NETNEWS
by WB6IXN
2/02/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in KS6CW, VDP, OIO, JIL, KC6VQH(Al), and RND. UEB, in the new QTH, used an inverted V ant. leaning against the southside of the house. OPs discussed the loss of Space Shuttle & Astronauts, extending condolences to their families. CW has a font called ‘morse code’ which is not readable by all programs. (UEB says this font works well in WORD). VDP welcomed VQH bk to the Net, gave UEB a 599 rpt., and put a new feedline and end supports on the Loop ant. OIO gave all OPs 589s or better, and JIL commented on UEB’s QTH change, and greetings to VQH. Al enjoyed his Net checkin, and reported his QTH as Mission Viejo…The rig is a 450-S running 25 W into a G5RV antenna. RND had gud copy on all OPs, is busy playing gigs, including one for a Chinese New Year’s party!
2/05/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in IXN & VKZ. IXN will check 1963 Club Roster to see how many members were in the Club. AF6C said that HHC’s rig was left wid the YAESU radio doctor to repair the drifting VFO. IXN thinks that Tile failure and/or improper Attitude Re-entry problem led to the Shuttle demise. VKZ has sum ‘cast adjustment’ to be done on the leg, and Frank worries abt the loss of our rights in the paranoia hype over 911, terrorism, etc.! All three OPs had reservations abt jumping into war at this time!
2/05/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in VDP, CCD, NOL, AF6C, HHC, and KFW. VDP converts all OCWN files to text files…They take up less space. And Larry said that the 40m OCWN CW net had gud reception by all OPs last Sun. CCD’s surgery to repair shoulder tendons was successful, and Tom said that the 10m opening last Sat. allowed him to pick up sum new 10-10 numbers! NOL said that a TV program, titled, "Critical Rescue", involving the recent Placentia train crash, and involving Ham radio communications, will be aired at 8:00pm, agn at 11:00pm, on Feb. 20, and at 2:00pm on Feb. 22. Then NOL aired Newsline file #1329 for out-of-town BWH…We heard abt Ham assistance during the Australian ‘Bush Fires’. AF6C checked in and ‘kicked back’ to listen to Newsline file. HHC was glad to hear that CCD’s shoulder surgery was a success…And Ken will let us know if he comes bk frm a family ski trip after next Club meeting, unscathed! HHC and AF6C hope that Ken’s radio repair fees do not include any charges for the new YAESU Bldg!…the dining area, wading pool, etc.! HHC told OPs abt a movie crew shooting a ‘winter scene’ in the Orange Traffic Circle, wid snow & all the trimmings! The movie is titled, "Surviving Christmas"!
2/09/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in KS6CW, IMW, VDP, OIO, NT, and RND…Nice check-in, OPs! UEB suddenly had a high SWR, and apologized to OPs fer the late start! Rick reported QSOs wid stations in AZ & PA on 40m yesterday. And KS6CW was preparing for a wedding shower in Riverside today. OIO sounded like she was running QRP, and IMW will be taking Helium balloons to the desert next weekend fer sum antenna DX experiments…He will try the HAM stick at Rainbow Wash, Anza Borrego…(Watch fer check-in nxt wk!) VDP gave gud sig rpts to all, and Larry QNXed to go to work. OIO gave OPs 589 or better sig rpts, and Ann enjoyed the Getty Museum trip wid a Santa Ana College grp. And NT, wid nice day & high SWR, found sum varmints dining on his feedline!…And UEB found teeth marks on his coax…(must be the CW that makes feedlines tasty!…HI) RND had gud cpy on all OPs, and John is looking forward to sum rain!
2/12/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/LDC checked in AF6C, KB1GZ, CCD, and IXN. Don’t be surprised if you see LDC riding abt town on his new electric scooter, and, during the rain, Larry discovered a flashing leak arnd a roof vent in the main bathroom! GZ was reviewing his E-mail before Net, and Steve told OPs that he attended a budget management class. CCD said that the rain is making the grass grow by ‘leaps and bounds’…Now Tom has to find a way to cut it wid only one arm! AF6C checked in between movements of the rig…Bob is cleaning up the shack! IXN checked in late, and he asked LDC fer his check-in list…And Bob is going ‘round & round’ wid allergies. LDC, IXN, and AF6C all discussed the present day shortcomings on parent/child responsibilities in the rearing of children.
