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#Post#: 5748--------------------------------------------------
TGIF Net Transcript 2025-09-12
DIR By: VE3RD
Date: September 13, 2025, 10:28 am
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NOTE: Early checkins were accepted prior to the start of the net
at 8:30PM, and as such they do not appear here.
[table]
[tr][td]Preamble[/td][td][/td][td]
Welcome to the TGIF Radio Net for Friday, September 12th, 2025.
My name is KC8UKB (Eric), and I’ll be your net control this
evening. I want to thank you for joining us tonight. This net
meets every Friday at 8 PM Eastern on TGIF Talkgroup 31665. The
purpose of this net is to promote fellowship among amateur radio
operators, share information, and enjoy conversation together.
Everyone is welcome to participate, whether you are here to
check in, share something in the Marketplace, or just listen
along.
Before we begin, I’d like to thank the owners and administrators
of the TGIF Network for providing this platform for us to
gather. This is a directed net, so please come through net
control before making calls to others. With that said, let’s get
started with check-ins.
[/td][/tr][/table]
Checkins
[table]
[tr]
[td]K4WZV Robert[/td]
[td]KC8UKB Eric[/td]
[td]WMTN Doug[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KA7DLB Not specified[/td]
[td]KB1PZS Bobbitt[/td]
[td]K7DCE Doug[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]K2KO Angel[/td]
[td]WC7Z Terry[/td]
[td]K4YGD Russ[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]WB3GCK Craig[/td]
[td]N0NJP Ron[/td]
[td]K3MJR Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KC5LAA Not specified[/td]
[td]W4JLP Not specified[/td]
[td]WD8MVU Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]N8MME Not specified[/td]
[td]W8ERJ Not specified[/td]
[td]K8LR Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]NY2S Tom[/td]
[td]WW4EO Not specified[/td]
[td]N9NJS Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]W5ETJ Not specified[/td]
[td]N4ZWR Not specified[/td]
[td]N4XV Jonathan[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KC3JS Bruce[/td]
[td]W2SHR Steven[/td]
[td]KB3JQQ Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KE4TLC Dion[/td]
[td]WE8M Not specified[/td]
[td]WB3IHY Joe[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]K8JTD Not specified[/td]
[td]KE8APO Not specified[/td]
[td]NS8G Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]NT9Q Not specified[/td]
[td]KB4QCE Not specified[/td]
[td]K9FEH Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]N9DRF George[/td]
[td]KF8IC Clint[/td]
[td]VE6PLC Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]N4MNN Marty[/td]
[td]KQ4QAV Gabe[/td]
[td]N3JAS Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]WB3GTM Not specified[/td]
[td]K1WMP Bill[/td]
[td]AD2IZ Bob[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KB1SBQ Not specified[/td]
[td]KX4XR Not specified[/td]
[td]KD4BJA Kurt[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KF5KHS Not specified[/td]
[td]K5GU Not specified[/td]
[td]NG5N Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KD6FEE Not specified[/td]
[td]KM9Q Not specified[/td]
[td]K9XT John[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]WD9HGO Not specified[/td]
[td]KB8PFL Not specified[/td]
[td]KB8KES Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KD9LOR Not specified[/td]
[td]KC8USA Fred[/td]
[td]KHR Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KB9LIQ Not specified[/td]
[td]KA3NGT Not specified[/td]
[td]K6GD Not specified[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]EA7KDL Mitch[/td]
[td]KG5RKI Ty[/td]
[td]G7LRR Andy[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]N3MEL Glenn[/td]
[td]AD2CH Mark[/td]
[td]KE5CDK Doug[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]F6S James[/td]
[td]VE3JRV Vic[/td]
[td]VE3RDB Bill[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]KC3NRS Not specified[/td]
[td]KV9Q Mike[/td]
[td][/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
Total callsigns: 88
[table][tr][td]Market Place[/td][td][/td][td]
Alrighty, let’s move on to the buy, sell, and trade section.
This is where you can list amateur radio-related equipment you’d
like to buy, sell, or trade. Please keep it ham-related, and
remember to include your call sign.
[No items were brought forward during this session.]
[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Discussion[/td][td][/td][td]
KC8UKB (Eric, Net Control): Tonight’s topic: how do you handle
multiple hotspots — scanning, powering, and frequency
separation?
WB3IHY (Joe): I’ve got four hotspots plus DVSwitch. They’re
spread across 440 MHz and 2 meters. Scanning is handled in the
codeplug. Each hotspot uses DMR Gateway with network prefixes,
so I can switch instantly. Everything runs off deep-cycle
batteries with solar charging and USB hubs for 5V distribution.
