Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and General exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to save up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

DaiTengu

... Extreme boredom serves to cure boredom.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

On 09-13-20 01:10, DaiTengu wrote to All <=-

@VIA: VERT/ENSEMBLE
Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and General
exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Congrats and welcome to the hobby. :)

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to save
up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

Haha, there's always something to spend money on in ham radio. ;)


... Can I blame my spelling on Line Noise?
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
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Re: I finally got my license
By: DaiTengu to All on Sun Sep 13 2020 01:10 am

and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Congrats! I'm trying to figure a way to setup some stealth HF antennas here in the condo since 2m is pretty dead lately.
---
Underminer - The Undermine BBS
þ Synchronet þ The Undermine - bbs.undermine.ca:423

Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and General
exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to save
up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

Congratulations and welcome! I've been meaning to look into the whole remote VE concept.

Gear can definitely be espensive but there are relatively inexpensive ways into the hobby.

73 de NY5I
Hatton


... He does the work of 3 Men...Moe, Larry & Curly
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Re: I finally got my license
By: Underminer to DaiTengu on Sun Sep 13 2020 03:32 am

and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Congrats! I'm trying to figure a way to setup some stealth HF antennas here in the condo since 2m is pretty dead lately. ---

I'm looking into grabbing a Wolf River Coil, but it's kind of useless unless I have a HF radio. All I have now is one of those cheap, Baofeng HTs. I ordered a Signal Stick for it, hopefully that will increase its range a bit.

DaiTengu

... Never try to out-stubborn a cat.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Re: I finally got my license
By: Hatton to DaiTengu on Sun Sep 13 2020 08:11 am

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to
save up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

Congratulations and welcome! I've been meaning to look into the whole remote VE concept.

Thanks! The remote test was quite simple. You just need a private, secure room with nothing in it, and they have you sweep it with your phone camera before you begin to make sure you don't have any notes or cheating materials anywhere. I, like many people do, locked myself in my bathroom.

Gear can definitely be espensive but there are relatively inexpensive ways into the hobby.

Yeah, I do have a cheap HT that I can hit a bunch of local repeaters with, but I really want to get into HF, and some of the digital modes.

DaiTengu

... A woman drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and General
exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

First off, congratulations. Now, the rest of us "jokers" are going to
think of "alternate phonetics" for you (hi hi). For the non-hams, "hi hi"
is known as "the telegraphers laugh".

I have 2 for mine, WX4QZ:

1) Whistled Xings (Crossings) For Quiet Zones - Normally, on the railroad lines, Federal Law requires the locomotive engineer to sound the trains
horn (or in the case of a steam locomotive, whistle) at least 1/2 mile
prior to the upcoming railroad crossing. Some railroads use W for Whistle, while others use X for Crossing. QZ stands for Quiet Zones. In some areas,
the railroad works with the community to NOT sound the horn or whistle
while going through the crossings...unless meeting a train on another
track, or in the event of an emergency (a person, animal, or vehicle, is
on the tracks ahead). The cost of "sealing off the crossing" with multiple gates is very expensive. Yet, the crossbuck, in the shape of an X, stands
for "Yield To Trains". I run The Trains Net on The QuadNet Array on Fridays
at 8pm Eastern Time. A commemorative certificate is available via email
request after the first checkin. We also have a Railroad Trivia question.

2) Wild XCiting For QuiZines. Now, "Quizine" isn't how you spell "cuisine"
(I run The Food Net on The QuadNet Array on the 3rd Saturday, at 9pm
Eastern Time). But, in Louisiana, they spell "Fido" (for a dog) as Phideaux...so, there you are. H.A.M. Stands for "Have Another Meal", and
you don't call us "Late For Dinner"...plus, if you eat "ham", you're cannibalistic (hi hi). Yet, everyone has to eat...those who have done
hamfests and Field Day know how important this is.

On the QuadNet Array, it offers access to connections via D-Star, DMR,
WIRES, and Fusion. Go to www.openquad.net for connection options. I use
the BlueDV program from Pa7LIM, with the ThumbDV from northwest Digital
Radio (it was $80 cheaper than the Blue DV Dongle), to get on the air. Besides, most hams are "frugal cheapskates" (hi hi).

My previous callsigns had these:

A) N5VLZ - My first callsign, in 1991 -- "Now Five Veer Left Zoom" --
Square Dance Moves -- that's one of my other hobbies. You'd be surprised
how many "dancing hams" there are...and one year, at a National Square
Dance Convention, I used ham radio to save the life of our shuttle bus
driver, after he was assaulted by the hotel security guard, the last
night of the event. I said "This is what ham radio operators prepare for...emergency communications". Another alternate phonetic was "Noted
Five Violent Lightning Zaps". I am a 2 time lightning strike survivor...
they were indirect, but I got the severe shock, and have nervous system
damage as a result. However, I carry no electrical charge, and can be
handled safely (hi hi).

B) AE5WX -- I changed to this call 2 years after upgrading from Technician
to General in 14 days, and General to Amateur Extra 13 days later, thanks
to HamTestOnline (www.hamradiolicenseexam.com) -- it was the best money
that I ever spend in ham radio. It stood for "Arkansas' Extreme 5-Land Weather". We have had tornadoes on Christmas Eve, and in the dead of winter (including 56 tornadoes in 6 hours in January, 1999...and a 122 mile long
F-4 tornado in February, 2008)...and much of Arkansas had a White Christmas
in 2012, when nearly a foot of snow fell in many areas.

C) WX1DER -- I changed to this call 2 days after that 2012 Christmas Day
storm. In college at the University Of Arkansas At Little Rock (UALR), I majored in Radio/TV/Film, and minored in Music (I originally was going to
be a music major and a math minor). I'm not a meteorologist, but an amateur weather enthusiast...yet, I know enough to be dangerous. Besides, "I did
stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!!" (hi hi). The Weather Channel
had just come on the air, and had "A Meteorological Minute", so I came up
with "A Weather Wonder", as "We analyze data, forecasts, and text...but
wonder what weather will happen next". I am the VE Team Liaison for the
UALR Ham Radio Club, but because of COVID-19, I'm not sure when we'll
resume the "low contact, in person testing"...as we don't have the
logistics or resources to do "remote" or "drive thru" testing.

However, in early 2019, while weather got me into ham radio, with
Arkansas Skywarn Nets (I've done overnight severe weather nets from home,
and we get much of our severe weather after dark, and especially during
the overnight hours), I finally got burned out on it, after nearly 30
years. So, the emphasis has changed to railroad crossing safety, as noted
by my current callsign. I got the call on my 59th birthday, and it expires when I turn 69 -- we'll save any snide remarks for the fertilizer nets
(hi hi). Further information on railroad crossing safety is at:

https://www.theweatherwonder.com/rxr.htm

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to save
up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

You'll find there are rigs for every budget. Years ago, there was "a DC
to Daylight Rig" at Hamvention, for $20,000!! Now, I could outfit a nice
shack for $20,000...but, just for one rig, that's overkill.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... H.A.M. Radio Operator: H)ave A)nother M)eal.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Congrats! I'm trying to figure a way to setup some stealth HF antennas here in the condo since 2m is pretty dead lately. ---

There is a publication from ARRL on stealth antennas, if I remember right.
In central Arkansas, the repeaters used to be busy during morning and
afternoon "drive time". Nowadays, they're basically quiet, except during
nets.

Then, you have what I call the "Hi, Bye, and QSY" Hams -- "Net Control, Please checkin [callsign], [name], [location], short time, no traffic"...
and not a minute later, they're doing it on other nets. There's no prize, bonus, award certificate, for checking into x number of nets in a day or
an evening. Ham Radio, like BBSing, should be a HOBBY...although many
consider these as an OBSESSION.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Ham Radio Messages And Replies Will Be Sent In Morse Code.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Tony,

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to save
up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

Haha, there's always something to spend money on in ham radio. ;)

No kidding. In going to various hamfests in years past (most have gone
by the boards now, due to COVID-19), I'd see items in the "flea market
area", that have basically "gone from one hamfest to the next", but most
of the items are what I'd term "worthless boat anchor doorstops". Plus,
the gear manufacturers must think hams are loaded with money, for the
price of gear. As noted in another message, a few years ago, there was
a "DC To Daylight Rig" at Hamvention for $20,000!! Now, I could outfit
a nice shack for $20,000...but for one rig, that's overkill. And yet,
I've seen hams lay out hundreds or thousands of dollars for gear, and
not even bat an eye. However, with the current Notice Of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) in the US, where the FCC is proposing a $50 fee to
get a new or changed callsign, new or upgraded license, or a printed
copy of ones license, many of these same hams are screaming bloody
murder.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Ham Radio QRP: When you care enough to give the least.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Gear can definitely be espensive but there are relatively inexpensive ways into the hobby.

Yeah, I do have a cheap HT that I can hit a bunch of local repeaters
with, but I really want to get into HF, and some of the digital modes.

Yeah, right now I'm stuck with just DMR. I'd like to get back into HF at some point. I've actually been looking at relatively inexpensive QRP rigs that can hit the bands/modes I want to use.

The one that has my interest lately is the uBITX transciever. It's based on
the Raduino board and covers the HF bands with between 5 and 10 watts of power, is "hackable" and is an assembly kit at around $250.

73 de NY5I
Hatton


... 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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On 09-13-20 10:45, Daryl Stout wrote to Vk3jed <=-

No kidding. In going to various hamfests in years past (most have
gone by the boards now, due to COVID-19), I'd see items in the "flea market area", that have basically "gone from one hamfest to the next",
but most of the items are what I'd term "worthless boat anchor

Haha yes, see the same here, and many people joke about the "samne crap reappearing" at hamfests. :D I do look through the secondhand stuff, but there's usually little, if any that interests me. But occasionally, I have scored well. :)

doorstops". Plus, the gear manufacturers must think hams are loaded
with money, for the price of gear. As noted in another message, a few years ago, there was a "DC To Daylight Rig" at Hamvention for $20,000!!

