2024-08-13 Net Minutes

Check-ins (26)

David Bailey (K5DKB)

Club meeting this weekend
- 2024-08-17 09:30
- American Legion Post 159, 101 Waco St, Bryan, TX
- Possible after-meeting presentation by Paul Bilke (KF5WGJ)
- Hope to see you there!

Paul Bilke (KF5WGJ)

excused

Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)

Minutes will be sent out after the net.
The W5BCS forum is going live!
- forums.w5bcs.radio
- Will send out instructions and update the w5bcs.radio home page with a link

Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)

81 members
Bank balance: $8,148.72
Ham License Exam after meeting
- 2024-08-17 11:00
- Requesting volunteer examiners: email treasurer@w5bcs.radio if you’re available

Question #189 for conversation: Planet bounce: have you bounced any signals off of the moon or any other planet?

(If interested in submitting a weekly question, email n5zkf@arrl.net)

Brazos County ARES Meeting next Monday
- 2024-08-19 18:30
- American Red Cross, 4244 Boonville Rd, Bryan, TX
- Putting up a new HF Antenna
CEOC Visit this Friday
- 2024-08-16 09:00
- If you’re late, call the radio room at (979) 821-1012 or on the 443.425 MHz FM (KD5DLW) repeater

Howdy from W5AC!
There’s a Meshtastic node on the O&M building (~150 ft) in collaboration with AggieSAT
Looking for someone in a good spot to host another node
- It’s a self-contained solar-powered unit; we just need some tower space.
- Perhaps somewhere near the edge of city limits to the West or South
  - We’re trying to connect Austin and/or Houston
Get in touch with me directly at ae5id@proton.me
- Also available on Discord or the W5AC mailing list
- Info for these is on w5ac.tamu.edu

Does anyone have tips/tricks for dealing with interference in the home?
I’m noticing a lot of noise from appliances and even the outside electric meter
KG5LYE:
- Talk to the city or power company: it may be a failing transformer
- Proper grounding of metal cases
- Watch for ground loops
N5ZKF:
- If it is coming from the power lines, recording the noise can help
  - BTU is usually very good about coming to investigate
- Emphasis on grounding:
  - everything should be grounded
    - KG5LYE: put all of your radio equipment on its own isolated ground
  - there’s a blue booklet from ARRL
- Check out the ARRL website on Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
- Something you can do: turn all the breakers off and run your station off of a battery
  - if the noise goes away, it’s definitely coming from your house
  - switch on one at a time until you find it
KA5TWB:
- Had a transformer causing a lot of noise
- Reported it, and they didn’t fix it
- eventually, it blew up