well, he passed in 2018) Bought a bunch of stuff over the years thereafter, and his family would have big yard sale each year we would stop at and he would have tons of cheap CB radio stuff (he'd have a pile of 20 Radio Shack CB's at like $2 to maybe $15 each depending on the model). I would also run into him at the local hamfest several years in a row, last seen him in 2018 or 2019 maybe. Last stuff I bought from him was a couple Cobra 2000 GTL’s in 2016-2017, think he gave me a bargain of 400 for both as he was trying to get rid of stuff.I skipped the hamfest this year as I don’t use the CB radio anymore, but thought I’d look him up as I remember his name and he got his ham license in 2013 or so I think it was. Hamfest was today, hence I thought about ol Lonestar. I went in 2022 and did not see him, they canceled the Hamfest in 2020 for the virus crap as I recall, or maybe 2021.
Anyway, RIP Joe ([Please login or register to view this link]), his handle was Lonestar, in Columbus Ohio. Call sign [Please login or register to view this link]which you can see a photo of him. He died March 4th 2020. RIP, and thanks for the cool radios and microphones to tinker with over the years.
My skip numbers, 621, I got from the first CB radio which I purchased from him for I think $40, a Royce 1-621 base station in the year 2000. Already had extra channels in it, went down 40 channels, and like 16 channels above 40 or something like that. I remember he had a post it note on it that said "keep both switches down". I had no idea what that meant at the time.
There was a group of guys that would use LSB on 27.625 I believe it was, and had Buckeye Skipper numbers, that was the group, I forget Joe’s, but I recall him using a Buckeye Skipper number. I never tried to join this as one of the main guys was kinda an *****, sorry to say, so I did not participate up there very often, that guy would get angry with newer people coming on and did not want newer people in it. Actually, when I bought the pair of Cobra 2000 GTL's from Joe, I just happened to turn on the radio (hadn't had it on in a few years) and heard him on the Buckeye Skipper channel and stopped in to say hello to him, we chatted for a bit and he mentioned the Cobra's he was selling in case I knew anybody interested.
I believe pretty much all of the old timers that were on the radio when I started have since passed. RIP White fang, Birdman, Montana, Pappy, Little Red, Baltimore Kid, and countless others I sadly can’t think of, but man I remember the fun and how packed the CB band was in the late 90’s / early 2000’s, there were a few channels going day / night. I bought my Maco V5/8 from Little Red, he would buy them in bulk and sell them locally, paid I think $90 for it back then. I spent much of my teen years and 20’s chatting with these guys day / night. So RIP guys, it was a lot of fun, wish I could go back to the radio back then. All the best.
