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N5VLZ > ALL 23.01.24 05:32l 337 Lines 12023 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 1841_NS2B
Read: GUEST
Subj: PCL NET SCRIBE JAN 22 2024
Path: IW8PGT<I3XTY<I0OJJ<LU1DBQ<LU4ECL<VK2RZ<PE1RRR<W0ARP<KE0GB<NS2B
Sent: 240123/0428Z 1841@NS2B.#WNY.NY.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.24
PCL NET SCRIBE JAN 22 2024
N5VLZ, Daryl, Arkansas (Net Control/Scribe)
NS2B, Bob, New York (Sysop)
KX4AC, Carl, Florida
KF5TVG, Bob, Oklahoma
KE4TP, Paul, Florida (connection issues)
VA7RBP, Rick, Canada
K0WAV, Scott, Arkansas
**
N5VLZ:
Last week, it was dry powdery snow in the
region (just under 4 inches in Little Rock);
but this week, it was an ice storm in the
northwest half of Arkansas. However, while
not as bad as the back to back statewide
ice storms in 2000, it caused several wrecks
across west and northwest Arkansas. A small
amount of freezing rain fell in Little Rock;
but now, the January thaw is underway, and
it's all rain. Dense fog moves in overnight
(great for tropospheric ducting on 2 and 6
meters), then thunderstorms through Wednesday.
Storm totals by early Thursday may reach over
6 inches in some areas...along with increased
aeral and river flooding. From frozen tundra
to a swampy mud bog...what a difference a week
makes. With the storms, I won't do any computer
work for 2 days. I've been groggy from pain meds
after throwing out my back late last week, that
I just crashed out today. I hope I can sleep
tonight, but with the cold weather of late, I
likely will need a strong pain pill to get some
sleep overnight.
We're supposed to get a break on Thursday and
Friday, as I need to order some grocery items;
but I don't want the delivery folks getting
like drowned rats in the heavy rainfall...
considering one of the items is a must have
for any home...toilet paper; especially since
the Sears Catalog is no longer published. You
obviously don't want that soaked before its
proper use, and I don't mean rolling trees,
or for redneck blinds (hi hi).
If the toilet paper shortage wasn't bad enough,
in eating one of those three minute microwave
pizzas, I broke a tooth on my lower denture
plate. The problem is that I have to set up
transportation that I have to pay for, because
I don't drive anymore (never mind I still have
not been released from the hip surgery over 2
months ago, as the follow-up appointment keeps
getting moved back), and the transportation
that was supposed to be provided by my HMO
requires at least 4 business days notice; yet
they have a limit on how many trips I can do
per year.
The denture plates were originally made by
Affordable Dentures, but I doubt my insurance
will cover that, no matter where I go. Last
time, to fix a chipped tooth, it was over
$120, and it's likely far more now, especially
since the entire tooth broke off. While I was
able to save the tooth, I doubt that the tooth
fairy can help me out...never mind that I don't
want to end up toothless, and relegated to just
gumming soft foods for the rest of my life.
When I had them make the original pair (I just
wanted them for eating), they were nearly $500;
and I don't have that kind of money. To make
matters worse, it seems all of my doctors are
changing the appointments around, which is bad
for me, since I have to work out transportation,
as noted earlier, and each round trip costs money
via Lyft. Since all my friends work and have
family, and I basically have no family left, I'm
between a rock and a hard place.
I found a utility that restores the "Desktop
Toolbar" feature that was in Windows 10, where
it shows up on Windows 11. I'll have to archive
it twice (like an RAR file within a ZIP file),
so Gmail won't detect it, if I'm to email it. I
would have to go back and search for the proper
URL for it. For obvious reasons, most ISP's won't
let you send programs, for the threat of malware.
I have to check to see if it made it onto my BBS,
where one can get it via anonymous FTP. But, with
storms the next 2 days, it'll be down. I likely
will shut everything off after the net tonight,
and the uploading of the scribe, and I'll crash
for 2 days...especially considering I'm now on a
soft food (might as well be liquid) diet until
further notice. I guess it's bread and water,
which isn't very nutritious (sigh!). While I need
to lose some weight, this wasn't how I wanted to
do it.
Wix, the webhosting deal for my square dance
organization website, has been having numerous
problems with its 2 factor authentication 2FA
issues. I had rebuilt the laptop Windows 11
registry last week, thinking it was a Microsoft
issue, but it's a Wix issue. I left them a rather
terse message earlier, telling them if this does
not get fixed, and I can't logon, what's the point
of me being a customer?? I really don't want the
expense and hassle of moving the site elsewhere.
The 2FA was for extra security...but every string
I was told to type in, like a CAPTCHA, was done,
but I was told it was wrong. It reminds me of the
meme where the guy says "I'm going to change my
password to INCORRECT, as I keep getting told that
my password is INCORRECT" (hi hi).
It was 25 years ago yesterday that Arkansas had
its worst tornado outbreak on record...56 tornadoes
in just a few hours...one of them was only a mile
from my QTH, as the rain wrapped curtain was just
at the end of the block...too close for comfort.
Our spring tornado season will be here soon enough.
**
NS2B:
GE All!
Well it was darned cold last week. They use salt on
our roads here for snow removal. it was cold enough
it wasn't working.
The winshield washer fluid in my truck froze too!
It's warmer now - if 30s can be called warm!
Not much new happening on the radio front - still
playing with VHF Vara-FM on Winlink. And playing
Hamword there. Not much else to report.
The Buffalo Bills were offering people $20 an hour
plus free food to come before the football game,
and shovel the snow off the field. They had people
lined up for it! Not me! I watched the game from
my warm cozy couch!
