Running a Net

In my work, I have always had to do a great deal of public speaking. Like most other people, I would always get apprehensive before a presentation, but I got to where I could almost enjoy it.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran the two meter net for the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club for the first time and it was just like public speaking. I had some jitters but, as soon as I got started, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I was pretty proud of myself after it was over.

Well, last night was a totally different story! I still had the jitters but things only went downhill from there. The repeater I was supposed to be on didn't work and I didn't have the presence of mind to switch over to the UHF link which was also supposed to be involved. I knew something was wrong but I couldn't figure out what to do about it.

At any rate, after the equipment problem, I never could seem to regain my composure. The only good thing is that the club is not going to cut my pay! Being the eternal optimist, I'm sure I'm gonna do better next year.

Guineas

I don't know whether I've mentioned it before, but we have a new flock of guineas. Milt's fiancé, Bobbie, gave us 23 chicks and we're raising them. We've had some ups and downs but I think we are on the downhill side of the ordeal now.

Today I took them all for a walk. If you've never herded guineas before, you should give it a try! They go everywhere but where you want them to. I hadn't thought about it until just now but I should take a picture of them and post it.

Stay tuned for the exciting picture of the guineas. I know that the excitement is almost more than you can stand.

Deer Hunting

Today was a once in a lifetime deal in the deer woods. I was about to give up and go to the house when I heard a deer walking behind my stand.

I froze and, when he walked under my stand, my first reaction was that his antlers looked like a moose's. To avoid scaring him, I had to wait until he was about 30 yards beyond me. Fortunately, I got a good shot and was able to get him. He had 18 points and weighed 150 pounds.

The bad news is that the taxidermy bill is going to be considerable. He is not something that I could pass up having mounted, though. Its extremely doubtful that I will ever even see another deer like that!

Tower Christmas Tree

Well, this week I got the bright idea to decorate the new tower in the form of a Christmas tree. I made a star out of 1/2" pvc pipe and put lights around it. Then Louise and I mounted it about 35' in the air and ran a pair of light strings down from it to the ground at an angle.

When it got dark, we took a look at it and it doesn't look too bad. We will, however, turn it off and wait until the day after Thanksgiving to light it again. I may try to take a time exposure picture and post it later.

Also, tonight is my debut as a net control on one of the local 2 meter repeaters. I would tell you that I'm not nervous but I would be lying. It's kinda like getting ready to give a speech in front of 100 people; its not bad after you get started but a little scary beforehand.

Deer gun season opens Saturday and I'm looking forward to that. Unfortunately, I'm going to miss a work day at a friend's Habitat for Humanity house. This is a great program and if you get a chance to participate, I would urge you to do it.

Funerals and Nets

Louise and I went to a funeral today in Siloam Springs. Her sister's oldest daughter, Arlene, died last week at the tender age of 56. It's interesting that, although it is a very somber occasion, you still get to catch up on what all the relatives are doing.

I'm becoming very apprehensive about the TARC net Thursday night. I have agreed to run the net and I do not have a clue! It will probably last about 15 minutes and then I'll be done forever. You know, I've been through two tornadoes and a hurricane and I'm still nervous about this. Do we thrive on adrenaline or what? Why do we volunteer to do these things? Oh, well (as Stan would say) life goes on.

My biggest goal this week is to get the fifth wheel "radio ready" to go to South Texas. I've got to get both antennas mounted, hooked up and the screwdriver antenna power hooked up. Also, I'm gonna go to Tom's (KE5NCP) house and see his antenna setup.

More Tower!

After using the new tower for the evening, I'm convinced it was worth all the effort. The signals are great in all directions. Here is another view of the tower.

Success at Last!

Well, I finally got the tower project completed and the tower is standing upright. Now I can move on to other tasks. I can't believe the difference this height makes in my radio signals. In fact, I committed a faux pax as soon as I got the tower up. I ran in and turned the radio to 146.91, the Broken Arrow repeater, and made an almost instant contact.

As it turns out, the guy was in Nashville, TN, which was amazing on 2 meters. I knew I wasn't supposed to be working him off the repeater but I couldn't get loose without coming across like an a**hole. Eventually, I got off though. My apologies to all the guys listening to the 146.91 repeater.

We had a very enjoyable visit with Dorinda, our daughter-in-law, and hated to see her go back to Atlanta today. She and our son will be back for Christmas, however, so we can stand it till then.

I don't have a lot planned for this coming week. I'm gonna work on the fifth wheel trailer a little bit, getting it ready to go to South Texas in January.