KC9BQA

12:30pm Thur.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Great to see the 144.240 net out of EN54cl, central WI, had a lot of activity last night.   Numbers have been very strong and we appreciate all of you who are helping to keep 2 meter SSB lively.
The 22 check-ins were:  K9UHF, KB9PSE and N9EM EN53;  KD9BGY, K9ILU, N9JBW, W9SUS and K9CCL EN61;  WB8LNG EM79;  K8TQK EM89;  AC8GD and W8SOL EN71;  KC9VHD and AB9QH EN62;  WA9JML EN51;  N9RXM EN41;  W9UIJ EN52;  WA9BNZ and W9BBP EN40;  W1JWS EN50;  KA0SWR EM28 and W0HXL EN21.
Pleased to welcome KA0SWR to the net.  EM28 is a long haul from EN54, so I imagine the bands were up a little last night.  We used to have several check-ins from the KC metro area so it’s good to hear from MO again.

The 144.240 net is called every Wed. at 8pm central/9pm eastern.  Eastern time zone is always looked at first.
Net control is WB9LYH in EN54cl, central WI, near WI Rapids, or a good hour+ west of Green Bay.  WB9LYH has a big signal — stacked 17B2’s and 500 watts from a ridgetop QTH.  Plus Mark enjoys pushing the propagation limits so DX is encouraged to give it a try.   Antenna pattern from central WI is NE and E to start, then SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next 45 minutes or so.  All licensed amateurs are welcome.  The net is informal and the purpose is to increase activity on 2 meter SSB.  We always appreciate you helping to spread the word.

** Net control WB9LYH advises he will be OFF on Wed. Dec. 28th.  The net will resume on Wed., Jan. 4th, 2017**

8:45 am Monday

Back on Dec. 7th, 144.240 net control WB9LYH said, “Very high noise tonight, we managed.”  Mark had 16 check-ins:  AC8GD and KC8ZJL EN71;  K9CCL and KD9BGY EN61;  WA9JML EN51;  W1JWS EN50;  N9EM EN53;  N9ARB and W9UIJ EN52;  WA9BNZ, WB0SWQ and W9BBP EN40;  N9RXM EN41;  W0HXL EN21; W0ANH EN47 and KB9MIV EM59.
This past Wed. (Dec. 14th), Mark’s comment was, “Conditions were difficult, variable propagation and lots of noise.”  The 17 check-ins were:  WB8AHT EN72;  W8YXT, AC8GD, W8SOL, N9YK AND N8JGG EN71;  K9CCL and K9ILU EN61;  KC9VHD EN62;  WA9JML EN51;  WB8LNG EM79;  W9BBP, WA9GNZ and WB0SWQ EN40;  W1JWS EN50;  N9RXM EN41 and W0HXL EN21.

Thanks everyone for making this a great net.  So many check-ins in different directions.  EN47 is far NE MN, near the Canadian border.  EM59 is down near St. Louis.  EN21 is SW IA.  EM89 is southern OH.  That’s a lot of territory to cover on the 2 meter band.  Especially with flat to tough band conditions in the dead of winter.
The 144.240 net is called every Wed. by WB9LYH Mark in EN54cl, central WI, near WI Rapids.  Start time is 8pm central/9pm eastern.  Eastern time zone is always looked at first.  All licensed amateurs are welcome; the net is informal and the purpose is to increase activity on 2 meter SSB.
If you need more info about the 144.240 net, consult the 2nd half of a post I made on Nov. 18th here at kc9bqa.com.

**  WB9LYH expects to call the net this Wed. — Dec. 21st — as usual.  Mark expects he will be OFF on Dec. 28th. **

10am Monday  (If you’re looking for last Wed’s 144.240 net report, scroll down 2 posts)

Since it’s Monday, here’s a repeat of what I originally posted on Nov. 14th.

If you’ve been visiting kc9bqa.com for some years, you already know about many of the nets and activity nights we’ve been promoting since 2009.
But time passes, and (hopefully) we get new visitors, so I like to repost info and keep it fresh.

There’s a big 2 meter SSB net on Monday nights.  It’s called by K8TQK Bob, who’s located in EM89je, or south-central OH.  Starts at 8:30pm *eastern*.  It’s on 144.252 because K8TQK has a big birdie right on 144.250.  Bob has long yagis and good power from a hilltop QTH and he gets out forever.  When I was on the air, I could work him on a 392-mile path (from my QTH just north of Milwaukee) even under flat conditions 95% of the time.
The antenna pattern from K8TQK’s south-central OH location is North to start, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW over the next 45-60 minutes.  All times estimated, never know which direction might be busier on a given night.  As with any net, be flexible and patient.  Typically K8TQK is looking NW toward Chicago and WI about 8-8:30pm *central* time.

