WICHITA FALLS MAN
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08-30-2024 - 5:19 AM - Wichita Falls reservoir status according to Water Data for Texas: Arrowhead: 68.2 Kemp: 100.0% Kickapoo 71.5%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 82.6% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses the combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo to determine drought stage.
08-30-2024 - 5:19 AM - NOAA SPACE WEATHER - Last 24 Hours - Radio Blackouts (Minor) Solar Radiation Storms (None) Geomagnetic Storms (None) Current - Solar Wind Speed: 392 km/sec Solar Wind Magnetic Fields: Bt 15 nT, Bz -7 nT Noon 10.7cm Radio Flux: 204 sfu.
08-30-2024 - 5:19 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 9,464 Megawatts.
08-30-2024 - Good Morning! We've got rain in the forecast through Tuesday. Let's see if we get a meaningful amount. While our temperatures have decreased the last few days, it's too early to say those 100+ degree days are over. Not just yet. But anything is possible. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
08-29-2024 - A new restaurant will open on the top floor of Picker's Universe on Indiana at 10th Street this weekend. The main dining room will hold 197 people. Rooftop dining - up to 30 people - will also be offered. Nice spot for a few handheld Ham Radio contacts! But not in August! I'm a heat wimp! Now, let's talk about that bone-jarring ride on 10th Street between Scott and Indiana! Now let's talk about that bone-jarring ride on 10th between Scott & Indiana!
08-29-2024 - On the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® spotter page, I see Dave, KA5CRL, based at Lake Arrowhead, is at the Chickasaw National Recreation Area north of Ardmore, Oklahoma. I can't hear him. He's too far away for the ground wave, and his skywave signal is skipping over me. I did work Dave before, but he was at Lake Arrowhead. I think that was the time my cheapo MFJ straight key fell apart on me. Now I use the smooth and beautiful Putikeeg key.
08-29-2024 - FEMA National Current Ops / Monitoring – August 28-29, 2024
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No significant incidents/operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe weather – Upper Mississippi Valley
• Heavy rain/flash flooding – Upper/Middle Mississippi valleys, Mid-Atlantic, and Gulf Coast
• Tropical Activity:
Atlantic:
• Disturbance 1: Med (40%)
Eastern Pacific:
• Remnants of Hector
Central Pacific:
• Tropical Storm Gilma
• Tropical Storm Hone
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• Two Amendment issued
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration - Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration - Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
08-29-2024 - I made contact with NG4S at Lee State Park (US-2905) in South Carolina on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
08-29-2024 - NWS Forecast - Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph. Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South southeast wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
08-29-2024 - 5:24 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 68.3 Kemp: 100.0% Kickapoo 71.7%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 82.8% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses the combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo to determine drought stage.
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08-29-2024 - 5:24 AM - NOAA SPACE WEATHER - Last 24 Hours - Radio Blackouts (None) Solar Radiation Storms (None) Geomagnetic Storms (None) Current - Solar Wind Speed: 305 km/sec Solar Wind Magnetic Fields: Bt 17 nT, Bz 16 nT Noon 10.7cm Radio Flux: 212 sfu.
08-29-2024 - 5:24 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 10,138 Megawatts.
08-29-2024 - Good Morning! According to the NWS forecast, we might get some rain on Friday and Saturday. There's only a slight chance for today. As of this morning, I've worked 315 stations in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program. All contacts were made using CW. That's Morse code for my non-ham readers. I started on January 1. 2024. Can I make it to 500 by the end of the year? Maybe, but it's not an important goal. There is nothing on the schedule today at the Wichita Falls Man HQ, but if anything interesting should develop, you can be sure I'll write about it. It's coffee time!
08-28-2024 - I made contact with W4TRA at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (US-0718) in North Carolina on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
08-28-2024 - There is still a lot of talk on social media about the possibility of the government using the "kill switch" to shut down the Internet and the resulting need to buy a CB Radio, Amateur (ham) Radio, GMRS radio, etc. I have no "kill switch" fears, as it would hurt the government as much as anyone else. But does the idea raise the importance of DXpeditions? Won't we need global messaging capability of a massive nature?
08-28-2024 - I'm at Texas Oncology at Barnett & Kell. We brought a friend here today for a chemo treatment. We've brought others here in the past. From the looks of the waiting area, cancer is a very popular disease. I connected to the visitor WiFi but it says "No Internet." I won't bother to inquire as to the reason, I'll just upload this later. UPDATE: Obviously, later happened!
08-28-2024 - One of my flight instructors (multi-engine rating) was retired Colonel Dave Eby. One student opined that an hour with Dave was worth two with most other instructors. I agree. Dave passed away a few years ago, but one of my memories of him will live forever. He invited me to his home for dinner one evening after one of our training sessions. He introduced me to Mrs Eby and informed her I was a pilot, but added, "...and he can fly the airplane." If you knew Dave Eby, you'd know that I had been given a great compliment.
08-28-2024 - FEMA National Current Ops / Monitoring – August 27-28, 2024
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No significant incidents/operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe Weather – Northern Plains and Great Lakes to Mid-Atlantic
• Tropical Activity:
Atlantic:
• Disturbance 1: Low (10%)
• Disturbance 2: Low (20%)
Eastern Pacific:
• Tropical Storm Hector
Central Pacific:
• Tropical Storm Gilma
• Tropical Storm Hone
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• One Amendment issued
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
08-28-2024 - All the usual radio suspects are up and running this morning - 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 Airports / SAFB (119.750 & 122.950 MHz),and the BNSF Railroad (160.920 MHz) are active! Tune in with your scanner radio.
08-28-2024 - NWS Forecast - Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Heat index values as high as 101. Light south southwest wind becoming south southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. South southeast wind 6 to 11 mph.