**
KX4AC:
GE. Geez, I did not see that about Brightline, but
I believe it. People stop on the tracks and everything
and those trains really run fast. I will have to check
out the reports.
We have been cold (for Florida) and rainy, so I basically
spent the weekend inside. I am slowly getting caught up
on some electronics projects, though I really should
spend more time cleaning and organizing :-)
I saw the other day that QRPme is having another one of
their "buildathons" where they do a virtual meeting and
everybody logs in and builds a kit. It is kinda fun, so
I ordered a "Tuna Tin 2" (small cw transmitter) so I
could join in. Looking forward to that.
Also, Orlando hamfest is in a couple of weeks (Feb 9-11)
so I am looking forward to that too.
Later tonight, I have to decide what my second guess for
this weeks Hamword will be.
Just hope everyone manages to get through all the extreme
weather. Maybe the groundhog will grant us an early spring.
**
KF5TVG:
GE Daryl and the group!
My week was better than yours, since I didn't lose a tooth
or have any of the calamities you did, Daryl! Hope this
week is better.
I watched the Bills/Chiefs game and wondered if Bob(NY)
was there.
We had freezing rain last night, so everything was a sheet
of ice today. Hundreds of wrecks were reported... Why don't
idiots stay home when there is ice on everything???
Have been thinking about getting back up to speed on JS8Call
for Winter Field Day. Used it for wfd a couple of years ago.
I'm trying to update my rpi to the latest versions of ham
software again with build-a-pi. Seems to get a lot of it
right, but I'm struggling with the emulation of VARA.
Thanks to Daryl and BOB (NY) for making this happen every
week!
**
VA7RBP:
Good evening Daryl and all on NET
We have started to get some snow, finally and the temperatures
are coming back out of the deep freeze.
As of yesterday, we had a foot of snow accumulated, the temp
today was 34F, so it's started to melt.
But I had to clean it off of my garden shed roof, if it gets
wet and heavy, it will crush the plastic thing.
Re the windshield washer fluid, we definitely have to use the
-45C stuff here, or it will freeze.
Today, my windows 10 audio decided to just stop working, all
of my sound cards are not doing anything. I tried doing a
restore after the last update, audio worked for about 5 minutes
then died again. So I have been off-air all day fighting with
the issue.
Still trying to get IPGATEWAY to work on my BPQ system. That
seems to be going nowhere...
Other projects are piled up while I try to get the priority
items going.
I ordered a TEENSY Robust Packet TNC from Germany, it is
supposed to take a couple of weeks to get built.
Thanks Scott for the suggestion re the sound cards, my setup
is kinda complicated, i ran out of USB ports on the PC, so
I use a 10 Port USB hub, with three USB RS232 adapters and
four USB sound cards plugged in...
It gets pretty hairy when stuff goes wrong and take forever
to sort through it. It looks like sonething really went
wrong this time.
Well, I'll muddle through it...beat it to death...
**
K0WAV:
GE all, and Daryl, we got 3 inches of snow last weekend and
nothing since it started out as freezing rain this morning
but it warmed up enough to stay liquid now.
Only things frozen are where they are in perma shade areas,
and they are starting to melt now.
Rick, on the windows sound thing... win10 has a habit of
setting the newest installed sound device as the default.
Check the sound control panel and make sure that the sound
device you want to be your default device is in fact your
default. Then go back to FT8/JS8Call and make sure they are
looking at proper device for that use, and not the default
system device.
BPQ hmmm BPQ I am trying to get up enough courage to re-do
my config file and setup FLrig as my rig control to hopefully
stop some of my com port conflicts.
Big solar activities but hopefully they pass before WFD
btw I will not be doing WFD but for those that do...
Now I just hope we don't float away, we are expecting over
1.5 inches of rain in next 24 hours.
Rick, I feel your pain. I have 4 USB sound devices on my win10
machine, 2 sound card radios, and 2 dongles.
So, I have been there... and I like to say, "Beat it to fit,
and paint it to match!"
All stay warm and dry and have fun with your radio!
**
Replies from N5VLZ:
Bob (NY), I'm amazed that they had folks show up to shovel
the snow for $20 an hour and food. I would've wanted more
benefits. You did better staying on the couch!!
With the dry powdery snow here, it was hard to get it off
the roads. Bummer on the windshield washer fluid freeze.
And, 30C (86F) is better than 30F (-1C).
I never did anything with HamWord.
Carl, they had 2 car-train wrecks with Brightline this
past week...folks just don't want to wait at any type
of red signal. And FB on the tuna tin CW transmitter kit.
I saw it had been chilly in Florida...and hope Hamcation
is a good one. There are several groundhogs...I think of
the meme where there's a wolf in the snow, and he growls
"The groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter. So, I ate him"
(hi hi).
Bob (OK), folks just think they can stop as quick on a
wet, snowy, or icy pavement, as they can on dry. I won't
be doing anything for Winter Field Day this weekend. I
wonder if I'm known as "Bad Luck Blackie" for all that
I've been through lately. I can make it work, diet wise,
but I'm not happy about it.
Rick, FB on the melting snow, and the windshield washer
fluid, but bummer on the Windows 10 sound card deals.
I know Windows is notorious for messing up the sound
cards on ham radio and other apps. GL on the IPGATEWAY
issue, and that TEENSY Robust TNC sounds interesting.
Scott, glad you dodged the ice storm effects...we're
supposed to get 2-3 times the rain forecast for your
area here in central Arkansas.
I've seen several things on the solar flares...it
makes stuff interesting. I have a USB hub with my
W10 and W11 computer, but not all the ports are
full. Sometimes, the hub will act funky when that
happens. And, I like that saying about "beat it to
fit, and paint it to match!!" (hi hi).
**
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