[MRCA] Moose & Squirrel Net, What's next?

[Ray Fantini]

Big goings on, changes in the sixty-meter band and the future of the Moose & Squirrel Net. Lots of talk and lots of ideas.
Question, what is the M&S Net anyway?  Please look at the MRCA web page:

https://www.mrca.ar88.net/Old%20Pages/Net/MandS.html

My limited understanding is that it's a place to actually use your military radio. Maybe something like what we do on 7296 or the 7087 RATT Net, its open for everyone to take part but the intent is to operate our ex-military radios on the air and also drag them into the field and operate them as they were once intended. Not as fixed assets but in portable configuration.
But with what going on now 5357 is going away. Do we migrate to a new channel? Will it be on sixty meters? Will it be USB?
Think that 5357 was chosen because radios like the PRC-47 and PRC-74 won't go above 12 MHz and are USB only. That's why the MMRCG Net on 7296 is USB and that's been the source of many complaints from the regular Ham community.
So, the question is what's next? Maybe we can compile a list of what radios are out there that people intend to use? And what bands? And what mode (USB/LSB)? How many PRC-47 are out there? I know we get at least one or two that check in on the 7296 Net on Saturdays. If we do away with supporting older PRC-47 and 74 technology that opens up things like seventeen meters where the antennas are short and bands less congested. Newer radios like the PRC-104, PRC-138 and Harris Falcon stuff are all capable of that.
But there are a lot of older radios out there.
I use to be a regular on the M&S Net but somehow over the last two years conditions have gotten so poor that I almost never hear NCS on that net and have not taken part but use that channel lots at events like MRCA gilbert.
Attached is a link to the video I shot of the 10th anniversary of the M&S Net back in 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDWuuc38wQA&t=28s

Man, it's an entirely different band today. Also note the number of PRC-47 checking in and maybe someone can explain to me why using different radios, antennas and locations I cannot get close to receiving stations from the north today like I did then?


Ray F/KA3EKH
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