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#Post#: 5762--------------------------------------------------
TGIF Net Transcript 2025-10-17
DIR By: VE3RD
Date: October 18, 2025, 6:42 pm
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TGIF Net Transcript 2025-10-17
Preamble
Good evening from the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks of North
Carolina, and welcome to the TGIF Radio Net for Friday, October
17th, 2025. My name is Steve, call sign is W2SHR, and I'll be
filling in tonight for Robert Bresman, chief for WZV, our chief
engineer and the genius behind the TGIF DMR amateur radio
network. We meet here every Friday night at 830 Eastern, in talk
group 31665, the mothership. We find a topic to chat about and
chat about anything else that is related to amateur radio.
Tonight I'd like to discuss HF antennas. What do you use? What
seems the most effective? And for some of us, very important,
got any suggestions how we can beat the HOA? During the course
of the net, the emergency traffic can be indicated by a triple
break, and of course we'll accept that at any time during the
net. Also remember that this is a directed net, so please only
transmit when you're directed to by the net control station, and
when you check in, please say your sign phonetically. For
example, I would log in as Whiskey 2, Sierra Hotel, Romeo,
W2SHR. That being taken care of, let's see if we've got anybody
with announcements, news, or other important information for the
net. If you do, please key your mic now.
Check-in List
[table] [tr][td]Callsign[/td][td]Name[/td][td]State
[/td][td]Callsign[/td][td]Name[/td][td]State
[/td][td]Callsign[/td][td]Name[/td][td]State [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]N6CZE [/td][td]Gary [/td][td]California [/td][td]KB4QCE
[/td][td]Paul [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KC8USE [/td][td]Fred
[/td][td]Michigan [/td][/tr] [tr][td]W3MTN [/td][td]Doug
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KA3NGT [/td][td]Bruce [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][td]KB8KES [/td][td]Michael [/td][td]Ohio [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]NY2S [/td][td]Tom [/td][td]New York [/td][td]KB3JQQ
[/td][td]Scott [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]W8ERJ [/td][td]Robert
[/td][td]Ohio [/td][/tr] [tr][td]WB3IHY [/td][td]Joe
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]K2ANN [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KC8UKB [/td][td]Eric [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]K7DCE [/td][td]Doug [/td][td]Arizona
[/td][td]K5GU [/td][td]Leland [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]NS8G
[/td][td]Jeffrey [/td][td]Unknown [/td][/tr] [tr][td]WB3GCK
[/td][td]Craig [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KE8APO [/td][td]David
[/td][td]Ohio [/td][td]WD9HGO [/td][td]Paul [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]K2OZ [/td][td]Daniel [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][td]KB7ZZ [/td][td]David [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KC9SIO
[/td][td]Steven [/td][td]Missouri [/td][/tr] [tr][td]KE8PCQ
[/td][td]Lee [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]K4JFH [/td][td]Ken
[/td][td]North Carolina [/td][td]KB7AVT [/td][td]Joseph
[/td][td]North Carolina [/td][/tr] [tr][td]KA7DLB
[/td][td]Sharon [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]N8MME [/td][td]David
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KB8PFL [/td][td]Ed [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]KB1PZS [/td][td]Robert [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][td]WA3LKZ [/td][td]Thomas [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KB7BYI
[/td][td]David [/td][td]Unknown [/td][/tr] [tr][td]K9FEH
[/td][td]Chester [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]K8LR [/td][td]Robert
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KV9Q [/td][td]Michael [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]KD9ITO [/td][td]Kerry [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][td]AD2CH [/td][td]Mark [/td][td]New York [/td][td]NP4M
[/td][td]Noel [/td][td]Unknown [/td][/tr] [tr][td]WC7V
[/td][td]Bruce [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]K1WMP [/td][td]William
[/td][td]California [/td][td]K4WZV [/td][td]Robert
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][/tr] [tr][td]KE4TLC [/td][td]Paul
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]W2SHR [/td][td]Steve [/td][td]North
Carolina [/td][td]KD4BJA [/td][td]Kirk [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]VE6PLC [/td][td]Cliff [/td][td]Alberta
[/td][td]KF6S [/td][td]James [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]N4XV
[/td][td]Jonathan [/td][td]Unknown [/td][/tr] [tr][td]N9NJS
[/td][td]Lee [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]N4ZWR [/td][td]Simon
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]KB3PTP [/td][td]John [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]VE5RS [/td][td]Ron [/td][td]Saskatchewan
[/td][td]NG5N [/td][td]Jerry [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]K4WLH
[/td][td]Wesley [/td][td]Unknown [/td][/tr] [tr][td]WX4BVP
[/td][td]Brandon [/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]N4RJJ [/td][td]Robert
[/td][td]Unknown [/td][td]WA1WQC [/td][td]David [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][/tr] [tr][td]KF5KHS [/td][td]Michael [/td][td]Unknown
[/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td]
[/td][/tr] [/table]
TGIF Trading Post
I am hearing the crickets, which means everybody's putting
their money away for that 7300 Mark II, aren't you? ICOM is
going to get more of your money before Christmas, I can see that
now.
Discussion
WC7V Thank you, net control. I recently downloaded FreeDV from
freedv.org, a digital voice program for HF similar to FT8. It
decodes voice down to -2 dB with a 1.5 kHz bandwidth, offering
good results for sound card-to-sound card communication. It's
available for Linux, Windows, and Apple computers. This is WC7V
back to net control. Thank you, Carrie. Propagation has been
poor lately, so I've been using FT8 to stay active.
W8ERJ I was just kerchunking to clear my hotspot. Sorry for the
interruption. This is W8ERJ.
KC8UKB I'm in Ohio with flat terrain, using a 40-foot tower and
an 82-foot Alpha Delta inverted V fan dipole with an ICOM 7100.
