There really is a MOP

[K9ACT]

Last night on 160 I heard K2PG talking to KC4MOP and nothing registered but when he called him Fred bells clanged.  Glad I brought up the issue of his call sign a few weeks ago as I never would have made the connection.

Great to hook up with you Fred and to gild the lily, you were channel master for the rest of the late show.

It was a great night on 160 with near local conditions to the East Coast.  In addition to the MOP, we had WA1QIX, K2PG and K1KVW, all arm chair copy.

No one liked my vertical over the dipole so it will remain the KYV antenna as he is about the only one who says nice things about it.

Only problem was that slop bucket on 88 or so.  We need to take up a collection to buy K2PG a crystal for 83.

Early show was K5UB and VE6PG and another great QSO on 160.

I like 160 in spite of its warts.

js

[W3SLK]

I was on earlier with the peanut whistle but bowed out so I could take the 'War Dept.' to the hospital this morning. I might get on again tonight seeing that I don't have any work in the morning.

[flintstone mop]

YEA and I finally talked to the guy leaning on the telescope!!
Very reasonable condx last night. Just sliding up and down a few kc and sliding the "I.F." of the SDR to avoid the SSB. Made everything just lovely.
Bob, K1KBW rattled my KLH's with a very nice A.M sound, EXtremely well balanced audio Very smooth lows and not that muddy fake bass, just nice EQ all the way around........Steve, QIX was making the monkey schwang FB too with the Class E from the East Coast.
And I heard my ole TS440 from Rob, W1AEX!!! I never knew how great the audio  was till it was transmitting from another QTH!!!!!!

Fred

[KB2WIG]

Yes there is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyANRiqzfio


klc

[flintstone mop]

A real toe-tapper!!
A lot of shuckin and jivin there

[k4kyv]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tu2ViCWotw&feature=related

[steve_qix]

Good to talk with you guys last night on 160!  160 is my favorite band.  It used to be the "gentleman's band", but a small number of idiots have migrated to 160 over the past 20 years or so, and sometimes we are subject to intentional interference.  Usually, they are a non-issue... including last night.  Everyone was completely in the clear - thanks to the software defined receiver  

There is an AM net on 160 that's been meeting since the 1950s, and is open to anyone on AM who wishes to join.  This is the Grey Hair Net which meets on 1945kHz at 8:00PM every Tuesday.  The net is very well run, and members are called up in numerical order (after an initial quick check in period of about 5 minutes to establish who is there).  The list is reversed each week (low numbers to high, then high to low), to balance waiting times - a very good idea and practice.  We usually get 20-some check ins during an average net night.  I have seen 30 check-ins, but its been a while.  You do not need to be a member to check in !!  The net often has guests.

Regards,

Steve

[WA1GFZ]

great background while working in the shack.

[K5UJ]

Early show was K5UB and VE6PG and another great QSO on 160.

Jack, before this becomes a habit, my callsign is K5UJ, not K5UB. 

[K5UJ]

I assume the net time for the Gray Hair is 8 pm Eastern?  I have gray hair so I guess I can check in hi hi.

[steve_qix]

I assume the net time for the Gray Hair is 8 pm Eastern?  I have gray hair so I guess I can check in hi hi.

Right!  8 PM Eastern.... It would be interesting to see how many of the net members you can actually hear.  Most Grey Hair Net members are not running particularly high power, or high antennas, but there are some.

I joined the net back in the early '70s, and my net "number" (you get a number assigned to you for life!) is #49.  I think we're up to #322, with about 90 active members (people who check in with reasonable regularity), and usually 20-something check-ins during an average net night.

Net control rotates between about 4 or 5 of us.  I am net control about once a month.  WA1GFZ is the vice pres and also does net control, along with W1CKI (secretary/treas) and W1AJW (pres).  Sometimes K1BF also does net control.  The net control stations usually have good signals, so you should be able to hear them OK.

Regards,

Steve

[W2PFY]

I am a member of that net as well but it has been a long time since I checked in. That is because of not having a working transmitter or a QTH where there is not a transmitter. I might be able to check in with the remote transmitter that I have access to.

The net it seems to me is a bit different than some. For one thing it is always friendly.
If you check in enough times in a year you'll get a birthday card or some other greeting cards for a wedding anniversary for example. I don't know if that is still done. If you are not a regular like me and even if your hearts in it, the cards stop.
I guess since I can't check in, maybe they'll except a write in. So maybe I'll send a post card to W1CKI every Tuesday or so

Well Steve,you must be really getting old, I didn't know you hosted the net. Now I'll never get another card

Please tell the gang I said Hello for me till I can check in once again


  

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Terry, W2PFY,
                 What happened to that BODACIOUS Westinghouse transmitter you used to grace the aether with? It was the "bees knees'!

