NETNEWS
by WB6IXN
7/2/08
10m Phone Net -
W6ZE/AF6C checked in HHC, DE, FNT, CF, and IXN. AF6C’s 1st FD was in 1969! And Bob said that gophers were
plentiful at the FD site…Bob said the grass was mowed but the site was not
dragged.
HHC has
preliminary FD scores, and Ken is about over the cold that he picked up on the
Thursday before FD…HHC remembered the Santiago Canyon/Lemon Heights fire in 1967 and the flood in 1969 that
washed out the bridge over Santiago Creek on Santiago Canyon Road…Ken also
reminded OPs that the Club Bfast is Sat. DE, wid a back problem, found avoiding
the gopher holes a bit of a problem…But James had a gud time, and he and FNT
learned a lot about FD operations & procedures. FNT enjoyed the food and hopes that we have a sunspot
increase fer next year’s FD Contest.
IXN & Lee will be off to the Santiago Mts. early tomorrow morning to
spend 4th of July weekend with their niece & husband. AF6C said that the GOTO station had
much QRN at FD this year!
7/2/08
2m Phone Net -
W6ZE/IXN checked in DE, CF, K6HA(Rudy), JA, HHC, FNT, AF6C, FKX, CCE, and
KI6PXV(Sonny) in Glendora. The
commanding officer at Alamitos Air Station did not know that we would be on the
Base fer FD, or, he wud have had the area scraped to remove the gopher holes
that bothered DE’s back! And CF
mentioned JA’s adventure wid the guy ropes & the gophers…Seems that the
gophers either discovered Chip’s guy rope ends as something to play with, or,
to be taken into their gopher holes to be eaten! HHC welcomed Doug, FKX; Phil, FNT; and James, DE, to their 1st
Field Day!…And Ken gave a preliminary 2nd best ever FD contact
report of plus or minus 3,235 contacts wid OCARC operating 9A ORG! We had 0 sunspots over FD. FNT enjoyed the afternoon wind &
gud food at FD, and Rudy, K6HA, ‘flew in & flew out’. AF6C & FKX
enjoyed the plentiful & excellent food at the FD site, but Bob missed the
popcorn! And FKX enjoyed working
FD contacts wid CCE, and Kenan said that 20m went desd abt midnight. PXV, 47 yrs old, just made his 1st
contact on 2m Simplex, being a Ham fer abt 3 months.
7/9/08
10m Phone Net -
W6ZE/AF6C checked in HHC, FNT, CF, DE, and IXN. HHC has just about completed a very large July ‘RF’ on the
website, and Ken told NT to call Kristin at 594-9846, or, 832-1273 to sign up
for duty at the Orange County Fair Booth…HHC said that there were 7 ‘RF’
editors this year! FNT’s mom
celebrated her 91st BD, and Phil is experiencing QRN on 10m. El presidente WP may be off to a new
job in Boston Aug. 1! …CF will fill WP’s shoes in the interim. DE is having trouble loading his
vertical ant(5BTV)…OPs will help James wid trap testing & ant.
retuning. IXN, bk frm the mts. and
an update on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland, told OPs that
exciting advances in particle physics are on the way!…ie: maybe discovery of
the Higgs particle!
7/9/08
2m Phone Net -
W6ZE/IXN checked in DE, HHC, CF, FNT, VDP, AF6C, ACM, and FKX. DE had a gud time at FD, and he &
IXN remember well the gopher holes on military reservations (Ft. Dix & Ft.
Riley)…James also bought a KIEL code practice oscillator to hone up his code
skills. HHC has designs on Bob
Buss’ new SKYPE logo, and Ken learned how to transfer files via SKYPE. HHC tells DE to install a radial system
for his vertical ant. and to
carefully tune the 10m trap as it affects the tuning of the other traps!…Due to
an accident while removing ants. & the generator frm the FD site, we don’t
know where the ants. & generator are now…Any ideas? CF says he has all necessary equipment
to check out DE’s antenna, using ‘rock tuning’ if necessary. FNT will work the 6:30pm-11:00pm shift
at the Orange County Fair on Sunday, and VDP will be attending an ARRL Hamfest
in Williams, AZ, next week…VDP & IXN briefly discussed heat pumps in
Larry’s AZ QTH in Golden Valley.
AF6C told OPs that you need between 8 & 32 radisls to provide a gud
ground fer a vertical ant. ACM,
working abt 23 hrs frm Fri. thru Sunday at the FD site, made his first ever DX
contact wid an OP in Stockholm, Sweden via 20m phone! FKX, having just finished constructing an exam fer his
geology students, thanked HHC & AF6C fer recent info. they sent to
him. AF6C then aired ARRL Audio
News for July 3 at 21:26 hrs…Riley Hollingsworth is retiring but will continue
to remain active in amateur radio…If you door-lock transmitters for your autos
do not work properly in a mall parking lot, check out security units near
entrances/exits fer excessive RF radiation!…ARRL Audio News concluded at 21:40
hrs. local time…Tnx, Bob!
