[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening,
    I have had a busy week.  I am also getting my exercise!  The backyard  
where the trees fell is now almost cleared of sawn and split wood.  Much  
of the brush has been stacked into separate burn piles and one of them is  
now gas and ash.  I was working on the last loads of wood when the rains  
came back.  Not heavy but enough to make me stop working.  It was too  
windy to restart the fires today so I missed a great opportunity.  It  
would have been nice to keep them burning while it was raining.  But, the  
weather will clear after tomorrow.
    Early in the week I received a note about making my nets more  
efficient.  I asked for input and gained a some good advice.  We will  
reinstitute two of the methods we used a few years ago.  First we will  
call by zone number.  I will start with 1, 2, and 3 to work the east coast  
before propagation changes.  Then ask for just the 4 calls.  There are  
quite a few of you and propagation seems to favor that area getting to me  
directly.  Next 8 and 9 are called.  Subsequently we move across the  
middle of the continent to gather in 0 and 5 lands.  Lastly I'll have  
someone east of me call 6 and 7 areas.
    The next suggestion was to ask for 'hail' signs instead of entire call  
signs.  As an example: my call is KD5ONS so I could call either 'O' or  
'ON'.  Tom's call is N0SS; he normally uses 'SS' to get my attention.  Use  
of these shorter strings of characters is simply to cut down on the pileup  
a little.  By using a call by area scheme I hope to work each of you on  
your first or second attempt.  The procedure for the use of 'hail' signs  
is this: I call for QNI from 0 and 5 for example, you will send 'X' or  
'XY'.  I'll gather a few of you and acknowledge 'X'.  You then send your  
entire call and we go from there.
    To aid in gaining as much coverage as possible you may be asked to call  
the net.  It is really not as hard as I make it seem :(  If you are loud  
to me and in a different area of the country (Northeast, East, Southeast,  
South, etc.) I will ask if you would like to call for check ins.  You  
simply call: "CQ ECN XY#ABC QNI ? K" and work them as they come.  A number  
of you have very fine signals and would be a great help gathering stations  
who are weak to me.  Since ECN works all over the continent and there are  
many different power levels signal strength varies a great deal.  We also  
have operator skills ranging from many, many years on the air using CW to  
those who are just starting out.  I do not wish to scare (or bore) either  
group.
    I have been told of a football game tomorrow.  Hopefully you can find a  
little time away from the tube to get on the air.  If the party is going  
too strong for you to leave I will understand.  I did watch a game while I  
lived in Albuquerque before Pat moved down from Oregon.  After that there  
was no time for TV since we were both buried in school work and other  
activities.  Upon returning to Oregon we were back to where there is no  
reception anyway so there was no point in turning it on.  She would buy  
the Sunday paper and I would read the Internet for my news.
    From what I read about FYBO 15 and 20 meters were open today.  I  
listened on 15 meters and heard a number of folks running contacts.   
Hopefully tomorrow's propagation will do well for those of you not  
watching the Bears get killed (side note: I was born and raised in  
Wisconsin during Vince Lombardi's heyday :) There were a lot fewer NFL  
teams when I was a teen ager!

   Review:
1.  Call by area, 1, 2, & 3;  4;  8 & 9;  0 & 5;  6 & 7.
2.  Hail signs
3.  Assist as NCS

    Please join us:

Sunday 2300z (Sunday 3 PM PST) 14050 kHz
Monday 0200z (Sunday 6 PM PST)  7045 kHz

          Kevin.  KD5ONS