From n5baa at hctc.net Sat Nov 4 18:47:07 2017 From: n5baa at hctc.net (Gary Johnson) Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2017 17:47:07 -0500 Subject: [HCARC] HCARC 2018 Presentations Message-ID: <4F74BDC165A74E6E83E84BF1044CA02A@GaryPC> In response to my request last night at the club meeting for ideas for this next year I got the following: Receiving Antennas ? John H. AC4CA volunteered to do this presentation Radio 80 Years Ago ? Bill T. W3XO volunteered to do the presentation SKYWARN/Floods ? Larry A. N5QGD volunteered to contact NWS to schedule EME Basics ? suggested by Warren S. KG5NPV UHF/VHF Weak Signal ? suggested by Warren S. KG5NPV (this may get covered by Greg Lewis in the February Hamsters Presentation) DX Basics (especially for new hams) ? Lew K. W5LEW volunteered to do presentation FT8 etc ? Dale G. K4DG volunteered to do presentation. Those 7 added to the Field Day presentations (June and July) and the January Presentation by Gerald Youngblood of Flex Radio and Greg Lewis from Hamsters on 2m Simplex/DX just about fills out the year. HOWEVER, if you have any other ideas please send them to me at N5BAA at HCTC.net. 73, Gary J N5BAA From w4wj at aol.com Wed Nov 15 01:23:58 2017 From: w4wj at aol.com (w4wj at aol.com) Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2017 01:23:58 -0500 Subject: [HCARC] Check out Morse Code: A Staple in the Navy IW Toolkit Message-ID: <15fbe592e68-c06-227e5@webjas-vaa038.srv.aolmail.net> The Navy is at it again!! ? 73 Don W4WJ ? Morse Code: A Staple in the Navy IW Toolkit From cw4evr at hctc.net Tue Nov 21 10:39:59 2017 From: cw4evr at hctc.net (Fred) Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2017 09:39:59 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Echolink Message-ID: I put Echolink back on the repeater.? I cannot tell if the audio outbound (to the internet) is choppy since I cannot get on echolink while I have the club system on from the house.? If your on echolink, try it out and let me know how it sounds.? Thanks, Fred/w0lpd From kerryk5ks at hughes.net Tue Nov 28 08:25:03 2017 From: kerryk5ks at hughes.net (Kerry Sandstrom) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 07:25:03 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Message-ID: Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater.? We've talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater.? I think its time to really look into this now.? We could , in the absence of repeater problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater.? In addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall back to the net without a repeater.? Yes, there will be some who won't be able to check-in.? Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station so they can check-in.? The simplest approach would be to run a net on 146.98 simplex.? That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just turned off and we all use .98 simplex for the net.? That way people will hear activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or not. Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is past time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater.? You can't terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! Kerry, K5KS From bucket at janeandjohn.org Tue Nov 28 09:17:36 2017 From: bucket at janeandjohn.org (John Canfield) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:17:36 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I completely agree Kerry! After about two minutes of listening to the net waiting to check in, I decided it wasn't going to be a net so I bailed out. Unfortunately my only 2M antenna is an omni vertical about 20' in the air and being in the NW quadrant of the county will limit my ability to communicate with everybody else, but there could be relay stations to pick up those antenna deprived stations like me. Planning on a tower at some point though. John WB5THT On 11/28/2017 7:25 AM, Kerry Sandstrom wrote: > > Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. > We've talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater.? I > think its time to really look into this now.? We could , in the > absence of repeater problems set aside one week a month to run a net > without the repeater.? In addition, whenever the repeater is not > working properly we could fall back to the net without a repeater.? > Yes, there will be some who won't be able to check-in. Perhaps this > net will encourage them to upgrade their station so they can > check-in.? The simplest approach would be to run a net on 146.98 > simplex.? That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just > turned off and we all use .98 simplex for the net.? That way people > will hear activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is > in use or not. > > Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is > past time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater.? > You can't terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working > properly! > > Kerry, K5KS > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From brown.stokes at gmail.com Tue Nov 28 09:29:04 2017 From: brown.stokes at gmail.com (Brown Stokes) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:29:04 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Maybe it's time to fall back on old reliable (Morse), and start setting up a CW network, if we don't already have one. I sold all my CW equipment many years ago, and would like to start up, again. If anyone has some simple (meaning inexpensive) gear they could part with, I'd be interested. Brown Stokes KG5TKT On Tue, Nov 28, 2017 at 8:17 AM, John Canfield wrote: > I completely agree Kerry! After about two minutes of listening to the net > waiting to check in, I decided it wasn't going to be a net so I bailed out. > > Unfortunately my only 2M antenna is an omni vertical about 20' in the air > and being in the NW quadrant of the county will limit my ability to > communicate with everybody else, but there could be relay stations to pick > up those antenna deprived stations like me. Planning on a tower at some > point though. > > John > WB5THT > > On 11/28/2017 7:25 AM, Kerry Sandstrom wrote: > >> >> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've >> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its time >> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. In >> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall back >> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be able >> to check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station >> so they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on >> 146.98 simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just >> turned off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will >> hear activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or >> not. >> >> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is past >> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You can't >> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >> >> Kerry, K5KS >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From tower2 at stx.rr.com Tue Nov 28 09:38:10 2017 From: tower2 at stx.rr.com (Harvey N. Vordenbaum) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:38:10 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> Yes, I could do that. I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which I normally use for APRS. And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have to be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote control. Hello Gerry? Hv -----Original Message----- From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its time to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. In addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall back to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be able to check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station so they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on 146.98 simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just turned off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or not. Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is past time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You can't terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! Kerry, K5KS ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From kd5wdq at gmail.com Tue Nov 28 10:07:12 2017 From: kd5wdq at gmail.com (kd5wdq .) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:07:12 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> Message-ID: Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. Forward to reflector... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "kd5wdq ." Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" Team, I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. So it goes like this: main repeater second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) simplex smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be thought out! Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a secondary repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. AF5SA On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: > Yes, I could do that. > I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which I > normally use for APRS. > And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. > We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have to > be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. > That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote > control. Hello Gerry? > > Hv > > > -----Original Message----- > From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] > On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom > Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM > To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net > Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > > > Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've > talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its time > to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater > problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. In > addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall back > to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be able to > check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station so > they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on 146.98 > simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just turned > off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear > activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or not. > > Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is past > time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You can't > terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! > > Kerry, K5KS > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > From curtiswe at ktc.com Tue Nov 28 10:52:29 2017 From: curtiswe at ktc.com (Curtis) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:52:29 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Backup repeater Message-ID: <3EBBE488-0D4B-48AD-B31E-F10BCCAFCC2C@ktc.com> If needed, the K5KSH 441.3125 repeater is available. The range is limited but in a pinch maybe a few strategically located cross band ?extenders? could be employed. We hope to have EchoLink working again in the near future, it has been down, due to construction at the link location. I think we finally have the audio settings dialed in (knock on wood) so the repeater sounds better than it did . 73 de AD5UZ Sent from my iPhone From kerryk5ks at hughes.net Tue Nov 28 11:50:43 2017 From: kerryk5ks at hughes.net (Kerry) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 10:50:43 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> Message-ID: <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net> Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak and very dependent on position of the hand-held. There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can access it. My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died as expensive and impractical. Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is working. Kerry On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: > Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. > > Forward to reflector... > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "kd5wdq ." > Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" > > Team, > > I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. > > Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. > And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". > (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) > > Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! > > Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to > practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. > > So it goes like this: > main repeater > second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) > simplex > smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc > > My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be > thought out! > Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a secondary > repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. > > AF5SA > > On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >> Yes, I could do that. >> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which I >> normally use for APRS. >> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have to >> be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >> control. Hello Gerry? >> >> Hv >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> >> >> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've >> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its time >> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. In >> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall back >> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be able to >> check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station so >> they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on 146.98 >> simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just turned >> off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear >> activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or not. >> >> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is past >> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You can't >> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >> >> Kerry, K5KS >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > From qltfnish at omniglobal.net Tue Nov 28 14:37:55 2017 From: qltfnish at omniglobal.net (Gary J - N5BAA) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 13:37:55 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net> References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net> Message-ID: <464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> All, 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk about 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the San Antonio area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the linked repeaters, that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters are SILENT. Where have I heard that before?? Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater to be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we need to figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we have. It's a virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion repeaters in SA or the Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live on the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear line of sight to the tower. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak and very dependent on position of the hand-held. There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can access it. My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died as expensive and impractical. Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is working. Kerry On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: > Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. > > Forward to reflector... > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "kd5wdq ." > Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" > > Team, > > I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. > > Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. > And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". > (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) > > Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! > > Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to > practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. > > So it goes like this: > main repeater > second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) > simplex > smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc > > My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be > thought out! > Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a > secondary > repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. > > AF5SA > > On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >> Yes, I could do that. >> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which I >> normally use for APRS. >> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have >> to >> be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >> control. Hello Gerry? >> >> Hv >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> >> >> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've >> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its >> time >> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. >> In >> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall >> back >> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be able >> to >> check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station >> so >> they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on 146.98 >> simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just >> turned >> off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear >> activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or >> not. >> >> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is past >> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You can't >> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >> >> Kerry, K5KS >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From qltfnish at omniglobal.net Tue Nov 28 16:23:19 2017 From: qltfnish at omniglobal.net (Gary J - N5BAA) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 15:23:19 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: <01f201d36887$f0c607e0$d25217a0$@windstream.net> References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net> <464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> <01f201d36887$f0c607e0$d25217a0$@windstream.net> Message-ID: <7DA7F86B68324415975BE540DAB53824@GaryPC> Sorry for the mistake on Greg Lewis' call. His call should read N5OX. Our Bill Tynan is W3XO. Picky picky picky, give me credit, I got 75% of the call right. HI HI And you are both Hamsters. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Bill Tynan Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 2:31 PM To: 'Gary J - N5BAA' Subject: RE: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Gary: You confuse people. That's N5XO not W3XO (me). 73, Bill, WWWW33333XO -----Original Message----- From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Gary J - N5BAA Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 1:38 PM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; Kerry Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 All, 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk about 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the San Antonio area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the linked repeaters, that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters are SILENT. Where have I heard that before?? Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater to be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we need to figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we have. It's a virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion repeaters in SA or the Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live on the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear line of sight to the tower. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak and very dependent on position of the hand-held. There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can access it. My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died as expensive and impractical. Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is working. Kerry On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: > Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. > > Forward to reflector... > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "kd5wdq ." > Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" > > Team, > > I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. > > Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. > And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". > (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) > > Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! > > Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good > to practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. > > So it goes like this: > main repeater > second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) simplex smoke signals, > carrier pigeons, etc > > My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be > thought out! > Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a > secondary repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of > locations. > > AF5SA > > On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >> Yes, I could do that. >> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) >> which I normally use for APRS. >> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would >> have to be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >> control. Hello Gerry? >> >> Hv >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> >> >> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. >> We've talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I >> think its time to really look into this now. We could , in the >> absence of repeater problems set aside one week a month to run a net >> without the repeater. >> In >> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall >> back to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who >> won't be able to check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to >> upgrade their station so they can check-in. The simplest approach >> would be to run a net on 146.98 simplex. That way, if the repeater >> is having a problem, it is just turned off and we all use .98 simplex >> for the net. That way people will hear activity on the normal net >> frequency whether the repeater is in use or not. >> >> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is >> past time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. >> You can't terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >> >> Kerry, K5KS >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this >> email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this >> email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From kerryk5ks at hughes.net Tue Nov 28 16:54:57 2017 From: kerryk5ks at hughes.net (Kerry) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 15:54:57 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: <464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net> <464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> Message-ID: Gary, I may have heard you once on the net. A hand-held with a Yagi is definitely not what I was talking about when i said hand-held. On a different topic, you may remember I used to work in San Antonio. For a while I had a 2 m mobile in my car and never heard anything on the repeaters so I took the rig out of the car. San Antonio doesn't seem to have much activity at all. I only worked 1 Bexar county station in the last TX QSO Party and he was a multi-county mobile and that was the first Bexar County station I had worked in the TQP in several years. Gary, I hope we aren't seriously considering another repeater. I expect the Red Cross site won't prove particularly useful, reasonably equipped home stations don't really need a repeater and the hand-helds won't be able to get into the Fredeicksburg repeater but only time will tell if my expectations are correct. Kerry On 11/28/2017 1:37 PM, Gary J - N5BAA wrote: > All, > > 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. > > Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk > about 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the > San Antonio area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the > linked repeaters, that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters > are SILENT. Where have I heard that before?? > > Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater > to be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we > need to figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we > have. It's a virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion > repeaters in SA or the Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. > > BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - > sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live > on