W3gms

My Weeks in Radio

• new callsign a couple weeks ago: KC3WWC -> KD3EE
  • spent a day updating callsign everywhere
    • websites
    • local software
    • radio gear
    • still finding updates to make today
• all POTA activations
  • travel and local
  • mostly FT8/FT4, but also some CW and SSB
  • new callsign proved quick to key and understood right away
  • tried small magnetic loop and EFHW
  • usually 2W
  • almost ruined one activation
    • sweat on the laptop touchpad caused it to be flake out may want to bring a backup mouse or be more careful

Others

• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • troubleshooting his AllStar node with Joe’s help
  • suspecting the network beyond the hotspot
  • diagnosing which tower he’s using with software on iphone
  • replacing his van
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • congrats KD3EE on new callsign
  • AMPM pre-net
  • working on trailer project
• W3FES, Fred:
  • building small antennas for scanner listening
• W3QP, Tim:
  • back from a week in VA
  • SOTA
  • lots of bugs
  • encountered a mother bear and cubs on one summit. they left on their own accord
  • when near sugar grove (government)
    • he thought his radio was malfunctioning
• WA3KFT, John:
  • net control and participant on various 6m and 2m nets
• KB3ILS, Keith:
  • 30M CW contact to
    • ZL (New Zealand)
    • Netherlands
    • both QRP EF wire
  • wire in a tree
    • smooth CW on a bug to operator in west virginia
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • hosted the roundtable last thursday
  • hosted welfare net on sunday
  • Joe’s tower tomorrow
• W3JAM, Jeff:
  • adding desks to “studio a”
  • 45-degree antenna mounts to work both horizontal and vertical
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • working on antenna mast

Questions

• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • What’s the best plug to seal up a 3/8-inch hole on the wrong side of a weatherized box?
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • 2 flat plates and a bolt through the middle
    • plus some caulk
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • there may be a rubber gasket plug, but those may be too big.
      • hubble wideman for plugs
  • KC3NZT, Harvey:
    • bulkhead blanking plugs
  • W8CRW, CR:
    • epoxy and a backer
• KV3JGB, Matt:
  • For an antenna running into the tree and a feed line are on the ground, how can he run it to be out of the way, so he doesn’t need to move it to mow?
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • could it be buried?
    • could you run a “messenger wire” to keep it overhead to the tree?
  • W3QP, Tim:
    • ran a bit of conduit underground
  • KC3NZT, Harvey:
    • temporary becomes permanent
    • shallow bury when ground was soft
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • if you do bury it, rope in the conduit, and exposed can wick moisture out.
    • conduit is never wide enough after a while
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • has buried line for 6 years now, no trouble.
    • existing feed line can be used to pull the next line.
  • KV3JGB, Matt:
    • thanks for the suggestion underground and in the air

My Week in Radio

• POTA in DE (park and a bonus trail)
  • homebrew delta loop
  • 32 contacts on ft8 w/ 1W
• watched a youtube video about line throwing techniques with an arborist
  • I can now throw much higher and more consistently
  • my far trees are near power lines, so I’m conservative with my throws
  • now have my main wire higher than ever before: needed more throw line.
• been coding a bunch on 4 different personal projects all at once.
  • lots of fun.
• testing and fixing a bug on the spectrum analyzer of the Quansheng firmware I use
• prediction that FCC might grant me a new callsign tomorrow.

Others

• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • Valley Forge Hamfest in Kimberton
    • lots of 985ers attended
    • headed to the field days site
  • 985 breakfast coming up
• WA3KFT, John:
  • sold some stuff at the Valley Forge Hamfest
  • hamfest seemed smaller than previous years
• KD3BPI, Simon:
  • enjoyed Valley Forge Hamfest and meeting everyone
  • source of noise on the radio in the car was picket fencing
  • will upgrade to a better mobile
• N3CRE, Charles:
  • evaluating AllStar and EchoLink
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • working on lab bench
  • prepping for tower work tomorrow
• KC3YSM, Steve:
  • rerouting some LMR400
  • need some things he needed in Ron’s photos from the ham fest, should have gone
  • generator project with soft start
• KD3AIS, Tim:
  • observed all the ham radio antennas on a trip across ohio
• KD3APR, Paxton:
  • working with Ron on some antenna and radio upgrades
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • control for pre-net AMPM.
  • testing out a balun with a different tuner to see about tuning all the bands. it works!

