NETNEWS

by WB6IXN

3/01/2006 10m Phone Net - W6ZE/AF6C checked in IXN, XO, MIH, and CCD. IXN announced a new slow speed CW Net which meets on Saturday mornings at 9:30 am local time, on 7.084 MHz.  AF6C temporarily stopped a leak from the hot water tank.  IXN suggests Bob check out Home Depot for a new tank & installation.   XO & IXN both have replaced their hot water tanks twice in 30 years, and XO said that he replaced an old freezer, cutting his electric bill in half! …And Bob said the XYL is still hving back problems.  MIH, tuning around on 10m, found the Net, and CCD checked in late suffering his 3rd cold of the season, and CCD reminded OPs not to forget the Club Bfast come Sat., just before the XYL called Tom fer din-din.

 

3/01/2006 2m Phone Net - W6ZE/IXN checked in MIH, JD, AUL, AF6C, KI6CGM(Don), MIG, and KI6BBU(Steve).   MIH said that Cliff was away on a job interview, and JD, finished wid shopping and a doctor’s appointment, is thinking abt sum apple pancakes he’ll devour at the Jaegerhaus Restaurant at the Club Bfast come Sat.  AF6C debated whether he would air ARNewsline, or, ARRL news…Bob can now download both files for presentation on the Nets.  AUL checked in wid static on his sigs…IXN suspects a loose wire or connection.  CGM ‘flew in and flew out’, and BBU checked in wid gud sigs frm Newport Beach…Steve’s QTH is in Bear Lake.

 

3/05/2006 OCWN 40m CW Net – NCS/UEB checked in IMW, KFW, VDP, OIO, NXY, KS6CW, RND, IXN, NT, and IC. IMW, wid monster sigs frm NT at the beach, must fix the tent and find a few hamsticks fer the desert trip. KFW, hearing RND on 20m CW the other day, used the rain last week to stay inside and work sum CW & PSK-31.  VDP, hving fun working the Contest and collecting new prefixes, said that 15m is hot!   OIO saw a great presentation on the latest way to do train spotting by radio & computer…For train buffs, it’s a lot of fun!   NXY said the rain and snow came dwn to the 2500 Ft. level, but it melted fast.  CW, a train buff, enjoyed Ann’s FB item on train spotting.  RND enjoying the rain & hoping fer more, gave an official temp. of 54.1 deg. F.  IXN put OCWN Net Notes up on the OCARC website at www.w6ze.org, and NT, still hving trouble finding things after the move, has been working sum DX stations…Upon NC request, NT said the DX ant. consists of a piece of thin wire about 45 ft. long, 9 ft. high at one end, 6 ft. high at the near end, and fed via a tuner!  IC & XYL had the grandkids over so the parents can celebrate their anniversary.

 

3/08/2006 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in LDC, HHC, and IXN.  LDC may be shopping fer a beam ant. on E-Bay, has lost abt 15 lbs and losing, and has joined the Valley Fitness Club!  HHC has a list of equipment, fer a proposal in July, that will be needed fer future Baker-to-Vegas Runs, and Ken now has trouble keeping up wid the son & grandson on the Mammoth ski runs…HHC also said that 8 OCARC members attended the Orange PD Baker-to-Vegas meeting, and, Ken will be stationed in Pahrump during the Run…And AUL helped Ken wid software problems on an old Windows 95 computer.  IXN updated OPs on the new 10th planet in the solar system, and AF6C mentioned a new ham and a gud turn-out at the Club Bfast.  AF6C will also air the new ARRL Audio News after 2m Net.

 

3/08/2006 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in AB, JD, HHC, AF6C, AUL, and KFW.  AB has been busy wid house chores, traveling to San Diego wid sum local travel too, and Steve will be off to LA next week.  JD will help wid Baker-to-Vegas locally, but Lowell will not be on the road this year…And AF6C asked lowell if the ‘coffe cup man’, name might be John Hedges, is still working at Boeing…AF6C will send an E-mail to El Presidente fer a check on John…Sheryl is also checking on a coffee mug vender.  OPs discussed the new ARRL Audio News broadcasts, and HHC said 18 people showed up at the Club Bfast at Jaegerhaus, and Ken said that the City of Cypress RACES group now participates wid the Orange RACES group in Baker-to-Vegas…HHC said that one OP is still needed to man the Las Vegas station.  KFW said IXN’s sigs on the OCWN were down slightly, and Chris, bk frm din-din wid a couple of friends, has been working DX on PSK-31, 20m, wid South Americans and Russians.  And HHC worked LZ1BP in Bulgaria, PSK, on 20m.  AUL needs a bigger power supply to keep the rig frm cutting out during transmissions, and AF6C aired Newsline file #1490 where Mr. Gerritsen’s sentencing is set fer April 3, and, a possible appeal by his attorney, and, we heard abt a blood machine that sends SOS in CW at the end of a blood giving session.

