2nd Season E-Skip Kicks In

The 2nd Season E-skip has kicked in on six meters. I was hearing stations all afternoon starting about 1400 CST. I was hearing K1XJ in Connecticut for quite a while on 50.125.70 but never strong enough to work him. I kept listening the rest of the afternoon while watching the QSOs build up on vhfdx.net QSO map. I decided to give it a shot. According to vhfdx.net I should be able to hear folks to the west. I turned the beam just south of due-west, went up to 50.130, and called a long CQ to let folks know I was there. NØPSJ came right back a strong S9 from near Denver CO. We had a nice QSO for almost 30 minuntes before the band started to fade. At this time I'm still hearing signals on 50.125 this late in the evening (1950 CST).

For those of us who are six meter nuts this is great stuff. If you're not the type to listen to unsquelched white noise for hours at a time... well, it's not for everyone. If you do listen sometimes you can get in on the beginning of an opening and be the subject of a pile-up as folks who do monitor the band start to discover it is in fact open. Quite a treat.

73,

Jeff / KCØVGC

Jamboree on the Air and Greater Ozarks Ham Picnic

The 2008 Jamboree on the Air will take place October 18th and 19th. It will take place on 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6 meters. Calling frequencies for JOTA can be found at http://www.arrl.org/scouts/jota/ and also at http://www.scout.org/jota/ which is the international scouting website. For those attending the Greater Ozarks Ham Picnic, we hope to see some HF stations up and going and maybe making contacts with the Scouts there. http://www.nixahams.net/2008/10/2008-greater-ozarks-ham-picnic.html has more info on the Greater Ozarks Ham Picnic!! Should be fun for all.

73 all

James
KC0TQD

Fun on 6 meters

Well, as anyone who was around for the net on Monday Night knows, it is always fun and interesting when the band plays in our favor! We would like to acknowledge Kevin, KA0I, who checked in with us from Holts Summit, MO just north of Jefferson City. Quite a jump in to the repeater!

73
James
KC0TQD

Uses for that older computer...

As some have said, you don't own technology, you just rent it. Time marches on and as it does, we tend to collect items that have outlived their usefulness. I have several older computers that I have collected. I have gone though all of them and they are all in good working order, but are not well-suited to run current versions of Windows. Even the popular desktop versions of Linux are a bit of a stretch on these older machines. However, there are several things that can be done with your older hardware. These are projects not much different from anything you'd do with ham radio only these are computer-centered. I've been doing computer projects much much longer than I have been doing ham projects, so I thought I'd share a couple of them.

Use #1: Build a router/firewall.
Why do this when most everyone with broadband has a small, inexpensive little box that serves that function. Well... much like in ham radio, why take the time to do it yourself when you can buy it ready made? We do it to learn and to get the thrill of using something we made. This is the same thing. You can purhcase routers for cheap, but building one out of an old computer is fun and you will learn a bit in the process.

Use #2: Build a home NAS server
First, what is NAS. NAS = Network Attached Storage. Disk space that is attached directly to a network without the overhead of Windows running. Another benefit of using an OS other than Windows is you can get away from some of Windows limitations. For instance. The computer I am using does not fully recogize larger (larger than 80GB) hard drives. I have a 160GB drive and FreeBSD is able to use the full drive where Windows would not be able to without help. I have it setup to hold the data and downloads I have collected over the years.

Something worth mentioning about both of these solutions is that once they are setup and running there is no need to have a keyboard or monitor connected to them. (a mouse is not needed for either one as they are both configured from a non-graphical interface). I have both of these in a closet under a table and they just sit there an run pretty much out of sight. I can finally get some use out of my older hardware that was just sitting around.

If time permits, I'll try to post more detail on what I did to set these up and get them going.