Questions

• KD3APR, Paxton:
  • Looking at 900MHz DMR used for emergency response, Radio Reference is not very clear about what they use. Does anyone have details?
  • DMR is the generic digital voice
  • 900MHz might be pretty niche
  • Is it security through obscurity?
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • Are you sure it’s 900MHz for first responders?
    • DE may use P25 phase 2 trunked system that’s similar to DMR, like Chester county does. on 800MHz band.
    • There may be concerns in public service for privacy, so it might be obscured.
    • P25 is used for more specific details.
    • Ham radio has no encryption.
    • 902MHz-928MHz is 33cm ham band, so they’d not be there.
  • W8CRW, CR:
    • W1RC, Mike, might know about DMR programming
  • KC3YSM, Steve:
    • ARES in DE may use 900MHz ham bands
    • 900MHz band is undergoing changes to accommodate some broadband usage
  • W3MFB, Mike:
    • KI6OM has a repeater on 900mhz
    • 900mhz might be better for digital work than voice
• KD3BPI, Simon:
  • Got 3-ohm Motorola monitor speaker from the hamfest, and the Yaesu wants an 8-ohm speaker. How do we match it?
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • it’ll probably just work, but maybe not totally efficient.
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • should be fine.
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • it probably will be quieter or may distort. fine on low.
  • KD3BPI, Simon:
    • the speaker was in the free pile, and is stamped 1961.
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • When receiving through the repeater and trying to offer signal reports, be familiar with what the repeater sounds like to you when considering how another station sounds through the repeater. Understand that if the repeater is noisy to you, then even the best signal into the repeater will be noisy. Try simplex for better signal reports
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • with enough listening you can tell the difference of where the noise is introduced.

My Week in Radio

• Zero Retries Conference
  • Sept 13
  • virtual and in-person
  • digital aspects of radio
• current job ended
  • travel for some parks and other projects
  • maybe building another lightweight directional VHF antenna

Others

• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • Joe’s been sick in the hospital, but he’s fine. It’s just hanging around long.
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • hosted PMAM net in Joe’s place.
  • Working on Joe’s tower with Bill
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • Joe’s tower will soon be in the air.
  • Lab bench is all built in the new shack
• WA3KFT, John:
  • make power easily available on your bench
  • building a master list of callsigns: 985 gang
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • remote switch full of lots of bugs
• AF3Z, Jim:
  • continued CW practice
• KD3APR, Paxton:
  • on an 8W HT and beating the intermod
  • trying to repair a radio, but the screen goes white and it’s hard to work on.
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • listening to 40m

Questions

• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • Reading about his HeathKit he’ll put in his shack. It has 2 different powers listed for AM. What is Controlled Carrier Modulation?
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • Controlled Carrier Modulation is the cheap way to do AM over plate-modulation.
    • The audio changes the power of the carrier.
    • Pay attention to peak rating.
    • It’s kind of like SSB.
    • Power supply needs enough power to not sag during peak transmission.
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • HeathKit DX60 also has controlled carrier modulation.
    • It’s much harder to overdrive the modulation.
  • WA3KFT, John:
    • T150 applies modulation to screens instead of the plate in some models.
    • burned out a screen with audio too high
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • screen modulation can sound excellent
    • plate modulation can require a very large audio amplifier
    • has used carrier control to save $5k/month of a $30k/month power bill on a large AM transmitter
    • BBC would down modulate a very high carrier to keep the signal very quiet. This was very expensive.
    • It’s all about average carrier power in our radios.
• KD3BPI, Simon:
  • switched to a magmount on a cookie sheet outside.
  • has the Baofeng on the magmount on the car. at speed, he notices more noise (crackle) in TX and RX. Should he ground the antenna and radio to the car better?
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • check the connection of the whip to the magmount
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • Could be building up static, since magmount isn’t electrically connected, and power is not connected.
    • try clipping a lead from coax shield to something metal
  • W3MFB, Mike:
    • HT is a good way to start.
    • could be “mobile flutter”
    • switching to a more powerful modile radio
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • Congrats on fixing your signal for the net.
    • Seconds the idea of static building up.
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • power cord to lighter outlet will be a good ground
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • Why don’t we break for emergency traffic during nets.
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • Nets typically have a script asking for priority traffic.
    • We may not have thought about it. May not be necessary.
    • One signals an emergency; “break break” between transmissions.