Yeah, that's way over the top. In this era of SDR, surely we can have some fairly competent hardware that's not too expensive, backed up by open source.
/

Now, I could outfit a nice shack for $20,000...but for one rig, that's overkill. And yet, I've seen hams lay out hundreds or thousands of
dollars for gear, and not even bat an eye. However, with the current

The most I've ever spent in one hit was around $5k during my last upgrade cycle that added a few radios. I'm at the start of another upgrade cycle, but want to keep the cost down, as much as possible.

Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the US, where the FCC is
proposing a $50 fee to get a new or changed callsign, new or upgraded license, or a printed copy of ones license, many of these same hams are screaming bloody murder.

We pay over $50 per _year_ here. $50 one off admin fee pfft...


... Cats are purrfect
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS, Bendigo Australia. freeway.apana.org.au

Tony,

but most of the items are what I'd term "worthless boat anchor

Haha yes, see the same here, and many people joke about the "samne crap reappearing" at hamfests. :D I do look through the secondhand stuff,
but there's usually little, if any that interests me. But
occasionally, I have scored well. :)

I may have noted it, but I thought I had gotten my original HT back (the model anyway), but it turned out the finals were bad...so, I got burned on
that one. I doubt I could find an Icom T7H, dual band HT...as that's what
I ran with a cable from MFJ, with the MFJ 1270C TNC, and the ARPD Packet
Door by the late Dave Perry, to have a packet door on the BBS, and my own
TNC mailbox.

years ago, there was a "DC To Daylight Rig" at Hamvention for $20,000!!

Yeah, that's way over the top. In this era of SDR, surely we can have some fairly competent hardware that's not too expensive, backed up by
open source. /

I think of the cartoon, where the angry XYL is waiting for the OM. There
is a rack with 3 items:

1) A Metal Spoon - He comes home drunk.
2) A Rolling Pin - He comes home late.
3) A Shotgun - He bought another ham radio.

That also brings to mind the meme, where the OM laments "My greatest fear
is that I'll die, and my wife will sell the gear for what I told her I paid
for them!!". I understand that "for a fee", certain vendors will "prepare a receipt for you" (hi hi).

Now, I could outfit a nice shack for $20,000...but for one rig, that's overkill. And yet, I've seen hams lay out hundreds or thousands of
dollars for gear, and not even bat an eye.

The most I've ever spent in one hit was around $5k during my last
upgrade cycle that added a few radios. I'm at the start of another upgrade cycle, but want to keep the cost down, as much as possible.

I remember at the Huntsville, Alabama hamfest a few years ago...several
hams were laying out $100 bills like it was nothing, for a "brick" of 250 prize tickets. Of course, if you win a nice rig, you more than got your
money back...but also, it only takes one ticket to win.

Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the US, where the FCC is
proposing a $50 fee to get a new or changed callsign, new or upgraded license, or a printed copy of ones license, many of these same hams are screaming bloody murder.

We pay over $50 per _year_ here. $50 one off admin fee pfft...

And, Canada has "lifetime licenses", but I always wondered what happened
if the ham became a Silent Key...were those callsigns now forever locked up??

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Crime wouldn't pay if it was operated by the government.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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Re: Re: I finally got my lice
By: Vk3jed to Daryl Stout on Mon Sep 14 2020 06:58 pm

/

Now, I could outfit a nice shack for $20,000...but for one rig, that's overkill. And yet, I've seen hams lay out hundreds or thousands of dollars for gear, and not even bat an eye. However, with the current

The most I've ever spent in one hit was around $5k during my last upgrade cy that added a few radios. I'm at the start of another upgrade cycle, but wan to keep the cost down, as much as possible.

Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the US, where the FCC is proposing a $50 fee to get a new or changed callsign, new or upgraded license, or a printed copy of ones license, many of these same hams are screaming bloody murder.

We pay over $50 per _year_ here. $50 one off admin fee pfft...

A friend is a building inspector for the state. He has a knack of finding items for cheap or things people are giving away. Recently he picked up an
80 foot mast for free. He also knows of a 50ft tower he could get for free. I'm sure if he asks the right folk, there's a ham operator that wouldn't mind tearing down and moving a free antenna tower.

---
þ Synchronet þ The Cave BBS - Since 1992 - cavebbs.homeip.net

On 09-14-20 17:45, Daryl Stout wrote to Vk3jed <=-

I may have noted it, but I thought I had gotten my original HT back
(the model anyway), but it turned out the finals were bad...so, I got

Bugger. :)

burned on that one. I doubt I could find an Icom T7H, dual band HT...as

That's around the same era as my IC-T81A. Icoms of that era generally used the same speaker/mic connections, so plenty of room to substitute.

Anyway, I bought my T81A bew in 1999 and won't ever part with it, it's a very unique radio, the only quad band HT ever made (6m, 2m, 70cm, 23cm). Still works well today.

that's what I ran with a cable from MFJ, with the MFJ 1270C TNC, and
the ARPD Packet Door by the late Dave Perry, to have a packet door on
the BBS, and my own TNC mailbox.

Nice.

I think of the cartoon, where the angry XYL is waiting for the OM.
There is a rack with 3 items:

1) A Metal Spoon - He comes home drunk.
2) A Rolling Pin - He comes home late.
3) A Shotgun - He bought another ham radio.

Haha I've seen that one. ;)

And, Canada has "lifetime licenses", but I always wondered what
happened if the ham became a Silent Key...were those callsigns now
forever locked up??

No idea. :)


... A sharp tongue and a dull mind are usually found in the same head!
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
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On 09-14-20 21:31, Moondog wrote to Vk3jed <=-

A friend is a building inspector for the state. He has a knack of
finding items for cheap or things people are giving away. Recently he picked up an 80 foot mast for free. He also knows of a 50ft tower he could get for free. I'm sure if he asks the right folk, there's a ham operator that wouldn't mind tearing down and moving a free antenna
tower.

Sounds like a handy person to know! :)


... I assumed your column width: 80 columns.
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Re: Re: I finally got my lice
By: Daryl Stout to Vk3jed on Mon Sep 14 2020 17:45:00

And, Canada has "lifetime licenses", but I always wondered what happened if the ham became a Silent Key...were those callsigns now forever locked up??

If Industry Canada is notified of the death, the callsign goes into a one year holding period. During that time, a family member may apply to take over the callsign. If nobody claims it, the callsign is available to be reissued.

Otherwise the callsign becomes available 125 years afer the birthdate of its current holder.

I'm not sure what kind of proof of death is required, or how conscientous clubs (and family members) typically are about notifying Industry Canada about an SK. There are probably a *lot* of callsigns currently tied up and waiting decades for that expiration date to arrive.

---
echicken
electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
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Re: I finally got my license
By: DaiTengu to All on Sun Sep 13 2020 01:10:32

Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and General exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Congratulations! :-) I will hopefully hear you sometime soon when conditions permit. Always nice to hear of new people getting licensed :-)

LastNinja aka M0YJB :-)

---
þ Synchronet þ AnkLand BBS - bbs.ankland.co.uk

If Industry Canada is notified of the death, the callsign goes into a
one year holding period. During that time, a family member may apply to take over the callsign. If nobody claims it, the callsign is available
to be reissued.

Otherwise the callsign becomes available 125 years afer the birthdate
of its current holder.

I'm not sure what kind of proof of death is required, or how
conscientous clubs (and family members) typically are about notifying Industry Canada about an SK. There are probably a *lot* of callsigns currently tied up and waiting decades for that expiration date to
arrive.

OK, so one way or another, the call gets reissued. When the FCC dropped
the Morse Code Requirement in 2007, and recently dropped the fee for the
vanity callsigns, many Extra Class hams were snatching up all the 1x2 and
2x1 (N5EL, NU5X, etc.) so "only the 20 wpm Extra Class hams could get them". Once a call is changed/cancelled, it's unavailable again for 2 years and a day. If that current NPRM goes through at $50 a callsign change, that'd discourage folks from doing that.

While my current callsign is my 4th one in nearly 30 years, I had N5VLZ
for 18, AE5WX for 3, WX1DER for 7, and have had WX4QZ for just over a year. So, it's not like I'm dropping and changing the callsign, like it was "dirty underwear". :P

Weather (particularly Skywarn) got me into ham radio almost 30 years ago. But, after 28 years of doing it, I got burned out...especially on how
ignorant so many seem to be on weather. I'm not saying you have to be a meteorologist (most are armchair weatherfolks)...but at least have some
idea of what's going on. Some wanted exact specifics of the severe weather BEFORE it occurred, and you could NOT convince them that "we can't know
that". When I told one persistent woman "you might as well be asking for
when you will die...or who the next Pope of the Catholic Church will be,
while the current one is alive"...she replied "Now, you're getting nasty
about it". She didn't even know her location, let alone how it related
to compass points, in relation to the storm!!

While I'm not a meteorologist, I know enough to be dangerous...but, "I
did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!!" <G>.

My emphasis now is "railroad crossing safety".

Daryl, WX4QZ

... I drink too much. My urine sample had an olive in it.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Tony,

I may have noted it, but I thought I had gotten my original HT back
(the model anyway), but it turned out the finals were bad...so, I got

Bugger. :)

Most hams won't give others "a bum steer"...but the key word is "most".

burned on that one. I doubt I could find an Icom T7H, dual band HT...as

That's around the same era as my IC-T81A. Icoms of that era generally used the same speaker/mic connections, so plenty of room to substitute.

I don't even have any RF gear. Not only I can't afford it, but there is
so much politics with the local clubs...especially in who handles severe weather better...as it has turned me off.