 

3/12/2006 OCWN 40m CW Net – UEB, wid wildly varying SWR problems, had IMW relay a request for RND to assume NC duties…Even Rick’s reception was affected…Further testing will follow to isolate the problem!  Acting NC/RND checked in IMW, CW, KFW, KA6G, OIO, NXY, VDP, NT, IXN, and AE6IC.  RND, wid a temp. of 49.8 deg. F., had gud sigs on all OPs on a sunny morning.  IMW repaired the tent in anticipation of a trip to the desert next weekend.  CW, copying OPs thru the QRN/QRM, woke up to a 37 deg. temp, much like Anarctica in the summer…HI!  KFW alerted OPs abt next Friday’s OCARC meeting at the Red Cross, wid Gordy, WB6NOA, as guest speaker.  KA6G checked in frm a cold, cold shack in the garage, and OIO, glad that the QRMer went ‘that-a-way’, was very glad that she didn’t go up to the mountains to get buried in snow!   NXY had snow dwn to 500 ft. elevation yesterday, wo Mike hiked to the top of Mission Peak.  VDP is filling out QSL cards frm last week’s DX contest, and NT, wid sun & clouds competing fer sky space over a cool beach, had a ’lil hail shower yesterday…And Ray worked a few DX stations in the Contest.  IXN got word frm Garner Valley that there is 3 ft. of snow on the ground!  And IC reported that they had their first hail in Oceanside in 10 years!

 

3/15/2006 10m Phone Net - W6ZE/AF6C checked in CCD, HHC, IXN, and MIH.  AF6C will air ARRL Audio Newsline on the 2m Net, and CCD, wid a visiting friend, visited the huge Queen Mary II…And OPs offered condolences to Tom, on the loss of his mother at age 92, before Tom was called to din-din.  HHC, garnering a couple more countries on PSK-31, helped AUL get his antenna repaired…Ken then told OPs that DLA had a hip replacement operation this week, and has since been heard on the bands!  IXN gave sum statistics abt the black hole at the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy, and, AF6C went to lunch wid Mark, afterwards repairing a dirty contact connector to restore Mark’s R-2000 rig bk to operation, and Bob told OPs that his sister will be visiting in a couple of weeks.  MIH is finishing his project and write-up fer his Eagle Scout award, and Kevin plans to bring his GPS to Club meeting Fri. nite.

 

3/15/2006 2m Phone Net - W6ZE/IXN checked in MIH, JD, HHC, AUL, KFW, AF6C, and CCE.  MIH will soon be an Eagle Scout after his Board of Review, and OPs offered congrats. to Kevin!  JD will attend the ‘Watson Radio Club’ bfast come Fri. morning.  HHC garnered three new countries, Spain, New Zealand, and Italy, over the weekend   HHC also telling OPs that WB6NOA will receive special recognition at the Dayton Hamvention for his contributions to amateur radio, is looking forward to Gordo’s presentation at Friday Club meeting…HHC also has posted March ‘RF’ on the website, and JD said that DLA is in St. Joseph Hospital…Check the COAR repeater to see if Bruce is monitoring!  AUL ‘flew in and flew out’.  KFW is looking fer sum 125 mfd electrolytic capacitors, and AF6C told Chris to check out Digikey…IXN remembered the old Sprague electrolytics which are now archaic.  DLA may be released frm the hospital on Friday, and AF6C aired the ARRL Audio News…FCC has finally told the Manassas, VA, BPL, that their operations must meet Part 15 Rules specs!…Tnx, Bob!  NCS forgot to recognize CCE before the ARRL news…(old age, Kenan, sri, IXN)!

 

3/22/2006 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in IXN, LDC, and HHC.  LDC will send AF6C & IXN a list of foods that dogs should’nt eat.   AF6C, cleaning out the garage, found an old 811A transmitting tube, and IXN has a oudin coil that generates a 600KV pressure using two 811s in push-pull…And AF6C suggests that LDC give the dog a bowl of ‘COJ’s chili’ to remove a bowl blockage of paper frm the dog’s intestines after it ate sum candy bars it found in LDC’s briefcase…HI!  HHC said an OP wid sum old Navy gear contacted him, hving found us in World Radio Magazine…He wants to give the old gear a new home!…Any takers?  AF6C mentioned a So. CA. Antique Radio Assoc., and Ken said that DLA is in a rehab center in Tustin, possibly leaving there tomorrow.  AF6C will air the ARRL Audio News on 2m, wid more info. on BPL.

