14330 AM Group RIGHT NOW

[DMOD]

14.332 is the YL SSB SYSTEM freq...

Yes I know and they can't seem to take a hint.

[VE3LYX]

Up here I have yet to hear AM on 20M. Just finished initial build on a homebrew tube rig for 20M AM. Am hoping I get to use it.
Don

[WD5JKO]

Don,

   Just listen on Monday nights. There is often a dozen or more stations on between 14,330 and 14,340. You say that"real radios glow in the dark." Well the picture you attached shows the image of a radio in the dark, and it is not glowing! 

I'd love to see it, and also hear it...

Jim
WD5JKO

[N4zed]

Is that a CD player just above the VFO label ??   

[VE3LYX]

Nope,
I mounted the VFO cap rescued from a 1920s neutrodyne under the chassis near the VFO coil and a bit away from the front of the chassis. I was trying to eliminate any hand effects (And I was successful too) I cut the slot in the front panel and used a old 4 inch plastic dial from a 1930s radio for tuning. Because of the large diameter (4 inch) the amount the cap plates actually move is much less then the movement of the edge of the old dial. It gives me enuf control to tune it right on without the use of a vernier drive. I will pretty it up some and make up a thicker disc but essentially it is a poor mans vernier drive.  Bigger the drive wheel or knob the smaller the cap variation for the same amount of knob movement. (at the outside edge)
Don

[WA2ROC]

Won't be available tonight.  Hockey game between our Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins at PNC center in Raleigh.

See y'all next week....

[ka4koe]

Got original low grid current "fixed". Then the Valiant starts blowing fuses. Scratching my head as of 7:38 PM. Seriously ready to toss this transmitter. So needless to say, I won't make the net.

Philip

[VE3LYX]

Didn't hear diddly in AM today. Did call a couple of times on 14286. Also listened up on 310 to 330.
What is the right time to listen.
The PA of this rig will also tune 40M and 15M . Maybe I should add a couple of osc coils and a switch. I suppose I could tap this osc coil at both ends (Hartley feeds cathode from centre tap) which would allow ventures upward. Might be able to make 40M with a extra parallel cap. I can get down to 8.7 mcs now. Anyway I will listen again . Only Mondays?
Is there any AM from European Hams?
Don

[WD5JKO]

Didn't hear diddly in AM today. Did call a couple of times on 14286. Also listened up on 310 to 330.
What is the right time to listen.
Anyway I will listen again . Only Mondays?
Is there any AM from European Hams?
Don

  Don,
 
  Activity last night started at about 5:30 PM Central time (UTC - 06:00). There has been activity other days, and sometimes 8 PM or later, mostly around 14,330-340. We have had some European ham check-ins; I recall one from Ireland that checked in over the summer.

Jim
Wd5JKO
Jim

[WD5JKO]

The Monday Evening AM Gathering 6-9 PM CST, 14,330:

Last night was a mixture of good and bad. The good part is we had Liz K4GHT check-in. She had a great signal into Texas. As for the bad, SSB interference persisted. We moved down to 14,229 to allow some room between us and that other net on 14,332. That was a HUGE mistake since an extremely strong station decided to camp out on 14,330.    As result, things got chaotic resulting in many just going away.

The check-ins included:

KE7TRP
K4GHT
W9AD
K7IUC/4
KB1VWC
W0VMC
K9GAS
KL7OF
KD0ZS
KI4MLN
WD5JKO

I think we should hold our ground on 14,330. Every time we move (several times now) it seems like a SSB station parks themselves right where we were, and that is usually 1-2 khz from us.

We had many drifting VFO's last night that moved 3 Khz or more in under a minute transmitting. Maybe we should start grinding some of those old 40M Novice crystals to 7165?  