7/16/08
10m Phone Net -
W6ZE/AF6C checked in DE, FNT, AB, IXN, HHC, CF, and KE6YHX(Cory)…Nice check-in,
OPs! DE, in a hot garage, and IXN,
in a hot bedroom, both have fans in operation! And DE has a new 6m ant. fashioned frm an old hamstick…DE
found out abt OCARC at the Orange County Fair before becoming a Club
member! FNT, at the Orange County
Fair Ham Booth Sunday nite, said there was a huge crowd between 6 & 8pm…And
Phil hooked up a 6m ant. AB’s dual
band mobile gave up the ghost!…Now Steve will visit the ‘Candy Store’ looking
fer a replacement fer the auto.
And IXN said that Kei, NGO, wud be vy proud of AF6C if he cud see Bob’s
developing tomato crop! Meantime,
IXN must find the voracious insect that’s eating the leaves off of his
dahlias! HHC & OPs all
welcomed YHX, Cory, to the Net.
YHX, a ham fer 13 yrs., lives at the corner of Thomas & Palmyra in
Orange near HHC. AF6C is thinking
abt buying a 2-band HT, and Bob bought a new toy fer his router on the
computer…And AF6C will air the ARRL Audio News on the 2m Net.
7/16/08
2m Phone Net –
W6ZE/IXN checked in DE, FNT, YHX, CF, HHC, and AF6C. DE converted a 6m Hamstick ant. to groundplane ant., and
James has a BB7V 5-band ant. wid a loading coil that’s a 2-part balun at the
bottom. FNT reported a gud crowd
Sun. eve. at the Orange County Fair wid great interest in the ATV & CW
demonstrations at the Ham Radio Booth.
YHX has a Ringo Ranger ant. on 2m, and Cory asked HHC abt sporadic
openings on 10m…Ken suggested between 10-11am, and 5-7pm. CF said 10m is usually quiet, vy little
QRN at the QTH, and IXN told Nicolas abt noisy street light circuitry near his
QTH. HHC said that no SKYPE‘radar screen’ lit up frm N.
Dakota, so BWH might have been engaged at the bingo game…HHC said to check out
‘RF’ on the website to see FD pix, and IXN congrats HHC on a great July
‘RF’. AF6C has abt 44 tomatoes on
the vines wid more on the way, has the Ipod ready to air the Audio News, and
bought himself an Apple Time Capsule Wireless Router which should make backup
easier…And Bob’s mom is doing better (no blood clot in her leg!)…Bob then airs
the July 11 ARRL Audio News: Hams
lend helping hands wid the CA. wildfires, wid 330 fires in the Sacramento
Section!…25 teachers participated in (The Big Project) Teacher’s Institute…And
cruise ship enthusiasts, get permission to take ham radios on board a cruise
ship before you embark on your journey! ARRL Audio News concluded at 21.32 hrs.
local time…Tnx, Bob!
7/23/08
10m Phone Net –
W6ZE/AF6C checked in DE, FNT, HC, LDC, AB, IXN, and YHX. A FD pick-up crew just left LDC’s QTH
after leaving tower sections temporarily at LDC’s home. Now, the crew will leave the Club
generator at AF6C’s QTH fer minor repairs and prep fer next Field Day. DE is enjoying the cooler WX, will pick
up his new Diamond ant. at the Post Office tomorrow, and will renew his
air-brush talents! FNT worked 2
states off to the North on 10m using his fence-mounted 10m wire ant. AF6C, vy busy last Friday, simply
forgot the Club meeting, and, Bob got the 1st tomato off his vines
today! He also has caterpillar
spray stored in the frig…HC reminded Bob not to mix it wid the food!…HI! KÆBWH did not show up at the Red River
ARC FD site, so HC didn’t get the chance to meet Bob…HC was housed in a
trailer, so Arnie stayed out of the rain and avoided the mosquitoes at the
North Dakota FD site…Hc worked W6ZE 2 or 3 times, CW, on FD…And Arnie worked 10
or 12 stations in the ORG Section, CW, frm the ND site! LDC told AF6C to expect generator
arrival in abt a ½ hour, and Larry awaits an update on W6ZE’s FD scores. Ops offer AB several tips on removal of
motorboating in his new Kenwood 2m/440 rig before he returns it to the ‘Candy
Store’, and IXN said that snails were definitely eating the leaves off his
dahlias! YHX uses a gel cell
battery as an auxiliary power supply.
