AR15.com Net (Page 4 of 12)
noise level here. Just found out about the net, and will try back---
old skool style! ar-jedi |
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Three things are certain
Death, taxes and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.
Three things are certain
Death, taxes and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.
I hear you and others now and then, but between the QRN at near S9, the QSB that's almost as bad as last night (with an overall much more % of "faded out"), and the overmodulated and amplified +20 QRN guy up on 7216, I can't get much done here tonight. |
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
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Those guys on 7.216 are splattering REALLY bad. That and there were a few people who kept tuning right on freq (probably the same offenders). I'm about to open up the rig to see if I can diagnose & repair a filter problem... wish me luck. I did get MixW digital modes software running over the weekend and managed to copy some random RTTY and CW via the mic-to-speaker method... working on a proper interface cable. I think it does PSK31, I know it does MT63 so hopefully I'll be able to try the digital modes soon. I think it would be very helpful to have a digital net using the various modes. If anyone else has two available rigs it might be fun to run digital on 30m simultaneously with the voice net on 40m.  Or just play around with digital 30 minutes before the net or something.
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A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
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Guys, ScottPD and I were talking on 2M last night and have come to a conclusion that a formal nightly net is just not practical at this point (band conditions and schedules) so far we are planning on running the net formally every Sunday night at 0100z. This should work out well for most I think. Let us know what you think and by all means keep up the comms nightly on the same freq and we may be there too just not taking checkins  73 -A |
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I understand completely ceraldi. I was unable to make the weekly nets for the longest time due to other activities and the shack being obscured in the basement. I've been on every night for the past 10 days though, just because I moved the shack upstairs and am enjoying trying it out. BTW, I hear the two Arfcommers on 7213 right now using CW!!!! 
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Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
Sounds fine -- I think that's perfectly adequate to do the "directed net" style once a week. We'll continue business as usual every evening. Consistency is the key -- don't want anyone to go so hard they burn out. Just maintain the lines of communication even if it's an in/out thing. I'll keep looking for everyone at sked time each evening! |
Guess I should have stuck around, I've never made a contact on 60m before 
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A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
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I dont know if ill make the net tonight xyl's b-day but... I decided to show the other arCOMers the one of the fl stations. http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj105/lilhitman2986/DSCN0617.jpg HT: Yaesu vx-5 with me on every backpacking trip Base/portable HF: FT-857D. It likes to go backpacking also… http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj105/lilhitman2986/DSCN0616.jpg And the newest member to the family is the Kenwood Ts-520 but it can’t talk so right now it just listens. I use home made dipoles and thats that |
Why no talkie? |
A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
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I've noticed that most stations audio is rather flat sounding. Although it may sound great under quiet conditions, having a little more punch to it to get through the noise is a good idea. It might be time for some of you guys to exercise and experiment wiht the audio processing a bit on your rigs and see what they'll do. They don't have to be turned up so you splatter like the guy/s on 7216 but a little ooomph in the audio wouldn't hurt. A shortwave receiver with a set of headphones and the RF gain turned down so it doesn't overload makes a good monitor to hear your audio and make adjustments. I run a straight non amplified dynamic mic on my Yaesu FT101ZD. Some processing is necessary to get decent output and get through the noise. Hopefully it is sounding ok on your end. Please advise if its over driving and sounding bad. I've been digging out my gear thats been packed away for about fifteen years and hope to soon have an SB-220 amplifier on line. There seems to be alot of stations that tune right under 7213 without listening above or below for activity. This is as rude as it gets and one of the primary reasons I took such a long break from ham radio. I was hoping that the internet had drawn most of the lids away from radio but there's still quite a few in there. Another reason to have audio that can be heard over their ajacent signal. When all else fails, CW will work no matter what the conditions. |
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Well tonight went to hell in a handbasket real quick. 7.212 occupied, so QSY'd to 7.227 Had lots of local lightning but I stayed on the air. Made contact via cw with AJ4xx and KC0xx but copy was rough. High winds locally had power flickering and could hear the 13.8K wires arching sending out S9+20db buzzing noise here making it rough copy. Sad to say but 40M operation almost mandates an amplifier to claim 2kc of band to operate without someone sliding right next to you. Nothing has changed since I took a fifteen year break from the hobby. Curious as to what power levels you guys are running on CW and how you are hearing my signal? I sometimes have a difficult time pulling you guys out of the noise. |
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very faintly received a signal on 7.213. might have been that 7.212 bleedover. no code tech, so it's listening only for me. for the time being. |
Isaiah 16:11 "Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp..."
thebeekeeper1: "We don't allow any kind of generalized bashing--except against the French."
Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
thebeekeeper1: "We don't allow any kind of generalized bashing--except against the French."
Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
I was running my Yaesu FT-1000D into a Hustler vertical at full power, which is 200W. On CW you and GT were about 579 with some complete fading out at times. Most of the time I had 100% copy but sometimes you'd drop into the noise for a bit. |
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
Don't get too frustrated, TommyGun. It's still better than 75m! We've been weeks now without any sunspots, so we're bottomed-out from a propagation standpoint. I don't want others reading this thread to get the impression that HF radio is too frustrating to be worth the effort. The fact remains that with our group getting on the air every night, we can almost always link everyone up for traffic passing if necessary.In the past few weeks (including during Monday night's Echolink net), I've relied on our HF sked to get messages to the rest of the group while my internet service was down. In fact, Monday night, the only station I could contact was TommyGun and we usually don't have good phone contact. So I used Morse Code via CW, the oldest emission type in the history of wireless communication, to tell TommyGun I would be absent from the Echolink net (which is Voice-over-IP, one of the newer types of internet communication). Also for last night, the upside to that story is TommyGun successfully contacted me with CW on 7213 (despite the loud interference from stations on 7212) and we were able to exchange new frequency information. He told me to QSY to 7.227, I acknowledged, and we hopped up there -- easy as pie. From an operational standpoint, that's extremely valuable practice. Rigs, Antennas, setups, interference (manmade or atmospheric) and propagation ("band conditions") are all pieces of the bigger pie. Operator skill is a huge factor and good skill can often overcome deficiencies in all the aforementioned areas. So let's everyone keep the faith in HF. While not perfect, it's still the best thing going when other options are out. PS TommyGun, FWIW I was using 100 watts last night for CW and Phone. ETA -- just to rehash my equipment, I use a Yaesu FT-857D (one of the cheapest modern rigs around and no mechanical filtering) or a Kenwood TS-520 (30-year-old tube-based technology, no filters) and my antenna is a homebrew 40m dipole in my attic. The dipole legs are zigzagged all through the rafters since the attic length is only like 25'. Just wanted everyone to know what can be accomplished with all the challenges listed above COMBINED with a very modest rig and compromised antenna setup. |
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QSL! My goal for later this year is to have a consistant S9 signal to you guys down in 4 land. In the process of repairing an amp and if the weather ever cooperates, I'll be getting my antennas up a bit higher. Been hot, rainy and lightning here everytime I've had the chance to get out and do some antenna work. Right now, there's a large storm (again) moving through the area with heavy rains and just had a couple of fairly close strikes. See everyone tonight on 7213. |
Yer gonna smoke my receiver... you're 20 over on good nights as it is
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A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
That net control on 7216 needs to be reported to the FCC! Band conditions are pretty good until he starts spewing his massive splatter.  ETA: He's gone and I can hear you two great now! |
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
I have a 1.8kHz filter and it doesn't get rid of him. I don't have a spectrum scope but tuning back and forth I think he's about 6kHz wide. What time does that net start? We should be there ragchewing on 216 someday before they start in. Frankly, we should probably just pick a different freq and move away from them
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A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
He's at least 6kc wide if not more......and I find his high pitched raspy voice is also annoying. If anyone gets a callsign on him, please post it here. I'd like to send him a love letter.  For all the valving he does, I've only heard a few other stations on that net in a month. |
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Great response on the net tonight, nine stations heard, Conditions were a bit rough but I was hearing all stations fairly well except one in Kentucky. Again guys, don't be afraid to boost the audio up a bit to compensate for the noise and splatter. I was purposely a bit louder than normal to cut through the crap. At the end of the net, a Florida station started calling right on 7211. He could have just as easily got on 7210, it was clear as a bell and wouldn't have interfered with the guys on 7213. I'll only tolerate that shit for so long then I'll be going off on some of these rude bastards. Standby for the fireworks. I got away from ham radio for these same reasons fifteen years ago and its still the same. |
Solid copy there... I got away from HF and into VHF/UHF work for the same reasons. When the VHF contest group broke up I just let radio go all together. 40 and 80 are populated with packs of lids like this. That and the summer static being hard on the ears is why I suggested a 20m sked. |
A nation that draws too broad a difference between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
Net control is coming in really nice at over S9, but the lightning is winning at +30. We just had some major storms come through. What's a guy to do?!?!  This the best signal I've heard on the net yet, and the weather is making it crazy as usual.
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Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
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Well I got ya checked in, you had a real nice signal also s9+ well get a longer QSO next time. -A KI4***
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Well the reason I haven't been around lately is I play amateur hockey. All of our games are on Sunday nights right now, and being the goalie, I can't really miss them. I do have a new net control radio coming. Traded a guy straight up my FT-817ND for his FT-857 non D but with DSP installed. I will be opening it up so I can use 60M if I ever get an antenna resonant for that band. Scott KJ4*** |