80M is HOT Sat nite

[WA3VJB]

WOW, just worked WA3QGD/7 in Washington state, followed by a contact south Florida with my man Warren W1GUD  !!


3875kc

[N0WVA]

Booming in here in MO. I guess you cant hear my PW rig.

[WA3VJB]

Is that you?

Let me tell Joe WA2PJP and we will pull you out of there.


9:50PM Sat

3875kc

[N0WVA]

ok

[kb3ouk]

i was hearing Bill KD0HG earlier but i called back and he must not have heard my 100 watts.
Shelby KB3OUK

[N0WVA]

Thanks for the shot....20 watts just wont make the path tonight! I just got this thing out. Its been in storage since 1998. Ill listen some more and hopefully my signal will improve....

[WA3VJB]

Sway it goes, yeah 20W is a lot to ask.
Maybe the congestion off to the sides will clear out in a while.
Hit us again.

Meantime --


Shaking folks loose !

Rare appearance by Howard now W3HM, local, but seldom heard ....

[N0WVA]

Heres what Im running. If I can make a contact with it, it will be my first AM QSO since 98!

[WA3VJB]

Adding KA7NGT in Mineral, Washington just now.

Whole group includes WA1QIX, WA1GFZ, W2JBL, KB1SEL,  and WA2PJP, W1EUI, WD8BIL, HLR others

At one point the late Jeffie Cramer came up, The UAN.  As we were talking about him a guy at Timonium, Md., checked in staying he knew Jeff AND his father.

Rich WA3SKQ has put up a tribute site.
http://www.qsl.net/wa3skq/wa3uan_page.html

Turns out, a missing piece of the puzzle, is that Jeff's Dad was constantly hearing Jeff on the bathroom fan motor, if I understood this guy correctly.  Classic story.  Made me feel bad all over again for bustin' Jeff.

[ke7trp]

Band is nuts for me in AZ. 

Huge list in front of me including Tom, Tim and others.   Band is full in the Ghetto.  70,75,80,85.   Going to sit at 70 and talk to the West coast guys.

C

[WA3VJB]

Adding W5ZG at Magnolia Texas just now. Northwest of Houston.
Hearing us on a 75A1. Totally solid copy but missed his transmitter, name, weather report and antenna.

We've got activity on 3870 out east -- wish I could hear you guys.

Hit us again if you're cruising by.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Those Web receivers are awesome!   

[DMOD]

Up here in IOWA on 3. 875 I actually heard Doug in MO, Julius in OH, Robert from MASS, and of course Paul in MD and then I heard you guys slide up to 3883.XX? to get away from the Marconi net. Thanks for allowing pauses so others could could break.

There was was this one guy on the Marconi net on 3.872 that must have had a 16kHz slopbucket bandwith. G&^%$ was he irritating.

I also heard Robert UJ break in and tried to get back to you but to no avail. UJ's carrier was quieting everything around the window.

Maybe one of these days I can move out of the Valley of the AMBC doom and get away from the major lobes of two BCers.

Phil - AC0OB

[WA3VJB]

Phil did you and Doug hook up ?  I just couldn't hear him. Would have been a kick to have been his first contact.

OH - and this --

Those Web receivers are awesome!  

When they work.

Globaltuners just went through a site overhaul and most of the "good" receivers were busted. Interface issues on Windows 3.1.  Even Netscape 5.0 wouldn't talk to the virtual front panel.

I was forced to use my own receiver.

[K9ACT]

How quickly we forget life below the ghetto.

My excuse is that after installing a vacuum variable in my xmtr, I figured the less I vary it, the longer it would last.

I got real brave last night and tuned it up on 3705 and called CQ but as soon as I unkeyed, one of those sleeping buckets woke up and said the freq was in use.

I moved to 3720, tried again and had several nice QSO's with W7ISJ, W6PSS, K4KYV and N9MS.

Looking around down there I would say there was room for about 10 AM QSO's.

As a point point of interest, KYV mentioned  that he noticed a clear spot around 1965 as a possible alternate to the ghettoized portion of 160.  I will keep an eye on that also, although my antenna does not like it there.

