985 Workbench Net - 2024-06-11

My Week in Radio

  • I’ll miss field day.
  • POTA around Harrisburg, York, and Lancaster.
    • Mostly FT8/FT4
    • Also have been chase some phone park-to-park, and have been getting good reports with my little QRP radio
    • Exclusively testing the 20m-long EFHW I built.
  • Upgrading firmware from a 3rd party for my x6100, and my own patch to show me band boundaries by privilege
  • Moved the 1/4 wave ground-plane antenna higher in the tree.
  • Always get perplexing interference at start of this net, otherwise clear all day. It’s a net on the big repeater over in York that’s 15khz lower. Maybe I need to build a yagi next, so I can get more directional.

Other Discussion

  • Vic (KC3TYX) was making contacts with VARAC, not for winlink. The software let’s you beacon on 14.105MHz, and has 15 slots (channels) near the calling frequencies for conversation. Fire a beacon or 2, and check pskreporter to see if anyone’s listening.
  • Lots of digital modes have conventional calling frequencies.
  • WB8NUT website has sounds of digital modes. http://wb8nut.com/digital/
  • Jim (AF3Z) suggests a 5khz shift to help alleviate interference from W3HZU’s net on 145.970, so I redefined 985 as 146.990MHz with a -605MHz offset. That works in a test after the net.
  • Trying to move things around in the radio blew away the offset and PL when I saved the new 990 frequency. The computer works better or that programming.

See also