KC9BQA

   10:30am  Wed. 
   I’m going to call off the 144.240 net tonight.  I thought I’d be on tonight, but too many things have come up. 
   As mentioned in the post below, WB9LYH is OFF both tonight and Wed., Mar. 7th.  I will also be gone next Wed. — sorry for the two week break, but that’s how it goes sometimes.    Of course, anyone is free to pick up the mic and call CQ at 0100Z/7pm central.  Might have some fun that way. 

   ENJOY THE K8TQK NET ON 144.250 at 0130Z/8:30pm eastern/7:30pm central.  Bob gets on from EM89je, far south-central OH with a big signal.  Starts out looking north, then slowly rotates clockwise a full 360 over the next hour or so.   K8TQK SHOULD BE ON BOTH TONIGHT AND NEXT WED. 

   Remember this link:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=5017   That link has details about many different nets and activity periods, spread across many states, bands and all 7 days of the week.

K8TQK has resolved his rotor problem and should be on 144.250 at the usual time of 0130Z/8:30pm eastern every Wed.  Bob’s location is EM89je, far south-central OH.  Read my Feb. 20 post about how far Bob can get out.  Talking 20-25 US states plus VE-3 land in Canada.  We appreciate you DX stations trying to check-in and ask everyone to help spread the word about our nets.

With the 144.240 net, I now know that WB9LYH is *unavailable* the next two Weds.
On Feb. 29th, I will be net control from EN63ao, or 40 miles north of Milwaukee.  I start out looking north, and then slowly edge clockwise a full 360 over the next 60-90 minutes, calling CQ often.
On March 7th, I will also be *unavailable*.  It’s possible the 144.240 net will be quiet that night.  Or someone else is more than welcome to come forward and keep it alive.  K8GDT did this for K8TQK recently and we were all grateful for the help.  If you’re interested in pinch hitting on Mar 7th with the 144.240 net, email me and I’ll be happy to help.  Calling a net is no big deal, believe me.  We keep it friendly and informal.   Does help if you have a good station that can get out at least a few hundred miles.

7am Sunday —
Better late than never…
This past Wed., WB9LYH reported marginal conditions and not too many stations on the air.  On 144.240 at 0100Z, Mark heard from:  N9OLT EN64;  KY9E EN53;  KC9CLM and NT9E EN52;  N9JBW and K9CCL EN61;  WB8AUK EN80;  K9ZO EN50;  W9BBP and WA9BNZ EN40;  N0IRS EM29 (who also relayed in KD0FEI);  KA0KYZ EN33;  K0SIX EN35;  and VE3KRP EN58.

K8TQK’s 17 check-ins on 144.250 at 0130Z were:   N8WNA EN82;  N8DJB EN81;  WB8AUK EN80;  K8GDT and KD8FHY EN91;  W2UAD FN13;  WA2FGK FN21;  K8WFN EN90;  AC3L/M FN00;  KF8MW and W8WG EM89;  K4XXX EM97;  KI4ROF EM55;  WA4REE EM65;  KY4MRG EM77;  WB9LYH EN54;  and KF8MY EM84.

Stand by while I make a short post about our net control schedules for the next two weeks…

   4:40pm Monday
   Just got email from K8TQK.  Bob says his rotor problem has been fixed and he’ll be back on with his 144.250 net this Wednesday, at 0130Z or 8:30pm eastern time.  K8TQK’s in EM89je, or far south-central OH.  His signal gets out a long, long ways.  Under normal conditions, Bob has reach into the following states/provinces:  ONT, MI, IN, OH, NY, PA, NJ, MD, DE, WVA, VA, NC/SC, GA, AL, MS, TN, KY, IL, plus parts of E AR, E MO, E IA, SE MN and S WI.  I hope some night he can work 20 states or more with a single net.  All it takes is guys who are on, and pointing his way. 
    Remember that K8TQK starts his net by pointing north, then he slowly swings clockwise, going NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW over the next hour or so. 

