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05-08-2026 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning! It’s Friday, and the North Central Texas Simplex Net will kick off tonight at 8:00 PM on 146.580 MHz. You’ll need a relatively high outside antenna to monitor. The International Space Station will make a 7-minute visible pass over Wichita Falls tonight at 9:36 PM. It appears 10° SW and disappears 10° NE. Listen on 145.800 and 437.800 MHz on your scanner radio for Ham Radio activity. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 5:05 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
--- 5:10 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:15 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:18 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 13,311 Megawatts.
--- 5:20 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 84.7% Kemp: 95.1% Kickapoo: 86.7%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 89.6% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (85.7%) to determine drought stage.
--- 6:10 AM - Skipping the Morse code this morning, I've had the President McKinley CB Radio on 40-channel scan. I'm hearing some guys chatting in Spanish on Channel 7. Their signal has been getting stronger, so they might be passing through town. I'll get my Morse code work in later.
--- 7:00 AM - Local CB Radio traffic is spreading to channels 1, 13, and 25. The 13 and 25 traffic sounds like people passing through town. Channel 1 is active just about every morning with some type of trucking activity. CB Radio is dead! Long live CB Radio!
--- 7:25 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 9:15 AM - In 1966, the Texas Department of Public Safety office was at 1412 Beverly at 10th Street. In 1968, they moved to Ave K and Kemp. I was away playing U.S. Army when they moved to I-44 & Missile Road. By the way, Texas has a Driver License, not a Driver's License.
--- 9:16 AM - I'm hearing DTMF tones on 145.800 MHz FM. This is one of the Amateur (ham) Radio frequencies used for contact with the International Space Station. I'm not sure why DTMF tones would be used on this frequency. Looking at the ISS tracker, it's certainly close enough to hear from the ISS directly. Of course, it could be a nearby Ham Radio operator. I only heard it once. Meanwhile, there are a lot of “data bursts” coming from the 146.940 repeater in Fort Worth. I don’t know what that’s about. I guess we have a “band opening” because I usually don’t hear that repeater with my “fairly low” VHF antenna.
--- 1:35 PM - My research indicates that Alcatraz does not qualify for inclusion in the Amateur (ham) Radio "Islands on the Air" program because it is too close to the mainland. That doesn't mean you can't take a pocket-sized two-meter handheld radio on your tour and sneak in a few contacts with San Francisco hams. You might end up in Al Capone's cell, but you would be famous in the Amateur Radio community.
--- 1:40 PM - Let it be known that Formula 409 is a great "contact" insect killer. It works on flies, spiders, and most everything else. Those that don't drop in their tracks are stunned long enough for you to finish the job manually.
--- 1:45 PM - Not long ago, I saw an Allred Unit Correctional Officer shopping in uniform. Many people, in various occupations, shop in their uniforms. The difference between those people and the Correctional Officer is that most people aren’t seen as a trophy by certain nefarious organizations. Listen in on Allred Unit operations at 153.815 MHz on your scanner radio.
--- 1:52 PM - I can't see what just departed Sheppard Air Force Base, but I can feel it 5 miles away! It definitely wasn't a T-38!
--- 2:55 PM - Wichita Falls Area Amateur (ham) Radio Skywarn® storm spotters Net Control Station, WX5SPS, just issued a weather update. Wichita Falls is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10:00 PM tonight. Tune in to these updates and live spotter activations at 146.940 MHz on your scanner radio.
--- 6:50 PM - A small (so far) storm is moving from the northwest to the southeast between Wichita Falls and Lawton. Hopefully, it will pass by to the north of us. Some Skywarn storm spotters have been dispatched north to take a look. Listen to the action at 146.940 MHz on your scanner radio.
--- 9:40 PM - Wichita Falls Area Amateur (ham) Radio Skywarn® storm spotters were deployed again in response to a new line of storms descending on the area from the north. So far, as of 10:30 PM, there have been only scattered reports of pea-sized hail.