KC9BQA

  11am Thur.

  Last night, WB9LYH reported good signals from the southeast, with nobody on from the west.  Mark’s 12 check-ins to the 144.240 net were:  N9OLT EN64;  K8IHY EN72;  KG9QT, KC9WSS, KC9RIO, K9CCL and N9JBW EN61;  N8WNA EN82;  N9YK EN71;  KC9CLM/M EN52 and W9BBP and WA9BNZ EN40. 

   WB9LYH wants everyone to know he expects to be on next Wednesday.  Same start time of 8pm central.  The 144.240 net from EN54cl, Central WI now starts at 8pm central/9pm eastern year-round.   Antenna pattern from Central WI (near WI Rapids) is NE, then E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next 45-60 mins. 

   
   K8TQK calls the 144.252 net every Monday at 8:30pm eastern time.   K8TQK’s QTH is EM89je, far south-central OH.  Bob’s antenna pattern is also N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW over the next 45-60 mins. 
   This Monday, K8TQK had 14 check-ins:  WM8I and KB8JNE EN80;  W3IP FM19;  KB3TNZ FN11;  WD4NMV EM85;  N1GC EM95;  W4LES and W4IMD EM84;  WB7PMP EM88;  WA4REE EM65;  KI4ROF EM55;  WB8ART and N8XA EM79 and KB8GUE EM89

   7:45pm  Thur.

   Just like last week, WB9LYH again had a great net.  Mark’s 20 check-ins to the 144.240 Wed. net were:  WA8YLZ EN63;  K8RS EN72;  N8WNA EN82;  KA9VDU EN53;  KC9RIO and K9CCL EN61;  K8TQK EM89;  K9VX EM79;  W8SOL and KC8ZJL EN71;  WD9DCW EN52;  WB9TFH EN53;  W9BBP, WB0SWQ and WA9BNZ EN40;  W1JWS EN50;  KC9RJI EN41;  KC9CLM EN52;  KG0SJ EN22 and KA8TBW EN61.  
    Pleased to welcome WD9DCW and KA8TBW to this net.  Always good to have more signals on 2m SSB. 

   WB9LYH expects to be on next Wed., as usual.   Please know that the 144.240 Wed. net from Wisconsin (Look toward EN54cl, Central WI) will now have the same start time year-round.  Again, that start time is 8pm central/9pm eastern, all 52 weeks of the year.  
   All licensed amateurs are welcome.  The net is informal and the purpose is to stir up more activity on 2m SSB.  Whether you are DX or local, we appreciate you saying hello.  WB9LYH has stacked 17B2’s and 500 watts from a ridgetop QTH.  He loves pushing the propagation limits, so let those stations in that 400-800 mile range know to look his way on Wed. nights.   It’s a lot of fun to catch the occasional band opening. 

    Many times, hams don’t know where or when to find signals on bands like 144, 222 or 432 MHz.  They get discouraged and give up.  This is a correctable situation.  Spread the word to hams about what is possible on the SSB/CW portions of bands like 50, 144, 222 and 432 MHz.   For more info about many nets and activity nights in a wide area surrounding WI and the Great Lakes, visit posts dated Oct. 13, 15 and 17th, 2013 at kc9bqa.com.   Also see my heartfelt advice about calling your own CQ’s in the post below this one. 
    

     Every Monday night, K8TQK in EM89je, south-central OH, calls the 144.252 net at 8:30pm eastern.  Bob’s antenna pattern is N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW over the next 45-60 minutes.   K8TQK has a whopping signal and gets out 300-400+ miles under flat band conditions (to stations with good horizontal yagis in the clear, plus low-loss coax). 
     I still publish K8TQK’s net reports because Bob partnered with us on Wed. nights for several years. 
     This Monday, K8TQK’s 20 check-ins were:  N8AIA EN82;  KC8RRT EN81;  K4XXX EN91;  KB3TNZ FN11;  AC3L/M FN00;  KB3CXQ FM09;  N8XA and KB9RDS EM79;  WB4IXU EM86;  WA4NJP, W4IMD and W4VAS EM84;  N1GC EM95;  WA4REE EM65;  KI4ROF EM55;  WB7PMP EM88;  KB8GUE EM89;  K9LIU EN61;  KG9GT EN61 and KC9CLM EN52.

  6am  Thur.

  WB9LYH reported “best propagation in a long time” in his emailed net report.  Last night with the 144.240 net from EN54cl (Central WI, near WI Rapids), WB9LYH had 19 check-ins:  KC9PEG EN45;  K9CCL, KC9RIO and N9JBW EN61;  W1AW/8 (N8WNA) EN82;  W8SOL EN71;  K8TQK EM89;  WB9MXX EN62;  K8DZ EM79;  WB8AUK EN80;  N9XKH and KC9CLM/M EN52;  WB0SWQ, WA9BNZ and W9BBP EN40;  K0DPL EN42;  KA8FFM EN56;  N0IRS EM29 and WB0YWW EN22.  
  
   WB9LYH would like everyone to know he expects to be around next week.  Again, start time is 8pm central/9pm eastern every Wed. for the 144.240 net out of EN54cl, Central WI.  Antenna pattern is NE, then E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next hour or so. 

  
    K8TQK had 20 check-ins to the 144.252 net, called every Monday at 8:30pm eastern from EM89je, south-central OH.  Antenna pattern is North first, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW over the next 45-60 minutes. 
    Bob’s list for Oct. 13th included:  N8WNA EN82;  W8SOL EN71;  VE3VII FN03;  KD8JQ EN91;  AC3L/M FN00;  W2UAD FN13;  W3IP FM19;  KO4YC FM17;  KJ4YZB FM07;  N1GC EM95;  WD4NMV EM85;  W4LES and W4IMD EM84;  N4TLL EM87;  WB4IXU EM86;  WB8ART and N8XA EM79;  KB8GUE EM89;  WB0SWQ EN40 and K9ILU EN61. 

