WICHITA FALLS MAN
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CB Radio, Morse code, and Folgers Black Silk coffee. What else could a man need in beautiful Wichita Falls, Texas? Maybe a "Red Draw" at the BAR-L Drive In? As the late Oscar Gamble said, "They don't think it be like it is, but it do!" When you see news reports of "A Wichita Falls man..." that's usually not me.
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STICKY: The City of Wichita Falls will host Storm Spotter Training on February 7, from 9:00 AM to noon, at the Ray Clymer Exhibit Hall, 1000 5th Street. Participants will learn how to identify and report severe weather. For more information, call 940-761-6870.:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:
02-05-2026 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Thursday. As mentioned in an earlier post, I ran my generator for another hour. That leaves one more hour of break-in, and then I'll change the oil. I'll probably do that tomorrow. Every time I pass the vacant building at 2622 Old Iowa Park Road, I imagine the businesses that could be there. In the old days, that building was home to the TG&Y “five & dime” variety store and the United Supermarket. Of course, United moved down the road a little about 20 years ago. I thought about a go-kart track, but one with electric vehicles. We wouldn’t want to disturb the neighbors. How about a restaurant mall for locally-owned eateries only? The possibilities are endless. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:05 AM - Some Wichita Falls radio scanning targets: Walmart (154.570 MHz), Allred Unit (153.815 MHz), Wichita County Jail (155.520 MHz), State Hospital (154.800 MHz) city transit buses (453.5375 MHz), WFISD school buses (152.360 MHz), school handheld radios (151.940 MHz), Wichita Valley Airport (122.800 MHz), Kickapoo Airport (122.700 MHz), Wichita Falls Regional Airport / SAFB (119.750 & 122.950 MHz), and the BNSF Railroad (160.920 MHz). Find more local frequencies here!
--- 5:10 AM - More talk about those data centers that are planned for the north side of town. I am absolutely not surprised that it's the north side. I need to do more research to see excatly what we're in for.
--- 5:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 71. West wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 42. West wind around 6 mph.
--- 5:20 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are as follows: Arrowhead: 82.6% Kemp: 97.5 Kickapoo: 84.3%. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (83.45%) to determine drought stage.
--- 5:45 AM - In the News - Wichita Falls council postpones 98-acre data center vote, New solar array development approved for north Wichita Falls, City of Wichita Falls named best city to retire in Texas.
--- 6:00 AM - Remembering Hirschi High School Alumnus John Mullins - aka Jon St. Elwood - aka Jazz Jackson on The Young & the Restless.
--- 7:45 AM - The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) frequencies are getting a workout locally this morning. Tune in with your scanner radio.
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02-04-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, and not a bad day weather-wise ahead. I heard the Clay County Amateur Radio Club's weekly net kick off at 8:00 PM last night, but I did not monitor it. I didn’t hear much chatter on any of the local Amateur (ham) Radio frequencies yesterday. I didn’t even turn on the CB Radio. I did have Morse code running in the background a lot, but I didn’t attempt to make any contacts. I might run my new generator again today to take it up to its 5-hour break-in oil change. I have no other plans for the day. Right now, the James V. Allred Unit is very busy on 153.815 MHz. Tune in with your scanner radio. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:45 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: A slight chance of showers between 9am and 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Light north wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable.
--- 6:00 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are as follows: Arrowhead: 82.5% Kemp: 97.4 Kickapoo: 84.2%. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (83.35%) to determine drought stage.
--- 6:15 AM - At the Iron Horse Pub - The Notorious Cool Arrows - Wednesday, February 4 - Doors 7:00 PM, Start 7:30 PM - 615 Ohio Avenue.
--- 6:35 AM - Dear eBay, I just bought a poster on your platform. A few minutes after the purchase, I received an email saying my order was being packed. Really? You wasted my time with this useless information? Let me know when it actually ships. Until then, sit down and be quiet.
--- 7:30 AM - The North side of Wichita Falls, especially parts of Old Iowa Park Road and Sheppard Access Road, still seems to be trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. The area looks like one big collective ghost sign.
--- - 11:30 AM - From GROK: "The Washington Post laid off about 300+ staff (30% of workforce) in Feb 2026 due to financial losses ($177M over 2 years), declining subscriptions and traffic." I wonder how this will affect the Wichita Falls bureau?
--- 12:42 PM - I contacted a station at Redhead Pond Wildlife Management Area (US-6595) in Texas on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
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02-03-2026 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning. It's Tuesday, and another nice weather day awaits us. I think we got to 71 or 72 yesterday. Today’s high is predicted to be around 63. Still okay for February. Let’s see if we can make it into March without another hard freeze. A little snow without ice would be okay. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 63. North northeast wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 35. North northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
--- 6:00 AM - According to a story in Texas Highways Magazine, the Esquire Tavern in San Antonio has a 109-foot wooden bar, the longest wooden bar in Texas. I'm told that the Rodeo Clown Saloon, formerly located on the southwest corner of Seymour Highway and Beverly Drive in Wichita Falls, had an impressive wooden bar.
--- 6:30 AM - George Carlin on Starbucks - "The more complicated the order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a 'decaf grandee, half soy, half lowfat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet,' ooooh, you're a huge asshole."
--- 6:45 AM - Ourl local WFISD school buses are back in action since yesterday. Tune in to this "interesting" frequency on your scanner radio.
--- 8:00 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 83.0% Kemp: 97.4 Kickapoo: 84.5%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 84.2% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (83.6%) to determine drought stage.
--- 11:30 AM - In the News - Three arrested for shooting at vehicle in Wichita Falls, Wichita County man killed in deputy-involved shooting, Plea deal reached in alleged drunk driving fatality.
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02-02-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It's Monday, and, as you can see below, it's going to be a very nice Monday. The snow hiding in the shade should melt away today. There’s nothing on my “radio” schedule for today, so I’ll just tune around the bands to see what I can find. At the moment, I have Morse code running in the background, as usual. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:45 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 67. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. South wind 6 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight.
--- 8:00 AM - I was first in line for an oil change this morning at the Walmart on I-44. My Equinox had 94,232 miles on it when I dropped it off. I still use synthetic oil, but I never exceed 4,000 miles between oil changes. I'm probably closer to 3,500. Years ago, when I did my own oil changes, the limit was 2,500 miles. I know, you're going to say I don't have to change oil that often. I'll say that I do, because it makes me feel better.
--- 8:30 AM - In the News - After 25 years of service, the Chief of Police in Frederick, Oklahoma, was released "for the good of the service." The short article on the KAUZ website didn't give any details. At Texoma's Home Page (KFDX), the "Top Story" is about a musician playing in Fort Worth. I found no Wichita Falls connection. Is there nothing of interest happening in Wichita Falls? How about covering STEM achievers, instead of an athlete, at our local schools for a change? In other news, Mayor Short pledges to save Art Walk in Wichita Falls. The first and last time I attended our Art Walk, it was 100 degrees, and the art was in the middle of the street. Whose idea was that?
--- 5:30 PM - In Wichita Falls in the late 1960s, our local newspaper printed the names of people who received traffic tickets each week. It was fun seeing your classmates' names, and it made me a more cautious driver.