W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Jim AF6N Tustin, Sam W6JTT Garden Grove, and Greg W6ATB Orange. Gene says it has been nice and quiet, and watched the ball drop on the new year. Jim had a quiet New Year’s Eve other than the fireworks, and cleaning up after the winds with some antenna repair. He watched a ton of football. Jim hit upon the Johnny Carson Show waiting for the Net. Sam is almost unreadable to Corey, but will stand by and monitor. Greg has a call for dinner, so can’t stay long. Jim tells Greg his location and power, 100W. Corey YHX reads the check-ins at s6.1, s9.0, s4.6, and 11dB over s9, respectively. QRT 19:39 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Vijay KM6IZO Irvine, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Sam W6JTT Garden Grove, Jeff KK6TRC/Echolink, Greg W6ATB Orange, and Tom W6ETC/Echolink. Vijay just got back from a New Year’s trip to Lake Tahoe. It is spectacular down the 395 fwy, with snow and a hot spring, says Vijay. It got cold, so they left early, but it was a nice drive. Vijay tried to check-in on 10M, but Corey did not hear him. Corey asks the OPs if anyone heard him. Gene heard Vijay lightly, Corey relays. Gene read the check-ins pretty clear on 10M, but not Vijay. Corey sounded as in an echo chamber. Sam had strange propagation conditions. The 10M Net was a disaster. Corey had no intelligibility, but the 2M Net is doing well. Jeff is in a cold ham shack, but had a great New Year. He got all the Christmas lights up. Greg says 2M is working well, but 10M is lousy. Later this month is a Blood Moon, seen well in North America, says Greg. Greg tells us this Saturday is the RTTY Roundup, with FT8 and PSK31 at 1800Z, so the Board Meeting needs to be kept short. There is a big article in QST about it. Tom reminds us to thank Jeff for Echolink. There is some latency, and it needs to be totally quiet to transmit, sometimes difficult on the Net, says Tom. OCARC has no mention of Winter Field Day on the web site, but the Net News page has a picture of Corey, the new writer. Tom has an issue with HF mobile, on his IC-7000. It sounds like it is in the weeds, probably a transceiver problem, not the antenna. Corey suggests trying it on a dummy load, which would identify it as a transceiver problem. Corey YHX reads the check-ins at s6, F.Q., s5 to s6, s6, F.Q., and s6, respectively. QRT 20:54 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey has no check-ins. QRT 21:03 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Phil K6PAD Huntington Beach, Bob AF6C Orange, and Vijay KM6IZO Irvine. Clem reads all but Vijay with good copy. He puts out a call to Sam, but no answer. All OPs come in fine, says Gene. Then he says 73. Phil copies N.C. at s5 to s6, Clem at 10dB over s9, but Gene no copy. Phil says Bob is an s8, and Vijay no copy. Phil just got back from his nephew’s QTH in Portland, Oregon, late Saturday night. He and XYL drove a trailer up there for New Year’s. It was wet and rainy. Corey mentions the rough roads from the local’s tire chains. Phil paid his dues via the web site. As Membership Chairman, Corey asks Bob about how frequent new member sign-ups come in. Bob says a few come in after the meetings, and a few after Field Day. Renewals are more frequent. Bob copies Clem at s5, Gene s3, and PAD s8 to s9. Bob tells us about a recipe for American Chop Suey, by his mother. He has a recipe for meaty mac and cheese he can send Corey. Bob relays IZO as a check-in. Vijay is just barely perceptible to Corey. Vijay is a bit stronger the second go-round, but still difficult copy to Net Control. Bob reports Vijay is weak to him also. Corey reads the check-ins at s5.6, s2.6, s3.9, 10dB over s9, and s1.0, respectively. QRT 19:47 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Phil K6PAD Huntington Beach, Bob AF6C Orange, Jeff KK6TRC/Echolink, Vijay KM6IZO Irvine, Steve KK6REB Cypress, and Mike W6MAO Rialto. Clem receives N.C. RST 59 (s7), and hears Gene at s9. Bob is s7, Jeff s7 to s8, and Phil is booming in, says Clem. Gene hears N.C. ++, Clem s7, and PAD nice and clear. The 10M Net was a bit of a problem tonight, says Gene. Phil reads N.C. at 10 out of 10, Clem 10 out of 10, and Gene 7 out of 10. The 2m band sounds good tonight. The street lights were changed to LEDs, says Corey, but Phil doesn’t notice additional noise. Corey, Clem, and Bob are s10, Gene is s7, and Jeff is s10, says Phil. A happy, safe and prosperous new year, Phil wishes us. Bob reads all well. Corey is full-bars, and Gene is coming in well. Bob checked Phil on the web roster, hearkening the 10M Net. Bob has a new email from Phil. He put a new audio amp in his TM-251. Bob picked up the radio a while back and bought the new amp today. Bob