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=34260.0

Jim
Wd5JKO

[KL7OF]

It was difficult yesterday...Condx weren't very good out west..I had some problems getting on freq as I was using a new SDR and I had not calibrated it yet.....(I still haven't figured out how to do it).....I heard some of the eastern stations start out strong and then fade into the noise and take a long time to come back...DEEP QSB..14332 has been the YL SSB FREQ forever and they aren't going to move for us...I wouldn't ask them to..I would suggest we move up higher to 14340 or 14345...I am no longer xtal controlled and I think I was the last holdout ...I changed to a VFO controlled driver for my 20 M rig just so we could move around ...When this gathering of 20M AMers works, it is a lot of fun and always interesting...Thanks for the report Jim....Over

[ka4koe]

Jim.....you think YOU had it tough!!???



PAN

[ka4koe]

Was listening last night as I tried to repair the Valiant. W0LS sounded like a local on the R388. Didn't hear many others. I think with the time change propagation is worsening. The net may wish to move to 2300Z now.

Philip

[WA2ROC]

I talked to several mid-westerners and a few far westerners, but the east coast crew was not heard at all, at least at my QTH. 

And Jim WD5JKO wasn't there either.

Better luck next week folks....

[KL7OF]

W0LS..
KZ5Q...
The only 2 strong sigs I heard...There were others but the QSB was deep and slow..Very poor condx... I called in once but nobody heard me...

[ka4koe]

Propagation in the sewer. Didn't hear anything from Georgia this evening.

PAN

[WZ5Q]

Great Conditions last night down here in the Southern Swamps of Louisiana.
Had some great QSO's with some incredible signals from the following Outlaws...

WA1HLR - Tim was 40db over S9
W0LS - Harry was 30dB over S9
KB1VWC - Steve was S9
K1KW - Chuck was 50dB over S9 on his Low Angle Take Off Config - WOW!   
W7MD - Damon was 20dB over S9
K1ETP - Rich was 15dB over S9
WB1EAD - Dave was S9
W7CPA - Randy was 20dB over S9

We were on 14.328Mc due to Traffic up the band at the beginning.

[WD5JKO]

I got in pretty late myself, and by then the signals were good. I could here you Mike a little bit. The rest of the guys, Randy (W7...), K1ETP, and KIKW were full quieting in central Texas.

Jim
WD5JKO

[WA2ROC]

I tuned in about 7:30 local time and heard Damon and Mike.  Nothing from Tim HLR or anyone else.  Stayed around until 8 PM, heard nothing new and powered down.

Shoulda waited...


Maybe next time gang!

[ka4koe]

Huh....must have had an RF suck field over Ga last night.

[WD5JKO]

Huh....must have had an RF suck field over Ga last night.

 That forth screw holding the Valiant cover on must be the long one, and extends into the receive side of the T/R relay...

Jim
WD5JKO

[WD5JKO]

The Monday Evening AM Gathering 6-9 PM CST, 14,330:

We had some long skip tonight. The group was small, and each station could only hear 1 or two others. We ended up moving to 40M to 7285 then 7290.

Stations showing up that I am aware of on 20M:

W9AD / in Mexico
WA1HLR
K4GHT Liz
W7MD
W0LS
K1KW
WD5JKO

Then on 40M we had:

KD0ZS
WA2PJP
K1KW
N0BD
KB1VWC
WD5JKO

Signals were good on 40M until the BC stations started popping up. The fellows in the NE were too close for much copy amongst themselves.

Jim
Wd5JKO

[WD5JKO]

The Monday Evening AM Gathering 6 PM CST, 14,330:

Terrible was a good word for 20M propagation tonight.

Heard KE7TRP, K1KW, and briefly talked to them. Signals in the noise, S3-S5 at best with rapid QSB.

Chuck and I ended up again on 7290, but that too was poor.

Chuck might put out some calls on 20M AM next Monday afternoon. I'll be at work.

Looks like The Monday evening group is disbanding due to crappy night time propagation until next spring.

Jim
WD5JKO

[KL7OF]

Condx were pretty crummy .....I heard K1KW but even he was PW....

[WZ5Q]

Condx were just horrid down in the swamps.
I could just hear some stations under the noise floor but couldn't make out their calls or the sonics of there voice to tell who they were. 

No one came back to my calls.