The firewall / router distribution is called IPCop and can be found here:
http://www.ipcop.org

The NAS distribution is called FreeNAS and can be found here:
http://www.freenas.org

-Jeff / KCØVGC

More from KBØNHX: Grounded

Well, had some time tonight. One benefit of living in north MO is the soil. I drove both of my 8' ground rods first off tonight. Drove them both by hand with the exception of the last 2 feet! Couldn't do that in Springfield. Thanks to Bryon, K0BSJ, for showing me the ropes on hand driving ground rods :-0

After that, I installed all the grounding kits on the 6 feedlines. Combined them together to one wire and ran it to the ground rod at the pole. Now, it's just a matter of installing the center-conductor Polyphasers in the basement, running the wire out to the rod and sealing it up. Well, as promised, here's the pic of the ground kit install (real exciting, I know!).

Later,

-- James Adkins, KB0NHX

KBØNHX Antennas - Part 2

From James Adkins, KBØNHX

Okay, so Jeff gave me a little ribbing about not having a 6-meter antenna up. Well, 6-meters is in the plan, it just wasn't up yet. Right now, I only plan on working some FM on the local Missouri City repeater & on FM Simplex. If I get away with what I have without any complaints, I'll probably put up another pole with my 3-element Cushcraft 6-meter beam or the Par OA-50's stacked.

For the time being, I have installed my discone on the roof. It's primary purpose is for scanner monitoring, but will also double as my 6-meter FM and 220 FM antennas. I painted it to match up with the roof and even painted the coax. It's not an exact match, but from a distance it blends in really well and doesn't stick out nearly as badly as the chrom would have.

See attached pics with the homeade "vent" mount adapted from use from our house in Nixa. I also took a couple of close ups of the feed throughs in the side of the house.

Next on the list ..... grounding! I've got all the connectors on for the Polyphasers in the house at the ground bus, and put connectors on the jumpers that will run from the Polyphasers to the panel in the wall. Still have to drive the ground rods, run the ground wire from the bus to the rod, and attach ground kits to the coax cable. That's coming soon, though!

--
James Adkins, KB0NHX

KBØNHX Antenna installation

James Adkins, KBØNHX recently installed what he likes to call the "Adkins Monopole". A 20 foot piece of thick-walled gas pipe. The "goal post" configuration allows him to put two vertials on top.

The antennas consist of: Comet GP-21 (1.2GHz), Comet GP-9 (2m/440), Par OmniAngle (220 SSB), M2 5-element 902Mhz yagi, and a B&W folded dipole for 1.8-30Mhz.

Now James has a place to plug in the FT-920, FT-736, and the 'ol Henry 2K HF amplifier. Something he's not had for a while, but I'm sure is looking forward to. He can now operate 1.2GHz to 160m on one mast!

Good view from the back yard. Looks like from here it would be about a 30 yard field goal.

The feed though looks very professional. James says the parts to do this came from Tessco and cost about $40.

Below is another view that shows the B&W and the Par 220 Omnis.

Hard to be critical, but one thing is missing.... six meters! Oh, well, you can't be perfect I guess.

Feel free to post your comments. If you have any questions, I'm sure James would be glad to answer them.

Taking it E-asy....

Well, we are still enjoying the Es as the weather has finally begun to turn hot. The Monday Night Net is currently back on the 6 Meter 53.27 Repeater (51.570 input, with a 162.2 PL tone). Bands are open and I even heard a distant station from North Carolina last week on FM simplex! Anyway, feel free to comment on your recent 6 meter and below experiences!

Thanks
James
KCØTQD

Be very, very, quiet, we're hunting E-skip.....

Actually, no need to be quiet. 6 and 10 meter sideband have been very active; I can say for the last two nights that 10 meters has been lit up like 20 meters usually is on a Saturday afternoon. I have heard a lot of traffic out of North and East; Michigan and Virginia were some of my contacts of the last two days. Also heard some folks talking back and forth in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

I also had the pleasure of checking in to the 6 Meter Simplex net over in Joplin this evening; great net over there! This coming Monday we will start the Monday Night Net out on the 6 meter repeater to hopefully allow our friends from farther out to join us again. We will probably transition back over to simplex at some point thereafter.

Thanks as always to everyone who has been taking time out to visit on Monday Night!!!

73,

James
KC0TQD

HF Events Forthcoming

Just wanted to post a few quick announcements (Jeff reminded me we have this website for a reason hi hi).

This Saturday in Nixa the Nixa Sucker Days will feature HF radio this year, courtesy of the Nixa Amateur Radio Club (thanks to Jim, KC0IYI and the group helping). They will be operating on several HF bands; 3.850, 7.250, 14.250 and 21.350. Expect them to be on the air around 8AM Central Time on Saturday, May 17th - if you are in the area, stop in and see their booth and enjoy Sucker Days!

June 1st, 2008 - US Islands on the Air at Stockton Lake- The OMAR group will be setting up a HF station on Edge Island; will plan to operate on 14.250 - 14.260 "the official Island Corridor" as well as somewhere in the vicinity of 7.250. There will also be a picnic, all are invited to come out for some ham fellowship and HF fun. They would like an idea of how many to feed, so they would appreciate a call to Connie, KB0ZSG at 417-830-0336 for RSVP.

73 all,

James
KC0TQD

Sporadic E season starting

As posted in the QRZ article, "Sporadic E season starting", which very interestingly provides forecasts for the upcoming season. Before we get to far along, e-skip is the type of propagation that results from radio waves reflecting of off clouds of ionized gas in the e-layer of the atmosphere allowing much greater range of communication on the 28, 50, 70 and 144 MHz bands than is normally possible. The E layer of the atmosphere is about 60 miles above the earth and is what makes the Magic Band magic.

I still hear folks lay claim that they never hear any DX or skip on six meters. Well like they say, if you want to catch fish, you have to have your line in the water first. If you want to work skip on six meters, you have to monitor the frequency. That being 52.525 the national calling frequency on FM, or 50.125 which is the same on upper side band which is where a majority of the E-skip traffic will be. Also, it will add to your success to have a properly polarized antenna. Yes, you can work skip on a vertical. I have. Heck, you can work skip with a wet piece of string when the conditions are right; however, if you want to maximize your chances for success weak-signal and sideband modes primarily use horizontally polarized antennas. In truth all signals propagate best from a horizontally polarized antennas, however that is not very practical or convenient for many applications. The norm has become to use vertical antennas for FM and horizontal for AM and SSB. According to Ken Neubeck, WB2AMU the author of A Guide to the Magic Band, an antenna only need be 20 feet above ground to work e-skip effectively. There are always exceptions, but as a rule of thumb, 20 feet up and as much in the clear as possible is a good start for a six meter SSB antenna for e-skip operation. A simple dipole up 20 feet feed with inexpensive RG-8X (assuming it not too long) will work a great number of stations via e-skip. The first e-skip season I operated on six meters, I worked sixty stations in a three month period using this exact setup: A hamstick dipole up 20 feet fed with a 70 foot run of RG-8X. The coax with PL-259s attached along with all the parts to make the hamstick dipole were purchased from WBØW for about $85.00. The antenna was $45.00 and the coax was $30.00. An inexpensive but effective setup that you can use for e-skip and local ground wave, and since hamsticks are fairly wide-banded, you can also work the lower part of FM with it.

But you say, "Jeff, you've got this backwards, why put up an antenna when I don't even have an all-mode rig for six meters? Don't a need a radio first?" Nope, I did this right. Trust me on this. Put up the antenna first. Rigs are easy. Plug them in and turn them on. The antenna is what takes effort, so do it first. Really, in all honesty, if you don't already have a rig put up the antenna first, or at the very least get everything you need to put up the antenna before you buy the rig. You'll be glad you did as when you get that shiny new (or used) rig and want to try it out right now! you'll have something to plug it into.

OK, so hopefully you take my advice on the antenna, do you also need a tuner for it? A tuner is not required for six meters as you should be able to tune the antenna effectively with low SWR in the area you wish to operate most often. However, a tuner will allow you get more bandwidth out of your antenna on the fringe areas. It also allows you to monitor the output of your station and you will easily be able to tell if something is amiss with your setup. This something I see more to protect your investment in the rig than to make the antenna work better. Let me say what a tuner is not. It is not so you can load up your 20m dipole or 2m ringo on six meters. While it is entirely possible to make anything LOOK like it has low SWR to the output of your rig, low SWR does not give any indication you are actually radiating a signal. After all, a dummy load has perfect SWR. A good choice for a tuner is the MFJ-945E. It's a small, compact, manual tuner that sells new for $119.00 from various outlets including the folks at WBØW.

I have more to share, but I'll save it for later. I will say that the enjoyment I receive from my station is directly proportional to the amount of effort I have put into the antenna system. Period. If all you desire to work is FM then this may not apply, but if you intend to work sideband or any weak-signal modes, then put your effort where it really counts. In the antenna. Anything worthwhile takes effort. It's not like cell phones or video games. Some assembly is required to effectively work six meters. But the reward is worth it. Working E-skip on six meters is loads of fun. The folks that frequent six meters when the band is open tend to be very courteous, friendly operators that are there for the same reason you are, to enjoy the band and the hobby.


73 to all!

Jeff Kerr, KCØVGC

Building a digi network from here to KC.... From Ken, KA0PIZ

Ken, KAØPIZ sent me this request. I'm posting it here on the blog as if there are any out there at all interested, I'm sure Ken would be open to being contacted. I think Ken as a great idea in extending a digital packet network from here to the KC area. I have already responded directly to Ken's e-mail and said that all topics of amateur interest are welcome including radio over the Internet. Below is Ken's message. If you wish to contact Ken his e-mail address is good on QRZ.com.

Below is Ken's message to me.

==========

I'm probably way too far north to participate, but ideally I'd like to work with some people to extend a packet net like this to a wider group.

Is the idea of creating a digi link over the internet taboo to this kind of group? I am a big fan of radio-only packet, don't get me wrong...

At the same time, if I could get a local group of folks engaged and active, getting the radio infrastructure would only be a matter of time!

Thoughts?

Ken / KAØPIZ

==========

A wealth of information for stealth operation

Most everyone I know that lives in the area has issues with restrictions on putting up antennas. Here is a wealth of information passed on to my by Kevin, WBØOSP on operating stealth. These sites have everything from attic arrays to flagpole antennas.

Attic operations: http://www.geocities.com/n0hc/attic.html

Steath VHF/UHF antennas: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/AntVentures/baseants.html

Force12 - This company makes several high-quality, low profile antennas.
http://force12inc.com/sigmasv5gt5info-002.htm

These are just a few of the possibilities. Basically, "no antenna" is no excuse. If there's a will, there's a way as these examples show.


-Jeff /KCØVGC

This week....

This week we had the following fine fellows stop by...

KCØTQD James
KØAWD Alan
WBØRJR Bob
KQØQ Lance
KØDPS Doug
ACØHA Cecil
KC5MNP Mike
KDØCUT Tom
WBØOSP Kevin
KCØWSE Robert

Bob, WBØRJR made mention that his is expecting arrival of his Celwave 900Mhz vertical for use on the 900Mhz 927.5375 repeater. Cecil asked if a diplexer is required for HF/6m rigs.... the response was that you can go either way... use a diplexer or a coax switch. Tom, KCØCUT asked for information on how to best study for the General exam. Several answers were given. Most of them involved self-study using the ARRL Handbook and the ARRL Operating Manual using them to look up questions that you did not understand while taking the practice tests. Lance, KQØQ commented that he was awaiting arrival of his recent purchase of a 900Mhz handheld.

Hope to see everyone next week,

Jeff / KCØVGC

Spring is in the air, along with some propagation?

Thanks to the check ins we had March 31-

Gary, N0IRN
Jeff, KC0VGC
Bill, KC0TCF
Robert, KC0WSE
Cecil, AC0HA
Alan, K0AWD
Rich, KB9YZE

Still don't have a date yet for Jeff's tower climb....:)

73

James
KC0TQD

This net's topic: What mode do you prefer?

In spite of the sometime rather loud "popcorn" on the repeater, we had a few still stop in a take a few rounds on six meters.

NØIRN Gary, Springfield
KCØTCF Bill, Bois 'D Arc
KQØQ Lance, Springfield
KCØTQD James, Springfield
W8KIR Bill, Ozark
KC5MNP Mike, Walnut Grove

I asked the question to the group about what "mode" did folks operate most and why. Most of the answers were on or related to FM. Some did mention enjoying SSB on HF and six meters. The things most often mentioned as to why others don't work other modes were cost and placing antennas. This seems to be a common response nowadays. I enjoy all of radio that I have time to enjoy. FM, repeaters, simplex, HF/6m SSB, PSK, Olivia, MFSK16, FDMDV.... I'd like to put up better antennas for 220 and 6m FM and add one for 900Mhz and a 10m vertical. Why so many? Well, if you're going to work weak-signal or simplex antenna is everything even more so on weak-signal modes. I feel very fortunate to have two 6m and one HF antenna up outside.... 2m, 220, and 440 antennas are in the attic. No, that's not optimal, but it's the best I can do at the moment. I spend most of my time on six meters and HF so that is what I put most of my effort into and why those antennas are up outside. Having those antennas is where most of my operating enjoyment comes from. All I can say.. there's a way to get it done if the desire is there. It can be done.


73,

Jeff / KCØVGC

Monday's die-hards

Discussion on the net was mostly related to the new 224.280 and 927.5375 KCØLUN repeaters that were recently brought on-line. Some folks, including myself, have taken the plunge on 220 and 900 gear. Looking forward to using those bands. It's been very interesting to see how well 220 and 900 work in some cases. I'm pretty amazed with what I can hear on 220 as far as mobile stations. I was able to hear KBØNHX mobile direct from Spokane (about 25 miles). That's not too bad. I attribute that to two things. Lower noise on 220 and that the receiver in the Icom IC-37A is a bit better than some of the newer FM rigs of today.

Thanks to Nixa Amateur Radio club for taking on the goal of having five repeaters on the air and linkable. I'm sure this will be an asset to the amateur radio community as well as a great way to keep the bands active.

Here's the fine folks that checked in with us...

KBØNHX, James, Nixa
KCØTQD, James, Springfield
KCØTCF, Bill, Bois 'D Arc (pronouced Bo Dark)
KØAWD, Alan, Springfield
KØDPS, Doug, Ozark
KE7ABH, David, Springfield (crossband link)
WBØQIR, David, Springfield


That is all,

Jeff / KCØVGC

Times they are a changin...(sorry)

Well, I for one am glad to get back to what I call normal time. I like the added daylight in the evening that allows for yardwork, ham projects, working on things around the house, ham projects, relaxing, and ham projects. Great net, and we have a few things coming up, like the Green Country Hamfest this Friday/Saturday in Claremore, OK; the Ozark Con QRP Conference in Joplin MO; and the WØOAR Hamfest in Mt. Vernon.
Also, look forward to seeing those pictures for the Show Us Your Shack posting. Who knows, we might even come up with some kind of prize for the best/most creative picture.

Bill, KCØTCF - Bois D Arc
Alan, KØAWD - Springfield
David, WBØQIR - Springfield
Lance, KQØQ - Springfield
Doug, KØDPS - Ozark
Bill, W8KIR - Ozark
James, KBØNHX - Nixa
Jeff, KCØVGC - Springfield
Cecil, ACØHA - Mobile

Thanks to all for your time and support of the net!

73

James
KCØTQD

Show us your shack!

If you would like to share a picture of you and/or your shack, we would be happy to post it here on 6meter.net. HT, Mobile, "base", inside, outside, whatever you would like to show us. Even include a caption and we will include it as well. Send your photos to kc0tqd@gmail.com



1ST Shack Entry - KØAWD, Alan - Sporting the 6 Meter Midland on the upper left! Nice collection, Alan! (I have the same 1993 Handbook in my shack, by the way.)


SHACK #2 -
Jeff - KCØVGC



Jeff has several radios in the shack here, from left to right on the first row....

IC-37A 220Mhz, FT-450, FT-857D
FT-8900R 440/2m/6m/10m, HF/UHF SWR meter, MFJ-945E Tuner
Motorola GTX 900Mhz

Quite a shack, Jeff! And nice rock posters on the wall!

And then here is KCØVGC's shack before the photoshop special effects....