One ham did me real dirty in the late 1990's, and I nearly quit the
hobby as a result. There was originally one club in Little Rock, but
because of politics and personality conflicts, the club split, and
formed another one. Then, another split formed yet another club.

Well, two of those clubs were having a hamfest in April, 3 weeks apart.
I was Net Control for both of those clubs, but my philosophy was that
"I may have to work both weekends" (without money, you can't buy ham
radio play toys), but I'd like info on both, in case I can sweet talk
my boss into letting me have the day off. I saw nothing wrong with that.

Well, this individual perceived that as a treasonous threat, because
I would support another local club besides his alone. He called me on
the phone, and cussed me to the point of tears.

I called a fellow ham on the landline (I was still sobbing), and told
him "[Screw] the hobby. I'm quitting". Incredulously, he asked "WTH??".
I said "I'll tell you when I get over to your QTH".

I loaded all my gear (such as it was...the HT, a magmount, a power
supply, the charger, plus the mic and other cables) into the car, and
headed his way (I didn't have a cellphone at the time). I walked in
there, and dropped all the gear on the couch, and pulled my license
out of my wallet, to leave it behind...and was ready to just turn
around, and head out the door. When I told him what had happened, he
exploded.

The next week on the air, when that individual (who by now, I had
lost all respect for), said "you always do good", it was all I could
do to keep from cussing him out on the air, and wishing a plague down
on him. While I forgave him for it, I never forgot it.

Well, it appears that karma has finally caught up with him...he has
cancer, and when I heard another ham talking to this guy about buying
his gear, the person there (apparently one of this guy's supporters),
promptly told me to STFU about any negative comments on this individual.

Right after that, I got out of the hobby for 6 months...no nets, no
meetings, no on the air stuff, NOTHING. And, I nearly didn't come back.

Ironically, another ham in that club, who I thought was the best
net control station I ever heard, and who I consider my first Elmer,
many folks think bad about him...yet, this individual never did me
dirty. I still have the utmost respect for him...but haven't heard
from him in years. He has had issues of his own (I'll spare you the
gory details), but as noted, I never had a problem with him.

that's what I ran with a cable from MFJ, with the MFJ 1270C TNC, and
the ARPD Packet Door by the late Dave Perry, to have a packet door on
the BBS, and my own TNC mailbox.

Nice.

Dave also did several other doors besides that packet door:

1) QRZDOOR - when QRZ produced a data CD (released twice a year), you
could run a door with it, to look for info. They stopped producing
data in 2016, as there are far more quicker ways to look up callsign
data. Buckmaster still does a CD, and originally I had a program with
that, under DoorWay (originally by Marshall Dudley, now by Mike Ehlert),
to do searches with it...but it quit working as well.

2) REGSCAN - Part 97 of the FCC Rules. I had to download the PDF from
the internet, then go through and change some of the characters to
high ascii for the door.

3) BULLET - 26 categories on any desired topic...weather, ham radio, BBS
(or any other hobby), medical, cooking, etc.

4) WASPORT - Track ones progress in the ARRL Worked All States (WAS) competition. There is even a Sysop definable mode, such as "VoIP".

All these are free...but:

A) They will only run under a DORINFO1.DEF dropfile.
B) They do NOT have a fossil driver, so you have to run them under
Synchronet, or use a generic DORINFO1.DEF dropfile, and the Doorway
program (as noted above), for it to run on a telnet BBS.

I think of the cartoon, where the angry XYL is waiting for the OM.
There is a rack with 3 items:

1) A Metal Spoon - He comes home drunk.
2) A Rolling Pin - He comes home late.
3) A Shotgun - He bought another ham radio.

Haha I've seen that one. ;)

Can you say "no pressure"?? (hi hi).

And, Canada has "lifetime licenses", but I always wondered what
happened if the ham became a Silent Key...were those callsigns now
forever locked up??

No idea. :)

I've talked to some other Canadian hams on various nets, and I'd have
to ask them what they do on that. There was a petition to the FCC to
make licenses lifetime (instead of renewing every 10 years), but the FCC
turned that down.

... A sharp tongue and a dull mind are usually found in the same head!

I guess you saw my QRZ profile, then...several folks think my initials
stand for Dip $***. <G>

Daryl

... I hate 4 letter words...cook, wash, dust, iron, work.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Re: I finally got my license
By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Sun Sep 13 2020 10:45 am

First off, congratulations. Now, the rest of us "jokers" are going to think of "alternate phonetics" for you (hi hi). For the non-hams, "hi hi" is known as "the telegraphers laugh".

I have 2 for mine, WX4QZ:

heh, I don't know if I'm creative enough to come up with something for mine, especially with two "Q"s in it.

Maybe: KD9QHQ: Keep Down! 9 Quakers are Hucking Quiche!

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to
save up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

You'll find there are rigs for every budget. Years ago, there was "a DC
to Daylight Rig" at Hamvention, for $20,000!! Now, I could outfit a nice shack for $20,000...but, just for one rig, that's overkill.

I'm not sure if I was drunk, or tired, but I somehow "accientally" ordered an Icom-7300 and an end-fed antenna. The radio showed up today. My wife still doeesn't know.

It's better to ask forgiveness than permission, right?

DaiTengu

... Crisis management works beautifully until an actual crisis occurs.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Re: Re: I finally got my lice
By: Daryl Stout to echicken on Wed Sep 16 2020 10:46:00

OK, so one way or another, the call gets reissued. When the FCC dropped

Eventually, but it can be a *long* wait.

If a callsign "expired" automatically today, that would mean that its previous holder had been born on September 15, 1895.

The average Canadian male dies at about 79 years of age. If that holds true for the average ham, that means if nobody reports their death to Industry Canada, the average callsign would sit unused for 46 years.

Not that I'm complaining. It's nice that I don't have to pay an annual fee or ever think about renewing my license.

vanity callsigns, many Extra Class hams were snatching up all the 1x2 and 2x1 (N5EL, NU5X, etc.) so "only the 20 wpm Extra Class hams could get them".

I'm in Ontario, where your prefix is either VA3 or VE3, and you can have a 2 or 3-letter suffix. All of the 2-letter suffixes are taken, and I don't expect that one will ever become available to me (but I do check once in a while, because you never know).

---
echicken
electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
þ Synchronet þ electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com

On 09-16-20 11:19, Daryl Stout wrote to Vk3jed <=-

I don't even have any RF gear. Not only I can't afford it, but there
is so much politics with the local clubs...especially in who handles severe weather better...as it has turned me off.

RF is still where the fun is for me. :)

Well, this individual perceived that as a treasonous threat, because
I would support another local club besides his alone. He called me on
the phone, and cussed me to the point of tears.

Some people seem to have nothing better to do. And you've had a bad run there. :/


... Do not attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS, Bendigo Australia. freeway.apana.org.au

On 09-16-20 16:32, DaiTengu wrote to Daryl Stout <=-

I'm not sure if I was drunk, or tired, but I somehow "accientally" ordered an Icom-7300 and an end-fed antenna. The radio showed up
today. My wife still doeesn't know.

It's better to ask forgiveness than permission, right?

Haha the gremlins got into your online ham store account again? ;) Yeah that tends to happen (says he who had an AnyTone 878 arrive today ;) ). Good luck, hope your will is up to date (just kidding ;) ).

... Crisis management works beautifully until an actual crisis occurs.

True. ;)


... Come on baby light my fire...
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS, Bendigo Australia. freeway.apana.org.au

heh, I don't know if I'm creative enough to come up with something for mine, especially with two "Q"s in it.

Maybe: KD9QHQ: Keep Down! 9 Quakers are Hucking Quiche!

That reminds me of a joke where these 2 guys were at a truck stop diner restaurant. The waitress comes up to them, and asks what they'd like to
order. The first one says he wants a cheeseburger...and the second one says
he wants "a quickie".

Annoyed, the waitress scolds the second one, saying "Sir, this may be
a truckstop diner restaurant, but it's a respectable place...and I won't tolerate that kind of talk. Now, I'll be back in a few minutes, and we'll
try again."

She comes back a few minutes later, and asks them again what they want
to order. The first one again says he wants a cheeseburger, and the second
one again says he wants "a quickie".

Angry, the waitress hauls off and slaps the guy so hard, it knocks him
out of the booth on to the floor, and she storms off.

The man in the next booth leans over, and says "that's pronounced
''quiche''" <G>.

I'm not sure if I was drunk, or tired, but I somehow "accientally" ordered an Icom-7300 and an end-fed antenna. The radio showed up
today. My wife still doeesn't know.

It's better to ask forgiveness than permission, right?

You're like the ham in the meme, with The Grim Reaper next to him.
"Death" tells him "That new expensive HF rig you ordered arrived at
your house, and your wife signed for it. Do you want to go home, or
just come with me now??" <BG>

Or the one with the angry wife waiting for her husband, who is
coming home late again. There are 3 devices on the wall for her use:

1) Spoon - Comes home late
2) Rolling Pin - Comes home drunk
3) Loaded Shotgun - Bought another ham radio

And, last but not least, the meme where the ham laments "my greatest
fear is that I'll die...and my wife will sell my gear for what I told
her I paid for them". <G> I understand that, for a fee, some places
will create "a special receipt" for the purchaser, with the prices
that YOU want. But, that might not be the best idea. <G>

Most hams are "frugal cheapskates", but I've seen hams lay out
hundreds or thousands of dollars on a DC to Daylight rig, and not
bat an eye. Yet, these same hams are complaining vociferiously on
the NPRM that the FCC has out now, proposing to charge a $50 fee
to get a new or upgraded ham radio license, a new sequential or
vanity callsign, or to get a printed copy of that license.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Black Holes: What you get in black socks.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

OK, so one way or another, the call gets reissued. When the FCC dropped

Eventually, but it can be a *long* wait.

That's for sure.

If a callsign "expired" automatically today, that would mean that its previous holder had been born on September 15, 1895.

The average Canadian male dies at about 79 years of age. If that holds true for the average ham, that means if nobody reports their death to Industry Canada, the average callsign would sit unused for 46 years.

And, we're not talking about the women. While ham radio is a male
dominated hobby, the women "clean our clocks" when it comes to contacts.
I have 3 examples:

1) At a local "Hammin' In The Park", this one ham was working 20 meters
QRP. He couldn't do much, so he let his girlfriend (who eventually got
her license, and they got married) work as third party traffic, under
the special event callsign. The band lit up!! <G>

2) On the Arkansas And Missouri Railroad Memorial Day Troop Train back
in 2009, one ham had the same experience. But, when his wife got on 20
meters (she was licensed), we were hauling in Pennsylvania like there
was no tomorrow. You can see the operating station, from inside the
Conductor's Cabin of a restored 1927 Harlan and Hollingsworth railroad passenger car, via yours truly with an Icom IC-718 on my profile on
QRZ. We had a 20 meter hamstick antenna secured to the back of the
car, the last one on the train. Veterans, active or retired, were
allowed to ride for free.

3) At Field Day several years ago, the Radio Amateurs Club of Knoxville, Tennessee, had the callsign W4BBB. This female (not sure if she was
single or married) had a sexy, sultry, voice...like a professional
"hooker". She said the callsign phonetics were "Women For Big, Blonde,
and Beautiful". Can you say pileup?? If you have an operation with the
YLs or XYLs at the mic, and the OMs logging, it's "game over". <G>

Not that I'm complaining. It's nice that I don't have to pay an annual
fee or ever think about renewing my license.

I asked on one net awhile back, "without looking at your license, do you
know when it expires??". Except for myself and one other ham, everyone else said "No"...I was shocked!! Mine expires when I turn 69 -- and we'll save
any snide remarks from the peanut gallery for the fertilizer net <LOL>.

I'm in Ontario, where your prefix is either VA3 or VE3, and you can
have a 2 or 3-letter suffix. All of the 2-letter suffixes are taken,
and I don't expect that one will ever become available to me (but I do check once in a while, because you never know).

This is true...and I've talked to several Canadian hams on the air.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... News Headline: Male infertility can be passed to children.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Re: Re: I finally got my lice
By: Daryl Stout to echicken on Thu Sep 17 2020 08:35:00

The average Canadian male dies at about 79 years of age. If that holds
true for the average ham, that means if nobody reports their death to

And, we're not talking about the women. While ham radio is a male

Yep; I used that stat not to be sexist but because it tends to be a male-dominated hobby. It's always good to see women, young people, etc. getting involved. Like so many other things in this world, the hobby benefits from diversity.

the women "clean our clocks" when it comes to contacts.

YLs tend to attract pile-ups. Possibly (charitably) because it's relatively rare to hear their voices on the air, so it's akin to picking up a special contact like an event station or some rare DX.

(Uncharitably: creepy OMs thinking "Ooh, a girl!")

---
echicken
electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com
þ Synchronet þ electronic chicken bbs - bbs.electronicchicken.com

Yep; I used that stat not to be sexist but because it tends to be a male-dominated hobby. It's always good to see women, young people, etc. getting involved. Like so many other things in this world, the hobby benefits from diversity.

That it does.

the women "clean our clocks" when it comes to contacts.

YLs tend to attract pile-ups. Possibly (charitably) because it's relatively rare to hear their voices on the air, so it's akin to
picking up a special contact like an event station or some rare DX.

And, even the young kids will get them as well.

(Uncharitably: creepy OMs thinking "Ooh, a girl!")

Unfortunately, that's the case sometimes.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Too old to cut the mustard; but can still stir the mayo.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Tony,

I don't even have any RF gear. Not only I can't afford it, but there
is so much politics with the local clubs...especially in who handles severe weather better...as it has turned me off.

RF is still where the fun is for me. :)

Well, there is something in the hobby for everyone. I no longer have
RF gear, because of cost and the logistics. When a new roof was put on
the QTH 2 years before my Mom died, all the aerials, etc. were removed
from the roof. I had been using a magmount antenna with a rig, but I had
moved out of the home before I got married...yet moved back here right
after I had put my Mom in a nursing home, just over a year before she
died. Plus, when I was living in H.U.D. subsidized housing for the
disabled, antennas and RF gear were forbidden, due to possible RFI with
medical devices. Everyone living there is either elderly, disabled, or
both.

Well, this individual perceived that as a treasonous threat, because
I would support another local club besides his alone. He called me on
the phone, and cussed me to the point of tears.

Some people seem to have nothing better to do. And you've had a bad
run there. :/

Had I had the means to record that, I would've implicated him big time.
But, it looks like karma has finally bitten this guy. I understand that
he apparently even took a 6 month license suspension years ago...that
fact alone means he can't give or grade exams.

He has turned so many away from ham radio, that several have noted
"after he dies, they won't be able to close the casket for all the spit",
and "there'll be a long line of folks waiting to pee and poop on his
grave". It's truly a sad commentary on an individual when people think this way about them, but he has no one to blame but himself.

I just know on Judgment Day, I'll be vindicated. I saw nothing wrong
with what I did. I think of the meme where the guy is telling his boss
"I'll be out of the office, attending an international telecommunications event, studying the intersection of legacy technologies, with new digital modalities". His boss replies "Wow!! Take all the time you need".

Well, as he's leaving the cubicle with a bag full of ham radio items,
his co-worker says "I thought you going to Dayton for Hamvention?", and
he's told "Shhhhh!!" (hi hi).

Another cartoon shows this guy outside, with all this ham radio gear
on a table, and it's getting soaked by a yard sprinkler. His wife asks
him what's going on, then says "Wait! You're pretending you're at
Hamvention", and he laments "Yes" (hi hi).

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Don't steal!! The government hates competition!!
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

On 09-17-20 19:16, Daryl Stout wrote to Vk3jed <=-

Well, there is something in the hobby for everyone. I no longer have
RF gear, because of cost and the logistics. When a new roof was put on
the QTH 2 years before my Mom died, all the aerials, etc. were removed from the roof. I had been using a magmount antenna with a rig, but I
had moved out of the home before I got married...yet moved back here
right after I had put my Mom in a nursing home, just over a year before she died. Plus, when I was living in H.U.D. subsidized housing for the disabled, antennas and RF gear were forbidden, due to possible RFI with medical devices. Everyone living there is either elderly, disabled, or both.

Fair enough. Well, there's definitely a market for QRPP radios for use with hotspots, etc. :)

I just know on Judgment Day, I'll be vindicated. I saw nothing wrong with what I did. I think of the meme where the guy is telling his boss "I'll be out of the office, attending an international
telecommunications event, studying the intersection of legacy technologies, with new digital modalities". His boss replies "Wow!!
Take all the time you need".

Haha good one. :D

Well, as he's leaving the cubicle with a bag full of ham radio items, his co-worker says "I thought you going to Dayton for Hamvention?", and he's told "Shhhhh!!" (hi hi).

ROFL! :D

Another cartoon shows this guy outside, with all this ham radio gear
on a table, and it's getting soaked by a yard sprinkler. His wife asks
him what's going on, then says "Wait! You're pretending you're at Hamvention", and he laments "Yes" (hi hi).

Yes, I've seen that one on Facebook a few times. :D

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Don't steal!! The government hates competition!!

True! :D



... Let the meek inherit the Earth, I want the stars.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS, Bendigo Australia. freeway.apana.org.au

Tony,

Fair enough. Well, there's definitely a market for QRPP radios for use with hotspots, etc. :)

Well, I can't afford that right now. Plus, the local D-Star and DMR
repeaters are LOCAL ONLY...and NOT on the gateway, per the direction
of their "purist trustees". To me, that's a waste. I don't even remember
the last time I went to a ham radio club meeting, or was on a repeater
in Arkansas. All my stuff now is outside of the state. I did go to 2
hamfests in early 2020, before COVID-19 killed the rest of the hamfests
for the year.

"I'll be out of the office, attending an international
telecommunications event, studying the intersection of legacy technologies, with new digital modalities". His boss replies "Wow!!
Take all the time you need".

Haha good one. :D

He just better hope the boss didn't find out...although it might help
if your boss is also a ham. :)

Well, as he's leaving the cubicle with a bag full of ham radio items, his co-worker says "I thought you going to Dayton for Hamvention?", and he's told "Shhhhh!!" (hi hi).

ROFL! :D

No pressure. <G>

Another cartoon shows this guy outside, with all this ham radio gear
on a table, and it's getting soaked by a yard sprinkler. His wife asks
him what's going on, then says "Wait! You're pretending you're at Hamvention", and he laments "Yes" (hi hi).

Yes, I've seen that one on Facebook a few times. :D

With health, finances, and COVID-19, I'm afraid any travel for me
outside of central Arkansas is now only a memory.

... Don't steal!! The government hates competition!!

True! :D

Not to mention control. :P

Daryl

... Why don't potholes knock your tires back into alignment??
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

On 09-20-20 13:25, Daryl Stout wrote to Vk3jed <=-

Well, I can't afford that right now. Plus, the local D-Star and DMR repeaters are LOCAL ONLY...and NOT on the gateway, per the direction
of their "purist trustees". To me, that's a waste. I don't even

What's the point? The whole point of digital modes lies in the networking.


... You are the winner of one of these prizes.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.51
þ Synchronet þ Freeway BBS, Bendigo Australia. freeway.apana.org.au

Hello DaiTengu!

13 Sep 20 01:10, you wrote to all:

Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late
thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and General exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Congratulations!! I'm not sure whether or not our VE group is setup for remote testing. I do know that we use Zoom for a lot of things, Club meetings (board & general), and just general stuff.

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to save
up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

ONLY $2000? I lost track a long time ago.

... Extreme boredom serves to cure boredom.

