NETNEWS

by WB6IXN

12/02/2009 10M Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in W6HHC, WB9YCJ, WB6IXN, and KE6YHX.  With the exception of Corey, this was the ‘Ken & Bob’ Net tonite, said HHC.  HHC said that those who do not have tickets fer the Club Christmas Dinner can pay at the door, and Ken now knows the problems of SMT (Surface Mount Technology) as eensy-weensy ’lil electronic parts fly across the room while Ken is trying to mount them on a circuit board!  YCJ announced the 160m Contest coming up this weekend, and the 10m Contest coming up on the 12 th.  AF6C & IXN announced the death of longtime announcer, secretary and treasurer of NEWSLINE, Andy Jurema, N6TCQ.  Andy was also a member of the old Seismic Precursor Net…He will be sorely missed in the ham community!  Wid IXN in the San Jacinto Mtns fer TG, KE6YHX assumed NC duties on the 2m Net, and OPs announced a great job well done!...Congrats, Corey!

12/02/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/WB6IXN checked in AF6CF, W6HHC, KE6YHX, WB9YCJ, AF6C, and K6ACJ(Bill) in HB.  IXN & Lee got their H1N1 flu shots today at Walgreens, Chapman & Euclid…And Bob announced that San Sevaine Seismometer has been moved to a new location nearby with a slightly higher elevation…Call IXN for details.  CF joined IXN and Lee experiencing snow over the TG weekend…Nicholas was up 5300 ft at the Mt. Pinos Country Club, while IXN & Lee had snow at the 4500 ft & 5700ft levels in Garner Valley & Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mts.  YHX enjoyed TG Dinner wid all the trimmings.  YCJ, enjoying a quiet TG and still eating leftovers, suggested a Hamstick ant fer the 160m Contest this weekend if you can’t find anything else.  AF6C and family were sick on TG, so they all celebrated TG on Friday!...And Bob is working on the Club Newsletter, and, sending out some new Club QSL cards!   HHC & Diane had 15 or 16 family in fer TG, and Ken got the ‘short end’ of the poker game that followed!  HHC, ACJ, & AF6C discussed the fine art of SMT soldering and how not to lose the parts in the process!  Bill, ACJ, an ARRL Affiliated Club Coorinator, is interested in homebrew and construction of ham gear.  Bill is also an experimenter!  No ARRL Audio News was aired over TG.

12/09/2009 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in W6HHC, WB9YCJ, K6YUI, WB6IXN, and W6FKX.  HHC, looking forward to the Club Christmas Dinner, has been discussing DATV wid German & English OPs.  YCJ is having trouble wid the Cable Internet Box…It automatically reloads itself every 10 minutes!  YUI (wow! …wid ten-ten #62) said there were 80+ people at the DX Club Christmas Dinner, and, that OCARC el Presidente, Nicholas-AF6CF, won grand prize, a Yaesu FT-2900 2M FM rig, at the WARA Christmas Dinner!   IXN talked briefly about 1^st Motion Focal Mechanism Solutions (beach balls), and, finding usable water on the moon.  Doug-FKX has been studying rock formations in Rainbow Basin, and, his daughter’s participation in the Nutcracker Ballet.  AF6C had ARRL Audio News ready to air on the 2m Net, and, Santa might bring Bob a new IPOD for Christmas…If not, Bob will service the old IPOD.

