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NAQCC Nets We offer a number of regional nets (QRS=slow speed, QRQ=higher speed) designed to help operators improve their CW and operating skills. Our CW Nets Manager is Mark, W8EWH, and any questions about the nets should be directed to him at . Lest you think our nets are not important to members, read this: "Thanks to all of you for doing these nets. I am a very new Ham and I look forward to making contact, even if its at 3 wpm. How else can I learn. 73 Jerry KF7RCC (#5743)" Here is our current nets schedule. If you have questions about the schedule before that date please contact the individual NCS. As always, please carefully zero beat with the NCS frequency. This helps tremendously with filtering out QRM and QRN. If you have any questions, please email Scotty. Thanks for your continued participation. Net Schedule starting Thursday, August 15: NAQCC East Coast QRS Net (ECN) Thursday evenings 7:30 PM EST, which is Friday 0030 UTC on 7030.07 kHz +/- Main NCS - Craig KE4CR (Virginia) NAQCC East Texas QRS Net (ETN) Monday evenings 7:00 PM CST, which is Tuesday 0100 UTC, on 7067 KHz +/- (summer) or 3566 kHz +/- (winter) Main NCS - Allen KA5TJS (Texas) NAQCC MIDWEST QRS Net (MWN) Monday evenings 7:30 PM CST, which is Tuesday 0130 UTC, on 7031 kHz +/- Main NCS - Bob W0CC (Kansas) NAQCC Pacific Northwest QRS 80 Meter Net (PNW80) Thursday evenings 5:00 PM PST, which is Friday 0100 UTC on 3556.5 kHz. Main NCS - Stewart KE7LKW (Washington State) Note: On the rare occasions that there is a schedule conflict between one of our nets and the regular NAQCC sprint, the sprint will take precedence. Here are some helpful tips for those checking into our nets from our former Nets Manager Craig, followed by some other general net info. There are still some folks whose signal I barely hear but am not able to check in due to procedural issues. I'd like to talk about net procedures in detail so that everyone who wants to check in can. Here we go: 1. Zero beating to my signal is ultra-important. The goal is to transmit on the same frequency that I am sending. If you have a "spot" button on your radio, it's easy. Just push the button and compare my signal to the tone coming out of your radio. If you don't have a spot button, just send a few dits. Are your tone and my tone exactly the same? If not, you are off frequency from me. The result of being off frequency is that you may be outside, or nearly outside, the passband of my radio and I won't hear you very well. The strongest part of a received CW tone is at the center of the radio passband. The further your tone is away from center, the weaker it is. Bottom line: if you want to be heard on low power, you have to zero beat the NCS' signal. 2. Our net is a "directed" net, which means you follow the instructions of Net Control and standard procedures are followed. It's important to follow these procedures in consideration of others. Everyone deserves an opportunity to check in and make some brief comments. Here's how it's supposed to go. (In this example assume that N4PLK is the NCS for the NAQCC West Virginia Net, or WVN.): Step 1: Net Control (NCS) calls "QRL? QRL?" to see if the frequency is in use. This is a good opportunity to zero beat NCS' signal. Step 2: Net Control calls "CQ CQ NAQCC WVN DE N4PLK N4PLK NCS QNI K". That means it's time for stations to send their callsigns for Net Control to copy. Step 3: LISTEN for other stations first. When you don't hear anyone else trying to check in, then send "DE <space> YOURCALLSIGN". The space is very important. It's a way to listen again to be sure that someone else is not trying to check in at the same time. If NCS hears several callsigns trying to check in simultaneously, (commonly called a "double"), he usually can't hear either station and has to ask "AGN PSE". This is especially troublesome with weak stations and bad conditions. Step 4: When NCS hears your callsign, he will acknowledge it by repeating it. If he receives multiple callsigns, he will repeat all that he has heard. Example: "R R N6TLU ES N9RLO ES W4HH AS". "AS" means standby. The reason I say standby is that I will return to you LATER for comments. When I acknowledge your check-in the first time, that is NOT the time for you to make comments. If you do, you may be doubling with other stations trying to check in. Step 5: Wait for NCS to call you again. Example: "N6TLU DE N4PLK KN". KN means NCS is calling you and only you. That doesn't mean it's time for more check-ins. Make some comments, say "73" if you wish, and end with "N4PLK DE <YOURCALLSIGN> KN". Step 6: NCS will call "QNI K" a few times in between comments and listen for more check-ins. If you have not yet been acknowledged by Net Control, keep trying to call until NCS hears you. Remember: DE <space> YOURCALLSIGN" NCS will call the entire list of stations individually until everyone has had a chance to make comments, giving more opportunities to QNI in between. Please be patient. If NCS can't pull your entire callsign out of the noise, he will try to get it again. Example: "PLK ?" or "AGN?" or "6 STN?" If anyone in the net happens to hear a station that NCS can't, please relay the station's callsign to NCS. We want to make sure even the weakest station can check in. That's it guys. Thanks for your excellent participation in our net. Keep up the good work and I hope we keep growing. 73, Craig The Nets are a good adjunct to other means of code practice in that they let stations practice under actual band conditions with the attendant QSB, QRN, and QRM. Practice under fire, so to speak. Because becoming proficient in CW is a main goal of the NAQCC, we do permit stations to run more than 5 watts for the net IF NECESSARY. However that is the ONLY NAQCC activity for which that is true. It is suggested that as much as possible, the nets should be run using the Farnsworth method of sending Morse Code. That is, the individual letters should be sent at a higher speed but spaced out so overall the words and sentences are actually sent at a lower speed. This is the best method of learning CW and increasing CW speed. It eliminates the wasteful system of converting dots and dashes to letters. You immediately hear didah as an 'A' rather than thinking, "well that was one dot and one dash, that's let's see, oh an 'A'". You will never increase speed by taking time to convert dots and dashes to letters. In the future we hope to add additional regional nets, but we need your help to do so. If you would like to help with a net in your area, contact our net manager. |