Talk about extreme boredom. I am on day 44 of "working" on the California wildfires. My job is deliver the dozer and then wait until they need to move it again. I was "staging" at the same location for over a week, going to base camp every night for a hot meal and a shower. The owner of the dozer I am hauling on this trip brought his travel trailer for us to sleep in. I know very much about boredom... zzzzz zzzz zzzz

73 de Ray Quinn W6RAY
Creek Fire Day 22 - Shaver Lake Marina
37.126579, -119.306862 DM07id

Home QTH - Visalia, CA USA

--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Ham Radio operators do it with frequency! (1:214/23)
þ Synchronet þ US 99 BBS - Visalia, CA - bbs.quinnnet.org

Ray,

Congratulations!! I'm not sure whether or not our VE group is setup for remote testing. I do know that we use Zoom for a lot of things, Club meetings (board & general), and just general stuff.

My VE Team talked about that, and there are too many logistics to jump through (collecting money, paperwork, and to be sure there's no cheating). Plus, most of my team is in "the vulnerable age group" for COVID-19. If we
do testing again, it'll be low contact, in person.

ONLY $2000? I lost track a long time ago.

I think of the meme where the OM laments "My greatest fear is that I'll
die, and my XYL will sell my gear for what I told her I paid for them!!"
(hi hi). I understand that some ham radio vendors, for a fee, will create
"a personalized invoice" for the buyer. But, then I think of the meme
that shows the angry XYL behind the door, as her OM is coming home. There
is a rack with 3 items on it, as follows:

1) Wooden/Metal Spoon - Came Home Late
2) Rolling Pin - Came Home Drunk
3) Loaded Rifle - Bought Another Ham Radio

Or another one where the YL is sobbing, saying "I said 'It's Me Or The Radio', and he replied '73 and 88'"!! (hi hi).

Talk about extreme boredom. I am on day 44 of "working" on the
California wildfires. My job is deliver the dozer and then wait until
they need to move it again. I was "staging" at the same location for
over a week, going to base camp every night for a hot meal and a
shower. The owner of the dozer I am hauling on this trip brought his travel trailer for us to sleep in. I know very much about boredom...
zzzzz zzzz zzzz

I have 2 other hobbies besides ham radio...square dancing, and the BBS...mainly so I don't burn out on one of them. I try not to spend
more than 2 hours a day on them. But, some days, I don't feel like
doing anything.

In fact, it has become such "a mad rush" to check into nets by these
who feel that "they will be sent to Hell if they don't check into every
net in existence" (there is such a sin to cause that, but missing a ham
radio net is not that sin).

There is NO prize, bonus, award, certificate, etc., for checking into
every net in existence each night. In fact, so many meet at the same day
and time (overlapping), that it's impossible to do so.

So, I'm only on the air now for a sked (rare), or for nets where I
have to run it.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do Humanitarians eat??
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Re: I finally got my license
By: Ray Quinn to DaiTengu on Mon Sep 28 2020 02:57 pm

Well, I finally did it. A co-worker is a VE for a remote testing
organization, and he managed to squeeze me into a session late
thursday night (with some other VE in Texas). I passed my Tech and
General exams, and Friday I received my callsign: KD9QHQ

Congratulations!! I'm not sure whether or not our VE group is setup for remote testing. I do know that we use Zoom for a lot of things, Club meetings (board & general), and just general stuff.

Our local club held its first meeting since Feburary a few weeks ago, it was mixed in-person and on Zoom. I attended remotely, as I was taking care of a sick dog at the time, and I'm trying to be responsible and stay home when I can.

Speaking of which, we had to put the dog to sleep 2 weeks ago, he had bone cancer and the pain meds just weren't doing it anymore, so it was the humane thing to do. We made the appointment, and took him in. They weren't allowing anyone inside the vet's office, so the vet and the vet tech came outside and it was handled in the back of our vehicle (which was fine). Turns out the vet tech didn't feel real well the next day, took a test and was positive for covid. We were all wearing masks and washed our hands/sanitized, etc. THe wife and I quarrantined for two weeks, but we haven't had any symptoms, so according to the WHO and CDC we're in the clear. I guess we dodged a bullet there, as both of us are "high risk"

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need to
save up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack :)

ONLY $2000? I lost track a long time ago.

Well, since i posted that I went and spent the $2000. I got an IC-7300 (like the rest of the world, apparently), and an End-fed Halfwave antenna that has been a giant pain in the ass (it's about 130ft long).

It's been years since I've put connectors on coax, but I honestly don't remember it being this hard. I have the proper tools, soldering iron, coax stripper, right size crimper, etc, and they either short out on me, or pop off with a simple tug.

I mean, the coax I have isn't the best right now, it's 3 lengths of RG8u, with a Mix31 toroid that has rg58 wrapped around it about 15 times, and a short rg58 jumper to run through the window. Yesterday I spent hours re-doing everything, and getting the antenna up where I wanted it (it literally runs diagonally from the top of a tree in my front yard, all the way across my house, to the top of a tree in my back yard.

Anyway, I tested all the connectors, got the antenna up to the top of the tree with ropes and a really long pole to push the transformer box over branches, and everything was quite ducky.

Until I was on the radio about 7pm last night, and suddenly my band went dead, then came back, then went dead, then came back ... my SWR would go from 1:1 to off the scale. I went outside and adjusted the coax coming off the antenna, and that fixed things for a little while, but it got windy and it started again.

I'm going to have to pull the whole thing down and re-do the connector on the antenna. which is probably the one connector that I haven't re-done on that cable. <sigh>


It's great when it works though! I'm having a blast doing FT8! I've worked almost all 50 states, I'm just missing Alaska. Which I worked once, but it's sitting unconfirmed.

... Extreme boredom serves to cure boredom.

Talk about extreme boredom. I am on day 44 of "working" on the California wildfires. My job is deliver the dozer and then wait until they need to move it again. I was "staging" at the same location for over a week, going to base camp every night for a hot meal and a shower. The owner of the dozer I am hauling on this trip brought his travel trailer for us to sleep in. I know very much about boredom... zzzzz zzzz zzzz

Man, I don't think I'd be able to hack it. I need to keep my mind occupied with .. something. You'rea stronger man than I am!

DaiTengu

... Ahh! Come on Erick, just this one last little feature!

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Speaking of which, we had to put the dog to sleep 2 weeks ago, he had
bone cancer and the pain meds just weren't doing it anymore, so it was
the humane thing to do. We made the appointment, and took him in. They weren't allowing anyone inside the vet's office, so the vet and the vet tech came outside and it was handled in the back of our vehicle (which
was fine). Turns out the vet tech didn't feel real well the next day, took a test and was positive for covid. We were all wearing masks and washed our hands/sanitized, etc. THe wife and I quarrantined for two weeks, but we haven't had any symptoms, so according to the WHO and CDC we're in the clear. I guess we dodged a bullet there, as both of us
are "high risk"

Glad you dodged the COVID-19 bullet. Been there, done that, with putting
down a pet. Our dachshund became diabetic, resistant to the insulin, then
went blind from glaucoma and cataracts...but he had a working nose, a full
set of teeth, and an attitude, until he died. I cried like a baby for 15 minutes in the car afterwards.

Well, since i posted that I went and spent the $2000. I got an
IC-7300 (like the rest of the world, apparently), and an End-fed
Halfwave antenna that has been a giant pain in the ass (it's about
130ft long).

It would be if you stuck it up your backside <G>, but that's what most
HF propagation has been like lately, from what I've heard.

It's been years since I've put connectors on coax, but I honestly don't remember it being this hard. I have the proper tools, soldering iron,
coax stripper, right size crimper, etc, and they either short out on
me, or pop off with a simple tug.

I liked the graphic that noted "I work with strippers", and you see the
wire strippers. <G>

Anyway, I tested all the connectors, got the antenna up to the top of
the tree with ropes and a really long pole to push the transformer box over branches, and everything was quite ducky.

Fine business.

Until I was on the radio about 7pm last night, and suddenly my band
went dead, then came back, then went dead, then came back ... my SWR
would go from 1:1 to off the scale. I went outside and adjusted the
coax coming off the antenna, and that fixed things for a little while,
but it got windy and it started again.

We're all at the mercy of the weather...never mind sunspots.

I'm going to have to pull the whole thing down and re-do the connector
on the antenna. which is probably the one connector that I haven't
re-done on that cable. <sigh>

We can't keep Murphy out of the shack. :P

It's great when it works though! I'm having a blast doing FT8! I've worked almost all 50 states, I'm just missing Alaska. Which I worked
once, but it's sitting unconfirmed.

One can do so much more with digital than phone.

Man, I don't think I'd be able to hack it. I need to keep my mind occupied with .. something. You'rea stronger man than I am!

I do know if I get fatigued, I better get a power nap, than try to
work with the BBS, or run a traffic net.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... H.A.M. Radio Operator: H)ave A)nother M)eal.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Re: I finally got my license
By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Wed Oct 07 2020 09:16 am

Glad you dodged the COVID-19 bullet. Been there, done that, with putting down a pet. Our dachshund became diabetic, resistant to the insulin, then went blind from glaucoma and cataracts...but he had a working nose, a full set of teeth, and an attitude, until he died. I cried like a baby for 15 minutes in the car afterwards.

Yeah, I had an hour to drive home, I struggled to keep it together. Heck, 2 weeks later and sometimes I still struggle to keep it together....

Unfortunately I now live in the COVID Hot-zone. My metro area is #3 on the "cases per capita" list right now, The area directly to the south of me is #1, and Green Bay, which is just to the North, is #4. At least I have this shiny new radio to play with, while I stay inside!

Until I was on the radio about 7pm last night, and suddenly my band
went dead, then came back, then went dead, then came back ... my SWR
would go from 1:1 to off the scale. I went outside and adjusted the
coax coming off the antenna, and that fixed things for a little
while, but it got windy and it started again.

