NETNEWS
by WB6IXN
1/03/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD and BWH. JD wished all OPs a HNY, and Lowell spent New Years at home wid the XYL, son & daughter, celebrating his 56th BD! IXN & Lee spent the day catching up on work at St. Anne School, and BWH did computer work, roasted a turkey, and spent the day home wid the family. BWH then aired Newsline file #1324, where we heard that Chapt. 4 of the Richard Burton vs. the FCC saga continues…Seems that Richard (former WB6JAC) has been operating once more illegally on a LA repeater. The FCC has notified the repeater control OP that he must keep Rich off the repeater, or else!… Stay tuned to future Newsline files for further episodes of , "RB & the FCC"!
1/05/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in JIL, VDP, OIO, NT, KS6CW(Kathy), and RND, wid sigs ranging from 579 to 599+! It was decided that a freq. Of 7114 KHz, nw free frm QRM will be used fer the Net. UEB wished all a HNY, and Rick made 5 SKN contacts, 4 in CA, and 1 in TX. All OPs wished each other HNYs, and JIL watched the film ‘Gigi’ Sat. eve., wid sore legs today frm a hike in El Moro Canyon. VDP was able to exchange FISTS #s wid CW, and Larry is also sore frm installing a 2nd satellite rcvr coax. CW enjoyed SKN, and provided FISTS #7378 to VDP. OIO reported 4 QSOs wid WA, ND, NY, and TX (a FISTS member) OPs. NT found working SKN a bit of a chore…preferring the automatic or semi-automatic (a bug) to the straight key! RND made 12 SKN QSOs (until his wrist ‘fell off’!
1/08/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/HCC checked in TWA, KB1GZ, CCD, and IXN. Regular NC, AF6C, shud be returning frm cold, cold NH tonite, and Ken said that he is putting the finishing touches on Jan. ‘RF’. Then HHC said that his CushCraft vert. antenna in Orange took a 20 deg. bend in the high 90 mi/hr gusts during the Mon./Tues. high "SantaAna" winds. TWA thought he was seeing lightning flashes as power poles fell in Orange and Tustin! And TWA checked in wid 5/9 sigs after HHC’s visit to the QTH. Upon IXN’s inquiry, TWA said he has 5" green tomatoes on the vine! GZ said it was so windy at the QTH that he had trouble keeping his feet on the ground! CCD said there was mounds of leaves in the yard, and that his trash cans ‘went for a walk’ during the SA winds. Then Tom was off to din-din. IXN agreed wid HHC’s XYL, Diane, that these were the strongest winds that they had ever seen! IXN’s vertical survived the 84 mi/hr gusts in Santa Ana!
1/08/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in VDP, HHC, KFW, KYJ, and TWA. VDP said the high winds re-arranged many of his swapmeet items after blowing off the tarps! Then Larry told OPs abt new electron & chemical lasers, used airborne, to destroy launched missiles. HHC said that RACES was activated in Orange during the high winds…At least 80 trees were uprooted, and the Chapman Hosp went a couple of days widout normal power! HHC & IXN discussed a science fair project involving a non-working amplifier which the HS students are attempting to repair, the am;plifier being used in the experimental part of their project. KFW spent two nites in bed praying that the beam wud stay erect…His prayers were answered wid the exception that the reflector turned 90 deg., making his beam a temporary hybrid ant.! And, Chris also inherited a great deal of the neighbor’s trash! IXN stated that there is now strong evidence that the speed of gravity waves compares well wid the speed of light! KYJ, being an apartment dweller, set back comfortably listening to the wind damage woes of we home owners, and thinking abt somebody else cleaning up the debris arnd the apartments! TWA thanked HHC fer helping him wid his HF antenna problem on 10m., and Charles said that he still doesn’t hve 15m up & running yet.
1/12/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in IMW, OIO, VDP, CW, RND, and NT. UEB reported a chilly 48 deg. at the QTH, and in a set of FISTS QSL cards, was Rick’s 1st CW contact, W6DDB! And UEB is nw on the road to DXCC, wid an XE2 and a VE7 under his belt. IMW is using a fishing pole vertical since the winds blew dwn his wire ant. And Ian will soon put his 40m homebrew rig on the air! And mountaineer OIO checked in QRP, reporting 29 deg. WX. And Ann gave all OPs 599 sig rpts., and prepared to go for a walk. VDP reminded all OPs abt Club meeting this Fri., and Larry gave IMW a vy gud sig rpt! CW and VDP exchanged QSL cards, and Kathy gave all OPs 599 sig rpts before her 73s. RND had his dipole changed to an inverted V by the SA winds. Then John is off to the eye doc Thursday fer a laser treatment. NT checked in after Net…Ray was busy wid another sked on 20m during Net, but expects to be on time next Sun.
