KC9BQA

   I want the info about this exciting net to stay on the front page.   Make sure to spread the word about this 144.205 activity every morning in a very wide area.  KA1ZE has a great station from a killer QTH.   For full details, click this link:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=4119   Take a few minutes to read that post and absorb what KA1ZE is doing.  
   This is such a valuable net, operating 7 days a week, in the morning hours when tropo is still good.

   This info comes from K5SW Sam, who’s been on VHF for decades.   He’s also been very helpful with 222 Tuesdays up and down the Plains. 
   “The new net from AR is the ‘AR Night Flyers VHF Net’ @0100 GMT on Fridays on 144.230.  Net control is KC5LVK in EM34.  Alternate net control is N0QCN in EM45.”
    On March 11th, I received more info via email from net control KC5LVK Anthony. 
    “Thanks for posting the (net) info. I have a group on FaceBook under Night Flyers 2M SSB Net. This is where i post the check-ins and i will not be able to run the net every Friday night so i post that info there also. nightflyers2mssb@groups.facebook.com
    I dont know anything about running a website so thanks again for helping get the word out. Within the next week or so we are installing a 50 ft crankup and a rcf 2-117 amp with an 11-element Cush Craft beam. Hopefully we will be able to get up your way some day. The net starts at 8pm local and i turn the beam with the big hand of the clock. 73 and thanks again for helping out.”
    Many readers to the south of WI can get into an Arkansas net.  Up here, this is a possible tropo beacon.  Remember this new net out of AR on 144.230 Friday nights at 8pm.

    Here goes Ohio again, improving VHF.     Prior to this winter, I didn’t know about any of these nets.   I want to thank a few net check-ins and emailers for letting me know about these options.  
    To keep this post short, I’ll refer you to this link:   http://kc9bqa.com/?p=3916   Full details are there.   I can vouch first-hand for the EN71 net control, KD8IME.   Bob always puts a nice signal into my SE WI QTH from his location in NW OH.

   WV9E and W9RPM continue to improve and expand their 146.460 FM Simplex net from the La Crosse, WI area, grid EN43.   They get on at 8:30pm central every Thursday and are now using a vertical beam to find more DX.    WV9E has a nice VHF website, too.   It’s at wv9e.net.  Email WV9E if you’re DX and you want them to find you with the beam. 
   If there are any other active FM simplex nets in/near WI, I’ll be happy to promote them.  Provided they are actively looking for signals beyond a small radius of “locals”.

   3:40 pm Thursday —
  Remember there’s plenty of options on Thursday nights.   Want more info about N9JBW’s Q5 net or the SWOT net hosted by AB8XG?  Click this link:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=4201

    There are many good chat rooms for ham radio at on4kst.com.  The one I refer to here is the “144-432 MHz IARU Region 2 chat”  This USA/VE/XE chat was created by ON4KST himself on March 10, 2011.   Very glad that Alain did this for us, free of charge.   What a wonderful service he is providing to hams across the globe.  If you’re ever inclined to send him a free-will donation to help with servers and bandwidth, please do so.  

    Looking at the chat this morning, I noticed we’ve now passed the 2000 registered users mark.  That’s a nice way to celebrate the recent 1-year anniversary of the USA VHF room. 

    If you have a computer near your SSB/CW VHF gear, get in the habit of logging into this chat, and posting 1) what you’re hearing on the bands and 2) what freq. and direction(s) you are currently CQ’ing on.   By doing this, you will increase the number of contacts made on our bands. 
    Of course, the first priority with improving activity is to actually be on the air.  Gabbing in a computer chat room is secondary.  I look at the VHF chat as a tool, not a destination.   Of course, we need to call CQ on 144.200, swing our yagis, look around and stir up activity.  That’s the #1 priority if you want healthy bands. 
    BUT… so many times, weak-signal VHF’ers comment there’s not enough activity on the bands.  It might be hard to find a local club or repeater guys to talk with about horizontally-polarized yagis, omni loops or Big Wheels, high-quality coax, low-noise preamps and other VHF topics.   So a chat dedicated for VHF and UHF’ers can really help.  

    Do everything you can to spread the word about on4kst.com real-time ham chat to your VHF/UHF friends.  Get in the habit of logging in when you’re near the rigs.  Tell the chat what you’re hearing and who you are working.   When we get to the point where guys in many states and grids are doing this regularly, you will see (hear, I mean) a big increase in signals you can work. 

    The simple steps for signing up and logging in are at this post:   http://kc9bqa.com/?p=3765

    I know most guys are in a hurry so they won’t click back a page or two to see what’s been posted in the last month.  So I’m “bumping” the Spring Sprints info to make sure it stays on the front page. 
    For my March 12th post about this year’s Spring VHF and Up Sprints, use this link:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=4328   All the dates and bands are there.   Spread this info in your own backyard. 