We're all at the mercy of the weather...never mind sunspots.

I've been dragging my feet on going outside to fix my issues. All day yesterday I had no issues, until around 9pm, when the whole thing started again.

I have to untie ropes, grab my 15ft extension pole, and work the coax and transformer out of the tree and back down to the ground. Then I have to pull on the rope and work it back up into the tree. It's a pain in the ass, but I don't have a better solution that covers 80-10m. (It also tunes on 160m, but I really haven't messed with that, yet. The manufacturer doesn't say anything about 160m. I mean, it makes sense, since it's 1/4 wave on that band...


My next project, after I sort out the antenna, is to sort out the RFI stuff. I had a constant S7-S9 background noise on all bands. I added in a choke (Mix 31 toroid with 15 wraps of rg58 coax), and that helped lower it to S3-S5 on everything under 20m, but I still have some RFI anomalies, including a random sweep that will run across my 40m band from time to time.

I picked up a TinySA to see if I can track down the worst offenders. So far I haven't found anything super outstanding other than the monitors in my office, but that interference goes away if I back off a foot or two.

I'm probably going to grab a battery and cut power to my house, then slowly turn everything back on to see if I can isolate the issues.

DaiTengu

... A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Yeah, I had an hour to drive home, I struggled to keep it together.
Heck, 2 weeks later and sometimes I still struggle to keep it
together....

To many folks, their pets are their kids.

On another sad note, I just found out that one of the most active
posters in BBS networks, Nancy Backus, lost her battle with stomach
cancer this morning. She will be sorely missed. :'(

Unfortunately I now live in the COVID Hot-zone. My metro area is #3 on
the "cases per capita" list right now, The area directly to the south
of me is #1, and Green Bay, which is just to the North, is #4. At least
I have this shiny new radio to play with, while I stay inside!

Even if I could get gear, I don't have the means to have antennas here.
Plus, we get lightning like mad with thunderstorms. This is the 6th time
this year, Louisiana has had to prepare for hurricanes (now with Delta).

I've been dragging my feet on going outside to fix my issues. All day yesterday I had no issues, until around 9pm, when the whole thing
started again.

Again, we can't keep Murphy out of the shack. Even with "internet radio", Windows 10 likes to muck with the programs and the sound card.

I have to untie ropes, grab my 15ft extension pole, and work the coax
and transformer out of the tree and back down to the ground. Then I
have to pull on the rope and work it back up into the tree. It's a
pain in the ass, but I don't have a better solution that covers 80-10m. (It also tunes on 160m, but I really haven't messed with that, yet. The manufacturer doesn't say anything about 160m. I mean, it makes sense, since it's 1/4 wave on that band...

Never mind being a PITA switching antennas.

My next project, after I sort out the antenna, is to sort out the RFI stuff. I had a constant S7-S9 background noise on all bands. I added
in a choke (Mix 31 toroid with 15 wraps of rg58 coax), and that helped lower it to S3-S5 on everything under 20m, but I still have some RFI anomalies, including a random sweep that will run across my 40m band
from time to time.

Good luck on that.

I picked up a TinySA to see if I can track down the worst offenders. So far I haven't found anything super outstanding other than the monitors
in my office, but that interference goes away if I back off a foot or
two.

I've even seen when I get my hand near a monitor, something else, things
can get funky. I wonder if it's a delayed charge from the 2 lightning strikes
I had over the years?? :P

I'm probably going to grab a battery and cut power to my house, then slowly turn everything back on to see if I can isolate the issues.

Good luck finding "that needle in the haystack".

... A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.

A clean shack is a sign of a sick mind. Don't straighten up my desk...you will goof up my system. <G>

Daryl

... Amateur Radio Chicken Dinner -- Ham And Eggs.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Hello DaiTengu!

06 Oct 20 15:58, you wrote to me:

Speaking of which, we had to put the dog to sleep 2 weeks ago, he had

That is a difficult thing to do. We had to do that a couple of times with my wife's cats over the years. We now have four cats and a dog. I worry about one of the cats, in particular. He likes to climb on the roof and then is afraid to climb down. (this happened last night and my wife was in a panic. He finally jumped down onto the fence and then the ground.)

all wearing masks and washed our hands/sanitized, etc. THe wife and I quarrantined for two weeks, but we haven't had any symptoms, so
according to the WHO and CDC we're in the clear. I guess we dodged a bullet there, as both of us are "high risk"

We are "high risk" as well. I heard a report on the radio this morning stating that more than 85% (may have been 95%) of people who were diagnosed with Covid were vigilant about wearing masks - meaning they cought it even though they wore masks. Think about this: If your underwear and jeans don't stop a fart, how is a cloth bandana or mask going to stop a virus?

Now that I've spent $18 on testing/studying, I guess I'll need
to save up for the $2000+ I want to spend to build my hamshack
:)

ONLY $2000? I lost track a long time ago.

Well, since i posted that I went and spent the $2000. I got an
IC-7300 (like the rest of the world, apparently), and an End-fed
Halfwave antenna that has been a giant pain in the ass (it's about
130ft long).

Back around the end of September, I ordered something like that. I can't remember exactly what at this moment, but it was a little box that you use to connect coax to and a random length of wire to make an antenna. I finally set it up last week, but didn't attempt to make any contacts. I just listened. Then a few days ago (I have since moved back to this location) I attached one end to the muffler guard on the truck and the other end of the wire to a pickup that was parked behind the lowboy trailer. I was able to check into a traffic net in Utah without any effort.

The antenna was in a basic north-south configuration so it talked east-west. I tried to check into another net to the north of me and they couldn't hear me well enough to get my call. I haven't gotten it back out since.

It's been years since I've put connectors on coax, but I honestly
don't remember it being this hard. I have the proper tools, soldering iron, coax stripper, right size crimper, etc, and they either short
out on me, or pop off with a simple tug.

I have similar issues. The supplies I bought for my antenna included pre-terminated coax as I don't have room for much. I had to go to the local hardware store to get come cutters (to cut the wire), string (to tie up the antenna to whatever), zip ties, and a couple other things.

I mean, the coax I have isn't the best right now, it's 3 lengths of
RG8u, with a Mix31 toroid that has rg58 wrapped around it about 15
times, and a short rg58 jumper to run through the window. Yesterday
I spent hours re-doing everything, and getting the antenna up where I wanted it (it literally runs diagonally from the top of a tree in my
front yard, all the way across my house, to the top of a tree in my
back yard.

I have an orange tree and a almost dead peach tree in my small back yard. Neither are tall enough to attach an antenna to. I do have a 30' tower in the back yard with a microwave dish on it (5.8 gHZ internet link to our repeater site 37 miles away)

Anyway, I tested all the connectors, got the antenna up to the top of
the tree with ropes and a really long pole to push the transformer box over branches, and everything was quite ducky.

Until I was on the radio about 7pm last night, and suddenly my band
went dead, then came back, then went dead, then came back ... my SWR
would go from 1:1 to off the scale. I went outside and adjusted the
coax coming off the antenna, and that fixed things for a little while,
but it got windy and it started again.

I'm going to have to pull the whole thing down and re-do the connector
on the antenna. which is probably the one connector that I haven't
re-done on that cable. <sigh>

Sounds like my luck. However, I haven't been home enough lately to do anytning except sleep.

It's great when it works though! I'm having a blast doing FT8! I've worked almost all 50 states, I'm just missing Alaska. Which I worked
once, but it's sitting unconfirmed.

I haven't tried many of the digital modes, and FT8 wasn't one of them. I don't have a proper cable to connect my computer to my radio and finding one online has proven difficult. I have (with me) an Icom IC-706 and the cable I have (at home) has failed to work lately.

... Extreme boredom serves to cure boredom.

Talk about extreme boredom. I am on day 44 of "working" on the
California wildfires. My job is deliver the dozer and then wait

Man, I don't think I'd be able to hack it. I need to keep my mind occupied with .. something. You'rea stronger man than I am!

Well, I have the computer which allows me to read email, echomail on several nets, and ham radio to occupy my time.

73 de Ray Quinn W6RAY
Creek Fire day 37 (59 overall)

Ray's Road Node
Somewhere in California

--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Ham Radio operators do it with frequency! (1:214/23)
þ Synchronet þ US 99 BBS - Visalia, CA - bbs.quinnnet.org

Re: I finally got my license
By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Wed Oct 07 2020 07:03 pm

On another sad note, I just found out that one of the most active
posters in BBS networks, Nancy Backus, lost her battle with stomach
cancer this morning. She will be sorely missed. :'(

Oh No! I'll miss Nancy :(

Even if I could get gear, I don't have the means to have antennas here. Plus, we get lightning like mad with thunderstorms. This is the 6th time this year, Louisiana has had to prepare for hurricanes (now with Delta).

I'm in a pretty suburban area, but I do have a yard big enough that I could put a tower up if I had the money (and the desire). I don't think the neighbors would be too thrilled, though. So right now I'm just using an end-fed halfwave.

As an update with my EFHW battles, I had a pretty bad wind storm last week, and it not only appears to have stretched my antenna out, but it snapped about 5 feet off the end of it. I pulled one side down and repaired it, but now it sags like crazy. I need to re-measure the whole blasted thing, and probably put some bungee ropes up to releive tension when it gets windy. I'm terrified with the winter.

I also seem to be getting water in my coax, which I assume is due my connectors being cheap, so I spent the money and ordered a 75' long piece of LMR-400. That should be here tomorrow. I just hope I don't have to buy a new antenna wire, that will set me back another $80.

... A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.

A clean shack is a sign of a sick mind. Don't straighten up my desk...you will goof up my system. <G>

My office/shack is a disaster. I don't even know where to start cleaning it.

DaiTengu

... SENILE.COM found...Out of Memory...