Jack

[WA3VJB]

Jack I don't know why I felt like putting up with all the congestion around 3875Kc last night. Stations kept checking in, for one thing, after I had signed with Buddly WD8BIL with one of the strongest signals I've heard from him in quite a while.

But yes, it was a mess and I shoulda checked for AM action down low.

Forgot to do so by the time I threw the switch around 0600GMT, despite that someone had just checked in with a KW-1 filling up the receiver (my receiver).

[W2VW]

Sway it goes, yeah 20W is a lot to ask.

Not if you're a girl.....

[K5UJ]

I also heard Robert UJ break in and tried to get back to you but to no avail. UJ's carrier was quieting everything around the window.

Phil, that may have been me.  I tried to get in there a couple of times using my 1/4 w. vertical but i think each time I timed it wrong and was in on top of or under someone else.  Sorry about that.  I heard Paul real well; also K1JJ and HLR and Budley.

Jack I heard the guys on 3720 but just in tuning by so didn't linger long enough to ID anyone. 

The only prob. I can think of with 1865 is that on Sat. night it would be close to the WA0RCR news bulletin transmission on 1860. 

Rob

[K9ACT]

The only prob. I can think of with 1865 is that on Sat. night it would be close to the WA0RCR news bulletin transmission on 1860. 

Actually, I said 1965 but no reason not to go the other way but is always seems booked up.  Being near RCR may actually be a good idea.  Using him sort of as an AM lighthouse.

js

[N0WVA]

Phil did you and Doug hook up ?  I just couldn't hear him. Would have been a kick to have been his first contact.

OH - and this --

Those Web receivers are awesome!  

When they work.

Globaltuners just went through a site overhaul and most of the "good" receivers were busted. Interface issues on Windows 3.1.  Even Netscape 5.0 wouldn't talk to the virtual front panel.

I was forced to use my own receiver.

There were a couple stations hearing my pw signal last nite. Steve WA1QIX, and Jon W2WDX could copy me well enough to carry on a QSO, but I got out early because I didnt want to drag it down. I think John KZ4B was also hearing me for awhile as he answered my CQ and then I got hammered.

Thanx to everyone for trying to dig me out.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Uh-huh. And you have a bridge you wanna sell me too. Funny stuff.

Phil did you and Doug hook up ?  I just couldn't hear him. Would have been a kick to have been his first contact.

OH - and this --

Those Web receivers are awesome!  

When they work.

Globaltuners just went through a site overhaul and most of the "good" receivers were busted. Interface issues on Windows 3.1.  Even Netscape 5.0 wouldn't talk to the virtual front panel.

I was forced to use my own receiver.

[WA3VJB]

How about this coming Friday ?
08 Jan 2010
I got a reminder from one of the stations out yonder :

Hi Paul  (vjb)
We still operate AM on friday evening at 7:30PM PST /10:30 EST..on 3724kHz..
Come on down & join us..More the better..We worked U several years ago on AM...73
Dave  W6NSE  Middletown, Ca...90 miles north of San Francisco... K


And/Or, there's the 1st Wednesday CCA gathering this week. Separate post follows.

Great fun. Let's do it soon again.

** No Internet receivers were used or abused during the making of this post.

[K5UJ]

OKAY WE'RE ON    WE WILL OWN THE LOWER PART OF 3700!!! 

[ke7trp]

There is a monday night net for Southern CA AMI on 3870.  Starts at 7 or 8PM CA time..  I am on 3870 now and hear nothing...

C

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Those Web receivers are awesome!   

Okay, something just doesn't make sense. I'll admit, I'm not totally savvy when it comes to the newer stuff. I'm guessing Globaltuners are online receivers? I've used such things in the past when on the road away from the mic, for listening in and keeping up with folks. But do people actually use them now for 'working' AM? I mean, if you're using an online receiver to complete or claim a contact, wouldn't that basically be a simplex version of Skype? You might as well just make a phone call.

Maybe it's a method for those who can't run with the big dawgs? Then again - I've heard folks work coast-to-coast with a 100-200 watts when conditions are good. The thing is, when conditions are that good, everyone can work 'em.

How quickly things change. Serves me right for not being online as much lately.