2/12/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, KTS, TRA, KB1GZ, AF6C, KFW, KGG, VDP, HHC, and BWH…Nice check-in, OPs! JD said that TRA, PFA, DLA, GZ, OPI & harmonic, and himself, all attended a Orange/GG ‘Baker-to-Vegas’ meeting at the Orange PD. KTS, Dave, just across the street frm IXN’s QTH, checked in wid a bit of AC ripple on his sigs. KTS had just finished setting up the 2m rig. TRA promised his 2 grandkid twins rigs if they got their tickets!…Guess what?!…Gene nw has to buy two rigs! And TRA told us that the XYL has been diagnosed wid liver cancer. GZ ‘flew in and flew out’, and AF6C can nw see the top of his desk after the shack cleanup…Bob had lots of wind but no leaks during the rainstorms. KFW lost the lost the reflector element on his beam ant. It fell in the backyard…And Chris & IXN discussed the cold, cold WX in the Ohio/PA region. KGG got hold of a YAESU FT-290 Mark-2 2M all mode transceiver, and Dave is thinking abt future adventures on 6M, and possibly microwave freqs., in the future. VDP had strong winds frm a ‘southwester’ this afternoon, and close to an inch of rain frm storms thus far…And Larry has a leak around the truck windshield. HHC has just abt finished the next ‘RF’ newsletter, and Ken told OPs that the Dec. rain leak arnd a window was successfully repaired!…No leak now! And HHC’s lowbands rig is still in the ‘YAESU hospital’ undergoing repairs. BWH, bk frm a ‘vacation trip’ to the farm, where the 1st four days he helped dissect 7 hogs & 2 head of beef, still found time to participate in a GPS ‘Geo Cashing’ event…1st time most of us OPs had heard abt this type of event!…Bob told us all abt it. Then Bob aired Newsline #1330, where we heard abt amateur community commemorative speeches, etc., for the lost Columbia Shuttle crew.
2/16/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in JIL, GVG, VDP, NT, and RND. UEB, wid no SWR problems, ran 50W into an inverted V. JIL had a QSO yesterday wid a station in Calgary, Canada. All OPs had 599 sigs! OIO is on a special event, which will include sum whale watching. JIL had gud WX in the Anza-Borrego desert, running 50W to the 40m hamstick, wid vy ’lil bkgrnd noise…Condx were much better than in Irvine! GVG gave all OPs 589s frm his ‘country’ home in Bonsall (N. San Diego Cnty)…Roy was running 150W to a mobile whip on the patio…And GVG hopes to hve a new tower + ant. up in a few weeks to replace ones lost in the high winds! VDP reminded all OPs abt the OCARC meeting this Fri. eve…And Larry is ‘drying out’ after the recent rains! NT reported vy low band noise on Goat Hill today, and Ray told OPs that the ARRL Internationa DX Contest was underway, wid sum JA stations on 10 & 15m. RND, running 80W, rpted gud sigs on all OPs…And John will have a vitectomy on March 4…A light tube & a vacuum tube will be inserted into his eye to remove membrane near the retina…Best wishes, John, frm all OPs!!
2/19/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in LDC, KB1GZ, IXN, CCD, VKZ, and TWA. LDC had a ‘Weekend frm Hell’!…Seems that Larry got off the road and into the mud in the High Desert!…The camper sunk hopelessly dwn to the axles! LDC called a tow truck, they put chains arnd the steering mechanism, bent steering linkage, etc., and left Larry to be towed to Mojave fer repairs, plus, LDC got a flat tire while riding the dirt bike!…(His mom told LDC there would be days like this!!) LDC told TWA he would pick him up if Charles wanted to go to Meeting Fri. eve. GZ is enjoying the APOD site, a reference frm IXN, and Steve asked LDC if the towing company wud repair the motorhome damage…LDC replied, "Affirmative!" CCD reminded OPs to watch the ‘RR Crossing Wrecks’ TV program to air tomorrow, and IXN commented that it wud be interesting to see how many accidents wid fatalities occur when trains are being PUSHED vs. trains being PULLED! VKZ had just discovered that his doctors are PRACTICING MEDICINE on him, and Frank finally got the cast removed frm his leg…Now when he gets over the pneumonia………… AF6C relinquished NC duties temporarily while he began recording a show wid comedian Frank Russell. Then Bob asked TWA abt those dusters that he got at Harbor Freight Tools…Charles told AF6C that he will keep his eyes open fer them when HFT gets sum more.