 

3/22/2006 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, VDP, N1AB, HHC, KFW, and AF6C.  JD stayed in out of the rain last week, and VDP mentioned that Ray, W6NT, is familiar wid old gear, too.  VDP garnered Tonga, Alpha 35, in the WPX Contest, and Larry is off to the TRW Swapmeet come Sat.  AB & Doris are going up in the valley over the weekend…Doris’ cousin is getting married.  HHC’s Company is moving to Irvine soon, Baker-to-Vegas in a week and a half, equipment checkout come Sat., and Ken says DLA is probably monitoring the COAR repeater, 446.140 MHz, wid JD supplying a PL of –94.8.  KFW ordered filter capacitors frm Digikey today, and Chris said that he will not be here fer FD this year…Someone please pick up the generator at his QTH before June 8!  AF6C told OPs abt a handy voltmeter available at Harbor Freight fer 4 bucks, and Bob plans to get sum 12F675 chips frm Digikey…AF6C then aired ARRL Audio News where we learned abt a new govt. bureau:  the Public Safety & Home Security Bureau!…Amateur radio, in the Wireless Bureau, will also be under this new Bureau…ARRL IS NOT OPPOSED TO BPL, ONLY ITS INTERFERENCE!…and, the Mississippi Governor signs legislation supporting PRB-1!…Tnx, Bob!

 

3/26/2006 OCWN 40m CW Net – NCS/UEB checked in IMW, HKT, OIO, IC, IB, KA6G, KS6CW, RND, NT, IXN, and NXY.    UEB remedied his RF problems by replacing exposed feedline PL-259 connectors…And Rick had a gud time at Borrego Springs last Sunday, hearing most stations at Net check-in!   IMW, wid 599 sigs frm HKT, has been upgrading the PC, it now has tube sound…HI!  HKT saw VDP at TRW on Sat., and Homer picked up a 40m hamstick to go wid the 20m that he plans to use on the next desert trip…Homer will take the ICOM 706 and try to work Net frm the truck if he is away on a Sunday.  OIO didn’t get to ‘XC’ last week.  The road was too icy fer Ann’s friend to come up, and wid 8” of powder on the road, Ann had a interesting drive dwn the hill on Monday!  Now IC knows why he doesn’t live in the mountains…HI!…And stomach flu kep Fred away frm TRW this week. IB, absent frm the Net, said his mom had been vy sick and that she passed away on last Sunday evening. KA6G ‘flew in and flew out’.   KS6CW, wid the cable TVs’ bad connections all fixed, was soory to hear abt Casey’s mom.  RND, sorry to hear abt IB’s mom, finished reading a gud book, “Marley and Me”, about a dog, which John recommended fer dog lovers…RND used to hve 3 big dogs!  Overcast and not a gud day fer beaching, NT checked in frm the burg by the bay…Ray worked an OP in Africa on 7 MHz during the SSB Contest!…And NT was soory to hear abt Casey’s loss. IXN offered Casey condolences on his mom’s passing, and IXN & brother Lee will be up in Garner Valley on Palm Sunday. NXY, just bk frm a business trip to New York City, is glad to be home…And Mike offered condolences to Casey about his mom…And Mike told UEB that the 9 Call came frm Chicago suburb where he grew up.

 

3/29/2006 10m Phone Net - W6ZE/AF6C checked in LDC, IXN, JD, HHC, and WA6OUE(Mike).  LDC &XYL got their dog bk frm the Vet, and JD heard OUE FB. IXN cudn’t copy OUE’s sigs dwn in the QRN at IXN’s shack…Mike was probably working Bob off the end of the dipole.  AF6C recommends reading James Patterson’s book, Honeymoon, to OPs, and Bob will hve ARNewsline ready fer airing on the 2m Net.  HHC has a Diamond 2m ant ready fer Baker-to-Vegas, and Ken renewed membership wid the ARRL, and, received his 1st issue of QEX magazine which has an interesting article on an all-horizon antenna.  Hit-man HHC and hatchet-man WWK cleverly cajoled AF6C into joining the COAR Baker-to-Vegas communications group, and OUE will be in a follow car between Baker & Shoshone.  IXN, AF6C, and HHC discussed late BPL news that was listed in QST magazine.

 

3/29/2006 2m Phone Net - W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, CCD, AUL, KFW, HHC, AF6C, and OUE.  JD will await HHC’s arrival at the QTH tomorrow afternoon to pick up a power supply fer the Baker-to-Vegas Run, and CCD, din-din and the dishes done, measured 1 ½ in. of rain in the rain guage today.  AUL had strong sigs tonite!…Nicolas thinks the rain improved ground conductivity.  KFW, confirming AUL’s strong sigs, worked sum PSK-31 on 20m wid QSB.  HHC, working on anti-virus changeover at the ‘saltmine’ all day, tested an APRS 2m Diamond ant. tonite, and Ken told AUL that the OP wid the old Navy rig has made no further contact!  AF6C, wid rain & wind  interference while painting a rack to hold a radio, must now find rubber feet for the rack…And Bob remembered a gud buddy who was killed in a plane crash on Mar. 28 a few years bk…Then Bob aired AR-Newsline file #1493…The next solar sunspot cycle will be 30 to 50% stronger than the 1958 cycle, and, amateur radio will not be under Homeland Security, it will remain within the Wireless Communications Bureau…Concerned abt interest in Science & Radio, Canada is now considering an entry level license!…And, Mississippi is the 22nd state to sign a bill reasonably accommodating ham antennas in accordance with PRB-1!…Tnx, Bob! 

 

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