Wichita Falls Man
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CB Radio, Ham Radio, and Scanner Radio. What else could a man need in the beautiful city of Wichita Falls, Texas? A "Red Draw" at the old BAR-L Drive In? When you see news reports of "A Wichita Falls man", that's usually not me.
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12-15-2025 - 6:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Monday, and the Cowboys lost to the Vikings 34-26. Well, Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy did stunt on them with that sneaky, modified "Griddy" assisted touchdown in the second quarter. It looks like the Cowboys have an excellent chance of watching the playoffs from home this year. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. South wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. South wind 8 to 10 mph.
-- 6:30 AM - I guess the City still plans to use the former Kirby school building as a police station. I'm not sure if they plan to use it as the main station or a sub-station. I'll admit that I just speed-read most news items because few are interesting. This is especially true of murder and other homicides. While serious, few are interesting. After all, how many ways can you kill someone, and how many reasons are there for doing it? As for the Kirby building, it seems like a strange configuration for a police station. On another topic, I haven't heard anything on my scanner radio in the last half-hour. The reason? I had the volume turned down! What a dummy!
--- 7:00 AM - The CB Radio is coming to life locally, with trucking traffic on Channel 19. It's a little slow to wake up for long-distance communication. That situation should improve in another half-hour. I really need to make a couple of Morse code contacts today. We'll see what happens.
--- 8:47 AM - I contacted a station at Sadlers Creek State Park (US-2911) in Virginia on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program. This breaks my 5-week Morse code dry spell.
--- 9:00 AM - According to a story at Texoma’s Home Page (KFDX), the Loves Travel Center at U.S. 287 and Windthorst Road will be getting $3 million to include “a modern interior, expanded food options, and upgraded restrooms. Maybe they’ll also have an upgraded section for CB radios and CB Radio accessories. The story says they will remain open during the upgrade.
--- 10:15 AM - There is some local chatter on 146.520 FM simplex and the 147.040 MHZ repeater. Keep up with local Amateur (ham) Radio activity with an inexpensive scanner radio.
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12-14-2025 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It's Sunday, and the Wichita Amateur Radio Society will hold its weekly informal net tonight on the club's 147.140 MHz repeater. Tune in or check in! Speaking of Amateur (ham) Radio, I'm way behind on my Morse code contacts, so I need to think about that today. I haven't heard any new information on the City’s plans for Sikes Senter Mall and the surrounding area. I never watch TV news, and I’ve been lax on checking local online news lately, so maybe I missed it. Here’s my idea on the mall: An Idea for Sikes Senter Mall in Wichita Falls. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:45 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 38. North northeast wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph after midnight.
--- 6:15 AM - Someone "kerchunked" (keyed up, didn't say anything) the 147.140 MHz Amateur (ham) Radio repeater at about the same time my President McKinley CB Radio, on 40-channel scan, momentarily stopped on Channel 28. The radios are coming alive. Maybe.
--- 7:00 AM - Just a reminder that CB Radio is the best option for license-free, long-distance radio communications. Amateur (ham) Radio is capable of long-distance communications, but it's not license-free. The Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is license-free but does not have long-distance capability. The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is neither long-distance nor license-free. All of the radio services have a place in your disaster toolbox.
--- 1:45 PM - I hear some call signs being thrown out on 437.800 MHz, the downlink of the Amateur (ham) Radio repeater aboard the International Space Station. Apparently, the ISS got out of range before I could hear any more.
6:00 PM - There has not been much local Amateur (ham) Radio chatter today. The CB Radio Local Group has assembled on Channel 23 as I write this. They're pretty dependable.
--- 8:15 PM - I've got Morse code running on the 40-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band while watching the Dallas Cowboys. The game is interesting, and that's all I'll say about it for now.