US West Ham Radio Weekly NET

[Carl Sandvik]

Thanks for hosting the Net tonight Ed!

 

[ru108]

Reminder about the weekly OB Echolink net tonight. Today is the 1st Friday of the month, so that means its New Ham Night. All new licensees are WELCOME and ENCOURAGED to check in with us, ask any questions you may have, just ragchew a bit so you can get used to talking to "the strangers" that your parents warned you about and maybe make a new friend or two. It will also be open topic and a general how's everybody doing net, so just check in and tell us what's going on with you, what's on your mind (keep it rated PG please ) or what your plans are in the near (or far) future. Don't have anything to say? Just check in and say hi!

If you're not sure about how to use Echolink, a GREAT how-to article on getting started can be found HERE to get you up and running!


Who: All licensed Amateur Radio operators are welcome to check-in.
Time : 17:30 hours PT/2030 hours ET, 0030 hours UTC
Where : Echolink Node 591550 (USA-GNG) known also as Grits N Gravy, DMR TG 1137550 and Allstar 41130

Anyone can listen only here www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/29437/web

As always, if anyone would like to assist as net controller, please reach out to myself, @12poundtest , @TerryD , @Brentc17 or @MTN RNR and we'll get you set up. We could use a few extra hands running the net on Friday nights and would be happy to get you up to speed and into the rotation.

Until then...73 de K5TIN

Shane

 

[TerryD]

Good afternoon folks! Just a reminder that tonight is net night!

Tonight's topic will be "What did you start 'Overlanding' with?"

I hope everyone will join us as we look back on the setups that got us started in Adventure Travel!

Who: All licensed Amateur Radio operators are welcome to check-in.
Time : 17:30 hours PT/2030 hours ET, 0030 hours UTC
Where : Echolink Node 591550 (USA-GNG) known also as Grits N Gravy, DMR TG 1137550 and Allstar 41130

Anyone can listen only here www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/29437/web

As always, if anyone would like to assist as net controller, please reach out to myself, @12poundtest , @ru108 , @Brentc17 or @MTN RNR and we'll get you set up. We could use a few extra hands running the net on Friday nights and would be happy to get you up to speed and into the rotation.

Till tonight, take care everyone!

Terry

 

[MTN RNR]

Friday Night Ham Radio Net for August 7th, 2020

Topic: NEW HAMS NET!

Net Control: Ted WD6TED

Where: Echolink Node 591550 (USA-GNG) known also as Grits N Gravy, DMR TG 1137550 and Allstar 41130

When: 8:30PM ET, 5:30PM PT, 0030z (during United States daylight savings time)

Tomorrow night is the 1st Friday of the month and thus will be our very popular monthly new hams net. News hams are encouraged to jump in and ask anything they like and get comfortable with getting on the air. Most of the net is more ham-focused as opposed to overlanding-focused. Always a fun net and better with more stations joining in!

Hope to see you then!

-Ted WD6TED

 

[MTN RNR]

Fun net this evening thanks to everyone for participating! List of check-ins and very brief notes below (I did a lot talking, I know). Looking forward to seeing everyone next week. Topic for next week will be posted in this forum. If there are any topics for the net that you would like us to talk about just post your ideas here in the forum. DMR seems to be an interesting topic and if so, one of our OB members who also runs a DMR technical net every week here in Southern California on the Papa System would be happy to do a net on DMR and even provide a Zoom presentation on getting started with DMR. If that sounds interesting, speak up and we can get that set-up!

Looking forward to seeing you all next week!
-73!