the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear > line of sight to the tower. > > 73, > > Gary J > N5BAA > > -----Original Message----- From: Kerry > Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM > To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > > Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include > the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds > of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. > > We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and > Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely > to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and > perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a > tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have > the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in > the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg > and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater > has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 > equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg > repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't > really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the > Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only > check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The > current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red > Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. > > The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna > seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, > K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr > County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input > frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds > in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem > using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak > and very dependent on position of the hand-held. > > There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base > station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. > That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that > location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly > if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the > Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can > access it. > > My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with > several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication > outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable > station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several > linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died > as expensive and impractical. > > Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have > a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch > of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is > working. > > Kerry > > > > On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: >> Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. >> >> Forward to reflector... >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: "kd5wdq ." >> Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 >> Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" >> >> Team, >> >> I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. >> >> Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. >> And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". >> (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) >> >> Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! >> >> Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to >> practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. >> >> So it goes like this: >> main repeater >> second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) >> simplex >> smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc >> >> My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be >> thought out! >> Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a >> secondary >> repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. >> >> AF5SA >> >> On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >>> Yes, I could do that. >>> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) >>> which I >>> normally use for APRS. >>> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >>> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would >>> have to >>> be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >>> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >>> control. Hello Gerry? >>> >>> Hv >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >>> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >>> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >>> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >>> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >>> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >>> >>> >>> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. >>> We've >>> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think >>> its time >>> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >>> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the >>> repeater. In >>> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could >>> fall back >>> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be >>> able to >>> check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their >>> station so >>> they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on >>> 146.98 >>> simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just >>> turned >>> off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear >>> activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use >>> or not. >>> >>> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is >>> past >>> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You >>> can't >>> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >>> >>> Kerry, K5KS >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > From jim.k0mhc at earthlink.net Tue Nov 28 16:58:03 2017 From: jim.k0mhc at earthlink.net (James Froemke) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 15:58:03 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Redundancy option Message-ID: <8234A482-CB39-4001-90E4-7004225B6A01@earthlink.net> Since we already have a good repeater site, tower, coax, AC power and functioning internet link why not just place an FM simplex radio adjacent to the repeater and remotely switch the existing coax between them? Then we could operate FM simplex as required when the repeater is iffy. A remotely operated FM simplex radio is easy to set up and run from a Windows laptop (with proper signin Authorization) by whoever is authorized to run the simplex ?net?. Just saying. 73, Jim From qltfnish at omniglobal.net Tue Nov 28 18:27:12 2017 From: qltfnish at omniglobal.net (Gary J - N5BAA) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 17:27:12 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: <7DA7F86B68324415975BE540DAB53824@GaryPC> References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net><464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC><01f201d36887$f0c607e0$d25217a0$@windstream.net> <7DA7F86B68324415975BE540DAB53824@GaryPC> Message-ID: <8DE1810C9B374CED816500F25CA38F85@GaryPC> Still screwed it up how about N5XO. Third time is a charm. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Gary J - N5BAA Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 3:23 PM To: Bill Tynan ; hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Sorry for the mistake on Greg Lewis' call. His call should read N5OX. Our Bill Tynan is W3XO. Picky picky picky, give me credit, I got 75% of the call right. HI HI And you are both Hamsters. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Bill Tynan Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 2:31 PM To: 'Gary J - N5BAA' Subject: RE: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Gary: You confuse people. That's N5XO not W3XO (me). 73, Bill, WWWW33333XO -----Original Message----- From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Gary J - N5BAA Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 1:38 PM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; Kerry Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 All, 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk about 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the San Antonio area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the linked repeaters, that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters are SILENT. Where have I heard that before?? Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater to be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we need to figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we have. It's a virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion repeaters in SA or the Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live on the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear line of sight to the tower. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak and very dependent on position of the hand-held. There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can access it. My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died as expensive and impractical. Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is working. Kerry On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: > Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. > > Forward to reflector... > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "kd5wdq ." > Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" > > Team, > > I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. > > Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. > And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". > (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) > > Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! > > Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good > to practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. > > So it goes like this: > main repeater > second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) simplex smoke signals, > carrier pigeons, etc > > My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be > thought out! > Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a > secondary repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of > locations. > > AF5SA > > On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >> Yes, I could do that. >> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) >> which I normally use for APRS. >> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would >> have to be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >> control. Hello Gerry? >> >> Hv >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> >> >> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. >> We've talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I >> think its time to really look into this now. We could , in the >> absence of repeater problems set aside one week a month to run a net >> without the repeater. >> In >> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall >> back to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who >> won't be able to check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to >> upgrade their station so they can check-in. The simplest approach >> would be to run a net on 146.98 simplex. That way, if the repeater >> is having a problem, it is just turned off and we all use .98 simplex >> for the net. That way people will hear activity on the normal net >> frequency whether the repeater is in use or not. >> >> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is >> past time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. >> You can't terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >> >> Kerry, K5KS >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this >> email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this >> email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html From qltfnish at omniglobal.net Tue Nov 28 19:33:47 2017 From: qltfnish at omniglobal.net (Gary J - N5BAA) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 18:33:47 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com> <8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net> <464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> Message-ID: <0CD2EC3452BF4A4CBBE7DF3C59628734@GaryPC> Kerry, I get on the net when chores allow. So often tending the sheep happens around sunset and sheep are more important than chatting. Now my wife and I have compounded the problem - we have three 8 week old puppies (2 border collies and one Chocolate Labrador). As far as I know, no one the board is considering a second repeater. I doubt we could get a second 2m repeater freq pair. For what purpose?? For what its worth, I think it was suggested in this discussion by Eddie Kovlan KD5DWQ. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 3:54 PM To: Gary J - N5BAA ; hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Gary, I may have heard you once on the net. A hand-held with a Yagi is definitely not what I was talking about when i said hand-held. On a different topic, you may remember I used to work in San Antonio. For a while I had a 2 m mobile in my car and never heard anything on the repeaters so I took the rig out of the car. San Antonio doesn't seem to have much activity at all. I only worked 1 Bexar county station in the last TX QSO Party and he was a multi-county mobile and that was the first Bexar County station I had worked in the TQP in several years. Gary, I hope we aren't seriously considering another repeater. I expect the Red Cross site won't prove particularly useful, reasonably equipped home stations don't really need a repeater and the hand-helds won't be able to get into the Fredeicksburg repeater but only time will tell if my expectations are correct. Kerry On 11/28/2017 1:37 PM, Gary J - N5BAA wrote: > All, > > 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. > > Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk about > 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the San Antonio > area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the linked repeaters, > that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters are SILENT. Where > have I heard that before?? > > Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater to > be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we need to > figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we have. It's a > virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion repeaters in SA or the > Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. > > BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - > sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live on > the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear line > of sight to the tower. > > 73, > > Gary J > N5BAA > > -----Original Message----- From: Kerry > Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM > To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > > Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include > the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds > of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. > > We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and > Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely > to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and > perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a > tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have > the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in > the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg > and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater > has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 > equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg > repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't > really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the > Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only > check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The > current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red > Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. > > The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna > seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, > K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr > County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input > frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds > in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem > using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak > and very dependent on position of the hand-held. > > There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base > station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. > That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that > location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly > if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the > Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can > access it. > > My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with > several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication > outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable > station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several > linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died > as expensive and impractical. > > Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have > a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch > of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is > working. > > Kerry > > > > On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: >> Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. >> >> Forward to reflector... >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: "kd5wdq ." >> Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 >> Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" >> >> Team, >> >> I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. >> >> Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. >> And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". >> (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) >> >> Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! >> >> Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to >> practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. >> >> So it goes like this: >> main repeater >> second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) >> simplex >> smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc >> >> My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be >> thought out! >> Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a >> secondary >> repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. >> >> AF5SA >> >> On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >>> Yes, I could do that. >>> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which >>> I >>> normally use for APRS. >>> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >>> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have >>> to >>> be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >>> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >>> control. Hello Gerry? >>> >>> Hv >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >>> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >>> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >>> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >>> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >>> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >>> >>> >>> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've >>> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its >>> time >>> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >>> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. >>> In >>> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall >>> back >>> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be >>> able to >>> check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station >>> so >>> they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on >>> 146.98 >>> simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just >>> turned >>> off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear >>> activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or >>> not. >>> >>> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is >>> past >>> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You >>> can't >>> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >>> >>> Kerry, K5KS >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > From csm_hipskind at suddenlink.net Wed Nov 29 11:26:33 2017 From: csm_hipskind at suddenlink.net (Terry Hipskind) Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2017 10:26:33 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: <0CD2EC3452BF4A4CBBE7DF3C59628734@GaryPC> References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com><8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net><464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> <0CD2EC3452BF4A4CBBE7DF3C59628734@GaryPC> Message-ID: <4D826CF1D97A4C58B58D85604A49356B@HipskindMain> My two cents We have a brand new repeater. If any time or money is to be spent, it should be focused on working the bugs out of this repeater - not installing a second one. Yes, going simplex will pose some problems - but that?s what happens in emergencies. The HT can be upgraded by replacing the rubber ducky with a better whip and further improved by adding a DIY Tiger Tail. For $49 an Arrow 2M/70cm J-Pole can vastly improve the HT's range (better yet, build one from scratch). Upgrading the antenna is not limited to the HTs (I seriously doubt Dale is using a 1/16th dipole on his SDR rig) - when deployed to a wildfire, I carry a 2M/70 Log Periodic. The point is there are many ways to improve your out-of-the-box rig. 73 Terry - W?HIP -----Original Message----- From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Gary J - N5BAA Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 6:34 PM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; Kerry Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Kerry, I get on the net when chores allow. So often tending the sheep happens around sunset and sheep are more important than chatting. Now my wife and I have compounded the problem - we have three 8 week old puppies (2 border collies and one Chocolate Labrador). As far as I know, no one the board is considering a second repeater. I doubt we could get a second 2m repeater freq pair. For what purpose?? For what its worth, I think it was suggested in this discussion by Eddie Kovlan KD5DWQ. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 3:54 PM To: Gary J - N5BAA ; hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Gary, I may have heard you once on the net. A hand-held with a Yagi is definitely not what I was talking about when i said hand-held. On a different topic, you may remember I used to work in San Antonio. For a while I had a 2 m mobile in my car and never heard anything on the repeaters so I took the rig out of the car. San Antonio doesn't seem to have much activity at all. I only worked 1 Bexar county station in the last TX QSO Party and he was a multi-county mobile and that was the first Bexar County station I had worked in the TQP in several years. Gary, I hope we aren't seriously considering another repeater. I expect the Red Cross site won't prove particularly useful, reasonably equipped home stations don't really need a repeater and the hand-helds won't be able to get into the Fredeicksburg repeater but only time will tell if my expectations are correct. Kerry On 11/28/2017 1:37 PM, Gary J - N5BAA wrote: > All, > > 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. > > Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk about > 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the San Antonio > area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the linked repeaters, > that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters are SILENT. Where > have I heard that before?? > > Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater to > be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we need to > figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we have. It's a > virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion repeaters in SA or the > Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. > > BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - > sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live on > the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear line > of sight to the tower. > > 73, > > Gary J > N5BAA > > -----Original Message----- From: Kerry > Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM > To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > > Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include > the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds > of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. > > We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and > Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely > to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and > perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a > tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have > the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in > the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg > and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater > has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 > equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg > repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't > really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the > Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only > check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The > current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red > Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. > > The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna > seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, > K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr > County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input > frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds > in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem > using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak > and very dependent on position of the hand-held. > > There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base > station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. > That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that > location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly > if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the > Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can > access it. > > My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with > several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication > outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable > station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several > linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died > as expensive and impractical. > > Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have > a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch > of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is > working. > > Kerry > > > > On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: >> Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. >> >> Forward to reflector... >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: "kd5wdq ." >> Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 >> Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" >> >> Team, >> >> I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. >> >> Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. >> And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". >> (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) >> >> Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! >> >> Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to >> practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. >> >> So it goes like this: >> main repeater >> second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) >> simplex >> smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc >> >> My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be >> thought out! >> Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a >> secondary >> repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. >> >> AF5SA >> >> On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >>> Yes, I could do that. >>> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which >>> I >>> normally use for APRS. >>> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >>> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have >>> to >>> be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >>> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >>> control. Hello Gerry? >>> >>> Hv >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >>> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >>> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >>> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >>> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >>> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >>> >>> >>> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've >>> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its >>> time >>> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >>> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. >>> In >>> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall >>> back >>> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be >>> able to >>> check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station >>> so >>> they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on >>> 146.98 >>> simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just >>> turned >>> off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear >>> activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or >>> not. >>> >>> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is >>> past >>> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You >>> can't >>> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >>> >>> Kerry, K5KS >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com From qltfnish at omniglobal.net Wed Nov 29 18:27:22 2017 From: qltfnish at omniglobal.net (Gary J - N5BAA) Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2017 17:27:22 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 In-Reply-To: <4D826CF1D97A4C58B58D85604A49356B@HipskindMain> References: <003901d36856$84df28d0$8e9d7a70$@rr.com><8fa465f8-4f48-f0ba-2856-80f8fe6d4885@hughes.net><464A6790904E437A990C392826AD7281@GaryPC> <0CD2EC3452BF4A4CBBE7DF3C59628734@GaryPC> <4D826CF1D97A4C58B58D85604A49356B@HipskindMain> Message-ID: <3EE9C150059D49E99A7B3C59EE9E14CE@GaryPC> For about 50-60 including shipping you can buy a 3 element 2m beam on Ebay. I fly one from a 12 foot high pole. Haven't tried to hit Fredericksburg repeater. Gordon Green KG6DKI uses one with his handheld to hit our repeater from Medina. That?s up and over the mountains (big hills that block his line of sight). Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Terry Hipskind Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2017 10:26 AM To: 'Gary J - N5BAA' ; hcarc at mailman.qth.net ; 'Kerry' Subject: RE: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 My two cents We have a brand new repeater. If any time or money is to be spent, it should be focused on working the bugs out of this repeater - not installing a second one. Yes, going simplex will pose some problems - but that?s what happens in emergencies. The HT can be upgraded by replacing the rubber ducky with a better whip and further improved by adding a DIY Tiger Tail. For $49 an Arrow 2M/70cm J-Pole can vastly improve the HT's range (better yet, build one from scratch). Upgrading the antenna is not limited to the HTs (I seriously doubt Dale is using a 1/16th dipole on his SDR rig) - when deployed to a wildfire, I carry a 2M/70 Log Periodic. The point is there are many ways to improve your out-of-the-box rig. 73 Terry - W?HIP -----Original Message----- From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Gary J - N5BAA Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 6:34 PM To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; Kerry Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Kerry, I get on the net when chores allow. So often tending the sheep happens around sunset and sheep are more important than chatting. Now my wife and I have compounded the problem - we have three 8 week old puppies (2 border collies and one Chocolate Labrador). As far as I know, no one the board is considering a second repeater. I doubt we could get a second 2m repeater freq pair. For what purpose?? For what its worth, I think it was suggested in this discussion by Eddie Kovlan KD5DWQ. 73, Gary J N5BAA -----Original Message----- From: Kerry Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 3:54 PM To: Gary J - N5BAA ; hcarc at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 Gary, I may have heard you once on the net. A hand-held with a Yagi is definitely not what I was talking about when i said hand-held. On a different topic, you may remember I used to work in San Antonio. For a while I had a 2 m mobile in my car and never heard anything on the repeaters so I took the rig out of the car. San Antonio doesn't seem to have much activity at all. I only worked 1 Bexar county station in the last TX QSO Party and he was a multi-county mobile and that was the first Bexar County station I had worked in the TQP in several years. Gary, I hope we aren't seriously considering another repeater. I expect the Red Cross site won't prove particularly useful, reasonably equipped home stations don't really need a repeater and the hand-helds won't be able to get into the Fredeicksburg repeater but