Wichita Falls Pundit
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08-23-2025 - 7:30 AM - The CB Radio band is alive and well this morning with the usual DX channels booming in. Up until now, I had been listening to the Hotter'N Hell bike ride communications, so I don't know about any local trucking traffic on CB Channel 19. But, I'm tuned in now!
08-23-2025 - 8:30 AM - FEMA National Watch Center - National Current Ops / Monitoring for Aug 22-23, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / ops
Hazard Monitoring:
• Heavy Rain / Flash Flooding - Central Great Basin and Southeast
• Excessive Heat – Southwest
• Tropical Activity
o Atlantic:
• Disturbance 1 (AL90): High (near 100%)
• Disturbance 2 (AL99): Low (20%)
o Eastern Pacific:
• Disturbance 1: High (70%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration – IL
• FMAG Approval: Flat – OR
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
08-23-2025 - 9:00 AM - Our local airports, Kickapoo (122.700 MHz) and Wichita Valley (122.800 MHz), have been very quiet this morning. I usually hear pilots out in the morning taking advantage of the smoother air. High afternoon temperatures mean bumpy air. It's not a big deal either way unless air conditioning is important.
08-23-2025 - 1:39 PM - I contacted a station in Hocking Hills State Park (US-1958) in Ohio on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program. POTA hunter count: 553.
08-23-2025 - 6:00 PM - In case you didn't know, the best Amateur (ham) Radio repeater directory is a local "ham" monitoring 146.520 FM simplex. I don't know why I care. I don't use repeaters. It sounded good, though.
08-22-2025 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Friday, and there's a 50-50 chance that I might mow the back yard today. That's the only chore on today's schedule. At the moment, I have Morse code on the 40-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band running in the background. Our local City transit bus drivers are coming alive on 453.5375 MHz. There were days when these folks were very entertaining. I'm guessing that they thought no one could hear them. These days, they are a little more restrained in the mornings, evenings, and on weekends when there is no adult supervision. My coffee is ready. UPDATE: I didn't mow the yard.
08-22-2025 - 5:05 AM - Wichita Falls NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 70. East northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
08-22-2025 - 5:10 AM - Current National Short Range Weather Forecast
08-22- 2025 - 5:15 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 93.0% Kemp: 100% Kickapoo: 96.7%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 96.6% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (94.85%) to determine drought stage.
08-22-2025 - 5:20 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 9,515 Megawatts.
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08-22-2025 - 5:40 AM - There is a lot of online discussion about the "rebranding" of Cracker Barrel. I had breakfast at our local Cracker Barrel about 10 years ago. I've never actually eaten a ground shoe leather and sawdust patty before, but that's the best description I can give their sausage patties. They were an abomination of a travesty. Tip for Cracker Barrel: Buy some Jimmy Dean sausage from a local store and charge extra if necessary.
08-22-2025 - 5:55 AM - Before our downtown Arby's was modernized, an out-of-town visitor dined there. On X, formerly known as Twitter, he left this report: "Built in the 1800s. Brutal!" At least they kept the old sign!
08-22-2025 - 7:00 AM - I turned on the CB Radio at 5:00 AM and, at 7:00 AM, just heard my first transmission, which was on Channel 19. This is unusually quiet for local activity. The band has yet to open for DX activity.
08-22-2025 - 8:35 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring for Aug 21-22,
2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / ops
Hazard Monitoring:
• Heavy Rain / Flash Flooding – Southeast
• Excessive Heat – West Coast
• Tropical Activity
o Atlantic:
• Hurricane Erin (CAT 1)
• Disturbance 1: High (90%)
• Disturbance 2: Med (50%)
• Disturbance 3: Low (near 0%)
o Eastern Pacific:
• Disturbance 1: Med (60%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• One amendment issued
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
08-22-2025 - 12:55 PM - There is a lot of local traffic on CB Radio Channel 19, an improvement from earlier this morning. On the local Amateur (ham) Radio frequencies, a handful of operators have requested "radio checks" in advance of the Hotter' N Hell Hundred bike ride tomorrow. As you might know, area Amateur Radio Operators provide radio communications support for the ride and have done so for all but one year.
08-22-2025 - 4:30 PM - The CB Radio is booming from one end of the band to the other. I have not had the Amateur (ham) Radio Yaesu 857D on since this morning, so I have no Parks on the Air® Morse code contacts to report.
08-22-2025 - 5:45 PM - Back 40 years ago and beyond, female employees at our local Gibson's Discount Center got off work at 1 PM on Saturdays. The men had to stay until closing. This was so the ladies could do what ladies do to prepare for Sunday, etc. That's the way it was. That would fly like a lead balloon today.
08-22-2025 - 6:00 PM - I hear members of the Local Group making their presence known on CB Radio Channel 23. Tune in or join in. I don't think they bite. They sound like a bunch of nice guys. I heard more traffic on the MURS frequency of 151.940 MHz today. I'm still trying to identify it.
08-21-2025 - 5:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Thursday, and I can't think of anything radio-important happening today. At least not locally. Our local WFISD school bus operation is, in my opinion, still shaking off the cobwebs of the summer break. Translation: Radio communications are very interesting. Tune in at 152.360 MHz and see what you think. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
08-21-2025 - 5:30 AM - I hear local traffic on CB Radio channels 14 and 24. It sounds like 14 is an oversized load, but I didn't think they were allowed during hours of darkness. I could be wrong. I'm not sure what the Channel 24 traffic is about. It's all good, though!
08-21-2025 - 5:05 AM - Wichita Falls NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 94. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 71. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight.