NETNEWS
by WB6IXN
4/04/2001 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in LDC, VDP, HHC, CCD, JD, IXN, and NK. LDC gave a short synopsis of his south, southeastern trip across the U.S…Mardi Gras, launch of Space Shuttle, Key West, alligators, air boats, Miami, Savannah, GA, Ft. Sumpter, etc., a distance of 6500 miles! And LDC, VDP, and JD prepare fer the Baker-to-Vegas Run this weekend. HHC welcomes LDC back in town, and Ken researches Club events frm old RFs, in the 60s to the 80s, frm IXN’s Club Historical Records. CCD and HHC both recuperate frm spills on the ski slopes at Mammoth. And CCD gets sum free fill dirt frm the replacement of a telephone pole in the front yard. JD checked in after a landline wid El Presidente BWH, finalizing Baker-to-Vegas plans. IXN reported in after he and Lee had a delicious dinner at Jim and Jeannie Talcott’s QTH. Jim’s health is doing FB at present. NK checked in wid gud sigs, and Ed kicks bk while listening to the Net.
4/04/2001 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in TRA, NK, LDC, LEX, VDP, KFW, HHC, AF6C, and BWH. TRA awaited news on the Baker-to-Vegas Run. LDC immediately invited Gene to join their team this weekend! NK checked in wid weak audio, on an older rig, an EICOM IC-290-H. So Ed brought the mobile rig into the shack, and the audio improved. LEX checked in wid FB sigs on a Kenwood 255 single band all mode rig. Chris’ XYL is off to NY fer a week, so LEX & son will ‘batch it’ fer the week! LEX, VDP, and IXN compared the number of antennas at their respective QTHs, and VDP waited to tear dwn the rig fer Baker-to-Vegas after Net. KFW continues to learn all the ‘bells & whistles’ on his new computer, and AF6C got gud sig reports on his new FT-8100-R rig. Then Bob told OPs to listen to the news fer a report on a new cancer fighting drug. And, AF6C had a visitor(?) in the shack! BWH got the bad battery connection repaired, and Bob aired Newsline #1233. Newsline said to check at www.scgroup.com/ fer news abt new low frequency communications in the ham bands. BWH is now ready fer Baker-to-Vegas this weekend. HHC said all is going well wid the City of Santa Ana concerning the FD site at Portola Park.
4/11/2001 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in LDC, OGO, IXN, HHC, and JD, wid KA4RVZ, Don, in there briefly frm Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.! (big solar storm in progress!) LDC and XYL will be leaving Monday on a trip to VK/ZL lands and Larry says different arrangements fer Baker-to-Vegas will occur next year if the price of gasoline continues to increase! LDC, VDP, and TRA were stationed, midway between Vegas and CA stations, at Sandy Valley, which alowed them to relay traffic for the two groups. VDP brought batteries which powered the rigs for most of the Event. And LDC used his generator to run the heater in the motorhome. OPI & BWH worked as a team, and Bob’s truck suffered a clogged in-line filter. But another OP had a filter, which allowed Bob to continue operations. LDC relayed pix of the Event to HHC & AF6C. HHC commented on the snow in Sandy Valley. OGO alerted OPs to the on-going solar storm in progress…IXN noticed that WWV was not being received by his solar clock at this time. And Doc suggested that LDC convert his Baker-to-Vegas pix to J-PEG format. AF6C was up on Palomar Mt. yesterday, in 8 in. of snow, replacing a power supply. The key to the auto broke off on the lock, and Bob had to wait until evening before AAA made it to the site fer repairs! HHC, at a cryptography conference in San Francisco over the weekend, told OPs abt an interesting speaker who touched on cryptography subjects in the SETI Project. IXN said that SETI scientists are monitoring the 21 cm band of hydrogen for intellegence info. since hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe. JD left last Fri. eve. to meet his Baker-to-Vegas contact in Las Vegas at the Gold Coast Hotel. But at 1 am Sat. morning, his ride to Pahrump failed to show up, so Lowell and XYL did a ’lil gambling and then returned home.
4/11/2001 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in LDC, UCH, VDP, LEX, WIU, TRA, HHC, KFW, and AF6C after Net. LDC was pleased wid battery operations fer the rigs fer Baker-to-Vegas. And Larry, using a little molded powr pack to operate the HT, discovered that these power packs are not filtered, and you get hum on ur sigs! However, Larry’s amplifier put out FB power! UCH, and WIU, home frm their instrument repair conference in New Orleans, talked abt a swamp tour on an airboat, wid alligators & swamp creatures, and trips to Bourbon St., Decatur, and then came lots of gud food, etc! VDP is now certified to verify VHF awards, and Larry gave a short summary of the Baker-to-Vegas operations in Sandy Valley in the cold, rain, and snow! LEX says the XYL was enjoying a Broadway show in NY yesterday while he was knee deep in house chores, and Chris said he was working us frm inside the QTH in comfort wid his new ant. in the attic. TRA enjoyed himself wid LDC and VDP in Sandy Valley, and Gene said they were in perfect position to act as a relay station. HHC, looking at LDC’s Baker-to-Vegas pix, commented on the snow in Sandy Valley, and Ken & IXN briefly discussed the 21 cm wavelength of H2 , for which HHC and LEX figured a freq. of 1.5 GHz, for a SETI radio telescope monitoring this band for intellegence info. frm outer space. KFW continues to learn different operations on the new computer, and Chris & XYL will take off fer Colorado on the 24th to visit the harmonic. And Chris wishes all OPs as Happy Easter/Passover!