1/15/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in HHC, GZ, UEB, IXN, and CCD. HHC’s Yaesu dial froze at 28.375.7+, so the Net moved to accommodate Ken’s new freq. HHC didn’t hear UEB, and Ken told OPs that he is still working on a burned out amplifier needed fer a science fair project. AF6C went over Nets that he had missed, and IXN will send Jan. Netnotes to Bob to fill in his logs. GZ asked IXN if he had heard abt new moon discoveries fer Saturn, and Steve asked AF6C abt adventures on his vacation bk East. Bob/AF6C enjoyed his vacation wid his mom and sister even though they were a ’lil under the WX! CCD welcomed AF6C bk home, and Tom has been working the ‘Echo Link’, a group of linked repeaters that has allowed him to work the Island of Borneo, and China, too! UEB, Rick, checked in wid 5/7 sigs at IXN’s QTH, and Bob asked Rick to keep sending OCWN notes by E-mail for incorporation into Netnews.
1/15/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, BWH, AF6C, VDP, CCD, KFW, KD7KUN(Mark), W7ESD(Bob), and KYJ. JD said that GZ lined up Fri. eve. speaker on the Rose Parade fer Club Meeting. BWH was eyeing all that wood frm neighbor’s trees blown dwn frm the last wind storm. And Bob aired Newsline #1326…The Saudis and Germany both launched 2 new ham satellites via a Russian rocket. AF6C told JD that new Club Board badges have been made. And Bob told OPs that they had temps bk East in the 40s and 50s over his Christmas vacation. VDP said that we shud hve a food program like the one in Philadelphia…$40/da. Fer all meals! And VDP said that RND, John, does not drive at nite!…He needs a ride to Club meetings! Then VDP said that his scanner quit, the radio quit, and his truck is leaking! CCD ‘flew in and out’! ESD had his antennas knocked dwn in the high winds. KYJ flies kites fer a hobby, and like IXN, Carl says that wind predictions are anything but reliable! KUN was bk in So. CA., at the Windem Hotel near John Wayne Airport, working on an HT…Mark’s sigs were weak but readable at ZE’s QTH.
1/19/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in K6GVG(Roy), VDP, OIO, JIL, NT, and RND. UEB was chilly in the shack, and Rick is moving to a new Irvine QTH next weekend…He’ll operate Net wid a strait key frm Ian and Jill’s QTH! The OPs enjoyed seeing Rick’s Rock Mite QRP transceiver at Club meeting. GVG, wid a stuck key (HI),checked in frm his temp. QTH in Newport Beach…Seems the SA winds leveled his tower + big log-periodic ant.! VDP reported a vy damp morning in Costa Mesa, plus Larry is busy refurbishing his ant. which came dwn in the winds! OIO reported foggy WX, and a temp. of 63 deg. in the shack. And Ann gave all OPs 579 or better sig rpts. JIL is still using the ‘fishing pole vert.’, and Jill commented on Ian’s ‘cheap toys’ purchased at the swap meet. NT reported a sun breakthru on Goat Hill, and Ray reported no further altercations between the chicken & racoon! RND’s laser surgery went well, but John still has foggy vision. He’s playing 4 gigs a week. John told Ian that he can’t read/write/drive, but he can operate the rig and play the guitar!
1/22/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in LDC, VKZ, CCD, NOT, HHC, IXN, and KB1GZ. LDC, just bk frm his trip to Spain and suffering jet lag, told OPs abt the trip, including a side trip ‘in and out’ of the Rock of Gibralter! And Larry suffered not ant. damage in the recent SA winds…But the roof was relieved of a few shingles! VKZ ‘flew in and flew out’, and CCD told HHC abt the amplifier in QST mag. that featured a 2N3904 transistor. NOT ‘flew in and flew out’. HHC and IXN gave OPs particulars on N6JSV’s viewing and funeral arrangements this Fri. and Sat…Jim was a 1978 Club president! HHC welcomed LDC bk home, and Ken is contemplating taking the YAESU 757 to the rig doctor next week. GZ didn’t hear NC acknowledge his check-in, and Steve and IXN briefly discussed the 7.8 EQ in Colima, Mexico…IXN told OPs to watch fer the possibility of new volcanic eruptions in or around Colima!