cuts his power a little on the second go-round. Bob had nice reception on 10M, tonight. He had a good dinner, tonight. His American Chop Suey is a close match to his mother’s recipe. Jeff checks in and out. Echolink is working well, and he has some barbecue so will be monitoring on the side, says Jeff. Vijay has some rig trouble on 10M. The rains may have fouled up his antenna since late last year. Corey is off-frequency, Bob and Clem are on-frequency, also says Vijay. Corey asks some questions, and will check back to schedule antenna repairs. Steve had some mobile magmount antenna problems. The 2M SWR was high, but 440 is fine. He bought a new magmount and antenna, put the old antenna on it, and it works great. So the problem was the old magmount base, says Steve. He is on a mobile rig for a base station in his garage. Mike heard Steve, and everyone is sounding great. He is getting ready for the rains. Mike says Happy New Year. Corey reads the check-ins at s7, F.Q., F.Q., F.Q., s7, s5-s6, s6, and s3 to s4 respectively. QRT 20:55 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey has no check-ins. There is an odd buzz on 80m, tonight. QRT 21:03 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Jim AF6N Tustin, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Vijay KM6IZO Irvine, and Sam W6JTT Garden Grove. Clem reads N.C. at s8-s9, but cannot hear Jim, Vijay is weak, and Sam is strong. Clem relays for Sam on the second go-round. Sam cannot copy N.C. Corey hears him in there but he is unreadable. Sam switches from a 40m dipole to a 10m dipole, and N.C. reads him now. Jim has a computer problem starting last week. He did a system restore for a minor problem, but lost the Windows 10 starting program in the process. Jim spent two complete days with Microsoft, but lost communications with his IC-7300. The ice maker in his refrigerator went out, but he has been enjoying the rain. Corey reads him at 3dB over s9 on the second go-round. Gene reads all nice and clear. Vijay reads N.C. at s7-s8, Clem at s6-s7, and heard Sam for the first time, but barely. Vijay is waiting out the rain. Jim and Vijay will see us at the meeting this Friday. Corey reads the check-ins at s5.7, s8.9, s5.9, s5.1, and 2.0, respectively. QRT 19:48 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Bob WB6IXN Santa Ana, Sam W6JTT Garden Grove, and Vijay KM6IZO Irvine. Clem talks about the OP’s signals on 10M tonight. Corey read Sam better when Sam switched to the 10m dipole. It was the same both ways for Clem. Gene says it was a wet day, with the thunder rumbling. Bob says good evening to Corey and the other OPs. He heard most of the OPs on 10m tonight. Bob had a lightning strike very close to the house, three or four days ago. Two days later, Southern California Edison shut the power off and worked on the electric lines for an afternoon. Bob asks about the LED lights blinking. Corey says LEDs need a ballast resistor, and to check the supply voltage. Sam has good copy on everyone. It has been wet at the QTH, and he “inherited” a family of friendly skunks, Sam tells us. Sam has a good grounding system for his rig in the event of lightning. Vijay says the rain is to clear up in a day or two. Vijay tries Echolink, with deeper sound quality. Clem reads Vijay at s7 on Echolink, and Bob says he came in RST 59. He will see Corey at the meeting, says Vijay. Clem had his radio equipment disconnected during the lightning strikes. It has been rainy the past three or four days. Corey’s signal drops to an s4 says Bob. Then Corey comes back strong. Corey reads the check-ins at s7, F.Q., F.Q., s5 to s6, and s5, respectively. QRT 21:00 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Richard K6RBS Mission Viejo. Richard listened on 2M and jumped over to 80M to join us. There is some QSB on Corey’s signal, says Richard. Corey comes in more constant, a steady s9, the next time. Richard mentions Winter Field Day and PSK31. Corey and Richard talk about FT8 being inappropriate for the event, and discuss the different digital modes. Richard may be able to help out that weekend. He and a group are having a star party during the Super Wolf Blood Moon this Sunday night. Corey reads the check-in at 25dB over s9. QRT 21:09 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey Orange checks in Sam W6JTT Garden Grove, Clem W0MEC Westminster, and Phil K6PAD Huntington Beach. Sam is difficult copy to Net Control, so Clem relays. Sam asks how N.C. copies; unreadable, Corey says. Then Sam changes something, bringing him up to fully readable, but changes it back and goes back down to unreadable. Clem makes a quick call for remote check-ins, then turns it back to N.C. Phil reads N.C. at s6, Clem is 10dB over s9, Sam went from