NETNEWS

by WB6IXN

4/01/2009 10M Phone Net – AF6C, wid a meeting & running late, turned NC duties over to HHC.   W6ZE/HHC checked in IXN and CF.  CF had no copy on IXN who is still having weak RF sigs at the QTH.  IXN could barely hear CF thru the QRN.  HHC is working on items for club ‘RF’ newsletter, and Ken is writing an article on Baker-to-Vegas race for April ‘RF’.

4/01/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in CF, AB, RWU, YCJ, and KR6J.  All Ops had gud sigs, and CF will see IXN at Bob’s QTH to investigate the weak sigs problem.  HHC reminded OPs abt the Club Sat. Bfast, and RWU is studying for the Gen. Class License while keeping an eye on Extra Class as he studies the Gordon West book & tapes plus ARRL materials.   AB checked in only to blow a fuse in his power supply…A new fuse solved the problem.  KR6J, out of town most of the time, is a member of a well organized bicycle team…Kenan will soon race at Long Beach on a flat course…And Kenan is now active wid Orange County Races.  IXN checks in Sunday mornings to the OC Wireless CW Net at 9:00 am local time on 7.086 MHz.

4/08/2009 10m Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in YHX, HHC, IXN, and YCJ.  AF6C was delayed in Long Beach last week so HHC assumed NC duties…And Bob said that sale of the old AC4 receiver is questionable.  Also, AF6C has an ARRL Audio News to air on the 2 meter net.   YHX checked in wid a background noise of S5!   And HHC has background noise, too, from a noisy street light…And Ken said that El Presidente CF is marrying off his last daughter this weekend!...Ken also said that over 500 hams were involved in Baker-to-Vegas!  Last weekend, CF & HHC went to IXN’s QTH, and, after replacing an errant piece of coax and showing IXN how to check the SWR on the rig using the FM mode, IXN’s sigs improved immeasurably!...IXN’s ant is a shortened vertical dipole, wid capacitance spokes and inductance coils on both ends.  YCJ opened a refurbished computer from COMP USA only to discover that it didn’t work!

4/08/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in YHX, AB, AF6C, YCJ, HTW, HHC, KR6J, and EVX.   YHX experienced his first sushi, and AB replaced his errant power supply…And YUI helped Steve check over a Heathkit SB-200 Linear Amplifier.  AF6C told OPs abt a HK SB200 built in a piece of furniture.  YCJ got the new computer working after he replaced the keyboard with the one sent with the refurbished computer!...Now Ken can do his taxes!  IXN cudn’t hear HTW check into Net, but when Hank connected to the new antenna, his sigs were 5/9 at NC frm La Habra Hts.  KR6J had a bike race yesterday, and Kenan will be off on another bike race on Easter Sunday.   HHC checked in but IXN missed him in the go-around…(I apologize, Ken!!)  EVX checked in to hear ARRL Audio News.  AF6C then aired the ARRL Audio News at 21:06 hrs local time…FCC will issue new rules for RF emissions in the 70cm band since this band is used for control of medical prothesis.  The new rules will have little import on the Amateur Service…ARISS & AMSAT will continue amateur programs on the ISS…For info on the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act, see the ARRL Letters…For Field Day updates, try www.org/fieldday .  RRL Audio News concluded at 21:25 hrs local time.

4/15/2009 10m Phone Net - AF6C/W6ZE Bob, AF6CF- Nicholas, W6HHC-Ken, KE6YHX    Corey, WB9YCJ-Ken, KK6OZ-Jay.  Jay is from Cypress and was one of the Baker to Vegas team members. The April RF got distributed to COAR volunteers who helped on Baker to Vegas and Jay saw our net information and checked in. He had a good signal at W6ZE (with Bob's beam) but not at most other stations.       

Nicholas AF6CF still has visitors from his daughter's wedding last week. It's Tax judgement day!  He got his taxes done and mailed in spite of all the distractions.

Ken W6HHC is arranging to have the Baker to Vegas video shown at the April general meeting. Other Baker-to Vegas topics discussed between Ken, Bob, Nicholas and Jay were frequency coordination and Mike KF6WRM's great B2V video.  Corey KE6YHX borrowed AF6C's scope calibrator and got his scope adjusted. He still has a broken knob that needs to be replaced.  Ken WB9YCJ is fighting a bug and last minute tax forms. We discussed extensions, late filing and whether there were any penalties for filing late if you had a refund coming.  Bob AF6C talked with Corey on radio noise and scope calibration. Bob sent his taxes of close to the first of this month so he was not sweating the deadline.

4/15/2009 2m Phone Net - AF6C/W6ZE Bob checked in AF6CF-Nicholas. N1AB-Steve, KE6YHX-Corey, WB9YCJ/6-Ken. Nicholas AF6CF said hello but had the dinner call to join all his visiting wedding guests. Steve N1AB had a good loud signal into south Orange. Corey talked about a strange carrier he hears on 144.480 in his neighborhood. Bob AF6C couldn't here the signal at his location in Orange. Corey is still looking to track down other noise problems at his QTH. He's ready to "pull the breaker" to see if the source is at his QTH. Bob gave him some quick tips on signal hunting using his body to block RF on 2 meters with a handheld - (learned from Joe Moell KØOV). Ken WB9YCJ was continuing to work on the last minute submission of his taxes. He also discussed the upcoming May Dayton Ham Convention and his outlook on it's attendance this year. We deeply appreciate Bob, AF6C, acting as Net Control for both the 10m and 2m Nets tonight, and, taking the above Netnotes!

