2024-04-16 Net Minutes
- opened
- 20:00
- closed
- 20:39
Check-ins (29)
- Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Bill Rose (K5WTR)
- Avery McIntosh (N7ALM)
- Don Ling (WB5CKO)
- Ken Wilson (KE5DFR)
- Garrett Martin (W5HVS)
- Travis Scott (KI5TMS)
- Brian Gaskamp (KA5BKG)
- Brad Snyder (KG5SDE)
- Kevin Walton (N4RMF)
- Dick Zimmer (W5DZ)
- Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)
- Troyce Wilson (KC5CBI)
- Curtis Pool (KD5HEY)
- Brian Walpole (N5BLW)
- Mike Wisby (KA5HIA)
- David Bailey (K5DKB)
- Dan Quates (KJ5EPW)
- Bill Preston (KZ3G)
- Thomas Sanborn (KJ5DAA)
- Ralph Cobb (W5RYC)
- Harold Turbyfill (KG5SDG)
- Mike Mertes (KZ5M)
- Rick Pfeil (W4RDP)
- Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
- Joe Napoli (KG5SDF)
- Jonathan Graham (KD5GG)
- Rich Rychetsky (W5SON)
- Tom Johnson (KI5ZPG)
Opening Remarks
- N4RMF calling in from Clayton, NC, via Echolink!
- Just returned from Maine, where we to watched eclipse.
Officer Reports
President
David Bailey (K5DKB)
- Our next regular monthly meeting will be this weekend!
- 2024-04-20 09:30
- American Legion Post 159, 101 Waco St, Bryan, TX
- Household hazardous waste collection going on this weekend as well:
- 2024-04-20 07:00/14:00
- TAMU University Services Building
- Enter from Harvey Rd (not Hwy 60)
- No longer accepting medications this year
- Drop it off at the Sherriff’s office, perhaps?
- Our plan is to have Radio in the Park later that afternoon.
- But the forecast doesn’t look like it will be cooperative.
- Outdoor antennas and stormy weather don’t mix! Stay tuned!
Vice-President
Paul Bilke (KF5WGJ)
excused
Secretary
Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Minutes will be sent out after the net.
- Minor updates to the w5bcs.radio home page at Lorna’s recommendation
- See you at the meeting this weekend!
- I’ll have a quick presentation/video prepared about the FCC CORES system
Treasurer
Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)
- Bank balance: $9,112.82
- 63 members
- Ham license exam this weekend after the meeting
- 2024-04-20 11:00
- Need more VEs to help proctor the exam
Announcements / Comments
Question #173 for conversation: Have you suffered with radio frequency interference at your station? Do you have any remedies to share?
(If interested in submitting a weekly question, email n5zkf@arrl.net)
Don Ling (WB5CKO)
- interference with TV signal when transmitting on 6 m band
- picture quality
- resolved by strategically positioning the TV in a “dead space”
Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
on behalf of Rich Rychetsky (W5SON)
- Found a noisy transformer on a power pole
- Notified the electric company, and they came out and fixed it.
- They want to know about these things so they can fix them before a catastrophic failure!
Bill Rose (K5WTR)
- Used a beam antenna to pinpoint an electric fence arcing with a hurricane fence across the street
Joe Napoli (KG5SDF)
- TV signal interference
- Solved it with a quarter-wave stub (for 2 m) with RG-58
Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
- My interference story:
- There’s a lot of RFI at my house… I probably have better reception in my car than I do at home!
- Haven’t yet turned the power off, but found several sources, including:
- washing machine
- USB cable
- Snap-on ferrite beads close to the plug
- W5AC 2 m repeater is online again!
Information Exchange
Dan Quates (KJ5EPW)
- Ferrite beads: Do you put the bead around the whole cable? Just the hot?
- N5ZKF: single bead around the whole cable as close to the chassis/case as possible
- KG5SDF: If noise is being generated from inside the machine, it only takes a small hole/seam for that noise to get out
- Make a Faraday cage out of it by bonding the metal surfaces to “seal it up.”
Closing Remarks
- KD5GG: got a contact from Wales yesterday, but wasn’t in QRZ
- W5SON: shout-out to Matt Robinson, a friend of mine who is probably studying for his ham license exam now!