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Re: I finally got my license
By: Ray Quinn to DaiTengu on Tue Oct 13 2020 01:09 pm

Speaking of which, we had to put the dog to sleep 2 weeks ago, he
had

That is a difficult thing to do. We had to do that a couple of times with my wife's cats over the years. We now have four cats and a dog. I worry about one of the cats, in particular. He likes to climb on the roof and then is afraid to climb down. (this happened last night and my wife was in a panic. He finally jumped down onto the fence and then the ground.)

Yeah, we're down to 5 cats, a bird, 6 bunnies, and a dog. The cats are getting up there in age, the bunnies are about 3-5 years old, The dog is 3, and the bird is 12. The bird will likely outlive us.


We once had a cat that got stuck on the roof of our old house in a rainstorm. She never went back out there.

We are "high risk" as well. I heard a report on the radio this morning stating that more than 85% (may have been 95%) of people who were diagnosed with Covid were vigilant about wearing masks - meaning they cought it even though they wore masks. Think about this: If your underwear and jeans don't stop a fart, how is a cloth bandana or mask going to stop a virus?

Well, the mask isn't really for your own protection, it's for other people's protection. It's more like, if you run around without pants, you can piss on anyone you want. If they wear pants, they'll still get wet, but it might not be as bad. If you wear pants, you're going to have to piss mighty hard to get any of that out of your pants.

The virus has to ride on water droplets, which are mostly stopped by masks.


That said, that's why masks _AND_ social distancing are important, not just one or the other. If we could get everyone to wear a mask the second they stepped out of their house, not touch the thing, sanitize/wash their hands, and not come within 6-10 feet of anyone else for a period of 6 weeks, this would all be over. Everyone could go back to work, The economy could return to normal, and we could all hang out with each other again.

But we can't, apparently. Because people don't want to be inconvenienced to protect others. Our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents that went through WWI and WWII would be ashamed of us.

I haven't tried many of the digital modes, and FT8 wasn't one of them. I don't have a proper cable to connect my computer to my radio and finding one online has proven difficult. I have (with me) an Icom IC-706 and the cable I have (at home) has failed to work lately.

I'm not sure how the 706 interfaces, I assume you need a custom cable or something, along with a soundcard on your computer.

I also signed up for winlink, so I now I can get e-mail over HF, which is pretty nifty. Even if it does run at about 1000 bytes per minute.

DaiTengu

... Nothing matters very much, and very few things matter at all.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

On another sad note, I just found out that one of the most active
posters in BBS networks, Nancy Backus, lost her battle with stomach
cancer this morning. She will be sorely missed. :'(

Oh No! I'll miss Nancy :(

You and everyone else. My favorite memory of her was when I posted
a message with the QWK Tagline "I took an IQ Test, and the results
were negative". She replied "That explains a lot <g,d,r>". <G>

She said a few days later "You know I was saying that in jest", and
I said "I got a good laugh out of it". :)

I'm in a pretty suburban area, but I do have a yard big enough that I could put a tower up if I had the money (and the desire). I don't
think the neighbors would be too thrilled, though. So right now I'm
just using an end-fed halfwave.

I've got too many trees and ivy around. One of the trees is dead, and
the ivy (it grows like kudzu) has spread around the yard. Critters like
snakes and rats can hide in there. So, my new yard man is going to remove
the dead tree, and put "killer" on the ivy.

As an update with my EFHW battles, I had a pretty bad wind storm last week, and it not only appears to have stretched my antenna out, but it snapped about 5 feet off the end of it. I pulled one side down and repaired it, but now it sags like crazy. I need to re-measure the whole blasted thing, and probably put some bungee ropes up to releive tension when it gets windy. I'm terrified with the winter.

We haven't had much of a winter in Arkansas the last several years.
I'm afraid we're long overdue for a snow or ice storm. In past La Nina
years (as it is now), we've ranged from calm weather, to tornadoes, to
snow and ice storms. Back to back ice storms in 2000, put portions of
north Arkansas in the dark for nearly 2 months.

I also seem to be getting water in my coax, which I assume is due my connectors being cheap, so I spent the money and ordered a 75' long
piece of LMR-400. That should be here tomorrow. I just hope I don't
have to buy a new antenna wire, that will set me back another $80.

The bills never end. :P

My office/shack is a disaster. I don't even know where to start
cleaning it.

If it's the thought that counts, then our places should be
immaculately clean. But, it's more like:

1) The house was clean last week. Sorry you missed it!!
2) My house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough
to be happy.

Daryl

... I'm not a lunatic. I just found this straightjacket.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Yeah, we're down to 5 cats, a bird, 6 bunnies, and a dog. The cats
are getting up there in age, the bunnies are about 3-5 years old, The
dog is 3, and the bird is 12. The bird will likely outlive us.

You forgot the partridge in a pear tree. <G>

Well, the mask isn't really for your own protection, it's for other people's protection. It's more like, if you run around without pants,
you can piss on anyone you want. If they wear pants, they'll still get wet, but it might not be as bad. If you wear pants, you're going to
have to piss mighty hard to get any of that out of your pants.

If you can smell the fart, you're too close for social distancing. <G>

But we can't, apparently. Because people don't want to be
inconvenienced to protect others. Our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents that went through WWI and WWII would be ashamed of us.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, noted "In the last days,
perilous times shall come. For [people] shall be [selfish]". He was spot
on. So many are with the *I* and *ME* attitude (never mind the person who
is repeatedly sending messages to himself in one of the Dove-Net echoes...
he's lonely, vain, or both). I guess being considerate of your fellow human being went the way of the dinosaurs...just like good sportsmanship.

I'm not sure how the 706 interfaces, I assume you need a custom cable
or something, along with a soundcard on your computer.

What gets me is that you see the price on a rig, but then you have to
buy all these accessories.

I also signed up for winlink, so I now I can get e-mail over HF, which
is pretty nifty. Even if it does run at about 1000 bytes per minute.

You can email me at wx4qz@winlink.org -- I use RMS Express for Winlink,
and Outpost for Packet. I am the scribe and alternating Net Control for a
net on the NS2B BBS in Penfield, New York, on Mondays at 8pm Eastern Time
(the net does NOT meet during a week where a holiday exists).

I have a file in my D-Rats shared folder, called "The E.D. Net".
Originally, The PCL Net (Patience And Chicken Lips -- Packet is SLOW, and Chicken Lips >>> is sent when we're done with our traffic (similar to K on
CW, or "over" on Phone), was in Branson, Missouri...but moved to Penfield,
New York, after the deaths of K.O., N0KFQ, and his XYL, Billie, KB0WSA
(he was Sysop, and she was Net Control).

Anyway, this one night, was after I had first gotten my prior vanity callsign...and discussion was about the vanity callsigns. One ham in
Missouri, Ed, KI0HQ, wanted K0ED, but a ham in California already had it.
Well, he typed (as all of us did at our keyboards) that "I'm married, and
E.D. is not an issue".

Billie, KB0WSA, as Net Control (XYL of K.O., N0KFQ, the Sysop), passed
it over to Roger, KB0SON, in Minnesota. He thought that E.D. stood for "electronic doofus" (hi hi). Now, *I* can relate to that, as electronics
was never my forte' -- although I can tell you the colors on a resistor
(thanks to Violet (hi hi)), and that not even an amp of electricity could
kill you. Most hams have heard of BBROYGBVGW (hi hi).

When it got to K.O., all he typed was "I'm curious to see how Ed is
going to explain E.D. to Roger". I'm about to bust a gut laughing at
this point (hi hi).

Then, it got back to Ed, and he typed "Billie, do you know Morse
Code", and she typed "Yes, and I know a lot of other things as well!!".
At this point, I was laughing so hard, that I was about to pee my pants...
as Ed typed "erectile dysfunction" in Morse Code.

Which proves, with friends like us, you don't need any enemies (hi hi).

About a year after Billie became a Silent Key, I was reminiscing on
that net, and K.O. was there. He commented "it was so refreshing to hear
that again...and it happened EXACTLY the way Daryl told it!!" (hi hi).
He became a Silent Key about 2 years after Billie did.

As for D-Rats, unless thunderstorms are in my area, I leave it up all
the time. I've used that as communications and checkins for nets. I also
have also started using the Netlogger program for my nets.

There is a packet deal in Ohio where you can send a post via both
Winlink and Packet...if you want details, let me know.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Deja Two: When you just can't get to three.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net

Re: I finally got my license
By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Wed Oct 21 2020 08:21 am

Yeah, we're down to 5 cats, a bird, 6 bunnies, and a dog. The cats
are getting up there in age, the bunnies are about 3-5 years old,
The dog is 3, and the bird is 12. The bird will likely outlive us.

You forgot the partridge in a pear tree. <G>

My wife always makes that joke, :)

I'm not sure how the 706 interfaces, I assume you need a custom
cable or something, along with a soundcard on your computer.

What gets me is that you see the price on a rig, but then you have to
buy all these accessories.

Yep! Fortunately all I needed when I got my IC-7300 was a power supply, a USB cable and an antenna. The antenna has been the bane of my existence, and it looks like I'm going to have to drop the $80 on a new wire. If it would stop raining here, maybe I could get outside and fix the stretching issue.

THe good news is, it's supposed to stop raining soon.
The bad news is, it's just going to switch over to snow.

I also signed up for winlink, so I now I can get e-mail over HF,
which is pretty nifty. Even if it does run at about 1000 bytes per
minute.

You can email me at wx4qz@winlink.org -- I use RMS Express for Winlink, and Outpost for Packet. I am the scribe and alternating Net Control for a net on the NS2B BBS in Penfield, New York, on Mondays at 8pm Eastern Time (the net does NOT meet during a week where a holiday exists).

