[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Report for October 31st & November 1st, 2010

[Kevin]

Good Evening,
    I received the firmware for APF on Friday night, installed it on  
Saturday, and tested it both then and today during both nets.  Wow!  It  
works very nicely.  Nothing like learning how to use something while under  
fire ;)  It was easy to tell there was someone outside the sweet spot but  
still within the skirts of the filter.  It was just a matter of figuring  
out whether to go up or down with the SHIFT knob.  That was easily  
determined by having CWT on so I could see which way to go.  On the  
normally noisy 40 meter band APF allowed me to get a few which would have  
been to tough to copy otherwise.  I did turn off APF a few times just to  
test the difference.  Each time I did so I found it was better to have it  
on than to have it off.  The signal was stronger and the background weaker  
each time.  It seemed like the signal would pop out of the background much  
better with APF than without it.  Even with QSB it was better.  I am sold!
    Weather sounds like frost is coming soon.  If not here then at least  
across the Midwest and into the Rockies.  My weather has gone from  
continuous rain to intermittent showers.  The dense fog coming in off the  
ocean each morning means the temperatures don't vary more than ten degrees  
 from daytime highs to nighttime lows.  I have seen sun a few times in the  
last two days and I am to get a few days of it as the most recent front  
 from the Gulf of Alaska moves to my south.  Not sure if it will get into  
California but it will be chilly and clear here.  I can go check out the  
local clearcut again.  I walked up there today to watch the limber at  
work.  It's a big hydraulic machine which grabs the entire tree and strips  
it of limbs.  Then a builtin cutter squares the butt by removing any  
compression wood.  Maybe they will let me collect some of that for  
firewood but Longview Fiber is notorious for using everything except the  
squeal out of its trees.  The chunk trucks are even louder than the log  
trucks when they pass by my house.

    On to the lists =>

   On 14050.5 kHz at 2200z:
NO8V - John - MI - K3 - 820
NA6M - Mark - TX - K3 - 367
N0TA - John - CO - K3 - 994
WA3MIX - Lou - PA - K3 - 4290
K4JPN - Steve - GA - K2 - 1422
W8OV - Dave - TX - K3 - 3139
W0CZ - Ken - ND - K3 - 457
K1THP - Dave - CT - K3 - 686
W0RSR - Mike - CO - K2 - 5767
KB3FBR - Joe - PA - K2 - 6178
N7KRT - Jeff - TX - K2 - 5471

   On 7045 kHz at 0000z:
NO8V - John - MI - K3 - 820
K6PJV - Dale - CA - K3 - 1183
W0RSR - Mike - CO - K2 - 5767
W8OV - Dave - TX - K3 - 3139
W0CZ - Ken - ND - K3 - 457
K1THP - Dave - CT - K3 - 686
K0DTJ - Brian - CA - K3 - 4113
K4JPN - Steve - GA - K2 - 1422
N0TA - John - CO - K3 - 994

    I will keep testing APF this week during the Fox Hunts.  Tuesday on 40  
meters and Thursday on 80 meters it will be used to hear those weak  
foxes.  I've not read the schedule yet so I am unsure of who to listen for  
and where they are located.  This will be a different venue than either I  
have tried before: first DX stations and then two nets.  It will be a good  
test for the APF firmware; especially on 80 meters.  I do like the  
simplicity of its current user interface.  Even while in QSO it is easy to  
switch it in or out and to adjust the SHIFT.  If in later incarnations it  
becomes more complex I will stick with this alpha version until forced to  
move on.
    Until next week stay well,
       73,
          Kevin.  KD5ONS  (Net Control Operator 5th Class)

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