Joe Cro N3IB X-rated

[K5UJ]

Okay I'll try to get home in time for the net.   Let's hope 1945 is clear around here.

[steve_qix]

I am a member of that net as well but it has been a long time since I checked in. That is because of not having a working transmitter or a QTH where there is not a transmitter. I might be able to check in with the remote transmitter that I have access to.

The net it seems to me is a bit different than some. For one thing it is always friendly.
If you check in enough times in a year you'll get a birthday card or some other greeting cards for a wedding anniversary for example. I don't know if that is still done. If you are not a regular like me and even if your hearts in it, the cards stop.
I guess since I can't check in, maybe they'll except a write in. So maybe I'll send a post card to W1CKI every Tuesday or so

Well Steve,you must be really getting old, I didn't know you hosted the net. Now I'll never get another card

Please tell the gang I said Hello for me till I can check in once again

Hi Terry,

You're definitely right - it is a VERY friendly net!  Oh, I don't host anything - you're right, if I were the secretary, no one would ever get anything    I am really disorganized about tasks like that.  All I do is help out by taking the net control about once a month.

I have a soft spot for the Grey Hair Net.  Way before I got my license, back in the 1960s, I would listen to the Grey Hair Net on an old Sparton 1940s antique radio, along with the other AMers on 160 and 75 meters.  That net, the Green Mountain Net (on AM back then), the Carrier Net (also on AM), and the Medicare net were great to listen to.  I must like old buzzards because, come to think of, all of those nets were mostly frequented by old buzzards 

Regards,

Steve

[W2PFY]

I must like old buzzards because, come to think of, all of those nets were mostly frequented by old buzzards

An as hard as it may be to admit to ourselves, many of us are the new old buzzards

Joe, IBX, the Westinghouse is fine but it's been off the air since the fall of 2007 with diesel engine problems.For those out there that don't know me very well, I generate all my own power at my Ham shack/Camp. The Westinghouse required 3 phase power.
 
It need a new oil pump and maybe some other parts. I may get going this spring baring some other crap that may happen.

By the way there are two songs I really hate and they are RAG MOP and THE NAME GAME. I take prescription drugs to keep those tunes out of my head.

[K5UJ]

Sorry guys, I tried to get into the Gray Hair Net and I made a transmission but I don't know if anyone in the East could copy me or not; condx here are such that I start having trouble working stations over a few hundred miles away.   There's just too much local noise garbage here on receive.

Rob

[steve_qix]

Sorry guys, I tried to get into the Gray Hair Net and I made a transmission but I don't know if anyone in the East could copy me or not; condx here are such that I start having trouble working stations over a few hundred miles away.   There's just too much local noise garbage here on receive.

Rob

Yup - heard you just fine here is Massachusetts!  No problem.  Also heard Jack, K9ACT very well.  Like any net, there are a number of P.W.'ers running low power and/or poor antennas who you might not hear at your location. 

But, your signal was quite readable here.

Thanks for checking in!

Regards,

Steve

[K9ACT]

Yup - heard you just fine here is Massachusetts!  No problem.  Also heard Jack, K9ACT very well.  Like any net, there are a number of P.W.'ers running low power and/or poor antennas who you might not hear at your location. 

Actually, with earphones and concentration, I could copy most of the stations but the buckets were not showing much respect for the Gray Hairs. As time went on it was hard to find enough bandwidth on either side of the carrier for intelligence.  Without  my $50 SoftRock it would have been hopeless.

I would like to congratulate the group on the way it is run.  After taking checkins of members first, I thought, "oh no, not again" (as in the 1936 net) but he picked up the new/non-members first.  A very fine gesture, especially when they are not local and having trouble copying.

Nice net.

Jack

[K5UJ]

Thanks Steve, with cans on I heard you fairly well, and K1BF and I could pull out 80% of W1CKI (don't have notes with me so but I think I remembered his callsign right) and as I told Jack later, I hoped things would improve with continued evening hours but instead things seemed to get worse.  At one point there was a SSB station on 1944 so I had to go to USB to get some copy on the net.  Anyway, I second Jacks comments on the net and its management.

73

Rob
K5UJ