2/19/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, LEX, KTS, VPP, TWA, HHC, TRA, KFW, CCD, AF6C, and GW…Gud check-in, OPs! JD and XYL had the grandkids over to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and, Lowell reminded all OPs abt Club meeting this Fri. LEX, busy teaching school and taking nite classes toward his Masters Deg., still found time to compete in 5 bicycles races, three of which he won!…Congrats, Chris! KTS is busily engaged in planning communications fer a number of MS events coming up, plus taking courses in Law! VDP went over to Silent Key N6JSV’s QTH to inventory Jim’s gear. Larry will E-mail a list to HHC in the near future…And VDP said that it rained ‘cats & dogs’ in CM abt a half hour ago! No other OPs had rain in their areas except GW/m, who ran thru the rain path on her way home frm Tustin. TWA reported no rain or wind at the SA River, and HHC spent abt 10 hrs on 5 problems in his ORACLE database class!…Ken welcomed LEX bk to the Net, and now HHC and family will be off on the annual ski trip at Mammoth! HHC is also working thru the problems of getting a brand new P4/WinXP computer on line at the QTH. TRA is deeply involved wid treatments, etc., for the XYL’s liver cancer. KFW finds many hams, on PSK-31 & CW, pinned in their houses by the 10 to 40 inches of snow and freezing temps. bk East. CCD continues to recover frm his shoulder surgery, and Tom visited an animal park in San Diego.
2/23/2003 40m OCWN CW Net – W6ZE/UEB checked in KS6CW, IMW, GVG, OIO, NT, VDP, and RND. UEB, wid cldy WX in Irvine, told OPs that he had 5 QSOs last week, including a maritime mobile in the Gulf of Mexico. CW gave all OPs 599s, and Kathy spent last Sat. wid a gud friend who wired her truck fer mobile communications! Wid 5/7 sigs on most OPs, IMW said sigs were better in the desert than they were in Irvine!…UEB suggested moving the hamshack to the desert!…HI! OP’s sigs were 5/7 or better fer GVG in No. San Diego Cnty, and Roy still awaits delivery of the new tower and HF ant. OIO had surgery on her thumb last Thurs., and Ann did quite nicely on the straight key widout the thumb…And congrats on the QRP Certificate frm FISTS, Ann! NT gets a ’lil QRP frm an errant ham who forgot to listen before transmitting, and VDP will be busy disposing of Jim Talcott’s estate ham gear at the swapmeet. (IXN note: JSV probably didn’t renew his license when it expired). RND said he checks into another Net on Sun. morns. at 9 AM…John wishes he cud be on two freqs. at the same time!
2/26/2003 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in JD, KB1GZ, IXN, and LDC. HHC and family arre off skiing. AF6C got a 14-bit chip program running, and a APRS packet unit built & ready to program. JD reported gud sigs on all OPs tonite, and Lowell reminded OPs abt the Club Bfast this Sat. JD enjoyed Club meeting last Fri., and OPs also found member project reports, etc., interesting! Then Lowell asked if any OPs had heard how VKZ was progressing in the hospital…No response! GZ had a quiet week, was busy doing sum auditing, has 2 new ants. out back, and Steve said next Club speaker will be WA6PZO, a former communicator on an oil tanker. And Steve also said Art Goddard might be bk in Apr., and, possibly NOA, Gordy, might be speaking to us in the future. IXN sent N6JSV’s Silent Key notice to the ARRL…OPs said Jim’s call has been re-issued! LDC had just gotten home frm a cholesterol management class. IXN brought OPs up-to-date on late space science discoveries.
2/26/2003 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in JD, KTS, VDP, AF6C, KFW, and BWH. JD inquired if any OPs had contacted VKZ…Silence! And Lowell reminded OPs abt the Club Bfast this Sat. KTS still has slight hum on his sigs. David thinks it might be frm the rig setting on top of the pwr supply! VDP confirmed AF6C’s remark that N6JSV’s call had been re-issued, and AF6C said that an for-sale equipment list of the former JSV is up on our website. VDP will keep in mind that AF6C is looking fer YK88-1 filters. AF6C reported that listened to the OCWN last Sun. fer awhile. KFW & IXN briefly discussed the vy cold old-fashioned winter bk East, then Chris told OPs that he had finished programming a controller on a CNC machine (milling machine). BWH checked in mobile, getting the Baker-to-Vegas news frm JD. When Bob arrived at the QTH, he aired an interesting Newsline file #1332.