   
    There are many other fine nets and activity periods for bands like 50, 144, 222 and 432 MHz.  I encourage you to visit posts at kc9bqa.com dated Oct 13, 15 and 17, 2013.  I go thru the options in detail there.  Help spread the word — get more signals on the air.   So many hams don’t know where or when to find the activity. 

     FINALLY — IT’S ALSO WORTH MENTIONING that the best recipe for healthy bands is to call random CQ’s at any old time.  Create your own activity.  It’s so easy to fall into the rut of “just listening”.  If 20 guys are all near their rigs “just listening” and nobody calls CQ, then everyone thinks the band is dead.   CALL CQ, CALL CQ.  Swing the yagis around, call in different directions.  Get something started.

   8pm Thur. 

   I have WB9LYH’s 144.240 net report from last night.  Mark took 13 check-ins:  W8KX EN72;  N9JBW and K9CCL EN61;  W8SOL and N9YK EN71;  KC9CLM/M and N9NMS EN52;  KA9DVU EN53;  WA9BNZ and WB0SWQ EN40;  WB0YWW EN22 and W0ANH EN47.    Nice turnout on a pleasant fall evening.   
  
   *WB9LYH would like everyone to know that he expects to be around next week.  Look toward EN54cl, Central WI (near WI Rapids, to be precise) at 8pm central.  Please also note that this net will stay at the 8pm central/9pm eastern start time all 52 weeks of the year now. *

 
   There’s no 144.252 net report this week because K8TQK in EM89je (south-central OH) had thunderstorms on top of him at net time.  The 144.252 net is on at 8:30pm eastern every Monday.   All licensed amateurs are welcome.

   7am Thur.

   REMEMBER THE FALL SPRINTS ARE UNDERWAY.  NEXT ONE IS 432 MHz on Wed., Oct 8th, from 7-11pm.  
   Fall sprint info is 2 posts down, dated Sept. 18th. 

   Light rain but mild this morning.  Was low 50’s when we went to bed, and now it’s 59.   Tonight’s forecast is for plenty of showers and storms across the Midwest.  The Vikings/Packers game tonight could end up being a real sloppy one; should be fun.  🙂 

   WB9LYH emailed his 144.240 net report.  Mark reported lots of noise on the bands last night.  He had 10 check-ins plus a near-miss.  Check-ins were:  KC9PEG EN45;  K9CCL and N9JBW EN61;  WM8I EN80;  KA9VDU EN53;  N9NDP EN62;  KC9CLM/M (presumably EN52);  N9KOR EN44;  WB0YWW and KG0SJ EN22.  WB8AHT in EN72, Central MI was on board via the ON4KST.com chat, and heard bits and pieces but Mark didn’t have quite enough to make a valid contact. 
    Appreciate WB8AHT giving it a try and want to acknowledge new check-in KC9PEG.  Always glad for the new signals. 

   Back on Monday night, K8TQK had 17 check-ins to his 144.252 net.  This net is called at 8:30pm eastern, look toward EM89je, or far south-central OH.  Bob has a whopper of a signal and works well-equipped stations out to 400+ miles.  His antenna pattern is north to start, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW over the next 45-60 minutes. 
   I type up K8TQK’s check-ins because a few years back, he helped expand our range greatly when we ran coordinated nets on Wed. nights.   If you’re interested, our Wed. night net history goes back to June, 2008 and the full story is at this post:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=5363

   Bob’s 17 check-ins from Monday night were:  N8WNA EN82;  W8SOL EN71;  KC8RRT EN81;  K4XXX EN91;  KB3TNZ FN11;  W3IP FM19;  W4LES, W4IMD, W4VAS and WA4NJP EM84;  N4TLL EM87;  WB4IXU EM86;  WB7PMP EM88;  KI4ROF EM55;  KB8GUE EM89;  W9CWG EN61 and KJ4ZYB FM07.

   7:15am Wed. 

   Want everyone to know that WB9LYH in EN54cl (Central WI, near WI Rapids) will be ON with the 144.240 net tonight at the usual time of 8pm central/9pm eastern.  Antenna pattern from Central WI is NE, then E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next 45-60 minutes. 
   With stacked 17B2 yagis and 500 watts from a ridgetop QTH, Mark gets out a very long ways.  He also enjoys pushing the propagation limits so let hams in a multi-state area know about this net.  With a little bit of enhancement, places like VE-3, NY, PA, W VA, KY, TN, MO, KS, NE, the Dakotas and VE-4 are all within reach.   Help us get the word out to those states beyond the typical 300-400 mile range. 
    DX or not, we appreciate all our check-ins, and all licensed amateurs are welcome.  The net is informal and the goal is to increase activity on 2m SSB. 

   2 things:
   1)  WB9LYH says his schedule looks good for October, as of right now.  Plan on nets for Oct 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th.  If that changes, I will advise here.  Get in the habit of checking kc9bqa.com once or twice a week. 
   2)  Long-time check-ins to the 144.240 Wed. net know that we usually change start times, once the days get shorter. 
THAT’S NOT HAPPENING ANY MORE. 
   I emailed with WB9LYH last night and he said that sentiment is in favor of keeping the same start time, 52 weeks a year.  Mark agrees with this, so the 144.240 net will start at 8pm central/9pm eastern, year-round.

   One last thing:   
   Please remember it’s not just about the 144.240 net on Weds.  The best listing of all your net/activity hour options, 7 nights a week, is located at posts dated Oct. 13, 15 and 17, 2013, at kc9bqa.com.   Take a little time to go thru those posts and make sure you’re not missing anything.  And tell other VHF’ers what’s going on.