Running the Sunday night radio net...

Each Sunday night, the Shelby County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (SCARES) tests its operating net to ensure operator proficiency and check out equipment.  There are four teams who rotate running the net, and tonight was my night (I have it about once every third month).

Since I had the camera out anyway, I had Pam take some shots of me running the net, just to let you see this "Old Ham" in action.  These nets are run on the 2-meter frequency over a repeater system which expands the usually small reception radius (simplex operations usually only cover a few miles at best) by two or three times.  Even with the repeater working at peak performance, we usually just cover a one or two-county radius unless we put up our big antennas or jack up some power for the radio.  That's usually too much trouble and the net normally only lasts about 10-15 minutes anyway.  If we were running a high frequency (HF) net, that would be another story -- the higher the tower and the more amplification the better.  Oh, and just a note, modern equipment that is correctly installed and grounded seldom, if ever, interferes with today's new modern TVs and AM/FM radio systems.

So anyway, here goes...

You'll notice I have an armed guard in the room in case anyone tries to forcibly interrupt our net.

 

We are getting into the time of year when I spend a lot more time on the HF rig, prowling the 20- meter and 40-meter bands trying to make contacts throughout the US and (when the bands are good) overseas.  So far, I have made a contact in every state east of the Mississippi River, and most of the states in the Southwest US.  But I do not have enough power or a beam antenna required to do the far west states, Alaska, or Hawaii.  And it's just every once in a while that I get thru to Europe or beyond.

This is a neat hobby, and I usually meet up with some pretty interesting people.  I operate on the "phone" system (i.e. actually talk to someone via a microphone and they talk back to me).  This year, however, I think I am going to redouble my efforts and learn enough "CW" (radio slang for Morse Code) to make some contacts with that mode this year.  All the real "Hams" know and use CW, and being able to use that transmission mode opens up way more possibilities for contacts and operating space on the bands.  It was kinda like knowing when I flew all real pilots were "VFR" rated and not just "IFR."  You get just a little more respect when you have that higher rating.

I am often asked how radio works. Well, you see, wire telegraphy is like a very long cat. You yank his tail in New York and he meows in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? Now, radio is exactly the same, except that there is no cat.  (Attributed to Albert Einstein)

Hooah