All my hotspots are DMR, and I keep the output power low to
prevent interference.
KC8USA (Fred): I run 12 hotspots on TGIF, 2 on BrandMeister, 1
on MNet, 1 on D-STAR, and 2 on AllStar. Each hotspot is in its
own zone, with frequencies spaced at least 100 kHz apart.
Scanning works just fine for me. Most are powered by 3A wall
warts, sometimes three per supply. Almost all are DMR, except
for two AllStar and one D-STAR unit.
KW0Z (Steve): At home, I set up my Wi-Fi router and my phone’s
hotspot to use the same SSID and password. That way, my hotspots
don’t know the difference and switch seamlessly between them. It
makes roaming a lot simpler.
K4WZV (Robert): I use three Verizon Jetpacks. I labeled the
SSIDs as “1, 2, 3,” and they’re set to 100% priority. My home
internet is set to 99%. The result is seamless switching between
networks while mobile — no drops or hiccups.
K4WCB (Robert): I operate hotspots on DMR, NXDN, P25, C4FM,
AllStar, and Echolink. Each one is paired with its own radio. I
keep a detailed spreadsheet with modes, frequencies, IPs, and
other data, and I assign static IPs to everything. I bring them
up daily to confirm operation. Frequencies are spread out by at
least 1 MHz to avoid cross-interference.
KC8USA (Fred, follow-up): I also maintain a spreadsheet that
tracks IPs, firmware versions, frequencies, and last update
dates. With this many hotspots, organization is critical.
WB3IHY (Joe, follow-up): Don’t forget that each hotspot needs a
unique DMR ID suffix. You also have to rename your Pi-Stars — if
you leave them all as “pi-star,” you’ll have network conflicts.
KB3JQQ (Robert): I always rename Pi-Star devices as soon as I
set them up. Otherwise, they’ll collide on the network.
KC8USA (Fred, again): Same here. I number mine Pi-Star-01,
Pi-Star-02, and so on.
K4WCB (Robert, follow-up): A note on RF: never run hotspots at
full power indoors. I use dummy loads — they’ll still cover the
shack fine. Also, you can spread them onto VHF or 800 MHz if
needed, but avoid the satellite sub-bands.
KC8UKB (Eric): That’s all excellent advice. The spreadsheets,
network planning, and power management tips are really helpful.
Thanks, everyone, for such thorough input tonight!
[/td][/tr][/table]
Q&A
N3XYZ asked: "How do I configure BrandMeister and TGIF together
on the same radio?"
N4UPC responded: "You need to make sure each hotspot is assigned
the correct talkgroup ID in your codeplug. For BrandMeister,
select the BrandMeister talkgroup and for TGIF, select the TGIF
talkgroup. You can bridge them using your hotspot’s DMR gateway
settings if needed."
K4WZV added: "Also, ensure your prefixes and channel assignments
do not conflict. Keep each network in its own zone so scanning
and operation are seamless."
KC1CCY asked: "What handheld radios do you recommend for
beginners?"
Several operators suggested:
Anytone DMR radios for flexibility and programming ease.
Yaesu models for reliability and analog/digital dual capability.
KD9HFS asked: "What are the best hotspot antennas to use?"
Suggestions included:
Using external antennas whenever possible to improve coverage.
Placing the hotspot antenna away from other electronics to
reduce interference.
Ensuring the antenna height and orientation optimize
line-of-sight for best signal.
[table][tr][td]Acknowledgements[/td][td][/td][td]
Thanks to all who joined tonight’s net. Special appreciation
goes to WB3IHY (Joe), KC8USA (Fred), KW0Z (Steve), K4WCB
(Robert), KB3JQQ (Robert), W2XQ (Paul), and K4WZV (Robert) for
their thoughtful input.
Thanks also to the TGIF Network team for maintaining this
system, and to the many silent listeners who joined us this
evening. Your presence is always valued.
[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Close[/td][td][/td][td]
This concludes the TGIF Radio Net for Friday, September 12th,
2025. I’ve enjoyed being your net control this evening. My name
is KC8UKB (Eric).
Until next time, I wish you all the best in your radio
endeavors. Stay safe, enjoy the hobby, and we’ll see you next
Friday at 8 PM Eastern on Talkgroup 31665.
73 from KC8UKB (Eric), and this net is now closed.
[/td][/tr]
[/table]
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