RadioMan763™
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05-04-2026 - 6:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Monday, and I might pull a few weeds from the lawn. That’s as energetic as I plan to be. The Wichita Amateur Radio Society conducted its informal net last night at 8:00 PM, but I didn’t monitor it. I was too busy watching the Texas Rangers get spanked. I see that a White Castle is due to open in The Colony (Texas) this Summer. The Colony? Not Wichita Falls? I grew up on White Castle sliders in St. Louis when they were 12¢ and then 14¢. That’s right, I’m not a native Texan. Get over it! I first moved to Texas as an Air Force “brat” in 1960, then again in 1965. We moved to Wichita Falls in 1966. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:05 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. South southwest wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Tonight: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
--- 6:10 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:15 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:20 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 85.3% Kemp: 95.6% Kickapoo: 87.2%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 90.1% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (86.25%) to determine drought stage.
--- 6:28 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 8,740 Megawatts.
--- 6:55 AM - Have you ever wondered where store owners or store security get the authority to detain shoplifters in Texas? Probably not, but here it is, anyway: Texas Code of Criminal Procedure - Art. 18.16. Preventing consequences of theft - “Any person has a right to prevent the consequences of theft by seizing any personal property that has been stolen and bringing it, with the person suspected of committing the theft, if that person can be taken, before a magistrate for examination, or delivering the property and the person suspected of committing the theft to a peace officer for that purpose. To justify a seizure under this article, there must be reasonable grounds to believe the property is stolen, the seizure must be openly made, and the proceedings must be had without delay.”
--- 8:00 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 8:35 AM - While waiting for the 20-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band to wake up, I'm listening to the CB Radio. Someone on Channel 19 sounds like Boomhauer from King of the Hill. This is not unusual. As much as I like CB Radio, I have to admit the observation that many CBers seem to be twisting their mouths to sound like what they think a CBer should sound like. This leads me to conclude that a higher percentage of people on CB Radio, especially truckers, sound like Festus from the old TV series Gunsmoke. I'm beginning to think there's a "How to sound like Festus on the CB Radio" block of instruction in truck driving schools. This is what Google AI Overview says about it: "The Festus sound—a slow, gravelly, rural, or Appalachian-tinged drawl—heard on CB radios is a combination of cultural history, the technical limitations of the equipment, and the need for clear communication over static."
--- 9:00 AM - Someone is calling CQ on 146.520 FM simplex atop Mount Scott near Lawton, OK. His signal is so bad, I see no point in answering him yet. Maybe he'll find a better spot or boost power. At 800 feet, he should have a much better signal into Wichita Falls
--- 1:13 PM - I contacted a station in Fort Gibson Wildlife Management Area (US-6333) in Oklahoma on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
--- 1:45 PM - I often hear people refer to amplifiers as linears, but what does linear mean? From Google AI Overview: "Linear refers to something consisting of, relating to, or resembling a straight line, typically involving one dimension (length) rather than area or volume. It describes a direct, step-by-step, or proportional progression. Usage examples include "linear measurement" (length), "linear equation" (first-degree equation), and "linear, direct, and sequential" progress. Synonyms include straight, rectilinear, sequential, direct, one-dimensional, and colinear." Well, I don't see anything about amplifiers, or anything even remotely related to amplifiers. Linear might be a characteristic of an amplifier, but calling an amplifier a linear is like calling a car a blue. I had to put my blue in the shop today, it just wasn't running right.
5:00 PM - Prison gun towers rock! Working in them doesn't necessarily rock, but the wind can make them rock. I regularly listen to radio communications from the nearby Allred Unit. I have reliable information that the towers sway a little in high winds, but not enough to cause concern. That is, until you see the four relatively small bolts that hold it to the concrete base. If there's a prison near you, check it out on your scanner!
--- 7:15 PM - Way back in the late 1960s, a CB Radio Operator, living in the housing area just east of the Channel 6 TV station, had a few CB friends at the house. This guy just happened to be the proud owner of a Browning Golden Eagle CB Radio station. The wife of one of the friends called for him on the radio. He started to answer her on the Browning, but first had the owner turn off that classic Browning Golden Eagle "ping." This, apparently, was the only Browning in town at the time, and he didn't want his wife to know his location. You old CBers probably know what I'm talking about.