1/22/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, LDC, HHC, KFW, and KYJ. Lowell announced that he has the Club 100-cup coffee urn, and JD told LDC that his new Club badge is ready. And JD told HHC that he has the Club banner and ARRL flag, but no American flag. LDC said that it was vy cold in Spain…Larry & XYL dressed in several layers of clothing to stay warm! And LDC will nw sport a new hat that he bought fer 10 Euros in Spain. HHC thanked VDP fer his judicious work on 1990s By-Laws, and Ken told OPs that he and PA, and VKZ hve already been working on updating the By-Laws. KFW told IXN that he had heard a news event abt Oil City, PA…IXN checked the web, but came up empty! And KFW and OPs gave LDC gud sig rpts on his temp. 2m ant. KYJ checked in, kicked bk, and listened to the rest of the Net.
1/26/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in IMW, VDP, OIO, NT, and RND. UEB run the Net frm IMW’s QTH, running ‘100 Big Ones’ to a vertical a few feet above the deck. IMW and UEB shared straight keys frm the same rig today. OIO gave all OPs 589s or better, and Ann said that, at her current speed, it’ll take her 7 yrs to get her 1st FISTS diamond! NT had fun working 160m last night, wid Ray nw enjoying a beautiful day on Goat Hill, wid horses eating breakfast in the sun. NT sent kind words and expressed empathy for RND’s continuing eye problems, and VDP gave all OPs 599 sig rpts on a bright sunny morning. RND’s diamond number is 37!…Congrats, John!
1/29/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in HHC, GZ, VKZ, JD, and IXN. HHC got the webpage counter running agn, and Ken told VKZ that he still has his Swiss army knife. If AF6C’s appointment wid NOT falls thru on Fri., he’ll accompany HHC and the 757 to the YAESU radio doctor to fix an ailing VFO. Then HHC said that it’s ‘full ahead’ on a new company contract next Monday! GZ, after hearing HHC give the Shuttle freq., tuned in to hear Space Shuttle proceedings, and Steve will attend the Club bfast come Sat. AF6C, HHC, and VKZ all discussed battery life in the new LED flashlights. And VKZ has sum ‘Tennessee Valley Indians’ running around in his 27" TV when he transmits! JD said that VKZ was a ’lil weak at the QTH, and Lowell will attend the Sat. Club bfast. IXN said VKZ’s sigs were vy strong at the QTH. And Bob mentioned the APA format for writing term pepers…It’s like taking highschool English all over!!
1/29/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, VDP, HHC, KGG, KFW, CCD, and BWH. JD had ‘kicked back’ and was listening to Space Shuttle communications on 448.500 MHz. And Lowell announced a meeting of all Baker-to-Vegas OPs on Tues., Feb.4, at 1900 Hrs at the Orange PD. VDP put a few new pieces in his antennas, and Larry told OPs abt a 5-buck recorder he bought at Target. HHC is pleased wid Quicken Turbo Tax, and he and Diane will be tackling their own taxes this year! IXN and HHC discussed the death of former Club President Jim Talcott, N6JSV. HHC also asked VDP if he ever hears frm Rolf, KK7LX. Larry said Rolf often appears on the County Hunter’s Net on 14.336 MHz. KKG has been working steady lately, wid not much time fer hamming, and Dave said damaged power lines frm the SA winds caused the use of portable generators at work for about a week. KFW said there’ll be a heat wave in PA tomorrow…The temp. will reach a walloping 30 deg. F.!!…And Chris said that he watched the Superbowl, and, the State of the Union address last nite. CCD finished repair work and tree planting arnd the QTH is preparation for repair surgery on his shoulder. And BWH is off to N. Dakota soon fer a week’s vacation, and to visit an ill family member. Then Bob aired Newsline #1328…We heard that the FCC is looking into PLC technology (power line communications)as a way to transmit wideband data communications!