    The first sprint is 2 meters, from 7-11pm local time on Monday, April 11th.   Get your station in tip-top shape, get your rovermobile outfitted, start planning your route now.  I hear it’s going to be 55 and clear that night, with a touch of humidity and great tropo conditions. 
    Want to add that one rover is already talking about going out on April 11th.  KA9RSL writes:  “I plan to work the 2 meter sprint from EN60, EN61, EN70 and EN71.  I will be using a stacked pair of 2 meter horizontal loops.   Running 200 watts.”  
http://keithmillerphotography.com/show/cq/2meterrover.jpg  

    EDIT EDIT EDIT 1pm Sunday April 3rd —   Did a poor job of proofreading the dates I typed in for my March 12th post I linked to above.   Just so there’s no confusion, the 222 spring is on Tuesday evening, April **19th**, from 7-11pm your local time.   The 432 sprint is on Wednesday evening, April **27th**  The days of the week were right; I typed in the wrong dates.
    If you shared the info with the wrong dates for the 222 and 432 sprints, can you correct it in your own area?  Sorry for the trouble.

    If you’re looking for info about the BC’ers get-together tomorrow night, at the Radisson hotel, north side of Milwaukee, click here:   http://kc9bqa.com/?p=4316  
    Everything you want to know is there, plus a general overview of the the BC club, how to join, etc.  Take a few minutes and absorb that info.   I am a BC’er, but I won’t be able to attend tomorrow night. 

    If you want a graphic of the 175-mile circle that is Badger Contester territory, click here please:  http://www.badgercontesters.org/club_area.html   When you view that circle, please note that much of southern Upper MI, western Lower MI, northern IL, northeast IA and far southeast MN are all within the BC circle.  You fellows are more than welcome to join.   More info about joining is in the link I posted in the first sentence up above.   Overall, the BC’ers are a dues-free, low-key, low-stress outfit.  We are always looking for more VHF’ers who will submit their contest scores to ARRL, listing “Badger Contesters” as their club affiliation.

   If you need more info about AES Superfest, in Milwaukee this Saturday and Sunday, click on this link:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=4225

  6am Thursday —
  Big thanks to Mark, Bob and Terry for sending along their net reports via email.  You fellows are helping out 2m SSB so much. 
   WB9LYH said that propagation to the east last night was tough.  Mark also said that there was lots of talk about AES Superfest (which is this weekend in Milwaukee — visit here:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=4225 for more info), and many guys are talking about antenna and tower work.   Must be springtime.  🙂 
   Mark’s 23 check-ins were:   N9NYA EN43;  N9OLT EN64;  KA0PQW EN33;  N8WNA EN82;  WB8AUK EN80;  KC8ZJL EN71;  KA9OMY and N9KOR EN44;  K9CCL and KC9AZ EN61;  W9YZU EM69;  K9KHW EN63;  WA9BNZ EN40;  N0IRS and KD0FEI EM29;  WV9E EN43;  WB0YWW, KG0SJ and WB0YNA EN22;  W0HXL EN21;  K0NY EN44;  W0VB EN34 and K0SIX EN35.   I don’t recall seeing WB8AUK’s call in the 144.240 net log before.  Welcome and thanks for being on 2m SSB. 

    K8TQK heard from 15 hams last night:  KD8OEK, AC8IS, KC8YXA, KG8EK, KD8DJE, K1YAK, WT8E, and W8WG all EM89;  N8WNA and K8JA EN82;  WB8AUK EN80; K8GDT EN91;  W2KV in FN20 takes the DX award again;  W9YZU EM69 and W8NJR EN70.  
    We need the word to spread to many states out east and down south that K8TQK is back on 144.250, starting at 0030Z.   A station like Bob’s can get out 400-500 miles, with normal conditions, to other strong stations.  So draw a 500-mile circle centered on south-central OH, and enjoy the activity on Wed. nights. 

    KA0KYZ said that signals were relatively strong, but so was the QSB.  He called it “interesting”.   Sounds like what we’ve been hearing all winter.  Guys will be S7 for a time, then fade to S1 or S0 before picking back up.  Despite this, contacts in the 200-400 mile range are being made every week, all winter long.   THAT’S why we need to spread the word about 2m SSB/CW.   I bet less than 20% of hams know that this is even possible on 2m, with a decent yagi (horizontally polarized) good feedline, and at least 50-100w out. 
    Terry’s 13 check-ins were:  N9NYA and WV9E EN43;  K0NY EN44;  N9OLT EN64;  W8BYA EN70;  WB0YWW, KG0SJ and WB0YNA EN22;  N0IRS and KD0FEI EM29;  W0HXL EN21;  K0SIX EN35 and K9KHW EN63.