2021-03-23 Net Minutes

Check-ins (26)

Antenna work on Sunday with fresh parts: big improvement!
Nice weather outside
QSL card from W7B from 2021 “I Love Pluto” special event
- 2030 will be 100-year anniversary of Pluto’s discovery
- Check-in every year until then for special certificate
FCC has not started charging $35 application fees yet
- New, modified, renewed, or vanity callsigns
- If you need to do one of the above, do it quickly!
Meeting this weekend 2021-03-20
- Minutes have been posted; please notify officers of any corrections

Expect minutes at conclusion of net as usual
Heavy rain and thunderstorms last night
- Hope no one experienced damage or strikes to their tower
- Storm season is coming
- If interested, check out SkyWarn

Question for conversation: Do you use an external amplifier?

(To N5ZKF): Thinking about getting an AV-18 antenna
- should I use radials?
- N5ZKF: more radials make the antenna more efficient
  - my radials are 30 ft long
  - Air mount requires tuned radials, but ground can be any length
What is the radiation angle?
- N5ZKF: unknown, probably low
several amplifiers, not all used often:
- SB-220 85 W drive, 800 W amplifier
- can’t remember
- 16 W drive, 1000 W CB amplifier
- UHF/VHF amplifier

I use a 700 W Tokyo Hy-Power solid state linear amplifier
- Runs off 120 V outlet
- Not in production anymore

Ameritron AL-811 600 W amplifier, but usually 500 W
- Also plugs into 120 V outlet