Date:	8/7/20	Net Control:	WD6TED		EchoLink: 591550 DMR: TG 1137550
					Net closed at 0225z
Check In	Call Sign	Name	Loccation	OB#	Notes
1	KM6GWU	DAN	ORANGE CTY		Studying for general. Looking for answers for his antenna for limited garden space in his yard. Brien says you can bend the last ten feet of an antenna.
2	KE8GFR	PERSA	SE Idaho		Registered ham since 2017. Has sm HT. Bought an Icom at a hamfest but has not got on the air. If she has friends on trips if they are not lic hams? In NZ people are using the PRS radios (unlicesened in NZ).
3	W8ILL	WILL	Detroit, MI		Working on bike one might have ham radio on it.
4	KI5KFF	RICH	CENTRAL TX	25955	NEW HAM No questions. was op in the army. Just getting back into it. Asking about anderson power pole connectors.
5	KB7JWM	SCOTT	CA		Nothiing heard
6	KJ7OWD	MIKE	LAS VEGAS		NEW HAM Invited by Brien running kenwood 710-G in his offroad rig.
7	KD9PXF	TOM	displains IL		New Ham havd had ticket for 2 weeks. Has Kenwood V71A wired directly to the battery nd dyodynamics ss-3. Tried ferite chokes and one on the power side of the unit. Sean suggests putting choke on positive and neg cables both. Similiar arrangement 5 times on the choke as well. See palomar-engineers.com re papers on ferrite mixes for chokes as well as recommended lengths for random wire antennas.
8	ZL2RSA	Shaun	WELLINGTON NZ		NZ has repeater net the whole length of the country.
9	KD2SXD	MIKE	Jackson Fl		Check out early.
10	vk7vwk	randall	Hobart TAZ	5615	ACMA is the AUS has changed call signs so everyone has 3 letter suffix. Digital radios connecting into Echolink.
11	k7xpo	Brien	tuscon, az	3553	STARTED TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE THE NET. IF ANYBODY INTERESTED THERE IS AN OVERLAND BOUND COMMS COMMITTEE. He is going to try and reboot that. Go to forums and look up Brien. The commitee coming up with docs training materils to help people with ham radio, gmrs, garmin, cb in AUS and EUR.
12	na6af	bob	tuscon, az		Been ham since 2011. Has new Icom 9700 and stumbled on this net. Has remote station with a Yagi. Has vertical on 43 foot vertical. Has Openspot3 and PiStar hotspots.
13	aj6po	KC	Rancho Cucamonga		Nothing heard
14	W2JLD	JOHN	ROCHESTER, NY		Nothing heard
15	vk2dy	Robert	Sidney AUS		Uses a computer and mobile phone for Echolink not a radio. Also from ACMA all signs have been state based in AUS. The requirement to change your call sign if you move states no longer applies.

 

[12poundtest]

Nice turn out everyone. Thanks for running the net Ted!

 

[Boppa's Travels]

Thanks for answering my questions. I'm sure next new ham night I will have more. Which brings up a question. How long could I milk being a new ham radio op and ask questions?

 

[M Rose]

Thanks for answering my questions. I'm sure next new ham night I will have more. Which brings up a question. How long could I milk being a new ham radio op and ask questions?

I have been a ham 8 months now.... I still ask questions... my Elmer has been a Ham 10 years and he still asks questions to his Elmer... so how long can ya milk it?

 

[Boppa's Travels]

I have been a ham 8 months now.... I still ask questions... my Elmer has been a Ham 10 years and he still asks questions to his Elmer... so how long can ya milk it?

Good to know cuz some things I understand and some things just look like aliens wrote it.

 

[MTN RNR]

Thanks for answering my questions. I'm sure next new ham night I will have more. Which brings up a question. How long could I milk being a new ham radio op and ask questions?

As long as you want! There are no rules.....

 

[MTN RNR]

Good to know cuz some things I understand and some things just look like aliens wrote it.

You can always post questions here if you like as well!

 

[M Rose]

You can always post questions here if you like as well!

Feel free to post up questions in the coms area, or DM any of us hams.

 

[MTN RNR]

Friday Night Overland Bound Ham Radio Net for August 14, 2020

When: 20:30 EDT, 17:30 PDT

Where: Echolink Conference Server 591550 *USA-GNG* , also DMR TG 1137550, and Allstar 41130

Topic: Navigation Software and aids

Net Control: Ted WD6TED

This weeks topic is Navigation Software and Tools. There have been a lot of developments app-wise in the last year or so in this area. Let's stay on top of it and see what people are using and why. I recognize a lot of ham radio related discussion going on here in the forum, and depending on how the topic goes in round one we might switch over to ham radio topics and questions on the second round. See how it goes. Either way I'm looking forward to hearing everyone tomorrow!

73,
Ted WD6TED

 

[Boppa's Travels]

Friday Night Overland Bound Ham Radio Net for August 14, 2020

When: 20:30 EDT, 17:30 PDT

Where: Echolink Conference Server 591550 *USA-GNG* , also DMR TG 1137550, and Allstar 41130

Topic: Navigation Software and aids

Net Control: Ted WD6TED

This weeks topic is Navigation Software and Tools. There have been a lot of developments app-wise in the last year or so in this area. Let's stay on top of it and see what people are using and why. I recognize a lot of ham radio related discussion going on here in the forum, and depending on how the topic goes in round one we might switch over to ham radio topics and questions on the second round. See how it goes. Either way I'm looking forward to hearing everyone tomorrow!

73,
Ted WD6TED

Is it Friday yet..LOL

 

[MTN RNR]

Sorry I'm so late with the notes from last Friday. I just completely forgot to post them. They are raw, i.e. I didn't edit them.

