KC9BQA

12:30pm Thursday

144.240 net control WB9LYH reported good propagation and lots of enthusiasm with last night’s net.  The 16 check-ins were:  N8WNA EN82;  AC8GD and N9YK EN71;  K9CCL, K9ILU, KC9RIO, KD9BGY and N9JBW EN61;  NG9K, N9RXM, KC9OVD and KC9RJI  EN41;  W9BBP and WA9BNZ EN40;  KB9PSE and AD0MV EN34.  Pleased to report 2 new all-time check-ins — NG9K and AD0MV.  Glad you’re on 2m SSB and thanks for saying hello to the net.

WB9LYH expects to be on for at least the next few Weds., like he normally is.  Remember if there ever is an alternate net control, I announce it here at kc9bqa.com.

As mentioned 100’s of times before, the 144.240 net is at 8pm central/9pm eastern every Wed.  Net control is WB9LYH in EN54cl, central WI, near WI Rapids.  Mark’s antenna pattern from EN54cl is NE to start, then E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next 45-60 minutes, depending on how much activity there is.
All licensed amateurs are welcome.  The net is informal and the goal is to increase activity on 2m SSB.  We appreciate you helping to spread the word.  DX is always encouraged to listen along and give it a try.  WB9LYH has a pair of long yagis and 500 watts from a ridgetop QTH, so he gets out a long ways and he loves pushing the propagation limits.

K8TQK did not call the 144.252 net this week.  Others pitched in, so there was activity.   But there’s no record of the check-ins at the ON4KST.com ham chat (specifically the IARU Region 2 Chat for 144-432 MHz, go here:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1072 if you need more info about this free and useful resource.)
K8TQK should be back next Monday.  The 144.252 net is on every Monday at 8:30pm eastern.  K8TQK in EM89je (south-central OH near Chillicothe) is net control and Bob also has a very big signal.  He starts his net looking north, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next 45-60 minutes or so.

12:30pm  Thursday

144.240 Net Control WB9LYH reported good propagation last night and lots of activity.  Mark had 18 check-ins:  KU8Y, KC9RIO, K9CCL, KD9BGY and K9ILU EN61;  W9NHE EN53;  W8SOL and N9YK EN71;  N9LAZ EN52;  KD9CKB EN54;  N9RXM and KC9OVD EN41;  KC9WOI, KD0TIN, WB0SWQ and W9BBP EN40 and KG0SJ and WB0YWW EN22.

WB9LYH EXPECTS TO BE ON THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS.  The 144.240 net is called every Wed. at 8pm central/9pm eastern.  We stay on the same time, 52 weeks a year.  Net control WB9LYH is in EN54cl, central WI, near WI Rapids.  He has a big signal from a ridgetop QTH and gets out a very long ways.  We appreciate our loyal local and semi-local check-ins and remember, WB9LYH is always looking for DX.
All licensed amateurs are welcome to the 144.240 net.  The net is informal and the goal is to increase activity on 2m SSB.  We always appreciate you helping spread the word.
Eastern time zone is always looked at first with the 144.240 Wed. net.  The antenna pattern from EN54cl is NE to start, then E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over roughly the next 45-60 minutes.

K8TQK had 22 check-ins on Monday night to the 144.252 net.  The 144.252 net is called every Monday at 8:30pm eastern.   Net control K8TQK is in EM89je, south-central OH near Chillicothe.  Antenna pattern is N to start, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW over the next hour or so.  Like I often say (in last week’s net reports for instance) K8TQK also has a huge signal from a hilltop and he can easily snag check-ins from 20+ states and Ontario, with flat band conditions.  I see in the list below that Bob tapped into N4TUT in EL98, central FL, so there’s some real DX!
All licensed amateurs are welcome, the net is informal and the goal is to increase activity on 2m SSB.
The 22 check-ins Monday night were:  N8WNA (from EN74);  WM8I EN80;  VE3ZV EN92;  W2UAD FN13;  AC3L/M FN00;  W3IP FM19;  K3GNC FN20;  K4SAN FM05;  W9BN and W4IMP EM84;  WD4NMV and KC4AAW EM85;  K8LEE and WB8LUN EM79;  N4TUT EL98 gets the DX award;  N9RXM EN41;  WA9NGO, N9JBW and KD9BGY EN61;  N7CZ EM69;  N8GCP EM88 and N8HMB EN91

K8TQK WOULD LIKE VHF’ers TO KNOW HE CAN’T BE ON NEXT MONDAY, OCT 19TH.  Bob says that THERE WILL BE 2-3 STATIONS TAKING CHECK-INS, so stop by the 144.252 net next Monday and help keep the airwaves alive.  K8TQK also says he will be back for Mon., Oct. 26th.

7am Monday

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.

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.

