WICHITA FALLS MAN
HOME - ABOUT - DIRECTORY
PAGE 139
07-02-2024 - The 20-meter band has been weak today into Wichita Falls. The Parks on the Air® stations have had very puny signals. On the bright side, I received a paper QSL card from a Parks on the Air® station that I recently worked. On his envelope, it says "A QSL daily" so I'm guessing he picks out a station to send a card to each day. Cool!
07-02-2024 - Today, I visited Bradford's Fish Haus on Pearlie Drive. I ordered a 3-piece catfish plate to go. I thought it was a little pricey, but it was good. I like to support our local small businesses when possible. When possible? Yes, they have to have something I want. I'm not about to buy a quart of "rotor wash" for my helicopter just because someone wants to sell it. No, I don't have a helicopter, but I do have 30 seconds of "stick time" in a Bell Jet Ranger!
07-02-2024 - I won't mention the name of the public, tax-supported entity or the content of their communications, but I'm getting my "money's worth" out of my scanner radio this morning. Clowns!
07-02-2024 - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 104. South wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 81. South wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
07-02-2024 - 6:13 AM - NOAA SPACE WEATHER - Last 24 Hours - Radio Blackouts (None) Solar Radiation Storms (None) Geomagnetic Storms (None) - Solar Wind Speed: 398 km/sec Solar Wind Magnetic Fields: Bt 3 nT, Bz 0 nT Noon 10.7cm Radio Flux: 171 sfu.
07-02-2024 - 6:13 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls water supply reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 76.1 Kemp: 100.0% Kickapoo 79.7%. The City of Wichita Falls uses the combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo to determine drought stage.
07-02-2024 - 6:13 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 9,542 Megawatts.
07-02-2024 - Good Morning! I'm not a big fan of nets (scheduled on-the-air meetings for various purposes) because they require you to be in a specified place (on your radio) at a specified time. That's too much like a job! But I might be interested in a local CW (Morse code) if one were to happen. I don't know if I'd check in to every session, but I might listen in. Right now, it's coffee time!
07-01-2024 - No Parks on the Air® stations today. At least that's the story at 8:00 PM. Every station I heard was just too weak to work, so I'll give it another try tomorrow. Vermont, one that I need, has been teasing me the last few days with signals I can barely hear. The same with Alaska, another one I need. The last one I need for "worked all states" Parks on the Air® on 20 meters CW (Morse code) is Hawaii, and I haven't heard a peep out of it since I started hunting parks. I'm sure I have cards from these states from 30 to 40 years ago, but I want parks!
07-01-2024 - As I spin the dial on the President McKinley CB Radio, I realize how much I miss the days at the bottom of the solar cycle. Blasphemy, you say? Maybe. I place more value on a quiet band for local communications than on booming "skip" conditions. But, I also realize that CB Radio hasn't been the best choice for local communications in a long time. We have MURS and GMRS available, at a reasonable cost, that provide quiet VHF (MURS) or UHF (GMRS) FM communications. Both services allow external antennas and enough power - for Wichita Falls - to talk from one side of town to the other without yelling. And, no need to worry about solar cycles. But what about Amateur (ham) Radio? Aren't solar cycles important for that service? Not for me. I work mainly 20 meters and maybe a little 40 meters. On those bands, I don't care where we are in the solar cycle. I'll leave you to worry about bands and conditions that affect your enjoyment of Hobby Radio!
IF YOU ENJOY MY POSTS, please make your next AMAZON purchase using THIS LINK, or any other affiliate link on this site. If you do, I will earn a small commission but it won't cost you extra. You can buy radio stuff or any stuff but, for me to earn a commission, you have to purchase within 24 hours of adding the item(s) to your shopping cart. I'm thanking you in advance because AMAZON, correctly, doesn't identify you to me.
07-01-2024 - FEMA National Current Ops / Monitoring – June 30-July 1, 2024
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• Hurricane Beryl (CAT 4) – Puerto Rico / U.S. Virgin Islands
Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe Thunderstorms – the Plains and Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley
• Heavy Rain / Flash Flooding – Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley to Great Lakes, and Florida
• Fire Weather – Nevada and Utah
• Tropical Activity:
Atlantic:
• Hurricane Beryl (CAT 4)
• Tropical Storm Chris
• Disturbance 1: High (70%)
Atlantic:
• Disturbance 1: Medium (40%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• No new declaration activity
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
07-01-2024 - Here's an idea for an Amateur (ham) Radio VHF or UHF net: Have operators check in - using simplex (no repeater) under emergency power from the City park near their home. The Net Control Station would also operate using emergency power. The parks represent possible staging areas following a catastrophe. Using simplex realizes that repeaters might go down due to power failure or physical damage. If we can't do this, are we ready and able to provide Amateur (ham) Radio emergency communications?
07-01-2024 5-:47 AM - Aviation Weather - KSPS 010952Z 19007KT 10SM CLR 26/22 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP155 T02610217
KSPS 010520Z 0106/0206 15008KT P6SM FEW250
FM011300 21010KT P6SM SKC
FM011900 18012G18KT P6SM FEW080
FM020100 15012KT P6SM SKC
07-01-2024 - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 106. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 81. South wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
07-01-2024 - 5:08 AM - NOAA SPACE WEATHER - Last 24 Hours - Radio Blackouts (None) Solar Radiation Storms (None) Geomagnetic Storms (None) - Solar Wind Speed: 458 km/sec Solar Wind Magnetic Fields: Bt 3 nT, Bz -1 nT Noon 10.7cm Radio Flux: 174 sfu.
07-01-2024 - 5:08 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls water supply reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 76.2 Kemp: 100.0% Kickapoo 80.2%. The City of Wichita Falls uses the combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo to determine drought stage.
07-01-2024 - 5:08 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 9,366 Megawatts.
07-01-2024 - Good Morning! There's nothing earth-shattering on my schedule for today. There's a slight chance that I might go to Lawton. It's about time for another trip to the top of Mount Scott to make an Amateur (Ham) Radio 2-meter (VHF) simplex (no repeater) contact with someone - anyone - back here in Wichita Falls. I heard a local ham report that he did just that yesterday. I missed that event. I must have had my radio turned down, or I was out of the room. If I do go to Lawton, I might hunt down some Mexican food. We used to enjoy going to Salas, at their old location. The new location seems to have lost something. The food was good, but they lost that "locally-owned" feeling. La Cantina on Cache Road has closed, but there is a La Grand Cantina at the mall. Or, maybe I'll hit the Golden Corral. Right now, my Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
06-30-2024 - I read a semi-lengthy article on the problem of theft of EV charging cables and a solution to that problem. Their solution was to go after whoever buys these cables. My solution is to have the cables be a part of the car, not the charging station. You unlock the cover, pull the cable out, and plug it into the charging station. I don't know why this wouldn't work. Maybe I'm missing something. I shouldn't worry. I have no intention of ever entering the EV world. At my age, I can probably pull that off easily.
06-30-2024 - FEMA National Current Ops / Monitoring – June 29-30, 2024
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• Hurricane Beryl (CAT 3) Preparation – Puerto Rico/USVI
Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe Weather – Ohio Valley to the Northeast
• Heavy Rainfall / Flash Flooding – Southern Plains, and Ohio Valley to the Northeast
• Tropical Activity:
Atlantic
• Hurricane Beryl (CAT 3)
• Disturbance 1: Med (50%)
• Disturbance 2: High (70%)
Eastern Pacific
• Disturbance 1: Med (40%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• No new declaration activity
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events