7/23/08
2m Phone Net –
W6ZE/IXN checked in DE, HC, VDP, FNT, YHX, AF6C, HHC, and CF. HHC & CF were part of the cleanup
crew that removed tower sections and the Club generator from the FD site
tonite. DE, enjoying Net
camaraderie, tells Ops that airbrush supplies are not much more expensive than
they were a few years ago! (OH!…If we cud just say the same fer gasoline!) HC worked W6ZE 2 or 3 times on FD frm
the Red River ARC FD site at Wheatland abt 25 mi. due west of Fargo, ND. VDP will probably be around fer awhile
as Larry continues to move equipment frm the CA QTH to the AZ QTH…Thurs before
last, it was 110 deg. In AZ., and last Sun., Larry worked the OCWN on 7.086 MHz
wid multi-path reception at the AZ. QTH in Golden Valley…Last VDP heard, Ray,
W6NT, was in a Rehab home…Gas was $3.95/gal in AZ. FNT worked ID, WA, and OR using a 23 ft. wire + coax ant.
hooked to the top of a fence 6 ft. off the ground at the QTH! YHX plans to use a 12V gel cell fer
standby at the QTH, and by Sept., Cory plans to have a TNC & working packet
on 2 & 10m. Farmer Bob, AF6C,
has 44 tomatoes on the vine at present, and Bob just finished updating the
membership page on the website.
Now it’s off to a funeral for a former work buddy, and Bob will prepare
the Club generator for next FD.
HHC, home frm the Club work party, said that the Club needs a permanent
home for the generator, and BWH was nowhere to be found on SKYPE tonite. Willie, WP, & Sheryl, KTT, are bk
in Boston. HHC said that WP’s new
job begins the 1st of August.
CF said that delivery of remaining Club equipment left at the FD site
was delayed by an ambulance, a detour, and, a blocked intersection in GG. At 21:18 hrs local time, AF6C aired
July 18 ARRL Audio News: A father
& son were electrocuted while erecting an antenna which accidently touched
a 7,620V power line!…the ARRL is awarded partial payment frm FCC for litigation
costs on recent BPL court action…ARRL Audio News concluded at 21:33 hrs. local
time.
7/30/08
10m Phone Net –
Noise! Noise! Noise!…Hundreds of people all talking ,
etc., as they filed by the OCCARO Ham Radio Booth at the Orange County
Fair! W6HHC, Ken, acting NC fer
the Net tonite. AF6C was busy
showing the rudiments of CW to two teenagers who wanted to send ‘colorful
words’ over the code practice oscillator!
Besides HHC & AF6C, NC checked in CCD, NOL, IXN, FNT, K6YZ(no copy), and AF6CF. CCD, at the Fair earlier today, got
home from the Bay Area in time to witness the 5.4 mag. Chino Park EQ! LDC, who was near the epicenter of the
1971 event, said that the 5.4 Event shook ripe oranges from his treetop. NOL asked it the Amateur Radio Booth
received any awards…HHC said there was an Honorable Mention ribbon hanging
nearby, but no Best of Show Award this year. IXN told Ops that they were only 14 miles ‘as the crow
flies’ distance from the epicenter of the 5.4, which accounts for the heavier
shaking & rolling felt.
W6ZE/AF6C took over the Net and Bob said that he was up 5 stories seeing
his opthomologist at Event time experiencing at least two jolts…At home, sum
CDs fell, and, a crack in the living room re-opened slightly. CF experienced only a mild Event. FNT, near South Coast Plaza, had gud
sigs from the Fair, and, during the 5.4 Event, Phil was standing in a front
yard down in Laguna Beach and didn’t feel a thing!
7/30/08
2m Phone Net –
W6ZE/IXN Checked in DE, FNT, HHC, AF6C, YHX, CF, and KÆBWH check into Net frm a remote
repeater. NC did not hear Bob,
BWH, but the check-in was relayed to NC.
At Event time, DE dropped everything, bolted out the door, returned, and
went on RACES frequencies. NC
tells HHC that sigs frm the OC Fair, on 2m, are Q5 tonite. FNT worked the Fair Booth 2 Sundays
ago, wid people crowded around the vy popular ATV monitor looking at
themselves! YHX grabbed the
computer during the earthquake so that it wouldn’t fall!…Now Cory is anchoring
shelves, etc., arnd the QTH! CF’s
XYL noticed shaking at the QTH, and IXN, on the 2nd Floor of St.
Anne’s School in Santa Ana, watched the computers sway back & forth, wid
abt 15 to 30 secs. Of rolling thereafter.