It performs well for Georgia and North Carolina but struggles to
reach Florida. This is KC8UKB. Net control notes Florida has
been tough to reach lately, but I connect well with Nova Scotia
on 7.238 during early morning hours.
WB3IHY This is WB3IHY. I live in a townhouse on a 50-foot lot
with power lines complicating antenna placement. I use a fan
dipole with four elements attached to a 20-foot flagpole and a
cherry tree to the north, and three elements tethered to another
flagpole to the south, with the longest element wrapping around
to another tree. This setup allows me to reach most places,
including Florida, effectively with FT8/FT4. This is WB3IHY.
W2SHR I use two homebrew dipoles made from Amazon speaker wire
on my 50-foot wide lot. The 40-meter dipole is five feet off the
ground on a privacy fence, and the 20-meter dipole is a foot
below. I tested a new 20-meter dipole on the west side of my
house, away from the electric box, and saw a significant
improvement in my waterfall display. Experimentation is key.
This is W2SHR.
K4WZV Antennas require experimentation, as small changes in
position or orientation can significantly impact performance.
Logging these experiments helps identify optimal setups for
different conditions. I prefer a $10 Amazon speaker cable dipole
over a 24-foot vertical for cost and performance. This is K4WZV.
NP4M I started experimenting with antennas after collaborating
with a friend. We tried loops, long wires, and MFEDs, but a
simple doublet worked best. I recommend building a 40-meter
doublet fed with twin leads for excellent results. This is NP4M.
KB7AVT I’m retired in Elizabeth City and previously lived in
townhouses, where I used long wires or speaker wire antennas in
attics, fed through small holes with ladder line. A 40-meter
doublet worked well for all states two years ago. I also use an
MFJ magnetic loop made from a nine-foot copper tube for
low-bandwidth, high-signal performance. For portable setups, I
connect to rain gutters with an MFJ LC tuner and use a Comet
Antenna Analyzer to tune. A homemade 40/80-meter dipole on a
19-foot push-up pole also performs well. This is KB7AVT.
KE8APO This is Dave, KE8APO, in Medina, Ohio. I use a G5RV
antenna between my house and an oak tree, running barefoot on
HF. My HOA is lenient, and a contractor mistook the antenna for
a dog run, so it draws little attention. It performs well for my
needs. This is KE8APO.
KB7AVT Since starting ham radio in 1987, I’ve learned the value
of experimentation over modeling. I use a Comet Antenna Analyzer
and a G90’s SWR sweep for tuning. On FT8, I check PSK Reporter
to see where my signal reaches. For RF exposure, I use the ARRL
calculator, finding minimal standoff distance needed for 20
watts on 40, 20, or 15 meters. This is KB7AVT.
W2SHR I recently installed HamClock on a Windows 11 computer
successfully after some challenges. It’s a viable option for
Windows users. This is W2SHR.
Acknowledgements
Ty Weaver, KG5RKI: Ty Weaver, KG5RKI, in case you didn't know,
Ty is the coding genius behind TGIF, he makes sure that
everything runs smoothly, and it's his hard work that keeps us
on the air with an amazing amount of reliability.
Andy Nielsen, G7LRR: Some of the other networks that have been
going down quite a bit lately, Andy Nielsen, G7LRR, is Ty's
right-hand man.
Glenn Allison, 93MEL: There's also Glenn Allison, 93MEL, he
created our international forum page, and even though he's
retired now, his work and starting the forum will be remembered
always and appreciated.
Forum Management Team: How about our forum management team? You
heard some of them earlier, 82CH Mark Rounce, Doug Smith, 85CDK,
83IHY, these guys keep our forums running smoothly by answering
questions and guiding the newcomers. TGIF network definitely
appreciates you.
Dick Lowen, VE3JAR, and Phil Thompson, VE3RD: We can't forget
our brothers from the north, Dick Lowen, VE3JAR, and his amazing
TGIF documentation, his cohort, Phil Thompson, VE3RD, for his
work in the hotspot programming, the net recordings, and making
sure that he is TGIF Nexian screen hotspots. Don't forget if you
want to hear this and any of the past recordings of the TGIF
amateur radio net, you can go to the TGIF.network webpage,
select the forum tab on the left-hand menu, then scroll down to
Friday night net recordings, and the index will be there in the
forum tab, and you can go to the page and get whatever one you
want. We've got to thank Phil, VE3RD, for making these audio
recordings possible.
Robert Bresman, K4WZV: It goes without saying that without
Robert Bresman, K4WZV, as our chief engineer of the network,
we'd be at a standstill. He brings us together 24/7, 365.
Robert, thank you for being with us tonight, keeping the network
going, and we're glad to hear that you're on the way to healing,
that's for sure.
Close
To everyone who joins our net, I can't thank you enough for
investing your time with us and for sharing your experiences
with us. You make the TGIF radio net special, and you're one of
the reasons the community is not only the best EMR network, but
one of the reasons that we continue to grow so quickly. As I
mentioned before, the topics are tough. Don't forget it's your
idea to take this net. If you have suggestions for future topics
or activities, please share them. Together we can make sure that
the TGIF radio net is fun, informative, and enjoyable for
everybody. Thank you again for joining our radio net this
evening. My name is Steve, call sign W2SHR, Whiskey to Sierra
Hotel Romeo. We're signing off from the Outer Banks of North
Carolina. Join us again next week for another TGIF radio net,
Friday night, 830 Eastern, on Talk Group 31665. This is the end
of our net for tonight, Friday, October 17th, 2025. The
MotorShip Talk Group 31665 back to worldwide amateur usage, 7-3,
and remember, thank God it's Friday.
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