My Week in Radio

I applied for a list of vanity calls that are shorter for DXing and CW weight.

Others

• AA3LH, Leon:
  • visited Colorado
  • talked back to 985
  • greyline propagation didn’t work like it did back in Spring
• N3ILS, Travis:
  • park activations in Seattle and British Columbia
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • worked AA3LH on 40m
  • migrating equipment from 2005 Sienna van to a 2020 Sienna van
• KC3RFG, Jim:
  • 10M to Venezuela
• W3QP, Tim:
  • 2 SOTA summits in VA, now QSO cards
• WA3KFT, John:
  • 10m open to Florida for a Net at 1-2pm local
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • woodworking: building tables for the shack
  • hosted Welfare Net on W3RRR last night
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • moving antennas to the new mast
• KV3JGB, Matt:
  • trying 2M driving through North Carolina
• KI6OM, Dave:
  • got a new 250-years, call sign PA plate
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • PM/AM pre-net

Questions

• W3MFB, Mike:
  • G90 is supposed to pull 6A to TX 20W, how small of a battery can he get for it?
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • battery questions can be very complex
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • depends how long you’ll TX
    • RX is light
    • 15Ah is probably OK.
    • LiFePo batteries drop off very quickly when they’re done
    • balance convenience
  • KC3RFG, Jim:
    • Has a G90
    • runs on 10Ah battery all day for 1/3 discharge.
    • short QSOs
    • G90 will run as low as 9V
  • W3QP, Tim:
    • all batteries have a max discharge rate
    • Bioenno batteries’ max seems to be about 2x capacity
    • there are spreadsheet to calculate sizes/durations
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • discharge capacity depends on battery chemistry
    • batteries have a “C-rate”
    • 0.1*C-rate is always safe to draw.
    • slow charging is friendlier to a battery
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • Has a new tilt-over mast, and is putting hardware in weather-protected box. Should he mount it on the mast or on the ground?
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • on the leg would be good for accessibility and maintenance
    • mulched bed around the mast might help protect it from lawn maintenance
    • mount at chest-level, include lightning-arrestor.
  • W8CRW, CR:
    • also mounted 4 ft off ground
    • boulders to protect the area
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • remember to protect the cables into it with conduit for lawn maintenance
    • UV-protect the box too with paint
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • convinced to mount it on the stabilizing arm.
• AF3Z, Jim:
  • Last week, he reported varying voltages as sump and shop vac ran. It sounded like an unstable neutral, and he should get it fixed, or cook appliances. His electrician suggested calling PPL PPL found the problem to be their neutral line, so they left a new transformer next to the house until a crew can come out to replace the line. Things are much better now.
• KI6OM, Dave:
  • Dave’s been operating lots of FT8 on 6M recently. He received an email scolding him for transmitting and not staying in-sync with your other local strong signals.
  • W3QP, Tim:
    • transmitting on someone else’s frequency, you’ll bury them.
  • KC3TYX, Vic:
    • finds a clear spot and “hold TX freq”

My Week in Radio

• I found the nicest state game land for a POTA: It had parking and a game commission maintenance building, so could sit in the shade.
• I got a replacement UV-PRO which transmits fine on 2M / APRS.
• I’m playing with another cheap RadTel with APRS. It has features from all my favorite radios, but the interface makes the other radios look nice.
• I found 6M open to Florida around noon, then Wisconsin later in the afternoon today.

Others

• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • chasing a noise source in the neighborhood, a pole at the end of the street
• W3QP, tim:
  • operated from assateague
  • got a nasa special event station in Huntsville AL for 50th anniversary of moon landing
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • big openings this evening on 10M and above.
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • there’s a commercial mobile telephone company looking to use some of 70cm.
  • see Joe’s email for suggested responses.

