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WX4QZ > ALL 02.03.21 03:10l 216 Lines 6397 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 14304_NS2B
Read: GUEST
Subj: PCL NET SCRIBE MAR 1 2021
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<DB0ERF<DB0RES<ON0AR<OZ5BBS<CX2SA<N3HYM<KA3BVJ<KE0GB<
KM8V<AB8M<NS2B
Sent: 210302/0200Z 14304@NS2B.#WNY.NY.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.20
PCL Net Scribe for Mar. 1, 2021
WX4QZ, Daryl, Arkansas (Scribe)
NS2B, Bob, New York (Net Control)
KC5FM, Lloyd, Oklahoma (Early Checkin)
N3MEL, Glenn, Pennsylvania (Early Checkin)
KF5TVG, Bob, Oklahoma
KF5JRV, Scott, Arkansas
VA7RBP, Rick, Canada
NT5R, Charley, Missouri
***
WX4QZ:
From snow and ice 2 weeks ago to severe
thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding
yesterday and overnight. Welcome to the
La Nina Spring Tornado Season in Arkansas.
The potholes are all over the place, and
it's like driving an obstacle course.
Didn't sleep well last night...needed a
30 minute power nap before the net tonight.
I'm hoping this week is the last week of
chiropractic treatments, and I can get a
good settlement from Geico.
I finally got the car back, but it nearly
drained my bank account, and I also have
to replace the front windshield, but at
least the cost is only a $100 deductible.
I got the Buckmaster HamCall software working
again on my BBS. However, it only gets updated
once a month, and there are several websites
to find more current ham radio callsigns.
As of Feb. 28, still no word from the FCC on
when the $35 fee for new, renewed, or upgraded
ham radio licenses, or callsign changes, will
take effect. It won't occur until it has been
in the Federal Register for 30 days. At least
I don't have to renew my license for another
8 years.
If the amount of COVID-19 cases keep declining
in Arkansas, the directives may be changed to
guidelines by April...or that may be an April
Fool after all. Most restaurants are leery of
opening back up at full capacity, even though
it'd be better for them economically, if they
could.
There are 2 words: complete and finished. You
think they'd mean the same thing. But a linguist
put it perfectly. If you marry the right YL,
you're complete. If you marry the wrong YL,
you're finished, and if you are caught with
another YL, you're completely finished (hi hi).
No issues with water or power here...was off for
10 seconds yesterday. The UPS's kept Windows 10
from melting down. :P
Scott, Jackie has the greenest thumb of anyone
I've ever seen.
Latest version of BlueDV from PA7LIM for the
ThumbDV from Northwest Digital Radio is
1.0.0.9599 -- upgraded to it the other day.
***
KF5TVG:
I'm glad Daryl has wheels back. That seems to be a
big part of a persons independence, at least for my
generation.
Liked your definitions of complete and finished.
Have been married for 46 years and I feel complete,
and my wife thinks she married a "complete" idiot!
Not much to report on the radio side. I did restart
(after 2 years) tinkering with my PiDP-11 computer
emulation. It is a nice front panel, 60% the size
of a DEC PDP-11, with a raspberry pi 4 inside,
running "simh" that emulates the DEC instruction
set. the op sys I'm playing with is the BSD 2.11
version of unix. Very old school, but you see the
relation between it and Ubuntu/Raspbian, etc.
***
KF5JRV:
It is much nicer weather. Some rainy days, but
nothing much below 32 degrees.
Jackie is getting ready to start potting some
tomatoes and peppers into individual cups. She
has some cabbage ready to go outside in the
next few weeks.
***
VA7RBP:
It was a good week. The new antenna for the
packet node is enroute, should be here by
Wednesday.
Temp today got up to 56F, and I was finally
able to get up on the roof, and look at the
80M antenna today.
I cleaned off some corrosion from the slugs
I used to attach the Hustlers to the mounts,
and had some nice activity on 80M JS8 just
before the NET. I'm going to have to replace
those slugs with brass or stainless ones,
if I can find them, cheap.
Also been playing with PACTOR 1 - 3 on 40M
and 17M. I got hold of an SCS PTCIIex, so
I'm having fun.
I saw mention last week, here I think about
FreeDV, and grabbed the program, set the radio
on 14.136 USB, and listened for a bit, but so
far, nothing heard. Also, some of the guys
have been playing with 2M SSB, so I dragged
out the old IC-251A all band 2M rig, and a
4 element Yagi I had in the shed, going to
see what I can do with that.
I had to use a crowbar on the shed door, it
may be 56F outside, but the ground is frozen
and frost heaved in front of the shed door.
Another repair job in a couple of months....
***
NT5R:
Been catching up on stuff, was on road about
three weeks, returned last last Monday.
Missed the bad weather in Missouri and elsewhere
but not complaining. Had low 80s few days in
Florida!
Ham buddy here said down to -13 f coldest night
just north of Branson. Very unusual for this
part of country. Most winters maybe single digits
or teens only.
Was pleasantly surprised nothing in house or yard
frozen. Had left heat on 50 degrees f and held ok.
Neighbors said local power only off one time for
few minutes. Friend in north Texas had rolling
blackouts. Her power on 15 minutes and off 15
minutes for some time.
Possibly our power was stable in Branson area
because of local generator on Table Rock Lake.
They reportedly had generators going full blast
several days during power problems in Texas.
Said dropped lake levels several feet, but will
make it up from run-off from 9 inches of snow
in area. Another thing we seldom have that much
snow in this area.
***
NS2B:
Ah yes, high winds here, if the node evaporates,
you know why!
Daryl, speaking of Covid-19 - our rate here has
declined a LOT - but our governor isn't ready
to open us up yet. Such is life - better safe
than sorry I suppose.
Bob, that brings back memories - I used to work
on PDP-11's running RSX-11M+ - which was sort
of like CP/M on steroids. And then later became
a BSD Unix system administrator - yes I'm old...
Scott, it had been warming up here - most of our
snow is gone - but then it turned cold this
afternoon again - currently 21f - high tomorrow
only 30. But I see 50s in the forecast for next
week! woohoo!
Rick, Good deal on FreeDV - I've monitored that
stuff - it seems to work pretty well. I think I
only ever made one QSO with it... That was
good enough for me!!
Charley, I gathered it got bad there - my litle
brother lives up in Marshfield - he had a pipe
burst in his well-house - he'd never had any
problems winters before. Those rolling blackouts
were somthin' - I'd never heard of such a thing.
You picked a good time to go to Florida!
***
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