12/09/2009 2m Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in AF6CF, KE6YHX, W6HTW, KC6YWJ(Scott), WB9YCJ, W6HHC, AF6C, and KG6RWU.  OPs congratulated El Presidente, Nicolas, on winning the FT-2900 R 2m radio at the WARA Christmas Dinner, and YHX, wid Thanksgiving under his belt, is out busily shopping fer Christmas presents!  HTW is checking out software for the Kenwood 2000 2m/440 rig he won at Club meeting, and Scott, YWJ and HTW exchange their locations in La Habra.  YCJ announced the 10m Contest starting at 4 pm local time on Fri. afternoon, and Ken plans to make an appearance at the Club Christmas Dinner Fri. eve.  Wid the family busy, RWU will make a solo appearance at the Dinner.  HHC is happy wid the new computer and Windows 7, and Ken will see all at the Christmas Dinner Fri. eve.  AF6C has been Christmas shopping, got the Christmas lights up, and AF6C and CF briefly discussed their new ICOM V8 HTs, and after Net, too.  AF6C then aired ARRL Audio News  at 21:05 hrs local time…ARRL discusses BPL interference wid 5 FCC Commissoners, possibly wid regulatory notching in the ham bands to eliminate interference…The 10m and 160m contests were covered, this being the 40^th Anniversary of the CW only 160m Contest!...Read more in the ARRL Letter.  ARRL Audio News concluded at 21:24 hrs. local time…Tnx, Bob!

12/16/2009 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in WB9YCJ, WB6IXN, W6FKX, W6HHC, and KI6VEN.  YCJ enjoyed the Club Christmas Dinner, heard South America & the mid-central U.S. in the 10m Contest, and will soon venture into XM radio.  HHC picked up the wrong mike, won a antenna book at the Christmas Dinner, went to 3 Christmas parties last week, and got a new amplifier from Germany for 1.2 GHz DATV.  Ken said that 50 hams & guests attended the Club Christmas Dinner!...AF6C quipped, “The beer was cold!”  AF6C heard a Portugal station during the 10m Contest, and Bob was using the old Heathkit rig once agn.  FKX enjoyed the Christmas Party, left Net briefly to tuck the kids in bed, and made a contact on 17m in Kansas.  VEN’s mysterious drink at the Club Christmas Party was pink lemonade!...And Phil also attended the Catalina Repeater Assoc. dinner at Hometown Buffet in Santa Ana.  AF6C prepared to air the ARRL Audio News on the 2m Net.

12/16/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/WB6IXN checked in ARRL’s KC6ACJ, after NC stumbled arnd wid Phil’s call, AF6CF, WB9YCJ, W6HHC, W6FKX, AF6C, and KC6YWJ.  Phil announced  the upcoming Hamfest sponsored by the Palm Springs Desert RATS, and, the ham radio & rock hounds gathering at Quartzite, AZ.  AF6C was familiar wid Quartzite when he worked at a nearby aircraft engine testing site where they once tested C17 engines…Bob wished all a Merry Christmas as he prepared to air Dec. 10 ARRL Audio News.  IXN and Lee plan to be in the San Jacinto Mtns., weather permitting, and CF enjoyed the Club Christmas Dinner and recommended the Club website www.w6ze.org to ACJ.  YCJ announced the Angel’s purchase of Sideki Matsui, and told OPs to keep their eyes on the Yankees next baseball season.  HHC announced that Beverly, KI6APH, selected excellent gifts for the ladies’ baskets at the Club Christmas Party.  FKX recommended Rainbow Basin to those who love multicolored rock layers, and Doug queried OPs about off-centered dipole antennas.  YWJ & HHC offered FKX some comments on off-centered dipoles, and Phil won a $25 gift certificate at the Club Christmas Dinner!  AF6C then aired the Dec. 10 ARRL Audio News at 21:18 hrs. local time…FCC denies two petitions to amend the Part 97 rules concerning repeater IDs on the air…Vibroplex gets a new owner…no ARRL Audio News over the holidays…Tnx, Bob!

12/23/2009 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in W6HHC, WB9YCJ, WB6IXN, WA6NOL, and W6FKX.  Ken & Robbie get 325 mW out of Ken’s new DATV 1.2 GHz PWR AMP, and HHC has most of his Christmas shopping done.  AF6C & IXN don’t like driving in the Tustin Marketplace, and YCJ will work a ’lil CW on Straight Key Nite.  NOL & JAY will try out APRS and the 4-wheel drive on the auto on their way to Kingman, AZ.   IXN wishes they would paint median strip curbs yellow so that they would be better seen at nite!  AF6C would rather be wrapping gifts than driving in Holiday traffic!  FKX ‘flew in and flew out’! 