I listen in on nets I hear on HF from time to time, but the only net I actively participate in is the weekly FCARC (Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club, my local ham club) net on 2m. Unfortunately all I have for VHF/UHF is one of those cheap, BaoFeng HTs. It seems to work though. I'll probably look at getting a 2m/70cm radio next year.

You can email me at wx4qz@winlink.org -- I use RMS Express for Winlink, and Outpost for Packet. I am the scribe and alternating Net Control for a net on the NS2B BBS in Penfield, New York, on Mondays at 8pm Eastern Time (the net does NOT meet during a week where a holiday exists).

The only digital stuff I've gotten into heavily at this point is FT8, mainly because it's so simple to set up. I'm about 4 confirmations short of getting a "Worked All States" badge on QRZ (and probably LOTW).

Which reminds me, my buddy is pestering me to update my QRZ.com profile, which is something I should probably do at some point. I'm just not very good at listing information about myself when it's not part of a conversation.


DaiTengu

... All's well that ends.

---
þ Synchronet þ War Ensemble BBS - The sport is war, total war - warensemble.com

Yeah, we're down to 5 cats, a bird, 6 bunnies, and a dog. The cats
are getting up there in age, the bunnies are about 3-5 years old,
The dog is 3, and the bird is 12. The bird will likely outlive us.

You forgot the partridge in a pear tree. <G>

My wife always makes that joke, :)

Or a partridge in a pair of trees. :P

What gets me is that you see the price on a rig, but then you have to
buy all these accessories.

Yep! Fortunately all I needed when I got my IC-7300 was a power
supply, a USB cable and an antenna. The antenna has been the bane of
my existence, and it looks like I'm going to have to drop the $80 on a
new wire. If it would stop raining here, maybe I could get outside and
fix the stretching issue.

We're in a stormy weather pattern here right now...with rain and storms forecast here much of next week. If I can ever get the BBS into the cloud,
I won't have to worry about as many downtimes.

THe good news is, it's supposed to stop raining soon.
The bad news is, it's just going to switch over to snow.

I talked to Virginia, KC5SAM, in Frontenanc, MN (her brother, George,
N3ZKV, in Rincon, GA, are faithful checkins to nets), and she noted the
snow that they had up there...and that more was forecast.

We haven't had much of a winter here in the last few years, so I think
we're overdue.

I listen in on nets I hear on HF from time to time, but the only net I actively participate in is the weekly FCARC (Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club, my local ham club) net on 2m. Unfortunately all I have for
VHF/UHF is one of those cheap, BaoFeng HTs. It seems to work though.
I'll probably look at getting a 2m/70cm radio next year.

I just operate "internet radio", but I'm thinking of an HT with out of
band receive on 2 meters, on my train trip next June. I plan to have the
laptop computer and Verizon Mi-Fi on the trip, to be Amtrak Railroad Mobile.

The only digital stuff I've gotten into heavily at this point is FT8, mainly because it's so simple to set up. I'm about 4 confirmations
short of getting a "Worked All States" badge on QRZ (and probably
LOTW).

Lots of folks are using FT8 on the digital modes now...as poor as HF conditions have been, it sure helps to get those contacts.

Which reminds me, my buddy is pestering me to update my QRZ.com
profile, which is something I should probably do at some point. I'm
just not very good at listing information about myself when it's not
part of a conversation.

I update mine every so often...but, considering I've been a ham nearly
30 years, I have quite a bit there.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... Winter is a Sysops friend...Thunderstorms are the enemy.
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Re: I finally got my license
By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Sat Oct 24 2020 09:28 pm

You forgot the partridge in a pear tree. <G>

My wife always makes that joke, :)

Or a partridge in a pair of trees. :P

Reminds me of the old "Dead baby joke"

What's gross? A dead baby nailed to a tree
What's grosser than that? 10 dead babies nailed to a tree
What's even grosser than that? A dead baby nailed to 10 trees.

We haven't had much of a winter here in the last few years, so I think we're overdue.

Last year was pretty mild here (Wisconsin). It got cold early, but then was warm all through the end of November and December. I'm an avid ice fisherman, and ice fishing was completely rubbish.
Lake Winnebago never froze enough to drive on, and many winter events were cancelled in February due to the warm temperatures and sketchy ice conditions.

I'd really like to see a good, hard freeze in late December that will set us up for a nice ice fishing season this year. I really need it.

The only digital stuff I've gotten into heavily at this point is
FT8, mainly because it's so simple to set up. I'm about 4
confirmations short of getting a "Worked All States" badge on QRZ
(and probably LOTW).

Lots of folks are using FT8 on the digital modes now...as poor as HF conditions have been, it sure helps to get those contacts.

12m was open today, briefly, but I'm still having antenna issues, so I haven't been able to get a decent SWR on anything above 20m (nothing tunable).

I'm working 80m on FT8 as I type this. although conditions don't seem to be that great.

DaiTengu

... This tagline's just for you.

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Reminds me of the old "Dead baby joke"

You have too much time on your hands. :P

Last year was pretty mild here (Wisconsin). It got cold early, but
then was warm all through the end of November and December. I'm an avid ice fisherman, and ice fishing was completely rubbish. Lake Winnebago never froze enough to drive on, and many winter events were cancelled
in February due to the warm temperatures and sketchy ice conditions.

I never tried fishing for ice cubes <G>. Seriously, most folks forget
that ice freezes from the top down, and tragically, many folks lose their
lives from hypothermia by falling through the ice into the frigid waters.
There is quite a bit of winter weather in the southern Plains this morning (Monday) with winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings across portions of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas, among other areas.

I'd really like to see a good, hard freeze in late December that will
set us up for a nice ice fishing season this year. I really need it.

I'd like the cold to kill the insects off...but it has to come in hard
and fast, so the critters don't have time to burrow into the warm ground.

12m was open today, briefly, but I'm still having antenna issues, so I haven't been able to get a decent SWR on anything above 20m (nothing tunable).

In talking to folks yesterday, 20m would be great, then conditions would
drop like the proverbial rock. I'm hoping with the time change this coming weekend, that might help things.

... This tagline's just for you.

You're so kind. :)

Daryl

... Who needs veggies and nutrition? Give me the luscious fat!!
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Re: I finally got my license
By: Daryl Stout to DaiTengu on Mon Oct 26 2020 08:09 am

Last year was pretty mild here (Wisconsin). It got cold early, but
then was warm all through the end of November and December. I'm an
avid ice fisherman, and ice fishing was completely rubbish. Lake
Winnebago never froze enough to drive on, and many winter events
were cancelled in February due to the warm temperatures and sketchy
ice conditions.

I never tried fishing for ice cubes <G>. Seriously, most folks forget
that ice freezes from the top down, and tragically, many folks lose their lives from hypothermia by falling through the ice into the frigid waters.

Yeah, that's part of what made it awful last year. It froze, then melted on top, then started to freeze again. You'd wind up having 4 inches of slush with about 3-4 inches of ice below it. While 3-4 inches of ice is something you can walk on, it's no fun sitting in 4 inches of slush while trying to fish.

more then a few ATVs and Snowmobiles were sunk last year by people not checking ice conditions.

I'd like the cold to kill the insects off...but it has to come in hard
and fast, so the critters don't have time to burrow into the warm ground.

I watched a video the other day about how insects survive over winter. Some are capable of dehydrating themselves, and increasing the sugar in their .. blood? whatever they have, which effectively turns their innards into a kind of anti-freeze.

Up here, we'll get at least one or two days every winter where it's -20F with a wind-chill that puts it below -40. But the dang bugs come back every summer.

12m was open today, briefly, but I'm still having antenna issues, so
I haven't been able to get a decent SWR on anything above 20m
(nothing tunable).

In talking to folks yesterday, 20m would be great, then conditions would drop like the proverbial rock. I'm hoping with the time change this coming weekend, that might help things.

80m was nice last night, but I need to shorten my antenna a bit, as my SWR is too high on the General phone portion. The CW/Digital portion is great, though.

DaiTengu

... Life is a hereditary disease.

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lives from hypothermia by falling through the ice into the frigid waters.

Yeah, that's part of what made it awful last year. It froze, then
melted on top, then started to freeze again. You'd wind up having 4 inches of slush with about 3-4 inches of ice below it. While 3-4 inches
of ice is something you can walk on, it's no fun sitting in 4 inches of slush while trying to fish.

I'd rather sit in a nice warm Jacuzzi...preferably with a good looking
female (remember, dirty old Sysops need love, too). <G>

more then a few ATVs and Snowmobiles were sunk last year by people not checking ice conditions.

And, I guess they were worthless afterwards....plus, I know those things aren't cheap.

I watched a video the other day about how insects survive over winter. Some are capable of dehydrating themselves, and increasing the sugar in their .. blood? whatever they have, which effectively turns their
innards into a kind of anti-freeze.

Several years ago on Easter weekend, there were intense thunderstorms
across the state. I had traveled to a church in Lonoke, about 30 miles
east of Little Rock, for a sunrise service. With all the nearby rice
fields, I thought the mosquitoes would carry us off!!

In that regard, it's the female mosquitoes that come after humans, as
there's something in our blood that they need for their eggs to mature.
The male mosquitoes, on the other hand, suck fruit juice. I first read
this in a science class 50 years ago...so, in looking back, I surmised
"So, the male has to get himself stone drunk, before he finds a woman
to make love to!!" <G>.

Up here, we'll get at least one or two days every winter where it's
-20F with a wind-chill that puts it below -40. But the dang bugs come
back every summer.

Not to mention the rodents as well. I think of the QWK Mail Tagline
"Don't you wish Noah had swatted those 2 mosquitoes??". <G>

80m was nice last night, but I need to shorten my antenna a bit, as my SWR is too high on the General phone portion. The CW/Digital portion is great, though.

I have that Solar Data deal on the BBS, showing the band conditions. I was hoping with the time change this weekend that might improve things a bit.

Daryl

... If you hear an Onion Ring, please answer it.
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