only time will tell if my expectations are correct. Kerry On 11/28/2017 1:37 PM, Gary J - N5BAA wrote: > All, > > 2M isn't my thing except for SKYWARN. > > Greg Lewis W3XO from Hamsters is coming I hope in February to talk about > 2m Simplex and the Linked Yaesu System Fusion Repeaters in the San Antonio > area. Friends in SA indicate to me that even with the linked repeaters, > that other than drive time the San Antonio repeaters are SILENT. Where > have I heard that before?? > > Are we really considering putting up and maintaining a second repeater to > be as unused as the one we have?? Or if ours isn't working, do we need to > figure out how to properly use/setup/whatever,the one we have. It's a > virtually new repeater. Can we link to the Fusion repeaters in SA or the > Fusion repeater in Fredericksburg or both. > > BTW Kerry - if you hear me on the net it is always on my handheld - > sometimes on a long rubber ducky and sometimes on my 2m yagi. I live on > the backside of Center Point, but since I live on a hill have clear line > of sight to the tower. > > 73, > > Gary J > N5BAA > > -----Original Message----- From: Kerry > Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:50 AM > To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net > Subject: Re: [HCARC] Fwd: Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 > > Yes, there needs to be some planning. That planning needs to include > the area we need to cover, the kinds and general locations of the kinds > of emergencies we expect in our area and the equipment available to us. > > We have check-ins/members in Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and > Medina Counties. In my opinion the kinds of emergencies we are likely > to face are traffic accidents on I-10 involving multiple vehicles and > perhaps HAZMAT, flooding in the valleys, wildfires, and possibly a > tornado or wind damage. All in all our area is pretty safe. We have > the 38/98 repeater near Kerrville (which has had numerous problems in > the last year or so). There is also a 16/76 repeater in Fredericksburg > and a 440 repeater at the Kerrville State Hospital. The 440 repeater > has pretty limited coverage and I don't think many in the club have 440 > equipment. I don't know if we could run nets on the Fredericksburg > repeater but I believe it has some connection with the club but I don't > really know its status. Probably about half the active stations on the > Monday night net are from outside Kerr County. I believe the only > check-ins to the net using hand held radios are all in Kerrville. The > current N5HR location provides good coverage. A repeater at the Red > Cross building would be unlikely to be usable outside of Kerrville. > > The stations in Gillespie County using 25-50 W and an outside antenna > seem to be able to work each other. That includes AF5UX, AD5UZ, AC4CA, > K5EWS, W4WJ W3XO and K5KS. Here in Harper I can hear some of the Kerr > County stations. Monday night I could hear K5HV and KK5IA on the input > frequency and I have heard others. I can't hear any of the hand-helds > in Kerrville. Some of the Kerrville hand-helds seem to have a problem > using the N5HR repeater at the best of times. Signals tend to be weak > and very dependent on position of the hand-held. > > There are several easy tests we need to run. 1 - have a 2 meter base > station on from the Red Cross building to see how many can hear it. > That should give us an idea of the utility of a repeater at that > location. 2 - see who can hear each other on simplex, and particularly > if any of the hand-helds can be heard. 3 - see who can access the > Fredericksburg repeater, and particularly if any of the hand-helds can > access it. > > My belief is that the hand-helds are only useful as a local net with > several stations within a mile of so of each other and any communication > outside of that area will require a well equipped mobile or portable > station. I recall several years ago some discussions about several > linked repeaters around this area to provide coverage but that idea died > as expensive and impractical. > > Any way, that's my immediate thoughts on the subject. It seems we have > a choice of a few stations that can cover a couple counties or a bunch > of hand-helds primarily usefull only in Kerrville when the repeater is > working. > > Kerry > > > > On 11/28/2017 9:07 AM, kd5wdq . wrote: >> Crap! did it again. only replied to Harvey, not the reflector. >> >> Forward to reflector... >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: "kd5wdq ." >> Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:02:36 -0600 >> Subject: Re: [HCARC] Monday Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >> To: "Harvey N. Vordenbaum" >> >> Team, >> >> I agree on a backup plan. Preached this before. >> >> Here is my concern, simplex will limit a net to only a few folks. >> And in a REAL emergency, your going to need "all hands on deck". >> (many will only have HT's in a real emergency.) >> >> Come on team, think big -- get some long term goals! >> >> Get a second repeater, then fall back on simplex. Although it's good to >> practice in simplex, so everyone knows what to do if necessary. >> >> So it goes like this: >> main repeater >> second repeater (put on a pole at red cross?) >> simplex >> smoke signals, carrier pigeons, etc >> >> My belief is this: it's good to have a backup plan, but it has to be >> thought out! >> Ask yourself who's gonna be able to operate in an emergency. IMO, a >> secondary >> repeater will serve more, even if it's not in the best of locations. >> >> AF5SA >> >> On 11/28/17, Harvey N. Vordenbaum wrote: >>> Yes, I could do that. >>> I could use my top of the mast 2 M gain antenna (55 ft. + 18 ft.) which >>> I >>> normally use for APRS. >>> And with 100 w. from the TS2000 I could surely be heard over the area. >>> We'll find out how many can change their radio to simplex. I would have >>> to >>> be able to listen on the repeater input side as well. >>> That brings up another problem: turning the repeater off/on by remote >>> control. Hello Gerry? >>> >>> Hv >>> >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net >>> [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] >>> On Behalf Of Kerry Sandstrom >>> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:25 AM >>> To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net; kerryk5ks at hughes.net >>> Subject: [HCARC] Mondat Night HCARC Net 27 Nov 17 >>> >>> >>> Last nights net was a disaster due to problems with the repeater. We've >>> talked about having a net that doesn't use the repeater. I think its >>> time >>> to really look into this now. We could , in the absence of repeater >>> problems set aside one week a month to run a net without the repeater. >>> In >>> addition, whenever the repeater is not working properly we could fall >>> back >>> to the net without a repeater. Yes, there will be some who won't be >>> able to >>> check-in. Perhaps this net will encourage them to upgrade their station >>> so >>> they can check-in. The simplest approach would be to run a net on >>> 146.98 >>> simplex. That way, if the repeater is having a problem, it is just >>> turned >>> off and we all use .98 simplex for the net. That way people will hear >>> activity on the normal net frequency whether the repeater is in use or >>> not. >>> >>> Bottom line - we've had enough problems with the repeater that it is >>> past >>> time to figure out how we can have a net without the repeater. You >>> can't >>> terminate a disaster because the repeater is not working properly! >>> >>> Kerry, K5KS >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> HCARC mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> HCARC mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> > > ______________________________________________________________ > HCARC mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ HCARC mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hcarc Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:HCARC at mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com From cw4evr at hctc.net Thu Nov 30 10:32:03 2017 From: cw4evr at hctc.net (Fred) Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2017 09:32:03 -0600 Subject: [HCARC] Charlie - AF5AO Message-ID: <7f86bcfc-c454-174f-2071-2513c0f7e7e9@hctc.net> All, I ran into Charlie early this morning (November 30).? He informed me his XYL Peggy passed away last night.? No other details are known at this time.? Please keep him in your prayers. Fred/w0lpd