My Weeks in Radio
- got the Bluetooth TNC connection working even better between UV-PRO
- clear the channel
- now it automatically reconnects
- testing a new-to-me small-ish magnetic loop: alpha antenna
- small and quick to deploy
- park activation before this net
- repaired and re-tuned yagi
- added a the hairpin patch to lower SWR
- extra S-unit hearing 985
- last week, allstar node wouldn’t connect to 985 over phone network
- connected to a parrot test node just fine
- strange interference when the car shutoff that blocked any signal
Others
- W1RC, Mike:
- got Allstar going with 985
- W8CRW, CR:
- working on DTMF on Allstar
- connecting phone to ethernet
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- field day press release
- KC3RFG, Jim:
- working through some RFI with a mic on HF
- W3MFB: Mike:
- bands not great
- K3FHA, John:
- organizing antenna switching on the desk
- checking out some test equipment
- KC3TYX, Vic:
- replaced fan in a power supply to be quiet
- playing with 6m bazooka antenna for FT8
- Connecticut, Nebraska, Minnesota, Florida, then it closed
- KC3OOK, Bill:
- watching DXtracker, dxview and saw 6m openings
- lots accomplished on Joe’s tower.
- sketching next project
- KC3SCY, Luke:
- acquired an AM radio kit to build
- 7 transitor, superheterodyne, etc
- soldering
- PM/AM Net
- listening to some CW
- acquired an AM radio kit to build
- WA3KFT, John:
- mounted and using a Comet G9 right now
- N3CRE, Charlie:
- KC3SQI, Wayne:
- having trouble using the wrong frequency
- concrete base for a new tilt-over tower
Questions
- W3MFB, Mike:
- On Simplex Net, he only hears a handful of people,
so hard to tell when to jump in.
Do others hear a bunch of people?
What zone should he be?
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- Ron is way East, and doesn’t have a beam aiming West.
- Rarely hears anyone but KC3OOK and W8CRW
- KC3TYX, Vic:
- wouldn’t hear anything for a while, but waited patiently for his section to get active.
- notes changes in propagation and new people
- KC3WWC, John:
- good to note who you can contact simplex if you needed
- KC3OOK, Bill:
- what section? check-in with whomever you hear.
- it’s expanded quite a bit beyond lancaster county
- the name is actually now “central pa simplex net”
- propagation varies quite a bit from week to week
- nearby stations can hear very different sets of stations
- Bill hears many of the stations now with current antenna
- Good way to gauge antenna performance
- just throw your callsign. maybe a relay can get it.
- W8CRW, CR:
- he can check-in with central or east, but propagation is very different.
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- On Simplex Net, he only hears a handful of people,
so hard to tell when to jump in.
Do others hear a bunch of people?
What zone should he be?
- KC3OOK, Bill:
- What’s a good depth for shelves and cabinets holding radios?
- WA3KFT, John:
- existing racks: 17-inches and 18-inches
- try not to have too much protruding out the back of the chassis/rack: cables
- W3GMS, Joe:
- racks have no standard depth
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- ideally, you can get to the back of the equipment very easily
- he finds 24-inches quite adequate
- dual channel closetmaid is good for shelves/cabinets
- give yourself as much depth as you can
- KC3OOK, Bill:
- looking at 18-20 inches
- KC3WWC, John:
- Do others have trouble with allstar to 985 when tethered to a phone hotspot?
- Differences controversy over HAMVOIP (closed source?) vs allstarlink v3 (open-source)?
- W3GMS, Joe:
- no complaints from anyone else
- permission list is by node number, not network
- KC3WWC, John:
- I’ll need to continue to work on it myself.
- N3QNC, Joe:
- What are people’s experience on 6M? What power?
- W3MFB, Mike:
- SSB, 70W
- likes to run less power
- FM repeater in honeybrook
- WA3KFT, John:
- runs 80-90W with a beam
- SSB
- used to use a 5W AM rig
- antenna matters the most: height
- N3QNC, Joe:
- trying to do 6M for POTA, usually 5W
- WA3VEE, Ron:
- a number of nets on 6M. google or ARRL has a list: “south eastern pennsylvania”
- W3MFB, Mike:
- Did anyone listen to shuttle missions? 120MHz, etc?
- KC3WWC, John:
- I’m pretty sure I used to listen to something in early 90s on scanner. Sounded like discussion of experiments, etc.
- W3GMS, Joe:
- Fort Mead, Maryland would rebroadcast on 75M.
- Joe has a processor on display that was designed to process all audio from mission control.
- He may have the only one that wasn’t used.