WICHITA FALLS MAN
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12-21-2025 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Sunday, and the Wichita Amateur Radio Society will conduct its weekly practice net tonight at 8:00 PM on the club's 147.140 MHz repeater. But, more importantly, it is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, therefore my favorite day of the year! Right now, I’m listening to a conversation in Morse code on the 40-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band. It’s good exercise for the mind. My Folgers Back Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 45. Light and variable wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight.
--- 5:30 AM - Some weekend 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), 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). Get more scanning targets here!
--- 7:10 AM - I've had the CB Radio on 40-channel scan since 5:00 AM, and the first hint of activity comes in a short burst on Channel 15. And now, it's quiet again. In an hour or so, it will be skip-talking mayhem, and I'm here for it. Your idea of fun might be a little different from mine.
--- 7:45 AM - An oversized load of unknown type is making its way through town, with communications being handled on CB Radio Channel 3.
--- 9:00 AM - A few days ago, I noticed that the traffic lights at Old Iowa Park Road and Beverly were on 4-way flash, red all around. I don’t know if this was due to an issue with the lights or a permanent change. I’m hoping that it’s a permanent change, with one exception: have the lights flashing yellow for Old Iowa Park Road and red for Beverly. There is not enough traffic on Beverly to justify stopping every vehicle on Old Iowa Park Road, day and night.
--- 11:50 AM - According to the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air spotter page, there are a ton of stations operating CW. I'll have to pass on them, as it's getting close to football time. It's not that I like football more than Morse code; I just don't feel like logging any calls today. I hate logging, but I do it for the benefit of the other operator who might need that contact for some award or another.
--- 1:30 PM - In the News - A man and a woman were arrested in Iowa Park following a complaint of "porch pirate" activity. The couple was found by police with 57 pieces of mail taken from across Wichita County. Wait, there's crime in Iowa Park? In other news, Jim Bean has shut down one of its distilleries for 2026 due to sagging sales. This reminds me of a retired German language professor at MSU. He jokingly said that when he left Germany, three breweries went bankrupt.
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12-20-2025 - 6:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Saturday, and I might have to make a trip to one or both versions of the Wichita Falls Farmers Market. I can’t think of the Farmers Market without thinking of the time a so-called musician was entertaining the crowd. He was so bad, I wanted to pay him $20 to pause while I shopped. Today, I'll be looking for a certain salsa so it'll be a quick ingress and egress. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 75. South southwest wind 11 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. North northeast wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
--- 7:00 AM - The CB Radio band is opening nicely with traffic on the skip-shooting channels 6 and 11 booming in. Wichita Falls used to have a half-dozen or so hard-core DXers on Channel 6, the "superbowl" of CB Radio. Now, I hear only one regular voice representing this area. It will be a good radio day, anyway.
--- 8:00 AM - The local Amateur (ham) Radio 147.140 MHz repeater is very active this morning.
--- 10:00 AM - According to online reports, driverless trucks are making roundtrips between Dallas and Houston. This is the future. They'll still need a human CB Radio operator because I'm not talking to a truck. Not knowingly, anyway.
--- 3:00 PM - I'm checking the Parks on the Air spotter page, and there are plenty of parks active. I have it set to show only U.S. parks, and only those operating CW (Morse code). The problem is they're either very weak or I've already worked them. I'll listen for a while since I have nothing better to do.
--- 3:30 PM - The CB Radio band is in full swing with strong stations scattered across the band. A local station on Channel 20 is making long-distance contacts. Between Amateur (ham) Radio, CB Radio, the Family Radio Service, the General Mobile Radio Service, and the Multi-Use Radio Service, there is always some place to listen and/or talk, 24/7/365. All you need is a radio or radios. Maybe even just a scanner radio.