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N5VLZ > ALL 27.02.24 03:56l 311 Lines 9486 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 3420_NS2B
Read: GUEST
Subj: PCL NET SCRIBE FEB 26 2024
Path: IW8PGT<I3XTY<I0OJJ<LU4ECL<LU9DCE<GB7YEW<KE0GB<NS2B
Sent: 240227/0230Z 3420@NS2B.#WNY.NY.USA.NOAM BPQ6.0.24
PCL NET SCRIBE FEB 26 2024
N5VLZ, Daryl, Arkansas (Net Control/Scribe)
WG3K, Eric, Maryland
NS2B, Bob, New York (Sysop)
K0WAV, Scott, Arkansas
VA7RBP, Rick, Canada
KF5TVG, Bob, Oklahoma
NT5R, Charley, Missouri
**
N5VLZ:
Spring is in the air...meteorological spring
starts on Friday, and it has felt like that
here, with temperatures in the 80s, and some
spots in the 90s!! We may see severe weather
early next week, so my being here next Monday
night is in doubt right now...but, it's too
early to know for sure. I will advise Bob,
NS2B, if I see I can't make it. Easter is on
March 31 this year, so the PCL Net will not
meet the night of April 1, and that's no April
Fool (hi hi).
There's a hamfest in Dardanelle, Arkansas on
Saturday, but with my doing nets on Saturday
morning, no more hamfests for me...I can't
afford to go, anyway. The next Arkansas area
hamfest won't be until Mena the weekend after
Labor Day.
Early voting is underway for Super Tuesday,
but I'm waiting until Friday, when the next
disability payment arrives, as I have to
take Lyft to go to the polls. This Thursday
is a leap day, and we won't see a 5th Thursday
in February for another 820 years. If I am
lucky, the payment will arrive Thursday,
I'm starting The Pun In Life Net on the QuadNet
Array on Saturday, at 4pm US Eastern Time. A
story on it is in the Feb. 23, 2024 issue of
Amateur Radio Newsline.
I finally got a monthly square dance publication
released on Sunday (one of my other hobbies), but
as usual, some things didn't make it in, as I was
not told of them. I guess they figure I can get
the info by osmosis.
Don't forget the time change on Sunday, March 10.
While most net times won't change, UTC Times will
be 1 hour earlier in areas that observe the time
change. Forgetting to spring forward means you'll
be 1 hour late for church, work, ham radio nets,
and other things.
**
WG3K:
GE all. It's a busy time here. Kids are
involved in Destination Imagination, which
is an educational competition. They are
doing an engineering challenge, where they
made a pinball table for a soccer ball. They
got first place at regionals last Saturday,
and now they have three weeks to fix things
before the state competition.
I'm still arguing with my HF antennas. Need to
hurry before the leaves come back on the trees.
Other than that, all is well here.
Sorry for the delay...kid wanted to play a game
on my computer! Hope to meet with you guys next
week.
**
NS2B:
GE All!
A pretty good week. Weather still crazy - 50 one
day, 19 the next.
On the ham radio front I built myself an M17 node
this week. That being yet another digital voice
mode, figured I should try it. I installed mvoice
on a raspberry pi to make it work and managed to
checkin to an M17 net last friday. So I guess it
works.
**
K0WAV:
Well, it is a bit of normal so far this week.
Last two weeks I was taking care of parents.
My mother (92yo) fell and broke 8 ribs... so
while she was in hospital we (xyl) mostly took
care of dad (94yo).
She is getting out of rehab/pt center soon, so
we will have to go back and make sure her home
coming goes well.
As for ham, I added SkyWarn to my ClearNode.
Just a reminder to HamShack Hotline users...
they are starting to enforce their policy on
"abandonded extensions". So you need to dial
*51 once a month or so to keep it active.
**
VA7RBP:
Good evening Daryl and all on NET.
I've been fighting with high SWR on my end fed
antenna. Friday, I was finally able to get up
on the roof and found the balun full of water.
Dried that out, drilled a drain hole in the case,
and threw in some of those silica moisture
absorbers out of pill bottles.
It still wouldn't tune up...took it down again
and really dried it out indoors.
Now, I have to take it back on the roof to
re-install it, and finish checking over the
coax...but today, it started snowing again, and
the wind made it impossible to be out there very
long.
Re-installation will have to wait a while longer.
I'm running on my Hustler mini-dipoles at the
moment.
I also picked up a couple of Raspberry Pi model
1B units, the price was right...$15 each. They
will be used for a sprinkler controller project
I started working on 2 years ago.
I'm playing with XROUTER, another AX25 switching
program. Still trying to figure out AMPRNET and
JNOS stuff as well.