12/23/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/WB6IXN checked in WB9YCJ, KR6J, W6HHC, AF6CF, K6CCD, and AF6C.   Over the Holidays, YCJ plans to get sum R&R and do sum hamming and play wid his new MFJ-259 ant. Analyzer that he just bought.   Wid decorations all up, and final repairs on Christmas lights about to be made, HHC & Diane will host family at the QTH on Christmas morning, and later in the day for Christmas dinner, although Ken will work a ½ day tomorrow at the ‘salt mine’!  IXN & Lee are off to the mtns. early Fri. morning, and CF will be working on the computer and hamming while family visits the QTH over Christmas.  CCD will be home wid family & friends, visit friends, and work at home over the Holidays.  KR6J & XYL are recuperating from respiratory infections, and Kenan is working hard as a Motorola Rep., and KR6J is now involved wid OC RACES!  AF6C missed KR6J at the Club Christmas Dinner, and Bob will talk wid family back East over Christmas…And Bob will investigate CF’s offer on E-Bay, and look into a PayPal account.  AF6C aired ARRL Audio News for Dec. 17, 2009, at 21:03 hrs. local time…Senate Bill 1755 and House Bill 2150 will help define ham radio’s roll in Emergency Communications and disaster relief, and, help remove state & local laws restricting ant. heights, etc…China has launched a new ham satellite, XW-1, operating on FM, CW, and SSB!  Read more in the Keplerian Bulletin and the ARRL Letter…ARRL Audio News concluded at 21:22 hrs. local time…Tnx, Bob!

12/30/2009 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in KE6YHX, WV6V(Cam), WB9YCJ, WB6IXN, W6KJC(Kris), and W6HHC.  Santa brought Corey his hunting knife, and now YHX is looking fer a generator.  YCJ had a peaceful Christmas, and Ken-WB9 alerted OPs that Rush Limbaugh was rushed to the hospital today wid a heart problem.  WV6V was running a FT-950 barefoot into a Vertical tonite, and IXN & Lee returned safely from the San Jacinto Mtns. where IXN rewired a golf cart.  AF6C got a ROKU unit, a new Thomas Guide, a new GPS unit, and managed to get lost once!  Bob visited Ida Yamachika before Christmas, and HHC & Diane also stopped by to chat wid Ida before the net.  KJC is installing solar panels fer emergency power backup at the station in Coventry Church, and Chris will soon upgrade at a test session at the Church!

12/30/09 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/WB6IXN checked in AF6CF, WV6V, WU6U, W6KJC, WB9YCJ, W6HHC, AF6C, KE6YHX, KI6VEN(Phil), and EVX.  EVX ‘flew in and flew out’ wid weak S1 sigs.  CF wished all a HNY and will see OPs at the COAR meeting Tues. eve.  WV6V had a generous Christmas wid Cam and WU6U hosting family at a bountiful dinner table.  Santa brought YCJ his MFJ-259B Antenna Analyzer before Christmas, and HHC invited Kim, Susan, Chris, and OPs to the COAR meeting next Tues. eve. To begin Baker-to-Vegas planning…And HHC & IXN discussed the recent 5.8 event 20mi SE of Mexicali.  AF6C got a new ROKU Wireless Internet hooked to the TV…Now Bob will download movies at will…And Bob might work Straight Key Night for awhile.  YHX has his eye on a ETQ Generator wid 2 outlets that runs abt 2 ½ hrs on a tank of gas and weighs abt 27 lbs.!  VEN, wid a late Nov. BD, uses a YAESU 950-S rig, and WV6V has been using PSK-31 and RTTY interface wid the computer…Now echolink is next on Phil’s list.