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04-11-2026 - 5:45 AM - Good Morning! It’s Saturday, and I have more outside painting to do, and painting is not one of my favorite activities. Hopefully, the humidity will drop way down below the current 96% when the sun comes up. I want it below 70%, and a bigger temperature-dewpoint spread, before I start painting. Some local Amateur (ham) Radio Operators might be assembling informally at the Pioneer #3 Restaurant, as they usually do on Saturdays at 8:00 AM. My Folgers Black Silk Coffee is ready.

5:50 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: A slight chance of showers between 7am and 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 10pm. Low around 64. South southeast wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

--- 5:55 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 82.3% Kemp: 95.9% Kickapoo: 84.2%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 88.6% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (83.25%) to determine drought stage.

--- 6:00 AM - NWS Short Range Weather Discussion

--- 6:05 AM - NWS Extended Range Weather Discussion

--- 6:30 AM - The most famous Amateur (ham) Radio operator I ever worked on the air was Roy Neal, K6DUE (Silent Key), an NBC News correspondent. The most famous ham I ever saw was King Hussein of Jordan, JY1 (Silent Key), as he departed the Letterman Army Medical Center at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1976. My most interesting contact was with a Naval aviator in an FA/18 Hornet - on 146.520 FM simplex - as he passed over north Texas headed to the Houston area. He said he was using the aircraft radio.

7:00 AM - Places to get a beer in Wichita Falls in 1977: Astro Lounge, BJ's Lounge, Bar-B-Que Lounge, Big Mary's, Bimbo Club, Carousel Lounge, Dale's Blue Lounge, Downtown Beer Lounge, El Sombrero Bar, Embers Lounge, Esquire Lounge, Frank's Lounge, George's Salt & Pepper, Irene's Bar & Grill, It'll-Do-Bar, Joe's Doll House, La Fiesta Lounge, Latino Ballroom, Lee's Bar, Little Brothers No. II, Lisa's Palace, Lola Wayne Place, Lone Star Saloon, Millie's Lounge, Mister T's Lounge, Nashville Bar, OUI Lounge, Office Lounge, Pokey's Lounge, Pub Lounge, Red Slipper Lounge, Rock Inn, Show & Tell Lounge, Snoopy's Lounge, Some Place Else Lounge, Sonny's Bar, Tank's Bar, Toodles Lounge, The Town Bar, Western Bar, Western Hills Lounge, Wildcatter Club, and the Zoo Bar.

--- 7:10 AM - The Allred Unit is alive at 153.815 MHz, and others will soon make their presence known. If you're headed to Starbucks at Kemp & Kell, don't! Drive across the street to Frank & Joe's Coffee in Parker Square. You can go to Starbucks tomorrow. Check out more scanner radio frequencies here!

--- 10:00 AM - I wonder if Tom Danaher Airport is active in any capacity? It sits on the southwest end of Lake Wichita. Tom passed away in 2014, and I haven’t given the airport much thought since doing several “touch and go” landings there 40 years ago. Carter McGregor is listed as the current owner. I found the Unicom frequency of 123.075 MHz and plugged it into my scanner radio. I’ll see what happens. Tom has four acting credits on the Internet Movie Database: Seaplane pilot in “The Spanish Prisoner, Cessna 172 pilot in “Golden Eye”, Assistant aerial coordinator: aerial unit / pilot in “Cliffhanger”, and pilot in “Air America.”

--- 11:42 AM - I contacted a station in Cannon Creek Floodings Wildlife Management Area (US-6638) in Michigan on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program.

12:10 PM - Our semi-new Luxury RV Park at U.S. 287 and Loop 11 (the loop that doesn't loop) still seems to be doing good business. I still haven't heard any local Ham Radio or CB Radio communications coming from there. None that I can identify, anyway. There probably hasn't been any. Maybe one of these days.

--- 6:50 PM - I have attended one professional football game in my life, and that was the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Somebody at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. It was 1963 or 64. My Grandfather took my younger brother and me to the game. I remember two things about the game. First, a player took off his helmet, and he was bald! I was shocked that a football player was bald! The other was the man in front of me, turning around and saying: “Hey, kiddo, stop kicking my seat!”