Twas the Net before Snowfall.(again)

Enjoyable net as the snow began to fall and the fire was crackling.... or was that my power supply?

Thanks to all who joined us for the net on Monday evening; we had a good time with the group. I will say I believe most of us are looking forward to some more good weekends to get out and work on antenna projects or just plain get out and have some fun operating! Lots of good things coming up with hamfests and more on the horizon.

And the list, which I must apologize is not in order:

Gary, n0irn
Doug, k0dps
Alan, k0awd
Jeff, kc0vgc
Lance, kq0q
Randy, kc0ukb
David, wb0qir
Dave, wa0sap
Bill, kc0tcf
John, kc0qnm
Cecil, ac0ha

Once again, thanks for tuning in, and thanks to Jeff, kc0vgc for taking over the closing as my battery rapidly dwindled. Catch you all next week and may you be visited by good band openings in the meantime.

73

James
kc0tqd

The Febuary 25, 2008 net

This week we has some good discussion on recent six meter propagation as the band had a very strong opening just prior to the net. Kevin, WBØOSP introduced some to vhfdx.net where you can see propagation paths on VHF as they are reported on the DX cluster. Several commented that this was a very useful site. Brandon, KCØUAX commented that he did not hear any skip on FM this evening. Kevin, WBØOSP noted that he was hearing skip on 52.525 up until just a few minutes prior to the net. SAP, WAØSAP was a little scratchy into the repeater, and when looking out his window figured out why. His portable beam had fallen over and was laying on the ground! Oh, well... it still worked. Dave, KE7ABH checked in via phone patch with the help of Dave, WBØQIR. So far they've checked in via two meter to six meter cross-band, EchoLink and phone patch. What will they think of next?

As we always do, here's the list for this week's net.

KCØTQD - James, Springfield
WBØOSP - Kevin, Rogersville
KCØTCF - Bill, Bois 'D Arc
KQØQ - Lance, Springfield
NØIRN - Gary, Springfield
WBØQIR - David Springfield
WAØSAP - Dave, Nixa
ACØHA - Cecil, Forsythe (mobile)
KCØUAX - Brandon, Nixa (mobile)
KE7ABH - David, Springfield (phone patch via WBØQIR)
KØAWD - Alan, Springfield (better late than never!)

Thanks and 73 to the fine individuals that check into this net!

Jeff / KCØVGC

Life on Six Meters

So many times I hear folks say that there is nothing on six meters. Yesterday afternoon (2/23) I had a chance to work some real ground wave on 50.125 USB. I worked NØBZM in Stockton, MO followed by KG5MD in Midway, AR. Then I caught NØKO in Vanzant, MO, KØVUW in Barnhart, MO (near St. Louis) and KØCIY in Parkhill, OK (NE of Muskogee). It was all ground wave (no e-skip). Just goes to show that 6m with a modest setup will do the job. Most of these folks were running setups similar to mine. The one exception was KØVUW. He was running 1500W into a six element beam at 100 feet, but again that was the exception. This afternoon was some of the most enjoyable I have had on ham radio. What a treat it was to chat with folks around the area on 6m. So, for those that wonder if there is life on six or if there is anyone out there, there is.

Jeff / KCØVGC

Another Snowy Net in the Ozarks

Once again we were blanketed by a light layer of snow as the shacks were intermittently lit by the light of the 6 meter rigs and randomly blinking lightbulbs. We had some very good information on nice quiet band conditions of 75 and 40 meters from SAP and VGC. Jeff was having great success on 40M PSK31.

Hopefully we will all weather the forthcoming winter weather approaching as well as the Sap-A-Loop antenna will. We had a good time visiting with the net regulars as well as some new additions to the bunch. It is always good to have a chance to visit and just see what is going on with everyone. With that, I hope everyone has a great week ahead and I am already looking forward to next Monday night!

Acknowledgements to our group this week:

Gary, NØIRN
Bill, KCØTCF
Alan, KØAWD
Jeff, KCØVGC
Travis, KDØCRD
Jeannine, N5SPX
David, WBØQIR
Doug, KØDPS
Dave, WAØSAP
Cecil, ACØHA
Mike, KC5MNP

73 All,

James
KCØTQD

Laden with ice, but the net was still warm....

