[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening Folks,
    Another hectic week but I do have a lot to show for it.  Actually less  
to show for it if you include yesterday's extended burning session and my  
trip to the recycler :)  I finally had everything align so I was able to  
burn most of the brush from the windstorm which we cut and piled in late  
December.  I now have a firebreak which extends about twenty feet in any  
direction.  I have much more to do but this makes me feel a little safer.
    I was interrupted yesterday by some deer trying to eat their way  
through the backyard where I was working.  I don't think they read the  
deed.  I seem not to own the property just maintain it for their benefit  
:)  However, the buck now has longer antlers.  Today I saw him and his  
friends again before I left for a trip to town.  His antlers are now twice  
as long as they were last week.  I did not get a long enough glance at  
them to see if there was any structure developing.  Next time I see him  
they should be better defined.
    I worked on my K2 yesterday at NM7N's urging.  I now have the front end  
mod for next week so I can work next to stations blasting away without an  
overload.  Not too much of a mod, just two 1N4148s back to back which  
makes the required voltage a bit higher.  I'll see how it works at the FD  
venue.  I also replaced my headphone jack so I can hear my speaker.  I  
think it has been three years since I have heard a peep out of it so I  
find it rather novel :)  Since I keep the headphones in place most of the  
time I'll not hear this too often but it sure is fun.
    While I was listening I tried out the AT-11MP which I also repaired  
yesterday.  When I bought the 100w amp for the K2 there was no 100 watt  
tuner to go with it so I bought and built the LDG AT-11MP.  But I seemed  
to have had an RF problem and zapped the microcontroller.  I found a new  
chip for it while I was looking for something for someone else.  I got the  
chip and replaced it.  They have also upgraded the firmware so I can now  
recall 200 memory settings.  Seems to work very well.  So I listened  
around and found 20 meters was not very popular.  I then went to 40 and on  
to 80.  With an autotuner it makes swift business of band hopping.  I had  
forgotten the convenience.  So I listened to a lot of folks on 80 meters  
chatting about this and that.
    Seems like the bands are open but I did have to truncate a contact into  
Oklahoma on Friday because it got too weak for us to operate.  We did  
manage to squeak out 40 minutes of talk so I guess that is not so bad.   
Normally we run  longer but such is life.  I did find the crockpot which  
Pat hid on me so I am going to try cooking a pot roast.  It has been quite  
some time since I've tried because I'll have leftovers for a month.  But I  
think I can deal with it :)  Being single is not all it is cracked up to  
be.  Maybe if I was twenty it would not be so bad.  But, then I would be  
twenty and not experienced and mature ;)  Because I learned many good  
things from my mother I think, like her, I shall just never grow up!  That  
way I can be experienced and young at the same time.

    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