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04-09-2026 - 5:10 AM - Good morning! It’s Thursday, and I have some priming and painting to do today. I don’t love it, but it has to be done, and it will keep me off the radio for a good portion of the day. Speaking of radio, I like to remind folks that Wichita Falls is a perfect city for the license-free Multi-Use Radio Service because the city's widest dimension is only about 12 miles. Base stations anywhere in town, with a decent outside antenna, will be able to communicate with each other and most mobile units. I have a set of MURS handheld radios. Check it out. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready!
5:15 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
--- 5:20 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 82.1% Kemp: 95.9% Kickapoo: 84.3%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 88.5% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (83.2%) to determine drought stage.
--- 5:25 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion
--- 5:30 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion
--- 6:20 AM - If you're in the Wichita Falls area and need a good job with benefits, the James V. Allred Unit—our very own male, maximum-security prison—is always hiring. I mean always. It's not a job for everyone, but it might be the job for you. Tune in to Allred Unit operations at 153.815 MHz on your scanner radio! When you get a little seniority and get "gun tower" assignments, you might be able to sneak your handheld Amateur (ham) Radio, CB Radio, or MURS radio up with you! You didn't hear that from me! I've heard stories!
--- 8:00 AM - The Clay County Amateur Radio Club conducts a weekly Skywarn® practice net on Thursdays at 8:00 PM on the 146.800 MHz repeater. Tune in with your scanner radio, or check in if you're an Amateur (ham) Radio Operator!
--- 9:15 AM - About 15 years ago, maybe longer, a small eatery called Matlock's Grill was located 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! Here's an idea. Some well-to-do Amateur (ham) radio operators should buy the building that resembles a diner, but is actually a “pack and ship" business, located at 9th and Broad, and restore it to its former life as a diner. They can call it Ham & Eggs and put some real antennas atop that wasted decorative tower outside the building.
--- 10:00 PM - The year was 1963 or 64, and I was walking down the street not far from home. I happened to pass by a barber shop and, in the chair, was a classmate of mine. In his shirt pocket was a Heathkit GW-31 walkie-talkie. Google it for a pic. To say I was jealous is an understatement. I didn't know the model number, but saw the Heathkit name on it. I confirmed the model number later by consulting my grandfather's Heathkit catalog. His possession of such a nice (expensive) piece of equipment could only mean that his parents let him carry it to keep tabs on him. This practice was the early version of giving a kid a cell phone for the same reason. I was still jealous when I got my noisy, clunky-looking Spacephone set for Christmas, 1964!
--- 1:00 PM - From the U.S. Federal Trade Commission - StubHub, the nation’s largest ticket exchange and resale ticket provider, will pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company violated the FTC Act and the agency’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees by deceptively advertising ticket prices on its website without clearly and conspicuously disclosing up-front how much consumers actually would pay, including all mandatory fees.
--- 4:30 PM - From Texas Monthly Magazine: "Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, which celebrates its grand opening April 10, boasts miles of hiking trails among unique hills and junipers. " From RadioMan763: Who will be the first to activate an Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® station?
--- 6:20 PM - The Local Group is up and running on CB Radio Channel 23. I have them, and Morse code on the 20-metter Amateur (ham) Radio band running in the background, while I listen to Amateur (ham) Radio Operator AL7CO atop Mount Scott making contacts. It’s a Hobby Radio cornucopia out there! Oh, and I'm eating spaghetti and meatballs, too!