    This Wed. on 144.240, we also will have WB9LYH in EN54cl — smack dab in the middle of WI.  Mark starts his net at 0100Z, or 7pm central time.  He also has an exceptional 2m signal.   Stacked 17B2’s and 500w from a ridgetop location.  WB9LYH has made many QSO’s in the 400-500 mile range to well-equipped stations while he’s run this net the past few years. 

     BOTH OUR NET CONTROLS LOVE DX CHECK-INS.  We would appreciate it very much if you’d help spread the word farther and farther.  Warmer weather will be here in a month or two, and neat things will start happening, IF we have enough activity. 

     Also, please remember to call your own CQ’s at any time.   Everything we do here is to encourage more overall 2m SSB/CW activity at any time.  30-40 guys saying hello to a single net control is nice, and we appreciate it.  BUT… when you get a few dozen guys in different states and grids calling CQ in various directions, that’s what really makes for a lively and enjoyable band.  Don’t fall into the passive trap of “just listening”.  Be an active CQ’er and improve activity levels.

  10:30pm Wed.

  I thought conditions to the east and southeast tonight were not-so-great.  Plus the band was just generally noisy.  W9WZJ in Indy was pretty loud, though.  Had a good group to the east; hope I didn’t miss anyone.   Hard to say what conditions were like to the S thru W, as nobody was on from IL, MO or IA.  I was pleasantly surprised with conditions to the NW.  K0SIX and N9KOR were above normal. 
   My check-ins tonight were:  N9OLT EN64;  N8WNA EN82;  K8GDT EN91;  KD8IME and WD9DSN EN71;  WB8AUK EN80 — first time checking into this net — welcome Dave.  Continuing… WE9K and N9NDP EN62;  W9WZJ EM69;  KC9CLM EN52;  KY9E and WB9TFH EN53;  K0SIX EN35 and N9KOR EN44. 

   K8GDT had 7 check-ins:  WB8AUK EN80;  N8WNA and K8JA EN82;  KD8IME EN71;  NF8O and KD8FHY EN91 and KB8DNA EN81. 

   On Feb. 22nd we’ll have WB9LYH on 144.240 at 0100Z, from EN54cl, middle of WI. 
   K8GDT will again take the 144.250 net from EN91bf, just a bit south of Cleveland, at 0130Z.  
   If there are any changes, I will post the info here.

   7:15am  Friday — 
   WB9LYH reported some good conditions two nights ago, but less so to the south.  Mark had 18 check-ins and one relay with the 144.240 net called from EN54cl, central WI. 
   N9OLT EN64;  KY9E EN53; N9YK, WD9DSN and KC8ZJL EN71;  KC9AZ EN61;  WE9K EN62;  N8WNA EN82;  N9KOR EN44; KC9CLM EN52;  WA9BNZ EN40;  K9WKW EN43;  N0IRS EM29 (KD0FEI also EM29 was relayed in by N0IRS);  KG0SJ and WB0YWW EN22;  K0SIX and KC0RQH EN35 and N9GLO EN45.  
 
    The 144.240 net for Feb. 15th will have me — KC9BQA — as net control.  Same time (0100Z/7pm central) and same rotation as always.  Start out looking north, then call CQ every 20-30 degrees around the compass, going clockwise (E, then S, then W and back to N at the end) over the next 60-90 minutes.  I’m located 40 miles north of Milwaukee, grid EN63ao. 
   
    K8GDT again pinch hit for K8TQK.  Bob’s got a rotator problem.    K8GDT is about 20 miles SSW of Cleveland, in EN91bf.
    Wed. night, Gerry had 7 check-ins:
    N8WNA EN82;  VE3VII FN03;  WB8AUK EN80;  KD8FHY and NF8O EN91;  N8ZRD EM79 and AC3L/M FN00.  
    We already know that K8GDT will take the 144.250 net again on Wed., Feb. 15th — 0130Z/8:30pm eastern start.  Gerry starts out looking north, then calls CQ often in a clockwise pattern over the next 30-60 minutes.

   10am Tuesday —
   I’ve had good email communication with WB9LYH, K8TQK and K8GDT.  Thanks guys. 
   What we now know is this: 
   Wed., Feb. 8th — WB9LYH EN54cl will take the 144.240 net at 0100Z from Central WI. 
   K8GDT EN91bf will take the 144.250 net at 0130Z from about 20 miles south of Cleveland.  Both nets start out looking N, and then go clockwise a full 360, calling CQ frequently, over the next hour or so.   (K8TQK is off for a while with rotator problems.  Thanks to Gerry K8GDT for pitching in.) 
  
   Feb. 15th — I take the 144.240 net, at 0100Z, from EN63ao, 40 miles north of Milwaukee
   K8GDT will again pinch hit for K8TQK.  Gerry will call the 144.250 net at 0130Z, from EN91bf, just south of Cleveland.

   7am Thursday — 
   Again, want to thank K8GDT in EN91bf for pinch-hitting for K8TQK, who’s down with a rotor problem.  Gerry took the 144.250 net at 0130Z last night and found 7 check-ins:  N8WNA and K8JA EN82;  W8BYA EN70;  WA8CEW and N8FO EN91;  KD8IME EN71 and VA3ELE FN03.  Gerry also indicated he is available next week.  Sounds like we’ll have a 144.250 net one way or another.  I’ll post next week’s net lineup here by Monday or Tuesday. 

   With the 144.240 net at 0100Z, I had 14 check-ins, plus a few mysteries I couldn’t dig out last night.  I thought conditions were below normal.  Here’s my check-ins:  N9OLT EN64;  N8WNA EN82;  K8GDT EN91;  KD8IME, KC8ZJL and WD9DSN EN71;  W8BYA EN70;  KB9RDS EM79 (Steven heard me and was relayed in by W8BYA.  I never heard a peep from KB9RDS, yet N9OLT who’s 60 miles north of me, heard him S3 at one point!)  Also had WE9K EN62;  N9LB and KB9PSE EN52;  K0NY EN44;  KA0KYZ EN33 and KA0JW EN34 with a nice signal from near Mankato, southern part of the grid.

    ALSO HAD A 6 METER NET UPDATE FROM KD8IME HIMSELF — Bob mentioned that the Great Lakes 6m SSB Net on Saturday, on 50.170,  is now starting at 0000Z/or 7pm eastern time.   This is called from EN71, NW OH.  Bob says he starts out looking south, then west, north and east at the end.   I will update this info at the big link to nets galore, from all over the Midwest and Great Lakes.  That link is here:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=5017

   If it’s February, that means the annual Milwaukee Radio Amateurs Club FM Simplex Contest is just around the corner. 
   This event gets the simplex portions of bands like 52, 146, 223 and 446 MHz really hopping.  It’s always had good participation. 
   Go here:  http://www.w9rh.org/fm_simplex_contest.htm for all the details.  Make sure that once you’re there, you also click on the link at the bottom, in the middle, that says “FM Contest Rules”   That will answer any questions you might have.  Lot of helpful hints and tips there.

    10pm Tuesday —

    Just got email from K8GDT Gerry, a little bit south of Cleveland.  He’s volunteered to take the 144.250 net for this week.  K8TQK’s rotor is giving him trouble.   Gerry will do the net same way Bob does —  0130Z/8:30pm eastern time start.  Start out pointing north, then E, S and W, over the next hour or so. 

    So help get the word out that the 144.250 net will be ON after all, for Wed., Feb 1st.   Thanks Gerry, hope you have fun.

    Hopefully with this widespread mild weather, we will have some band enhancement tomorrow night and the rest of the week.  The Hepburn Tropo Forecast maps hint at this — especially as you head farther south.