**
KF5TVG:
Hi Daryl and all on the net!
I attended a storm spotter training session this
week at the National Weather Center here in Norman.
Have been to several over the years back in Tulsa,
but somehow this seemed more impressive, since it
was in the massive NWC building on the OU campus.
Not much to report on the radio front. I took my
satellite tracker to our weekly "Elmer" night, and
now several others are going to build one for
themselves. I've talked about this tracker here
before. Plans are on clearskyinstitute.com , although
some of the components are now no longer available.
Let my Hamshack Hotline phone account expire... a
few days before AT&T decided to take the day off.
I'm seriously considering restarting an account with
the hotline!
**
NT5R:
GE everyone
Made it back from Oklahoma Tuesday, direct to Skywarn
class in Kimberling City with 5 mintues to spare!!
Girl friend still in Oklahoma for more dental work.
Returning that direction probably Wednesday.
FB Rick on end fed antenna, my favorite for hf.
Scott, we be sending good vibrations for your Mom.
M17 and Hamshack Hotline interesting.
Wonder if anyone interested in or doing LoRa/Meshtastic?
75.9 f high temp today, possible storms late tomorrow.
**
Responses from N5VLZ:
Bob (NY) it's supposed to be in the 80s here on
Tuesday, then 30-40 degrees colder on Wednesday,
with a frost and freeze. At least the flowers
haven't started budding out yet.
FB on the M17 node; some nets do have that mode
available.
Scott, been there, done that, with my parents...
although both went into hospice before they died.
My Dad has been gone just over 17 years, and it's
coming on 17 years since I lost my XYL. My Mom has
been gone just over 4 1/2 years.
FB on Skywarn...it's that time of year.
I sent Hamshack Hotline an email, telling them to
let my account lapse...but I'd reactive it later.
I can't afford to buy a new phone right now, but
I'll have to get it off of Amazon...but I have a
few other items I need to get from them.
Rick, bummer on the high SWR, but glad you got
the water drained from the balun, and was able
to dry it out indoors. GL on getting the end fed
antenna working again. At least you have an
alternative.
I've seen those in the pill bottles, and they
warn "Do Not Eat". Amazing what "Warning Labels"
have to exist.
In some areas, winter won't go away without a
fight.
FB on the RPi Model 1B units...not a bad deal.
I haven't had the yard sprinklers run in several
years. My lawn man is due back March 19 to start
mowing again.
GL with XROUTER, AMPRNET, JNOS. My Hamshack Hotline
phonbe died, so I'm off of there until further notice.
Eric, the kids will get busier before spring break,
and as we approach summer. FB on the engineering
challenge educational competition. I played a ton
of pinball back in college...no telling how much I
spent in quarters (hi hi). I used to have a pinball
game on the computer, but haven't found a decent one
since I upgraded to Windows 11.
GL on getting the HF antenna working again...the
leaves will bud out here soon, especially with it
being in the 80s, but as noted earlier, it'll be
nearly 50 degrees colder by Wednesday morning.
Bob (OK), NWS Little Rock is doing some, but not
a whole lot of classes. I need to get recertified,
but transportation and cost are issues now, so it
needs to be done locally. I've seen photos and
videos of the National Weather Center campus...very
impressive. I think they have a weather weekend or
festival there every year.
FB on the satellite tracker on Elmer night...glad
that others will follow your lead in that.
I'll get back on Hamshack Hotline eventually, but
that is the least of my concerns now. What a mess
that was with AT&T!! I saw they're giving customers
a 1 day credit, or a $5 credit on the next bill...
again, it was a network upgrade error. Apparently,
they didn't learn from long ago.
Charley, timing is everything!! I noted Red Flag
Warnings across much of Missouri today...surprised
we didn't get those in Arkansas. Winds may gust to
45 mph across much of the state tomorrow. There have
been several fires in the state, and 2 big wildfires
spreading rapidly out in west Texas, with Fire Warnings
and evacuations in effect.
I have to get a tooth replaced on my lower denture
next month, that broke when I was eating a 3 minute pizza
(I did cook it before eating it (hi hi)). Otherwise, the
dentures fit so perfectly, I haven't needed any PoliGrip,
Fixodent, etc.
The Hamshack Hotline is a private party line of sorts
for hams, but you need to purchase a special phone.
It is a great way to communicate, but the high speed
internet is needed. However, no long distance charges
for it. You do have to provision it, and request a
number from them...lots of hams use it.
Don't know about LoRa/Meshtastic...never heard of them.
I saw you may have severe storms tomorrow...we may
miss out, but need rain badly.
I didn't hear anything from Scott, KF5JRV, on Miss
Jackie's medical issues. We hope and pray all is OK.
**
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