What a pain in the neck!

Yesterday I grabbed a piece of wire to use as a 'wire in a tree' antenna for a PRC 320.

Strangely enough I got the perfect length that would not tune up an any ham band. It was a major exercise in frustration until I figured out what had probably happened. I was smart enough to give up after a while and I went into the junk box. I grabbed a female coax connector and soldered a pair of leads on it and plugged it into the '320. Then I plugged my long unused end fed antenna in and BINGO! I'm good to go.

Needless to say I picked a day with lousy propagation and the 40 meter band that I was planning on working was dead, dead, dead.

If at first you don't succeed... Finally I made a QSO. Interestingly enough, I got a 5x8 into Wisconsin. 

I am supposed to run net control Saturday evening with the PRC 320 which would make and self-respecting ham cringe but that's part of the game.

I am going to run a relay net and specifically do NOT want to be able to talk to everyone. Many of us are breaking out QRP (reduced power) rigs and/or running portable where possible. It's kind of a Max Max scenario net.

From time to time I organize an emergency communications drill with a group of hams and I do try to make things challenging. There is generally a message that is sent out and requires a reply.

It drills don't usually last too long because the guys are getting pretty good at passing the word. I remember one of these where a guy in New Hampshire started by sending the first half of the message. I got it almost instantly because I heard it being repeated.

Inside of two or three minutes I had the reply also. The station that made the reply was in Hawaii!

Inside about 15 minutes all of the participants had the entire message including a couple of non hams that were listening o shortwave receivers.

That's not bad.

The best part of these is the first couple of minutes where everything is bedlam and chaos and inside a very short time a certain order emerges and the guys start slowing down and being a little more patient. 

They go from a terribly disorganized rabble to a pretty professional net in just a few minutes. It's kind of cool to watch.

I have done this several times before and what I am seeing is the guys are experimenting a little. Some of them are intentionally handicapping themselves by running QRP rigs or experimental antennas and that sort of thing.

When I first started this everyone felt that if they didn't make personal contact with net control they were a failure when nothing could be further from the truth. It's all about sending and receiving a message.

You get credit for being a check in if twelve people route one's call sign through Outer Slobovia. It doesn't matter. 

Of course if one does directly contact net control they are listed as both a bona fide QSO AND a check in.

It's great seeing the guys decide to take chances and run experimental stuff and it ought to be an interesting evening.







To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY