SOTA Net: Saturday 10 Sept

Hi all… just collected my first chaser point today and hoping to make my first activation soon!

I’m wondering if there’s a SOTA Net tomorrow?

Rob

Yes.

Echolink node 617001, from 8pm BST (1900z).

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:

Hi Tom,

Having a topic for discussion seemed to work quite well last week, are there any suggestions for this week?

Last week was antennas for SOTA, any suggestions from anyone for this week?

I’m not sure if I will be around for this week’s net but I’ll do my best.

And Rob, I hope it will be the first of many :slight_smile:

Best 73,

Mark G0VOF

Write your topic suggestions onto this thread today then folks, ahead of tonight’s net.

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:

I wont be able to participate tonight. I have borrowed some WiFi connectivity from a neighbouring house. Legally I might add. Getting some free WiFi is one thing… then asking if I could play with the router firewall settings is a bit cheeky. If I can find something I can listen on via RF I will do.

Andy
M0FMF

In fact now I won’t be able to participate either. We have now accepted a dinner invitation for this evening. Like with changing the firewall settings when someone gives you fee Wi-Fi access, unleashing handies in the Indian restaurant might also be considered impolite.

Any other offers to host the net tonight? Sorry about the 3 hours’ notice!

Tom M1EYP

Did anything happen?

In reply to M1EYP:
The short answer is no.

Richard was busy all the time, I left mine open but nobody connected.

I was relectant to offer to be net controller as my internet is a bit unreliable at the moment (seems to be a feature of Talktalk at present).

Perhaps that could be the topic for next week “Is the net really necessary/viable”.

Peter G1FOA

In reply to G1FOA:

Perhaps that could be the topic for next week “Is the net really
necessary/viable”.

Hi Peter,

Well, it would be shame to see it close. However…

(1) In my humble opinion, Saturday night is possibly the worst night of the week to hold a sked.

(2) Maybe a permanent chair would be more advantageous, someone who has both the time and experience of running nets. Personally, I would be looking to someone such as Bill G4USW, with 25 years experience of running the Sausage and Scouse net and IIRC, a 5 times Shack Sloth.

YMMV

73 Mike
2E0YYY

Obviously a net wasn’t needed or viable this week! When it is, someone will come forward and host it. I hoped to this time, but then the family got invited out for a meal. As interest in the net had been expressed on the reflector during the week, I presumed someone else would offer to run it. It is very easy to do so - just configure your Echolink to support it and announce your node number on SOTAwatch. Nobody did, so I presume nobody wanted the net this time.

I will host it next week - but reserve the right to opt out and put it up for grabs again on Saturday afternoon if I get invited out for a curry again!

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP & 2E0YYY

I take Mike’s point about the correct night and having a permanent net controller, if one can be found. At my club our net controller changes every month so that spreads the load. The newsletter and club website always have this info but even so we all know where to met ie band and frequency and this was the basic problem last night there was no point of contact so nobody knew where to go. Changing the night might conflict with club nets during the week.

Still its early days yet and we started it as an experiment. If nothing else I think that we’ve proved that Echo link is probly the correct medium as we have been able to atract both folk from the UK and, albeit a few, international users - which proves that its reasonably universal.

I for one would be sorry if it folded.

73 Peter
G1FOA

The point of contact was surely this thread? The node number is announced here, and there has been, once I think, a relatively late change or confirmation of the node number to be used.

Tom M1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:
I was connected to Richard’s node from 8.04 local to 9.04 local time and received a short message from Richard. However, no-one connected in the hour I was connected.

Hi Rob

…they couldn’t connect as my node was configured to allow only a single connection as I was not hosting the net. The text message was automatic - I was in Germany.

73

Richard
G3CWI