2026-02-24 Net Minutes

Check-ins (30)

David Bailey (K5DKB)

Thanks to all who joined for our February meeting!
Had a good time and a good license exam session
Scoped out El Camino Real picnic area near Cook’s Point
- Likely location for our Spring Radio in the Park / Parks on the Air activation
- Looks like it’ll be a good, comfortable place!
- Plenty of shade from trees

Tom Johnson (KI5ZPG)

Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)

Minutes will be sent out after the net.
Sending out with HamClubOnline seemed to work well for the meeting minutes this weekend
- Let me know if you get them from only one source

Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)

Bank balance: $12,778.10
65 members
Next ham license exam will be 2026-03-21 11:00 (after club meeting)
- American Legion Post 159
- If you’re taking the Technician exam, be sure to have your FCC Registration Number (FRN) handy!

Question #264 for conversation: Do you operate low power radio (QRP)?

(If interested in submitting a weekly question, email n5zkf@arrl.net)

W5AC Announcements:
1. Meeting tomorrow
  - 2026-02-25 19:00
  - Zachry building (ZACH) room 200
  - License testing starting 18:00
2. Aggieland Saturday this weekend (2026-02-28) starting mid-morning to about 15:00
  - Large prospective student day
  - W5AC will be trying to get them on the air (repeater)
  - Feel free to monitor and reach out
3. W5AC speaker project question later
I’m using a radio set to 3.5 W, and most of my operations are under 5 W
- QRP is a challenge, but very rewarding
- Also fun to bring hiking up a mountain
Almost all of my operations are QRP unless I use the club radio or use my 100 W home rig

Annual Technician license course last weekend
Many people had already studied prior to being there
A lot of Blinn students (from Brenham campus)
- One of faculty is a member
26 people in the class, all of whom passed!
- Ages ranged from 10 yrs old to 72 yrs old
- Expect to hear them on the air soon
37 hams in 2 years, and more on the waiting list!

Solar weather report
- Early this morning marked first time in 4 years (since 2022) with no sunspots!
- Ionosphere will be thinning out over the next few days.
QRP operations:
- I have several radios
- Multiband, multimode, crystal sets
- Love operating it, but haven’t done it in a long time
- Made some unbelievable contacts:
  - Christmas Island on 5 W
  - Kentucky on 0.25 W on 80 m
- QRP CW setup is very simple to build and very effective if you’re willing to learn!

Working on a speaker audio module project for W5AC
Current plan:
- 3 headphone outputs with individual volume controls
- Internal speaker with its own volume control
- For use in “go-kit” where mutliple operators are needed
Question:
- Wanted to put all of the knobs and headphone jacks on the front panel, but that made it very big
- Thinking of moving the headphone jacks to the back. Any ideas for how to lay out this design?
KG5LYE
- Mixer layout on one face with speaker on the reverse face
  - stand on-end or use feet to stand off desk
- Use only 2 knobs in a flexible digital setup:
  - channel-selector knob with digital scrolling knob
  - use digital potentiometers for channel volume control
  - could also add LCD display and use knob(s) for menu navigation