Questions

• AF3Z, Jim:
  • During flooding in Mount Joy, Jim had his shop vac running continuously in the basement along with sump pump. When sump pump activated, the shop vac would rev up, then when the sump pump turned off, the vac slowed down. He tried later with fridge and meter. When fridge turned on, 125V outlet boosted up to 127V. The microwave on high could cause a jump to 139V.
  • KS4CK, Bruce:
    • 240V comes into the house, plus the ground in the box. If the ground isn’t solid, then a large draw on one leg can cause an increase to be observed in voltage on the other leg.
    • Call your electric company to address it.
    • 13V delta is a lot.
    • It could be anywhere even back to the transformer, so ask the neighbor.
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • agrees that it’s a bad ground
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • bad ground can be dangerous

My Weeks in Radio

• traveling
  • Chino Hills State Park near Los Angeles
  • 2 activations
  • hiked and biked my gear in on my back
• Field Day QRP, emergency power, on the patio, at home, 50 contacts = 650 pts

Others

• W8CRW, CR:
  • 985 field day
• KC3HQZ, Jean:
  • 985 field day
• AC2EG, Eric:
  • new the group and field day
  • rather build than buy, but using echolink right now
• AA3LH, Leon:
  • mostly dups at field day
• KV3JGB, :
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • 10 meter antenna mast assembled and ready to go
• KC3WWC, John:
  • (making it in over RF)
• KC3TYX, Vic:
  • field day in maryland
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • Field day prep, operation, cleanup
  • PM/AM Net on Sunday
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • hosted a modified roundtable on 985 simplex, since power was out on repeater
  • simplex net
  • field day
• KD3EMS, Chris:
  • 985 field day observing AF3Z operate along with NA3CW
  • 7-8 contacts
  • need to get general license
• AF3Z, Jim:
  • field day
    • CW with luke
• W3KZG, Scott:
  • 985 field day
• KC3SCY, Luke:
  • 985 field day
  • logging had some trouble
  • pretty smooth, otherwise
  • working on CW
  • planning to chase 13 colonies
    • work them early in the morning
• W3QP, Tim:
  • K3H, Pennnsylania Homestead Festival in Kutztown
    • looking for operators for the weekend
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • heard VHF packet propagation, so made some contacts
    • 6m
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • 1400 contacts total at field day
  • collecting photos from field day for the smugmug gallery

Questions

• KC3HQZ, Jean:
  • Why does a GOTA station have a different call sign from field day activities?
  • AF3Z, Jim:
    • GOTA is meant to encourage newcomers and guests.
    • It’s a bonus station that doesn’t count in the total simultaneous stations.
    • May be worth more points on its own.
  • W3MFB, Mike:
    • helps keep count of contacts made by newbies and guests.
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • Considering changing from a Windom to a Hex Beam (25lbs) with a 1-foot base pole to the rotor, Would a small ChannelMaster TV antenna rotor work without a thrust-bearing at 30 feet?
  • KC3OOK, Bill:
    • Bill is new, but…
    • 25lbs sounds like a lot for an antenna, so might tend toward the better rotor.
  • W3MFB, Mike:
    • Agrees with Bill, spring for the better rotor.
    • Has seen a TV rotor drive lighter (6lb) antennas, but that’s much lighter.
    • TV antennas are only 10lbs or so.
  • N3OGF, John:
    • destroyed a radioshack rotor in high wind with a kushkraft
  • W3ZKG, Scott:
    • rotor doesn’t have a weight spec, but try to keep the rotor as close to the antenna as possible.
    • 25lbs seems heavy.
    • lesser rotors use plastic instead of bearings
  • WA3VEE, Ron:
    • some specs on google suggest 15lbs capacity.
    • consider the extra weight of ice
  • KC3SQI, Wayne:
    • may try the thrust bearing and lighter rotor
• KC3WWC, John:
  • I have a long EFHW for 80M, but it’s hard to get lined up on all bands, so I need the tuner to touch it up for half the bands. If I need the tuner for some bands, is there much benefit to this EFHW over a 71-foot random wire I really liked.
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • RG58 is giving loss
    • Generally, you don’t want to tune high SWR through “thin” coax
    • tuning at the wire would be better
  • W3QP, Tim:
    • It’s normal for EFHW in trees to not necessarily line-up
    • Don’t know efficiencies of 49:1 vs 9:1 vs 64:1. That could make a difference.
    • stack cores to handle more power in the transformers
    • there are ways to measure with nano-vna.
    • it depends what SWR you’re pulling on each band.
    • transformer has different effeciencies on each band.
• KD3AIS, Tim:
  • As a newer ham, not a general yet, listening on Yaesu FT-991A to traffic, is an external screen useful?
  • W3MFB, Mike:
    • He operated the 991A at field day, and the waterfall is pretty low-res, but wouldn’t bother with a larger screen.
    • recommends using ears and turning the dial
    • listen and make sure he can understand the station, write it all down, then contact.
  • W8CRW, CR:
    • agrees with Mike, listen
    • but also has a display connected to his radio as a bonus
  • W3KZG, Scott:
    • also has a DX-10 with the built-in display and an external screen.
    • didn’t miss it on or off on field day
    • use a DDI cable to ensure no feeding voltage back into the radio
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • had Ron’s 710 with the little screen, plugged into a big screen.
    • easier to see settings and meters
    • especially when visitors were trying to see
    • bandscope got sort of useless with higher noise levels
    • for bands that come and go (6m, 10m), it’s good to see intermittent traffic
  • KC3WWC, John:
    • I like the waterfall, so I spot activity, like lots of CW.
• W3MFB, Mike:
  • Are 6M and 2M beams at field day site always available for use?
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • as long as it’s up, it’s available
    • it’ll need coax

