Sitting here in the morning planning my day

As I write this I am sitting here next to my HF rig trying to establish contact with either SD or RI because those are the two remaining states I need for bragging rights on having had contacted all 50 states.

(Update: Bagged SD. Now all I need is RI)

I am on the YLISSB net and I mentioned that I needed RI and SD for my WAS project.

Another ham got back to net control and told her he knew someone in RI and that he was going to give him a shout to check in so I could work him. I was somewhat shocked to say the least. Sure enough someone from Rhode Island checked in but propogation between here and Rhode Island was bad and I could not establish contact.

I'm still on the net and we'll try later.

There is a woman that runs net control that is down in Texas and constantly comes in as clear as a bell. She's damned good at running the net and someone told me she does it Old School style with a pencil, paper and a memory that must have a hard drive that would make Bill Gates green with envy.

How she keeps tabs on things so well is beyond me. The woman ought to move to Chicago and run the air traffic system at O'Hare. She'd be a natural for the job. She runs a net that sometimes has 60 or more check-ins and never misses a lick, keeping track of who wants too work who. It is truly amazing.

One night I got stuck running net control for an ad-hoc net that popped up off of a web site I frequent and it was only six or seven guys and I had my hands full. I don't see how she does it.

Now, I am not a member of this net but the people running it have really busted their butts to try and be helpful with me on my WAS project.

These people make no money doing this, but do it out of love for the hobby.





Later today I have to go to the dealership and pick up my truck. A brake caliper got sticky and I need it gone over. While they are at it they will install the Toyota mandated little gas pedal dealiebobber that they have been sending me letters about for a while. It is over some floor mat that supposidly gets caught in the gas pedal and causes a runaway vehicle.

Of course, there were lawsuits over that issue and when I think about it it irks me because if anybody does not have enough sense to either step on the clutch or throw it into neutral than they should not have a driver's license to begin with. While the auto manufacturers have a responsibility to make good products, the user also has a responsibility to know how to operate it.


My truck is supposed to be ready at noon. I think I may grab the PRC 320 and set it up in the lot and check in on a net somewhere while I wait. It is a nice day for it.




my other blog is: http://officerpiccolo.blogspot.com/ http://piccolosbutler.blogspot.com/