Also here is the list of navigation software that Don VA2EEK e-mailed to me:

Here is my list of Navigation Tools with links and some comments as appropriate. It really boils down to how much you want to spend for subscriptions that include different map layers. Some platforms are leaning towards the "social" aspect with sharing routes/tracks, and sharing (geo-coded) pictures, and reviews of routes, etc. So it comes down to what features are available on the platform and what mapping functions you want to accomplish. Keeping in mind that is't a good idea to have a backup, pick your favourite GPS tool for phone/tablet, but be aware of what happens with you lose cell service and need to have previously downloaded maps, or have another system that has the maps in them already for offline use, and have paper maps as a backup.

1. GaiaGPS "Premium" membership -- App and Website
Layers I like:
"Outdoors" combines topography and roads and trails. OpenStreetMaps has trails, but no topo. The Gaia topo layers are ok, and I use the metric flavour being in Canada.
Backroads Mapbook Canada - lots of roads, trails, old logging roads, etc. that may not be on most newer maps.
Canada Topo (see also below)
A couple of different satellite views, resolution is sort of "Meh" ... Google Maps satellite view is sometimes better.

2. ViewRanger -- App and Website
Quite a "sociable" app (share hiking tracks, etc.) We are examining this app for capturing tracks on cell phones when SAR team GPS might not be available, or for spontaneous volunteers to capture tracks.

3. Garmin Montana GPS with large micro-SD card for a bunch of maps: Canada Topo, OpenStreet Maps, TrakMaps Topo maps, Ibycus Topo v4 (a bit dated, but free)
Garmin BaseCamp coupled with Garmin GPSes (obviously).

4. Maps, paper maps, fold out maps, mapbook maps, even printed maps from Google maps.

5. Google Maps -- App and Website
Handy doing recess, nice to jump into StreetView and check out highway exit ramps, or get different locales (handy for exercise planning-- if the Google Cam Car has been out that way!) and satellite view is quite handy as well.

6. Canada Topo maps -- App and website www.atlas.gc.ca
These are digitized 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 maps from the Government of Canada. Really old school, especially with the likes of GaiaGPS and other vector type mapping systems out there now, but you'd be surprised what you might pick up from these (old) maps. e.g., railway tracks, recently abandoned, but have been removed without a trace from newer maps, not even labeled "abandoned".

7. Avenza Maps -- App
This app uses geo-coded .PDF files and takes a lot of storage (some maps get large), but with good maps you can zoom in and out and get good detail. Downloaded and used this app a few years ago for a backroads recce the SAR team did where the only maps available were these .PDF, so this was the app to use. Not something I currently use, but it is another tool.

8. OsmAnd - Offline Maps -- App
Downloaded and experimented with at about the same time as Avenza. Not something I currently use, but it is another tool.

9. CALTopo / SARTopo -- App and Website depending on which subscription version is used. Some members of our SAR team use this for exercise planning, annotating maps for search tasks, and its ability to print maps. Different map layers which are the same/similar to those found in other platforms.

Check In	Call Sign	Name	Location	Notes
1	w7br	brent	packwood wa	uses Gaia Pro. Have it on Android and Samsung Galaxy notepad mounted on a ram mount. Has phone setup as a hotspot. He will download maps ahead of time to have the maps when out of cell range. He's been putting in waypoints which allow him to share with others. When he with the dogs they like to turn off the navagation system and randomly go somewhere and then find their way back home sometimes even the next day. Also doing a trip through Utah and AZ in the beginning of October. Meeting in Moab Oct 4 & 5th.
2	km6gwu	dan	fountain valley, ca	Use Gaia on his laptop which is symced to his ipad and iphone. Then uses the Garmin media center and uses that to zero in within 200 yrds or so. Also used waypoints a little bit. Waiting for his new end fed antenna that's on order. Getting his general at the end of the month.
3	ki5kff	rich	central tx	motor vehicle maps. Have download gaia gps. Also has Onyx off-road.
4	w8ill	will	just outside of Detroit MI	just settin back and takin it easy.
5	n7phy	ed	edmonds wa	Has Gaia Pro running now for planning. In the truck he can run it on the infotainment screen. The built in maps in the vehicle show the FS roads. Google Earth as well. Challenges are secuing the iPad - bounces around.
6	k5tin	shane	baton rouge	Uses Gaia Pro. Has it on a Galaxy Pad. Also carries a Garmin GPS with large screen. That will show more fine detail.
7	k7xpo	brien	tuscon az	If you have been using the OB app on android. There is a new version out. If anybody is interested in helping out with the communication group. Uses Gaia as well as w
8	vk7vwk	Randall	Hobart Tasmania AUS	Discussed how to get on Echolink through your local repeater, if available. Also mentioned that HTs are very handy when you have a spotter out in front for them to communicate with the driver of the vehicle.
9	va2eek	Don	Ontario Canada	He has a large and will send a list. I will post in the forum. Gaia and Garmin Montana are his main go to apps. I will post Don's list in a separate posting in the forum.
10	KE8GFR	Persa	Southern Idaho	Planning phases are a little more important for her. The planning phase relies on Google searches. Uses paper maps and Gaia on her phone. Thinking about CarPlay device in her truck. For canoeing she QGIS on the computer to download maps for the specific terrain and then print them. Wants to know if AARL has any ideas that on-line testing will be a permenant thing. Do most people carry handhelds.
11	vk2dy	robert	Sydney AUS	Late checkin, but mentioned that spring is coming around in Sydney.

