2025-07-29 Net Minutes
- opened
- 20:00
- closed
- 20:27
Check-ins (29)
- Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Jeff McDowell (KI5CES)
- Ken Wilson (KE5DFR)
- Paul Bilke (KF5WGJ)
- Brian Gaskamp (N5WCT)
- Bill Rose (K5WTR)
- Curtis Pool (KD5HEY)
- Don Ling (WB5CKO)
- Ron Hambric (N5SBN)
- Garrett Martin (W5HVS)
- Brad Snyder (W5BLS)
- Russ McDonald (KL2PB)
- Dick Zimmer (W5DZ)
- Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)
- Troyce Wilson (KC5CBI)
- Mike Wisby (KA5HIA)
- Ron Estes (KJ5EFO)
- David Bailey (K5DKB)
- Roseanne Cunningham (KC5FGG)
- John Graesser (KC5DWD)
- Robert Carter (NC5R)
- Joe Napoli (KG5SDF)
- Harold Turbyfill (KG5SDG)
- Mike Mertes (KZ5M)
- Emery Hyden (K5OWO)
- Matt Robinson (W5XMR)
- Tom Johnson (KI5ZPG)
- Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
- Robert Grigsby (KB5RAG)
Officer Reports
President
David Bailey (K5DKB)
- Stay cool: it’s going to be hot the next few days!
Vice-President
Tom Johnson (KI5ZPG)
- Yup, weather’s getting hot!
Secretary
Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Minutes will be sent out after the net.
- I recall hearing about “phase change materials” a while ago that might be helpful in the heat…
- Melting things (solid-to-liquid) hold a constant temperature until everything is melted
- PCM vests contain a combo of special salts and water that has freezing/melting point at 65°F, so it will stay at that temperature for a long time even in the heat.
Treasurer
Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)
- 77 members
- Bank balance: $11,984.40
- Next license exam: 2025-08-16 11:00 after W5BCS meeting
- Make sure you have your FRN
- This coming Thursday, 2025-07-31, is a 5th Thursday, which means it is Kolache Thursday
- W5BCS provides Kolaches for Veteran’s Coffee and Donuts event
- 08:00 American Legion Post 159
Announcements / Comments
Question #234 for conversation: What stories do you have about VHF band openings?
(If interested in submitting a weekly question, email n5zkf@arrl.net)
Ron Hambric (N5SBN)
- CEOC visit this Friday
- 2025-08-01 09:00
- Call us on W5BCS if you’re late
- Coming Monday will be First Monday of August
- American Red Cross, Boonville Rd
- 2025-08-05 18:30
Matt Robinson (W5XMR)
- Part 90 UHF repeater at RELLIS
- Couldn’t use it due to multiple incoming signals (-80 dB)
- Digital and voice!
- Extreme amount of skip going on!
Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Very early memory, so it’s a bit fuzzy…
- One of the first contests I helped out with (Field Day? TX QSO party?)
- Worked South America on 6 m or 10 m: Bolivia? maybe Brazil?
Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
- Quite a band opening this morning
- Hearing so many packets coming in from everywhere, covering each other up
- Very few good decodes
- Able to talk to someone in Winnie, TX, (140 mi) on VHF calling frequency
- Also heard:
- Dallas
- Louisiana
- Texas Gulf Coast (with talk of communications to Brownsville)
- Hearing so many packets coming in from everywhere, covering each other up
- Ducting opens up with hot temperature and moisture
- Feels uncomfortably warm, in fact the NWS is forecasting triple digits this week
- Stay cool and hydrated!
- Update on the Tropics:
- Only a few named storms in the Atlantic, but the Pacific has been very busy:
- Watching 3 areas with high chance of development in coming days
- Tropical storm Keli southeast of Hawaii
- Hurricane Iona south of Hawaii
- Only a few named storms in the Atlantic, but the Pacific has been very busy:
Closing Remarks
- Visit us online at w5bcs.radio.