My Week in Radio

• 80M EFHW out in the elements
  • needed cleaning/repair for corrosion and high SWR
  • interesting to reintroduce pieces to see their effect:
    • counterpoise
    • capacitor
• checked into the APRSThursday net right away in the morning
  • automatically stayed subscribed for 12 hours
  • received 174 messages over 12 hours
  • across the US and rest of the world
• headed to Los Angeles for 12 days
  • find some parks
  • get back for 1 day of field day

Others

• W3CRW, CR:
  • Chuck’s presentation on connectors
• W1RC, Mike:
  • fiddling with allstar
• N3RBN, Paul:
  • back on the air with pass-through panel in the window
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • busy with coax
  • inherited lots of coax from a SK in West Chester
    • we don’t want the RG-11 (75ohm)G
    • tangle
  • used it to demo the new and old connectors and repairs
  • more cable and connectors after breakfast
• KB3ILS, Keith:
  • drawn back to the radio for field day
  • bands rough for low power work
  • learning about bandpass filters, and their design
    • induction and capacitances
    • measuring with nanovna and oscilloscope
• KC3YSM, Steve:
  • learned about the coax connectors
• WA3KFT, John:
  • finishing touches on shack
    • shortening cables, etc
  • has a set of tools that makes it really easy to terminate PL-259
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • attended the connector course
  • learned to analyze coax
  • Saw Ron’s article about ARRL Chester County Field Day on MSN news: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/arrl-amateur-radio-field-day/ar-AA1GIEyc
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • base for tilt-over mast is in concrete
  • tilt conduit mounted
  • figuring out locks
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • helped restring a 40M dipole at field day site
    • resonant right at 7MHz
    • took 6-inches off each end to get to 7.150MHz
  • everyone encouraged to visit field day
• K3FHA, John:
  • working on some test equipment
• KC3RFG, Jim:
  • repairing a mobile antenna
  • getting some good distance on 6M for the first time
• W3KZG, Scott:
  • building camper/comms trailer
    • will bring it for field day

Questions

• N3RBN, Paul:
  • RJ-something microphone connectors and cables, is there a way to straighten the coiled part to attach a new connector?
  • NA3CW, Chuck:
    • don’t know about straightening, but has wired a new cord to the mic.
    • could buy a cheap mic and steal the cable
  • W3KZG, Scott:
    • seconds buying a cheap/clone mic for the cable
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • What’s the connector number for PL-259s Chuck used?
    • Chuck will email links.
  • Going to a mast that can support more than one antenna. should he pull a whole run for the 2M antenna, or try to route it through the remote switcher that’s good to 6M?
    • WA3VEE, Ron:
      • try to go with as few connectors as possible, especially on VHF/UHF
      • also, respect that 6M limitation on the switcher
    • KC3RFG, Jim:
      • home run is always better
      • the switcher may bleed signal to other lines
    • WA3VEE, Ron:
      • try to operate to the middle of the specs of gear
    • WA3KFT, John:
      • 14 coax runs into the shack
      • 14 switches for choosing radios
      • favorite switch is from Waters.

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
• 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.
• 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.

my week in radio

I did some FT8 at 1W while camping and activating some POTA. I compared a 41-ft EFRW with a 17-ft vertical whip. The resonant vertical was booming.

I also read that lots of CW contesters are using computers to send that fast.

