Connections for the Common Good

Thought for the day:  Know how the Vikings communicated? Norse code.

[THEME: Amateur radio]

Fish and butterflies are rarely happy to find themselves in a NET, but amateur radio operators enter them quite willingly.

In amateur radio parlance, a net is an organized group of operators working together on one or more specific frequencies so they can serve a common purpose.

It's people working together. Strength in numbers!

There are many different reasons to hold a net. Some of them are:

• To provide emergency communications following a disaster. Many amateurs worldwide consider this to be our most important role, and routinely volunteer their services to aid their communities, states, and nations following such things as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, etc.
• To provide communications as a public service for activities from parades and sporting events to helping locate a downed airplane or lost child.
• As a support system for travelers. The assistance provided to travelers during emergencies has rescued many people and saved countless lives.
• Medical nets provide an outlet for sharing medical information, which is particularly valuable for doctors working in remote parts of the world.
• Missionary nets- Talking about remote areas, for some missionaries around the world, amateur radio provides the only means of communication.
• Practice nets- In order to be better prepared to serve in times of emergencies, amateurs practice, practice, practice.
• Traffic nets are specifically designed to hone skills in sending, receiving, and delivering messages.
• Others- There are countless other reasons for amateurs to meet in a net: to enable them to make contact with other countries, states, or counties; to discuss and share a common interest, rig, or mode of operation; and to socialize and chase the clouds of loneliness. 

                                                       So, to us ... nets are a good thing.

                                                      It's friends connecting with friends. 

Talking about friends connecting with friends, the lovely Skippy had some questions after the last post on mobile operations. She wanted to know what the set-up looks like inside my car. So, here are some pictures, just for her. (Y'all can look, too ...)

This is my dual-band VHF/UHF radio, and it's mounted under the dashboard just below the commercial radio. This radio is for local communications, and we have many frequencies programmed into both bands. As a special bonus, you can also see some of Georgia's infamous pollen.

Moving upward from the UHF/VHF rig, you'll see the HF radio right in front of the air vents, and between the two microphones. This radio is for long-distance communications.

This is a shot of the HF radio from the topside. See how thin it is? That's because it isn't the entire radio. It's just the faceplate, containing all of the controls.

The REST of the HF radio is underneath the seat.

This control box sits atop the console between the seats. It controls the HF antenna. By using the up-down switch, we can raise or lower the screwdriver antenna to reach the optimum resonance for the frequency we want to work.

And finally, this is the speaker, mounted between the seats.

All in all, it's a fairly compact, efficient set-up. Not as fancy as some, but it serves us well.








Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other. Especially you, Skippy.