an s7 to s9, then back down. Phil is getting ready for Winter Field Day this weekend. Corey YHX reads the check-ins at s4.3 to s3.5 to s4.3, s5.9, and s4.3. QRT 19:42 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Nicholas AF6CF Yorba Linda, Phil K6PAD Huntington Beach, Sam W6JTT Garden Grove, Bob WB6IXN Santa Ana, Mike W6MAO Rialto, and Vijay KM6IZO. Clem reads N.C. at RST 56 to 57, Nicholas okay, s5 to s6, and Vijay fine, s3 to s4. Nicholas reads Clem full-copy for the first time, and N.C. very strong, as well as Phil. Corey asks if he will be at Winter Field Day; Nicholas says “no bueno,” this year. Nicholas checked Echolink, and it is up and running; check-in via Echolink? He suggests. Phil receives Corey, Clem, Sam, and Bob at s10, Nicholas at s8, and Mike and Vijay at an s7. Sam says he has some local interference, and will stand by. Bob says good evening to the Net. The Santa Ana Winds sheared off a bolt on Bob’s uninverted “v” HF antenna, 10m, 15m, 20m, and 40m. His 2m Comet Vertical Antenna is doing well, though. Corey suggests an antenna party. Bob says it needs damage assessment, then an antenna party. Corey and Bob schedule a time on Sunday. Mike says things are quiet up in Rialto, and the Santa Ana Winds have been mild. All but 40m and 80m have been dead, says Mike. Mike mentions the Moon events, an eclipse and a Meteor Strike. Corey will have an 80M Net tonight, he tells Mike. Nicholas comes in well on Echolink, a good test. Thank you, Jeff, for providing the node. Vijay is not making it out on 10m, but Net Control reads him full-copy on 2m. Corey YHX reads the check-ins at s7, F.Q., s7 to s8, s5, F.Q., s5, and s6, respectively. QRT 20:59 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Mike W6MAO Rialto. Corey is just over the noise level, says Mike. Mike is running an Ameritron ALS-600 into a dipole. Corey is running 100W barefoot into an NVIS dipole. Corey reads the check-in at 12dB over s9. QRT 21:04 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey Orange checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, and Jim AF6N Tustin. Clem copies Net Control at RST 57, Gene a little low, and can just barely hear Jim. Clem calls for remote stations; none answer. Gene hears all nice and clear. Net Control asks if Gene hears any other stations; Gene answers no. Gene hasn’t heard from the Braille Institute lately. He and Bob AF6C used to help out with them. Jim says hello, and wants to pass on congratulations to Ron W6WG for organizing Winter Field Day. Jim has plans on Sunday, so can’t come to the antenna party at Bob WB6IXN’s QTH. Jim and Corey say 73. Corey YHX reads the check-ins at s5.8, s5.9, and 3dB over s9, respectively. QRT 19:38 PST.
W6ZE/KE6YHX Corey checks in Clem W0MEC Westminster, Greg W6ATB Orange, Gene KJ6OML Garden Grove, Vijay KM6IZO, Jerry KD6JBL, Tom W6ETC/Echolink, and Erick KK6CKK Whittier. Clem copied Net Control on 10M all the way through, heard Jim weak, and Gene strong, but not as strong as usual. Clem says he can’t make it to the antenna party this Sunday. Clem asks Vijay for a signal report. Vijay copies him somewhat, but better on Echolink. Greg has a new Yamaha Headset. It uses VOX instead of PTT. Greg used it at Winter Field Day. He notes we may be number one in the nation for Winter Field Day, according to Tim. Greg has some accounting tasks for the OCARC. There is a big rainstorm coming in the morning, Greg reports. Greg can’t make it to the antenna party, either. Greg’s 80m antenna is down, so can’t check-in to the 80M Net. Gene hears all nice and clear. He is running only 25W. Gene tells of some mic static from Net Control. Net Control is having mic problems, and Greg concurs, so Corey signs-off early. Vijay reads Net Control a little scratchy, but the other stations are coming in pretty well. He thanks Greg for letting him try satellite. Vijay has some brewing planned this weekend. Vijay tried to check-in on 10M, but cannot reach us. Corey schedules an antenna party for Vijay Saturday, but rain is coming so no, not this weekend. Jerry checks in as a guest. Someday he might make it to a meeting, and sign-up with the OCARC. Tom checks-in via Echolink after Corey signs clear. Tom and Greg chat for a while about Winter Field Day. Erick checks in after QRT also. Corey tries a QSO with Erick with his faulty mic. Erick was at the last meeting, and is trying a new Yaesu FTM-400XDR 2M/440 car mounted mobile unit, with a Diamond roof antenna. He is doing quite well, says Corey. Clem jumps in to tell Erick he is an s8 into Westminster. Erick got the rig for Christmas. Erick wishes us a wonderful evening and signs clear. Corey YHX reads the check-ins at s7, s8, s8, s5 to s6, F.Q., s6, and s5, respectively. QRT 20:44 PST.
