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A Wichita Falls journal inspired by Hobby Radio Communications
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCHOOL CONTACT: Walnut Grove Elementary School, Suwanee, GA, direct via KR4HPC (Chris Williams KJ5GEW) Contact is go for: Thu 2026-04-02 15:40:55 UTC 70 deg. You can listen to the ISS side of the contact on 145.800 MHz on your scanner radio if you are within the "radio footprint", which is quite large with the ISS being 250 miles up!
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03-26-2026 - 5:30 AM - Good Morning! It's Thursday, and I don't have much on the schedule for today. I'll see if I can make an Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® CW (Morse code) contact today. It's not exactly a big priority. As you might guess, I have Morse code running in the background on the Yaesu 857D. It's my wake-up music. I might get in some more time for CB Radio monitoring. Again, not another big priority. MY Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready. That’s a priority!
--- 5:45 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. South wind 15 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 57. South wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
--- 5:50 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 80.9% Kemp: 95.8% Kickapoo: 83.0%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 98.1% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (81.95%) to determine drought stage.
--- 5:55 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 13,015 Megawatts.
--- 6:00 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 5:50 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:55 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
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03-25-2026 - 5:15 AM - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, and I don’t have anything important scheduled for today. As usual, I have Morse code running in the background on the old Yaesu 857D on the 40-meter band. The forecasted high is 93 degrees. For some, that’s hot; for others, just warm. I find it kind of hot. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
--- 5:30 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. South wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 64. South southeast wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
--- 5:35 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 80.9% Kemp: 96.4% Kickapoo: 83.0%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 98.1% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (81.95%) to determine drought stage.
--- 5:40 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 14,296 Megawatts.
--- 5:45 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 5:50 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:55 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:00 AM - Updated - Federal Communications Commission Snippets
--- 6:30 AM - In the News: GPS tracker leads to arrest for cargo theft, WFISD appoints Dr. Garza as conservator in TEA takeover, Wichita Co. enacts temporary outdoor burn prohibition.
--- 8:00 AM - I'm waiting for some Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® stations to show up on the 20-meter band, but all I'm hearing is contesters sending high-speed (no doubt by computer) CW (Morse code). I'm sure there are some humans who can copy code that fast, but not as many as I’m hearing! Since I'm in Wichita Falls, I have to clarify that CW, or Continuous Wave, means Morse code in ham-speak, not Country & Western. I'd hate for line dancing to break out!
--- 8:40 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!
--- 9:10 AM - One of the many things I like about the President McKinley SC Radio is the front-firing speaker. After all, I’m in front of the radio, not under it or on top of it. I think all communications radios should have a front-firing speaker. I don’t need the radio to be as small as possible.
--- 11:20 AM - The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles warns about scam emails and texts threatening recipients with unpaid traffic tickets, toll violations, or other infractions. The Department wants to inform and remind people that it is not a law enforcement agency and does not collect fines.
--- 1:15 PM - The Wichita Falls Area Food Bank will receive 2,000 eggs, its share of 2,160,000, as part of a settlement by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., to address charges of price gouging.
--- 1:35 PM - I contacted a station in Spectacle Wildlife Management Area (US-12448) in Minnesota on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
--- 6:30 PM - A couple of guys in the Local Group have appeared on CB Radio Channel 23. Unknown if more will show up. They can appear at any time after 5:30 PM. There is no set quitting time. Tune in or join in.