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04-25-2026 - 6:10 AM - Good Morning! It’s Saturday, and I didn’t win the Mega Millions last night. It appears that no one else did, either. The Montague County Simplex Net happens this morning at 9:00 AM on 147.500 MHz FM simplex. You’ll need a good outside antenna to hear this group from Wichita Falls. I gave my generator its regular run yesterday, so it’s good to go if needed. That need is not anticipated for the very near future. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
--- 6:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 94. East southeast wind 7 to 11 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South southeast wind around 10 mph.
--- 6:20 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:25 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:30 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 12,731 Megawatts.
--- 6:35 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 84.5% Kemp: 95.9% Kickapoo: 88.0%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 90.0% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (86.25%) to determine drought stage.
--- 7:15 AM - Our local Air Evac Lifeteam (helicopter) is active this morning. You can monitor their "company" chatter on 159.900 MHz on your scanner radio.
--- 8:00 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing
--- 8:05 AM - A group of area Amateur (ham) Radio Operators usually meet informally for breakfast at 8:00 AM at the Pioneer #3 (P3) Restaurant at Old Iowa Park Road and Sheppard Access Road. If you have questions about Ham Radio, they probably have answers. Look for long antennas on vehicles, and people with handheld radios on the table. I'm just guessing on that one, but I would not be surprised. Of course, this brings up the long-closed Matlock's Grill at 1008 Indiana Ave., across from the Wichita Falls Public Library. The owner allowed a couple of local Amateur (ham ) Radio Operators to install a small VHF-UHF antenna on the roof, with the coax cable terminating at their favorite table. We need more restaurant owners like that!
--- 11:00 AM - It was 1969. My high school summer job was running the candy vending machine route for Houston Vending Company on Sheppard Air Force Base. So, there I was, driving on one of Sheppard's main streets, daydreaming about who knows what. A short but heavy rain had just ended. A large puddle near the curb had formed, and I was headed straight for it. MORE!
--- 12:20 PM - I've heard contacts on two Family Radio Service (FRS) frequencies today. The audio was short, clipped messages, so it was hard to identify anyone or figure out what they were talking about. If I'm hearing these low-powered units on the north side of town, FRS usage must be pretty high across the city.
--- 4:00 PM - The Wichita Falls area Amateur (ham) Radio Skywarn® storm spotters (WX5SPS) Net Control advised that the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch that includes Wichita County until 11:00 PM tonight. If spotters are required to activate, you can tune in to the action on your scanner radio at 146.800 MHz for Wichita County and 146.800 MHz for Clay County.
--- 5:00 PM - My Walmart struggle used to be finding a shopping cart that didn't have a mind of its own. Now, my main focus is on dodging those pesky Spectrum salespeople. I changed aisles, and the salesman pursued and intercepted me. Not acceptable. I haven't forgotten about those carts, though!
--- 5:30 PM - I had a pleasant flashback of listening on my scanner radio for the "jump plane" over Grandfield, Oklahoma, to report to Sheppard AFB Air Traffic Control "jumpers away." Later, I was one of the jumpers reported as "away." And later, I was the jump pilot reporting "jumpers away." Check the scanner frequency page for relevant frequencies.
--- 6:00 PM - I saw it on the news over 40 years ago, but it still comes to mind now and then. A City of Wichita Falls employee was involved in a minor traffic accident. The accident occurred mainly because another vehicle was traveling the wrong way on a one-way street. The City employee made several mistakes. First, he spoke to the news media on camera. That's a supervisor's job. Second, he admitted, on camera, that after stopping at a stop sign, he didn't look both ways before entering the intersection because the cross street was a one-way street. It is a violation to enter an intersection before it is clear. A civil jury might have wanted to split the blame had the accident been severe enough to go to trial. Remember, the news media have a job to do. Being your advocate isn't necessarily part of that job.
7:00 PM - The Bluebonnet Grocery on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and the Missile Club on Burk Road near SAFB have been around since the 1960s. I don't know how many owners each has been through, but the business names have remained the same. The Glass Kitchen, on Old Iowa Park Road, shut down several years ago. It had also been around for a long time! My first meal in Wichita Falls was at the Glass Kitchen on Hines in 1966.