RadioMan763™
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095
06-24-2026 - Good Morning! It's Wednesday, and there is no rain in the immediate forecast. In fact, I don't see any chance of rain all the way out to Sunday, a day with a forecast of 101 degrees! I think I got about 25 drops of rain yesterday at my location. This might be a good day to stop by Tommy's Donuts, at 2608 Old Iowa Park Road, for chicken fried rice and egg rolls to go. Yes, they do more than donuts! Give them a try! I'm starting my radio day with CB Radio running in the background. Of course, I have "local" Ham Radio" stuff in the rotation on my scanner radio, which is in the "on" mode most of the time. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:35 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Heat index values as high as 99. East southeast wind 7 to 9 mph becoming south southwest in the morning. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. Southeast wind 9 to 11 mph.
--- 6:40 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:45 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
---7:00 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 83.5% Kemp: 97.8% Kickapoo: 90.2%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 90.8% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (86.85%) to determine drought stage.
--- 7:12 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 7,727 Megawatts.
--- 7:30 AM - Speaking of CB Radio, check out The CB Radio Adventure at the Wichita Falls YMCA
--- 8:20 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 8:47 AM - I contacted a station in Lake Kapowsin State Fishing Lake (US-13352) in Washington on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.
--- 10:34 AM - The Economics Daily
--- 10:50 AM - Yesterday, a young man came by the house with an offer to “pressure wash” my driveway and porch area. For me, it’s usually an automatic “no”, but as he spoke, I could see that my driveway was indeed in need of a little makeover. His price was $125.00. I like to see entrepreneurs out and about, trying to earn a living or just make some extra money, actually doing something rather than selling someone else's product or service. He lived nearby and had to go home to get his pressure washer. Upon his return, I was a little skeptical about the outcome, given the small size of his Ryobi pressure washer. Just 10 seconds after he started, I was pleasantly surprised at how much grime the machine removed. When he was done, I was more than happy to pay the young man the quoted price, plus a little extra. We need more people like this guy, and fewer people with their hand out in a (name any business) parking lot.
--- 11:05 AM - My carbon monoxide detector was doing its “chirp, chirp” thing, so I replaced the batteries. The “chirp, chirp” continued. It took a little research to discover that this was its “end of life” signal and that it was time to replace the unit. Replace it, I did. Apologies to Yoda. No more chirping.
--- 11:30 AM - Last year, a well-known news aggregator posted "RADIOACTIVE?" at the top of its website regarding a story about France's claim that an older iPhone model was emitting excessive RF radiation. From the comments following the article, it is clear that some readers did not understand the distinction between Radio Frequency (RF) radiation and ionizing radiation, such as that received in medical X-rays and other sources. A few people understood they were different, but didn't realize that Radio Frequency radiation wasn't without some risk.
--- 11:40 AM - Over the years, I've seen more than one cattle-hauling truck with twin CB Radio antennas, mounted on the mirrors, leaning forward as much as 45 degrees. I read somewhere that these "bull haulers" want to give their truck a "bull" look, hence the forward-leaning antennas. Another explanation I heard was that it lowers the antennas' height to avoid obstructions. Then, there's the explanation that, at highway speed, they will stand up straight. Without the tilt, they would bend backward. I think that's bunk. I can't imagine any wheeled vehicle, licensed for use on public highways, being able to go fast enough to bend antennas far enough to affect the signal let alone stand straight up. Whatever the antennas look like, if they're happy, I'm happy.--- 11:45 AM - Show me someone who hasn't used the Pythagorean formula since high school, and I'll show you someone who hasn't had to determine accurately—and before purchasing—the amount of guy wire needed for a radio communications tower.
3:00 PM - Today, I met a former co-worker for lunch at Texas Best BBQ & Burgers on Maplewood at Southwest Parkway (our very own six-lane Farm-to-Market Road [FM 369]). I had ribs, sausage, cole slaw, potato salad, toast, tea, and peach cobbler. The peach cobbler was heavenly.
--- 4:05 PM - I have Type II Fairy Rings in my yard. Look it up.
--- 6:20 PM - I just saw a news report that Nitro Action Adventure Park will “revamp and rebrand” the Urban Air Adventure Park trampoline park that closed earlier this year in Wichita Falls. I had no idea the Urban Iar park had closed. I’m 74, so I’m surprised that I even knew it was open! Well, let’s see what happens.
--- 7:00 PM - When I was a kid, we had a gas furnace, but our next-door neighbor had a coal-fired unit. In the winter, a coal truck would arrive regularly, extend a long chute into a ground-level window on the front of the house, and the driver or an assistant would shovel coal onto the chute. Down in the basement, the coal piled up on the floor in an area enclosed by a low wooden fence. Anyway, that's how old I am.