4/18/2001 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in JD, IXN, HHC, N1CY/m, and UCH. AF6C reminds all abt OCARC Meeting Friday. And Bob hopes all OPs check out ‘RF’ on the website, or, eligible OPs received their hard copies. JD will be off to Tennessee to witness the marriage of his stepson, and Lowwell asked AF6C if he got his E-mail. AF6C confirmed, and Bob says he has gud articles fer next issue of ‘RF’. HHC & XYL are off to Laughlin come Sunday fer sum R&R. IXN got his ‘RF’ newsletter in the mail today. IXN congrats Bob on another FB issue! HHC asked IXN abt the Santa Ana EOC presentation. IXN said it is scheduled fer May 11. UCH, wid a house full of company, checks in briefly wid vy gud sigs. And after Net, AF6C has a QSO wid Mark, NOT. AD6JI/N1CY, Hassan, checked in mobile, and said to say hello to Bob, BWH!
4/18/2001 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in WOX, LEX, VDP, HHC, AF6C, BWH, and TRA. IXN passes along Hassan’s greeting to BWH. WOX prepares to paint the house this summer. LEX says the XYL came bk home and is now gone agn! And Chris says every ‘RF’ keeps getting better & better! LEX told us that Fri. eve Club speaker will be KO6SY, Malcolm, frm the Western States Weak Signal Society…Sounds interesting! VDP, still on the Alinco since Baker-to-Vegas, hasn’t moved the rig bk into the QTH as yet, and Larry is constructing another 6m vertical. And BWH asks VDP to save him the Register article on Baker-to-Vegas, when Larry told Bob that Costa Mesa came in 2nd. BWH acknowledges N1CY’s checkin on 10m, and Bob fills in the details on the errant fuel pump and line filter incident wid the truck in the Nevada desert. HHC alerts OPs abt the April ‘RF’ now on the website, and Ken reminds all OPs to be thinking abt the ARRL Southwestern Div. Convention scheduled in the Fall. AF6C checks in later after his QSO wid KE6NOT, and TRA kicked bk and listened to the Net. BWH aired Newsline #1235, and we learn that the FCC refuses to make any changes to its amateur license restructuring!
4/25/2001 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in IXN, HHC, CCD, LEX, OGO, UCH, and JD. IXN said the solar flares were facing away from Earth at present…His solar clock was receiving WWV sigs FB! HHC wondered if anyone saw the Northern Lights during the last solar storm…They were supposedly visible as far south as San Diego! And HHC, at AF6C’s QTH, enjoyed one of AF6C’s old CQ magazines that provides modifications fer old WWII surplus vintage gear. CCD, fully recovered frm the skiing accident, spent a couple of days of R&R on Catalina Is. last week. And Tom said the 10m band has been vy noisy lately. AF6C will soon be off for an inland tour of Catalina Is. LEX had the XYL’s car jacked up fixing the brakes. And UCH, off early frm work today, leaves the Net to go get sum groceries before 2m Net convenes. OGO checked in, and Doc kicked bk to listen to the Net. JD enjoyed the Club speaker and his message on weak sigs, wid demos, at last Club meeting.
4/25/2001 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in TRA, KG6BIF, John, VDP, LEX, HHC, UCH, AF6C, N1CY, Hassan, and BWH. N1CY ‘flew in and flew out’. TRA said that he has painted his last room!…Gene and IXN agree that they are both `maturing beyond housepainting chores’ in their lives! BIF, John, a middle school student, checked in frm the unincorporated section of Orange County (namely, north Tustin). LEX told John that he wud trade places wid him anytime! John is mastering code to upgrade to General, and he presently uses a Yaesu 847 fer his ‘voice and ear’. John is an associate in percussion at UCH’s music store. HHC explained the Club website to BIF, and then Ken, still at AF6C’s QTH, says that he and the XYL were both winners on their recent Laughlin adventure! HHC and AF6C joined OPs in kudos fer Malcolm, G4ACU, our speaker at last Club meeting, who gave an excellent presentation, wid sound effects, on weak signal operating. LEX said that both he and ACU belong to the Western States Weak Signal Society. All OPs wud like to have Malcolm return fer another talk! AF6C, HHC, and IXN briefly discuss the coal-powered SCE generating plant at Bullhead City near Laughlin. And BWH said he received the article frm VDP on the Baker-to-Vegas Run. VDP has two new 6m verticals abt ready fer WIU and himself, and UCH, home frm grocery shopping, welcomes BIF to the Net. John is trying to interest a couple of his friends in amateur radio, and OPs invites BIF and his friends to a Club meeting and Field Day. BWH, pretty well finished wid transferring records at work, airs Newsline #1236. Andy Jurema, N6TCQ, Treasurer fer Newsline, tells us that Newsline, once more, is in dire need of immediate funding! Learn more at: www.arnewsline.org .