Others

• W8CRW, CR:
  • helped take down an antenna
  • local nets
• AB3AP, Mike:
  • some CW contacts
• NA3CW, Chuck:
  • PM/AM pre-net and net
  • taking down that tower with CR, Joe, and gang.
  • reclaiming some of the antenna hardware
  • working on Joe’s tower
    • assemble to find the problems
    • very close
• KC3OOK, Bill:
  • helped with Joe’s tower
  • break from the simplex net
• KC3SQI, Wayne:
  • finding 15m and 17m open
    • Germany, Alaska, Florida, etc
• AF3Z, Jim:
  • intermod sounds like a spaceship
  • considered doing WPX and a QRP sprint, but missed them.
• W1RC, Mike:
  • configuring a new AllStar node
    • got a node number
    • downloaded the pi image
    • written to a card
    • named it allstar.local, but can’t get the browser to it.
• KD3AIS, Tim:
  • learning about noise on the waterfall from harvey
• WA3VEE, Ron:
  • testing sessions coming up
  • upcoming fox hunt
• W3JAM, Jeff:
  • assembling some spare masts for an OCF dipole
  • simplex net
• KC3YTD, Steve:
  • new Yaesu 991, working well for first HF

Questions

• AB3AP, Mike:
  • Is anyone successful running trustedqsl (tqsl) on Ubuntu 25?
  • contact Dylan, K3DCN, for help
  • KC3WWC, John:
    • I have it working on debian unstable, from the standard repo.
  • AB3AP, Mike:
    • got it working!
    • using the wrong name: trustedsql instead of qsl
• W1RC, Mike:
  • getting AllStar node booting, but can’t access it by its name, allstar.local.
  • W8CRW, CR:
    • mobaxterm, like putty, to setup through text, instead of web interface
  • KC3WWC, John:
    • I often don’t see .local network work either
    • try IP addresses near your computer
    • login to the configuration of your router to see the list of nodes

My Week in Radio

I ran APRS in the mountains past Carlisle and observed many of the same nodes, indicating a wide reach. I also installed and began testing the new R1CBU 0.30.0 firmware for my X6100 HF Radio. Additionally, I launched a new 80m EFHW antenna, and I’m seeing all the harmonic resonances near the right places, though it still needs some tuning.

Others

• WA3VEE, Ron: High schoolers are listening, so we should say, “Hi”. A new club might be forming.
• W8CRW, CR: Participated in regular nets.
• KC3SCY, Luke: Recommended getting a General class license for access to more frequencies. He failed to get onto the AM PM net.
• KD3ZIM, Bob (relayed by Ron): Advised getting licensed early and having fun.
• NA3CW, Chuck: Stated that the AM PM Net is shifting to avoid overly long propagation and interference. He’s still working on Joe’s tuner, and pieces are coming in for Joe’s tower as well.
• KD3AIS, Tim: Attended a ham group where he was considered a “young person” at 51! He attempted to participate in a 10M net but failed.
• WA3KFT, John: Building another 2M/440 antenna and making cables. He’s soon looking for help finishing up those projects.
• W3QP, Tim: This weekend is the SOTA North East meetup.
• KC3YIG, Dave: Working on a home-made vertical antenna.

Questions

• W8CRW, CR: He’s using lithium phosphate batteries in his car and lead-acid in the shack. Does anyone have experience trying to desulphate a battery that won’t take a charge?

  • NA3CW, Chuck: Has a charger that claims to desulphate a battery, and it seems to work. He “jumped” the battery with a power supply to get it started, then ran the desulphating charger for a couple of weeks.

• KD3AIS, Tim: He’s a Technician studying for his General license and is trying 10 meters. He visited the 10-10 org website, looking at propagation charts and nets, which showed poor propagation. Are these sites correct?

  • W3QP, Tim: Those charts provide good information but are not the final word.
  • NA3CW, Chuck: Ten-Ten is a good organization, but suggests throwing out a CQ, as everyone could be listening.
  • WA3KFT, John: Watching 28435kHz for DX chat and local nets.
  • KC3WWC, John: Check prop.kc2g.org for in-depth information.
  • KC3SQI, Wayne: Tune down through the digital parts of the band and looking for activity.
  • WA3VEE, Ron: Try Ham Clock and the DXView site, note that global conditions may not match local conditions.

• KC3WWC, John: Is there an easy way to do preset connections in Allstar 3.

  • W8CRW, CR: Look into Supermon.