For some years, K8TQK partnered with us on Wed. nights.  The goal (with using a few strong net controls spaced apart by several hundred miles) was to cover 20-30 states.  Had a lot of fun with this and even now, with the switch to Mondays by K8TQK, his net follows an active one out of Northern GA.  There’s a lot to listen to on Monday nights.

Honestly, to stay on top of all this activity, a VHF’er should be logged into that ON4KST.com ham chat.  Specifically talking about the “IARU Region 2 Chat for 144-432 MHz”   I haven’t been there in many months and just spending a half hour to buzz thru the chat archives (they have a dropdown menu in the upper left with several dozen useful options) I can see that nearly every night, there’s something going on.   This is such a valuable tool to help connect VHF’ers who might not otherwise know what’s going on.

10am  Monday

I haven’t made a specific post about 222 Tuesday in quite a while.

Occasionally when I review the chat archives at the IARU Region 2 Chat for 144-432 MHz at www.on4kst.com, I look to see how 222 Tuesday is doing.  Well, it looks like it is holding its own, which I’m glad to see.

If you’re wondering what 222 Tuesday is, let me explain.   If you already have 222 gear, you can skip down below these next 3  paragraphs.
Back in the heyday of weak-signal VHF/UHF, guys had an informal agreement that Monday was 144 MHz night, Tuesday was 222 MHz night and Wednesday was 432 MHz night.
222 MHz is a great band with a low-activity problem.   I had 222 for years and it *always* was an S-unit or 2 better than my 144, and I had the same antenna gain, height and power levels on both bands.  Plus 222 is quieter.  So if you are serious about enjoying weak-signal VHF/UHF bands, you really should do yourself a favor and step up to 222 MHz.
The reason some guys don’t get on 222 is because it’s hard to find commercially-available gear for 222 SSB.  You basically have 2 paths:  1)  step up to a transverter.  I’m the last guy to talk intelligently about transverters because quite honestly, I am an appliance operator.  But a good transverter will do the best job, from a specs standpoint.  Ask other experienced VHF’ers or start poking around on Google.  The #2 path) is to find used Yaesu FT-736R’s that have the *OPTIONAL* 222 MHz module installed.   Look around hard enough at various ham classified forums and you will eventually find FT-736R’s.  You also have the rare Icom 375H or 375A rigs, but they are very pricey, if you can even find one for sale.

On to how 222 Tuesday works…
222 Tuesday is a general activity night.  It is not a directed net and if you sit around and “just listen” you may or may not hear a thing.  It is far better if you actually get on/near 222.100 and call some CQ’s in various directions, to get something started.
222 Tuesday starts about 8pm eastern/7pm central and I suspect it would be busiest during the first 30-60 minutes.  BUT… get on when you can, make some noise and look around in different directions.  Also consider following along at the ON4KST.com ham chat.  Talking specifically about the IARU Region 2 Chat for 144-432 MHz.  There are guys in different states posting who they’re working and where they are looking, which really helps perk things up.  If you are diligent about playing along on 222 Tuesdays, and you let others know where you are and that you are looking for contacts, you could get some nice momentum going in a few weeks.

FOR THE FM’ERS…
I would get on/near 223.500 FM simplex and see what you can stir up.  No reason 222 Tuesday can’t include all modes.  It’s just that you get superior range on 222.100 SSB.

Resolve in 2017 to get more signals on 222 MHz.  Start spreading the word to VHF-curious ham buddies.  Encourage them to use this fine band.

9:45am Monday

The 144.240 net had 18 check-ins last Wed.  Net control WB9LYH said in his emailed net report, “Weather was lousy but signals were great.”  Check-ins were AC8GD, W8SOL and W8YXT EN71;  W9EWZ, W9UIJ and N9ARB EN52;  WA9HIR, K9CCL, N9JBW, KC9RIO and KD9BGY EN61;  KC9VHD, KD9HAJ and AB9QH EN62;  WA9BNZ EN40;  N9RXM and NG9K EN41 and WB9TFH EN53.  What a great turnout on a dreary late fall evening!
Also pleased to note 2 new all-time check-ins to our net.  KD9HAJ is not only new to 2m SSB, but is a new ham.  Welcome and thanks for saying hello.  N9ARB also checked in for the first time.  Hello to you out in Freeport, IL.

Net control WB9LYH expects to be on the next few Wednesdays at the usual start time of 8pm central/9pm eastern.  If  you need more particulars about the 144.240 net, read the bottom half of the post dated Nov. 18th — right below this post at kc9bqa.com.