RadioMan763™
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05-14-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, and I’m going to try to make this another chore-free day. The Allred Unit is active, as usual, on 153.815 MHz. The morning meal is complete, and all offenders are back in their “houses.” It will be a while longer before general movement around the unit is allowed. Tune in to the Allred Unit operations on your scanner radio. I have CW (Morse code) running in the background on the Yaesu 857D, and the CB Radio is scanning the 40 AM channels, and my Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:35 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. South wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
--- 5:40 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:45 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:50 AM - ERCOT (Texas) snapshot of grid conditions - ERCOT reports that conditions are normal and there is enough power for current demand with an operating reserve of 10,404 Megawatts.
--- 5:55 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 84.8% Kemp: 94.8% Kickapoo: 86.8%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 89.5% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (85.8%) to determine drought stage.
--- 6:00 AM - How I Discovered Amateur (ham) Radio in Wichita Falls
--- 6:10 AM - The schedule of International Space Station Passes Over Wichita Falls has been updated!
--- 7:55 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 9:30 AM - Some young kids have acquired some Family Radio Service units and are having a good time. How young are they? Hard to tell, but I almost need a “gibberish” translator to understand what they’re talking about. They’re having fun and that's the important thing!
--- 10:01 AM - I contacted a station in Alafia River State Park (US-1829) in Florida on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
--- 11:40 AM - Years ago, the former Sears building sat vacant in downtown Wichita Falls. I dreamed that if I won a big lottery jackpot, I would buy the building and turn it into a restaurant mall for locally-owned eateries. I didn't win the lottery. The building was purchased by someone else. It became a storage facility. It serves a limited number of people. My idea would have served thousands. Now, with the "Big Name" stores having departed Sikes Senter Mall, we have a similar opportunity with a big building with a lot of space.
--- 11:45 AM - Do you remember the 1970s and 80s when mall security officers were armed? I'll bet you don't remember when the mall had a gun show on the main concourse. At least you didn't have to buy tickets.
--- 3:00 PM - Many years ago, a local ham radio exchange featured an actual family disturbance. Yes! A local man and woman, both licensed "hams", were arguing on one of the local Amateur (ham) Radio repeaters. It was something you'd expect to be conducted over the phone, not over the public airwaves. When the repeater owner thought he'd heard enough, he jumped in and threatened to turn the machine off if the squabble didn't stop.
--- 4:30 PM - Walmart is usually the only thing I hear on 154.600 MHz, one of the five channels in the Multi-Use Radio Service, but this afternoon I'm hearing traffic that doesn't sound like Walmart. MURS is license-free and open to all citizens. Tune in! By the way, 154.600 MHz is usually used by Walmart supervisors, and 154.570 MHz is used storewide.
--- 5:15 PM - I saw a woman driving while holding a cell phone to her ear. The other hand was holding the steering wheel, with a cigarette protruding from it. I'm sure she's ready to take instant evasive action! I, however, did take pre-emptive evasive action by increasing the distance between our vehicles.
--- 8:00 PM - I log my Amateur (ham) Radio contacts at Logbook of the World and eQSL. I never check whether any of the stations are logging me, acknowledging, or confirming the contact. I don't even know how that works because I don't need that information. I don't seek awards. The only reason I log contacts is for the benefit of the other station.
--- 8:15 PM - Where the Sonic Drive-In Restaurant sits, just outside the Sheppard Air Force Base Main Gate, was once the Cardinal Inn Motel. It was demolished in the 1980s.
--- 8:30 PM - Below the Petroleum Building at 8th & Scott, was a bar called "The Cave". You entered from the 8th Street side of the building, under the covered drive-thru. Do you remember it?