In the midst of the worst winter storm this year, we had a fun bunch join us on a much more informal net. Several reports of ice greater than one inch thick from some of the reports.

Bob, WBØRJR talked about operating on the 60m band and the good contact he's made there. John, KBØOU also commented on his 60m operation. Rich, KB9YZE informed us that that about noon today, the lines holding up both of his wire antennas broke and they were laying on the ground. I'm sure he's not the only one that's going to be doing some repair work once the weather improves.

KBØOU John, Joplin
NØIRN Gary, Walnut Grove mobile
KCØIYI Jim, Nixa
KCØTQD James, Springfield
KC5MNP Mike, Walnut Grove
KCØUAX Brandon, Nixa mobile
KBØNHX James, Lees' Summit though the 2m link
WBØRJR Bob, Everton
KB9YZE Rich, Nixa

Thanks to everyone!

Jeff / KCØVGC

Good net!

Great net last night. Thanks to all who checked in and offered information in some form or another on our topics last night. Our list of contributing hams is as follows:

1. WBØQIR - David, Springfield
2. N5SPX - Jeannine, Springfield
3. NØIRN - Gary, Battlefield
4. KØAWD - Alan, Springfield
5. KCØQJH - Tom, Strafford
6. KQØQ - Lance, Springfield
7. WAØSAP - Dave, Nixa
8. KCØVGC - Jeff, Springfield
9. ACØHA - Cecil, Forsyth
10. KØDPS - Doug, Ozark
11. KC5MNP - Mike, Walnut Grove
12. W8KIR - Bill, Ozark

Thanks as always for your time in joining the net. Announcements were - Titanic Special Event Station - wØs.org - takes place April 12th and 13th and they are looking for some volunteer operators and/or loggers for this exciting event. The SMARC 444.40 repeater is being linked to a network of UHF repeaters in AR, TX and OK (no longer crossband to the 146.91); thanks to Bill W8KIR for this information. Also, Al Gallo is looking for signal reports on the 28.2828 10 Meter CW beacon.

73,

James
KCØTQD

Just another 70 degree day....in February?

Well, let's hope we don't have the same situation we had last month when we had a 70 degree day on a Monday. Look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on the net tonight. Let us know if you have had any good 6 meter DX lately!

73,

James
KCØTQD

The winds are a blowin'......

It appeared that the strong winds and weather change was causing some rather loud popcorn on the repeater tonight. None the less, there were several that stopped by. I also wanted to say thanks again to those that that send us their kind words and support. It's appreciated.

NØIRN - Gary, Springfield
WAØSAP - Dave, Nixa
KCØTQD - James, Springfield
KBØOU - John, Joplin
KB9YZE - Rich, Nixa
KØAWD - Alan, Springfield
WSØE - Joe, Nixa
KDØBDH - Richard, Clever
KCØUAX - Brandon, Highlandville

Thanks to everyone, catch you again next time!

Jeff / KCØVGC

Where everybody knows your name.....

Being new to HF after getting my upgrade in March of '07 I found the hardest thing to know is where you are welcome and where you are not especially on 80 meter phone. I also learned that this is a feeling shared by many, new and old on HF. The band (80 meters) is a bit "clickish" as I have heard it said. I'm not here to say everyone's an ogre on HF, but it is a challenge for newcomers to find a welcome place to operate.

Don't know if you remember the popular TV show "Cheers". The theme song had a line that said to the effect ... "where everyone knows your name". The point being it was a place where folks can easily fit right in just by being themselves. I found such a place on 80 meters. A while back, a group of friends, knowing that it's hard for folks to find a friendly place to chat, made one. They started gathering in the same place at the same time, and it took off! There are so many new folks joining the group of regulars that they had to add some organization to it to keep things flowing. The group meets on 3.803 starting about 10:00pm central time. The reason I mention this is that this is a great place for folks new and old to get a good dose of HF and have conversations from all over. Several of us that participate do so with just 100w and have no problems making contacts.