4/22/2009 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in YCJ, HHC, IXN, CF, WA6RRJ(Dick), N6IFY(Dick), and HC.  YCJ reported sporadic E skip on 10m, says the new computer is really fast…And Ken will get a tax refund frm IRS!  AF6C had a bif beehive removed by his gardner, and Bob has revamped the Netnews page on the website.  IXN will search the Club History to find out when Club Nets began.  HHC still suffers frm noise frm an errant street lite, and Ken has brought up Netnews to date on the website.   CF survived his last daughters’s wedding wid flying colors, and wid a vy high noise level, Nicolas 73’d at 8:04 hrs.  RRJ, Dick, heard all OPs pretty well in Garden Grove, and IFY, Dick, had gud sigs tonite.  HC, bk frm Visalia, said the DX Convention had arnd 700 to 900 OPs present, wid abt 10 members frm the OCARC.   And Arnie suggested that the Club move Meeting away frm the Visalia Convention date.

4/22/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in N1AB, YCJ, RRJ, AF6C, CF, RUI, YHK, HHC, EVX, and RWU.  AB is pretty well set up for Field Day, wid capablilities on 10, 15, 20, and 80m.  YCJ enjoyed last Club meeting & is looking forward to the next!  RRJ ‘flew in and flew out’, and AF6C had termite exterminators in to kill the ’lil beasties under a concrete slab at the QTH…Then Bob had to install some new molding.  YHX is still constructing a beam ant. to monitor USGS seismic sigs from the seismometer located on the San Servaine Plain in the San Gabriel Mts.  CF had gud sigs tonite, and RUI checked in on the HT frm Fullerton.  EVX, still recovering frm back surgery, had gud sigs, and Robert will kick back to listen to ARRL Audio News.  RWU checked in just ahead of the ARRL Audio News for 4/17/09, airing at 21:19 hrs local time…CA hams(ARES)rally providing emergency communications in No. CA. when vandals cut fiber-optic cables, ARES providing communications for San Jose, Santa Cruz & Watsonville hospitals…Tnx, Bob…The ARRL Audio News concluded at 21:37 hrs…There will be NO ARRL Audio News on Apr. 24.

4/29/2009 10m Phone Net – W6ZE/AF6C checked in YHZ, YCJ, IXN, RRJ, HHC, and KI6VEN(Phil).   YHX mentioned a video of an Alaska KL7 YL wid a cat walking on the rig desk.  HHC just bought a new digital TV for home. YCJ doesn’t expect to hear from IRS abt a slightly late tax return since they owe him money!..Ken is now looking forward to jury duty.  IXN says his magnetometer vs gravity balance beam has dropped from 8.0 to 7.8…Bob doesn’t know what it means yet!  VEN is looking for another rig and a vertical ant., and Phil’s QTH is near Chapman & Jamboree.  HHC buys a new SHARP HDTV. Ken is also   writing an article on D-ATV (Digital Amateur TV) for newsletter.  Congrats VEN on his 1^st 10m contact on the Net tonite, and OPs tell RRJ that the Field Day site will be the same as last year, the old Naval Air Station at Los Alamitos.  AF6C replaced a capacitor in the computer switching power supply, but the power supply still doesn’t work, so Bob will search for another problem in the power supply.  (IXN has had two switching power supplys go out in two different PCs…Bob switched his computers off when not in use!  Whether the computer is left ON or OFF doesn’t seem to matter on power supply life!  Consider yourself very lucky if a computer switching power supply lasts more than six years).  AF6C said they want $700 for a new power supply for his Apple computer!  IXN has been busy looking up records on the Keniston Clan on his mother’s side of the family.

4/29/2009 2m Phone Net – W6ZE/IXN checked in CF, AB, YHX, FKX, YCJ, RWU, RRJ, and AF6C.  Congrats to CF on becoming a grandfather once more…The baby weighed 8lb 2oz and was named Sebastiani!  AB sends congrats Nicolas, and Steve is still experimenting wid SSB & CW fer Field Day.  YHX has kittens to give away to any takers, and Cory says Alaskan King Crab claw meat makes good sushi.   FKX interests IXN in young age of Amboy Crater along Route 66.  IXN tells YCJ that 3 yrs seems to be the top limit fer IRS to audit tax returns, and Ken says his company will pay his wages while he is on jury duty. RWU lights up all bars on IXN’s rig using a HT & a J-pole mounted on the roof of the QTH in Tustin…Now to contact his daughter at Cal State Fullerton!

AF6C said that ARRL did not have an ARRL Audio News fer tonite, sent congrats to Nicolas on daughter’s new baby, and must get the Club generator running smoothly before FD…Then it’s off to the Braille Institute wid PFA to repair Audio Book machines tomorrow.  RRJ ‘flew in and flew out’ of the net tonite. AF6C had termite exterminators in to kill the ’lil beasties under a concrete slab at the QTH…Then Bob had to install some new molding.  YHX is still constructing a beam ant. to monitor USGS seismic sigs from the seismometer located on the San Servaine Plain in the San Gabriel Mts.  CF had gud sigs tonite, and RUI checked in on the HT frm Fullerton.  EVX, still recovering frm back surgery, had gud sigs, and Robert will kick back to listen to ARRL Audio News.  RWU checked in just ahead of the ARRL Audio News for 4/17/09, airing at 21:19 hrs local time…CA hams(ARES)rally providing emergency communications in No. CA. when vandals cut fiber-optic cables, ARES providing communications for San Jose, Santa Cruz & Watsonville hospitals…Tnx, Bob…The ARRL Audio News concluded at 21:37 hrs…There will be NO ARRL Audio News on Apr. 24.