[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening,
    Thunderstorms have been arriving off the Pacific Ocean and passing  
inland.  Makes me scurry about unhooking antennas and finding where Sam is  
located.  Two rare critter announcements: on Monday evening, while driving  
home from work, I saw a black bear cub very close to Buxton.  He saw me  
and galumphed into the woods.  Mom must have been close at hand because he  
was not too frightened.  This morning I walked out on the porch and  
noticed something odd.  I stood still and recognized a mask in the  
shadows.  He was being very still too.  I had never before seen a raccoon  
in Oregon.  We stared at each other for a while until I looked away.  He  
then started moving off.  He was quite a long way from the nearest water  
which is odd for them.  I normally saw them quite close the streams and  
cricks at home.  Yes, crick, I am from a part of the Midwest where the  
maps spell it that way.  It is pronounced crek with a short e sort of a  
schwa but not quite :)
    On Thursday morning 20 meters was having its problems albeit local.  My  
normal sked into OK City was filled with: "Are you there Kevin?"  While my  
end was filled with perfect copy.  His local QRN was high from the passing  
thunderstorms.  On Friday that all changed.  There was QSB of two types  
simultaneously but that did not stop us from making an hour long chat out  
of things.  Thursday held its Fox hunts on twenty which were a great way  
to determine propagation potential.  I worked Wyoming (not easily) and  
then South Carolina with no problem at all.  I heard stations from all  
over so I know twenty was working pretty well by then.  Seems like the sun  
has tossed a little excitement at the ionosphere and has a few spots too.   
All should be well for tomorrow's first net.  Then we come to forty: it  
should be good as well as long as the Midwestern thunderstorms are not too  
bad.
    Weather here has been HOT.  Yes, hot, it got to 101 while I was  
downtown and into the high 80s up here on the mountain.  Luckily we've had  
a little rain with very little lightning.  Fire danger is not too high yet  
but that will come.  If the temperatures stay warmer than normal and we  
get a little wind the forests will become tinder.  The ocean has been  
bringing us morning fogs which help keep things wetter.  The fogs come in  
and the large trees mine them for water.  One morning I was awakened by  
what I thought was a good rainfall.  I went to feed Sam and looked out at  
the deck.  It was dry while the roof was getting a steady patter of rain  
drops.  As I drove to work I saw what had occurred.  Under each tree is a  
circle of moisture surrounded by dry areas.  The gravel road alternated  
between wet round spots and dry open areas all the way down to about 1000  
feet in elevation where I turned into Willamette River valley weather.

    Tomorrow:

1) Hail signs  (first letter or two of the suffix of your call)
2) NCS help (as well as QSP/QNP <relay> help)

    Please join us:

Sunday 2300z (Sunday 4 PM PDT) 14050 kHz
Monday 0200z (Sunday 7 PM PDT)  7045 kHz

    73,
         Kevin.  KD5ONS

P.S. I am pretty sure there will be a K3 on the air tomorrow during the  
nets.  Please join us to give it a listen.
    KJR