[NLRS] 144.240 SSB net *ON* tonight, 7:15pm

[Todd Sprinkmann]

   Good morning,

   This beautiful spring weather continues...  NOT.  Oh well, at
least I have heat out in the shed.  It could be far worse.  Just think
how good it will feel when it finally does improve!

    Look forward to another good net tonight.  I'm still having some
noise, mostly when I look toward Iowa.  I may rely on the stronger
stations to relay some folks, so keep your ears open.

    I had some folks last week who were calling me when I wasn't
looking their way.  This was in 3 different states, so I'm not picking
on any one person.  :)   I can happily say I'm glad so many are
hearing me!   I want to hear from all of you, and not miss anyone,
so please read the advice below.

    It's a good idea to wait until you hear me peak up on you, before
dropping your call multiple times.  When you call "out of order"
(said with a smile) it makes me swing the beam in a direction I'm not
ready to.  It also can make it so other stations that are trying to hear
me cannot, because all they hear is you calling.  If everyone trying to
check into a net all called at once on the same frequency, over and
over, it would be a mess.

    I always announce where I'm pointed, and I never swing away
from a specific direction until I've called at least 2 or 3 times.  I
also swing my beams only 10-15 degrees at a time, so there's
plenty of opportunity to check in.

   If you can hear me, then you can probably hear me well enough
to know I say, "now looking toward Rockford, Peoria, St. Louis"
Or, "now looking toward the Quad Cities and NE MO"  Or, "now
looking toward Madison and Dubuqe".   "Looking toward La
Crosse and the IA/MN state line area."  You get the picture.

   I know it can be frustrating waiting for me to peak up on your
specific location, so I appreciate your patience.

   Being smart about this will especially become important as
we head into summer, and we get busier with better propagation.

   Any questions or comments, I'll be happy to help.
   73,
   Todd   KC9BQA  EN63ao   40 N of Milwaukee
   50 thru 2304