I've been chatting with this group mostly on weekends since last November, and recently, I've been asked to join the list of Net Control stations. I will be calling the net on 3.803 this Friday, so if you are up at 10:00pm (Central time) this Friday (2/1/08) give us a call. Your participation would be most definitely welcome.

For more information on the 3.803 Roundtable Group, you can visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roundtable_group/.


73,

Jeff / KCØVGC

Stay warm but don't melt your coax...

What a great net we had this evening. I always say thanks for spending some time on the net, and I always mean it. Enjoyed hearing about the projects Jeff and John were working on; also enjoyed a little off-topic discussion on football. Glad to hear from John and Linda from Joplin, as well as our closer neighbors! Here's tonight's play-by-play:

Jeff, KCØVGC
Doug, KØDPS
Mike, KC5MNP
John, KBØOU
Linda, WDØFTM
David, WBØQIR
Jeanine, N5SPX
Rich, KB9YZE
Lance, KQØQ
Al, WØERE

Also, a few announcements were discussed; the Nixa Amateur Radio Club meets this Saturday; for more information please check the Nixa Hams site. Also - the Titanic Radio Special Event station WØS is approaching on April 12-13th; for more on this please check out WØS.org.

73 all,

James
KCØTQD
(and yes, the KC stands for Kansas City)

The costenstants gather, the crown roars! well, not really, but it was fun!

We post this stuff to acknowledge those that take the time to check in with us. To that end, here are the good folks that checked in with us this evening.

NØIRN - Gary, Springfield MO
KCØTQD - James, Springfield MO
KB9YZE - Rich, Nixa, MO
WBØQIR - Dave, Springfield MO
N5SPX - Jeannine, Springfield MO
KØAWD - Alan, Springfield MO
WBØRJR - Bob, Everton MO
KC5MNP - Mike, Walnut Grove MO
KE7ABH - David, Springfield MO
KQØQ - Lance, from NC via e-mail. Thanks for thinking of us!

Until next time,

Jeff / KCØVGC

I don't need HF, I can talk around the world with ____________

____________ (fill in the blank) be it D-Star, EchoLink, IRLP, eQSO... there are several VOIP / Amateur radio tied communication methods. They have been around a while and some are more popular than others. First off let me say that I believe all of these modes have their place and serve a useful purpose. I have been using VOIP technology long before I became a radio amateur. I used it to chat with my sister when she and her family moved to Peru as missionaries back in 1993. So, I've been using this stuff for a while. Would I become a radio amateur to do this communication when all I had to do was load software on my computer? Nope, probably not. Not worth the trouble and communication over the Internet to Peru was more reliable than HF would be. So, why get on HF when all you have to do is get connected?

I heard it said recently from a ham friend, "I don't need HF, I can talk around the world with D-Star though the gateway." While I respect my friend, I thought to myself, "I'm sure glad all Amateurs don't feel that way." I have different goals and objectives than my friend when it comes to Amateur Radio, and like many, I like a challenge. So, HF is not for everyone. I'm fine with that. I'm not saying one mode has to compete with the other, or should. It's a big hobby and folks should be allowed to explore, invest, and enjoy whatever aspect suites them. I just hope enough of us stick around to build the next ham radio infrastructure so that it will continue beyond the boundaries of the Internet.


Best 73,

Jeff / KCØVGC

One Crazy Monday

As most of you were witness to, we had a wild ride Monday evening into early Tuesday morning. January 7th and 8th, 2008 in Southwest Missouri will be remembered for anything but winter weather. We postponed the net until 9pm local time, but the severe weather was still going on even at that point in time, and would continue on for several more hours. With that, we had Rich KB9YZE, Justin KCØEUJ, Jeff KCØVGC, Jim KCØIYI and Dick KØGL check-in to an abbreviated Monday Night Net. Let's all hope we don't see another crazy night like that for a while. For more information on the weather on January 7-8th, take a look at www.ozarkstorms.com (courtesy of Jeff KBØWVT) and NOAA Springfield . Hope to hear you all next week.

73

James
KCØTQD