 

[MTN RNR]

Overland Bound Ham Radio Net for August 21st 2020.

Topic: Open

Net Control: Ted WD6TED in San Diego, CA

When: Friday August 21st (North America) 17:30 PDT, 20:30 EDT, 00:30z

Where: Echolink Conference Server 591550 *USA-GNG* , also DMR TG 1137550, and Allstar 41130

A couple months ago Brent W7BR asked the net if you prefer topics or "open discussion". Many said they liked some open discussion. So we are going with that this week. I'll do a round on overlanding/camping and the 2nd round will be ham radio.

What ever you want, questions, ragchew, doesn't matter. There are no rules... (beyond the part 97 of course).

See you then!

 

[12poundtest]

Good evening everyone. Below are notes from tonight's net. Thank you everyone for joining tonight. If all goes well our topic next week with be "Trip Checklist: name something you've added recently and something you taken away."
If you have any topic suggestions or would like to join us as net control feel free to comment below or reach out directly.

73! - Ed N7PHY

Overland Bound Amateur Radio Net
Date:	8/21/2020	Net Control:	N7PHY	EchoLink: 591550
Topic: Open Topic
Check In	Call Sign	Name	Location	Notes
1	km6gwu	Dan	org co cal	Heat wave; 130 in death valley. Interested in building a go box. Transport between house and truck.
2	ki5kff	Rich	field, north NM	In small town on veriz hotspot. Out camping and picking up trash. Have a Baofeng uv-5xp and learning how to set it up. Q: What is A, B frequencies? Watched youtube vids on go boxes.
3	aa1pr	Mike	VT	all star node tied in. out last couple weeks from injury.
4	k7xpo	Brien	az	new toy, electric motor bike. Offroad moped. Designing trailer carry to bring with.
5	w2dz	David	NJ	No traffic.
6	n6dwa	Dan	ca	dropped
7	kt4oz	Terry	va	mobile. New transfer case in xtera today. Out on test drive. Has the skinny on baofeng dual band A,B functionality. Working with ammo cans and plano case for portable radio operation. Not always time to play radio when traveling in large group.
8	w8ill	Will	mi	Check in. Relaxing. Invitation to join chat before net time. Had 2 go boxes when traveling. Camp stuff and radio stuff.
9	kb4vym	Clark	nw tuscon az	A: A,B - main band, sub band. Uses main band for 2m and suband to rx other freq. Trying to stay cool. Had motorola mobile fitted in metal box for fire radio in boat. Very heavy.
10	kb7jwm	Scott	sfo	Staying cool and away from fires. Purchased yeasu ft3g and made first dig contact on fusion over repeater.
11	kc3it	Don	tn	dropped
12	vk2dy	Robert		Kelleysville Ridge New South Wales near Sidney. City of Blacktown. 58.5 deg F, just put up weather station. Had snow in mountains.
13	kn4skh	Chris	va	Mobile in VA and found us scrolling through freqs.

 

[12poundtest]

During tonight's net we talked about portable operation so thought I'd share a picture from last weekends portable HF operation on the Washington coast. The antenna is a DX Commander multi-band vertical. Really great experience.

 

[M Rose]

During tonight's net we talked about portable operation so thought I'd share a picture from last weekends portable HF operation on the Washington coast. The antenna is a DX Commander multi-band vertical. Really great experience.
View attachment 167882

I’ve been looking at the DX commander for a while... seams like a very good mast system.

 

[12poundtest]

I’ve been looking at the DX commander for a while... seams like a very good mast system.

I've only had it out twice but so far I really like it. Wide bandwidth and low SWR make it easy to switch bands and the low takeoff angle makes for some interesting field radio fun. Here is an SWR scan of the antenna at the beach. I have elements for 40m, 30m, 20m and 17m. 15 meters tunes up as a harmonic of the 40m element.