6:30am  Monday

K8TQK in EM89je (south-central OH, near Chillicothe) has been having some big nets this late summer and early fall.  The last two weeks have been no exception.
Two Mondays ago, Bob had 24 check-ins:  N8WNA EN82;  WA8IPJ EN74;  WM8I EN80;  WA3EOQ FM09;  AC3L/M FN00;  N1GC EM95;  N4TLL EM87;  KA2KQM EM74;  K4YA EM86;  KC4AAW EM85;  W4IMD, W4LES and W4ZST EM84;  WB8ART, N8XA and WB8LNG EM79;  KI4ROF EM55;  N9JBW and W9CWG EN61;  KB8GUE EM89;  KC8ZJL EN71;  KC9IOI EN60;  N9DR EN70 and N9RXM EN41.
Last Monday, K8TQK had 25 check-ins:  N8WNA EN82;  WA8IPJ EN74;  AC3L/M FN00;  WB7PMP EM88;  W0LD and W0SAN FM05;  N1GC EM95;  K4YA EM86;  W4IMD EM84;  WM8I EN80;  VE3ZV EN92;  KI4ROF EM55;  K9LQZ EM68;  N7CZ EM69;  N9RXM EN41;  KB9RDS and WB8LNG EM79;  KB8GUE EM89;  K9ILU, W9CWG and N9JBW EN61;  W9EWZ and KC9CLM EN52;  WB9LYH EN54 and KD9DGY EN63.

THE 144.252 NET IS CALLED EVERY MONDAY AT 8:30PM EASTERN.  Again, net control is K8TQK Bob in EM89je, south-central OH.  Bob has a big station on a hilltop and gets out forever.  When I was on the air, I could hear Bob Q5 at least 95% of the time over a 390 mile path, under any band conditions.  (Yes, we had to have our yagis pointed at each other)  When conditions were “up” he would often be anywhere from S7 to S9+.  WB9LYH, who is another 100 miles northwest of me, also works K8TQK regularly.
K8TQK calls a friendly, relaxed net.  All licensed amateurs are welcome, the net is informal and the goal is to increase activity on 2m SSB.
From EM89je, Bob’s antenna pattern starting at 8:30pm eastern every Monday is first N, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW to finish.  This takes roughly 45-60 minutes, depending on activity levels.

8am  Sunday

First the 144.240 net reports from Sept. 30th and Oct. 7th…
Back on Wed., Sept. 30th, WB9LYH reported good propagation (even though no colors were showing on the APRS Mountainlake propagation map  http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ )  Mark had 13 check-ins:  KD9CKB EN54;  WA8IPJ EN74;  N8TGY EN73;  N8WNA EN82;  VE3ZV EN92;  K9CCL, KD9BGY, K9ILU and N9JBW EN61;  WA9BNZ EN40;  N9RXM and KC9OVD EN41 and KA9DVX EN51.
Net control WB9LYH (located in EN54cl, Central WI) noted that WA9BNZ checked in from west-central IL using a dipole and 70 watts.  That’s a darn good path over 220-240 miles using a very basic antenna.

Both KD9CKB and N8TGY are new check-ins to the 144.240 Wed. net.  Welcome, and thanks for getting on 2 meter SSB.

On Wed., Oct. 5th, WB9LYH again reported good propagation.  Mark had 15 check-ins:  W9PSE EM69;  KD9CKB EN54;  WA8IPJ EN74;  K9CCL and N9JBW EN61;  W8SOL EN71;  N9NMS EN52;  someone in the Appleton WI area who had distorted audio so we’re not sure of the callsign; N9RXM, KC9OVD, N9GK and WK7G EN41;  WA9BNZ, WB0SWQ and W9BBP EN40.  What a great turnout from the EN40/41 area.
Also happy to note that W9PSE from the Indianapolis area is a new all-time check-in to the net.

WB9LYH added that lately he’s had several stations with 20 watts or less output power and he was still hearing them well.  Mark says, “low power is not a barrier to the use of this band.  I encourage more folks to try it to see how far they can reach with 5 or 10 watts.”

EXPECT WB9LYH TO BE ON THIS WED — OCT. 12TH,  at the usual start time of 8pm central/9pm eastern.  This is our start time, all 52 weeks of the year.
WB9LYH is in EN54cl, central WI, near WI Rapids.  Because Mark has stacked long yagis and 500 watts from a ridgetop QTH, he gets out a very long ways.  All licensed amateurs are welcome, the net is informal and the goal is to increase activity on 2 meter SSB.  We know many of you have helped spread the word (we still regularly get new check-ins after 7+ years of operation) and we thank you.
Eastern time zone is always targeted first with the 144.240 Wed. net.  From EN54cl, the antenna pattern with this net is to start out looking NE, then E, SE, S, SW, W, NW and N over the next 45-60 minutes, depending on how much activity there is.

I’m going to cut this into 2 posts.  Breakfast bell is ringing downstairs.  Look for K8TQK’s 144.252 net reports a little later this morning.

10:30pm  Tuesday

WB9LYH will call the 144.240 net tomorrow night, at the usual start time of 8pm central/9pm eastern.  Scroll down to other net posts if you need more details.

I will do both last week’s and this week’s net reports in a few days.

Tomorrow night is the 432 MHz sprint.  Runs from 7-11pm in your local time zone.