Off Season Check-In

Greetings fellow GERATOL Net ops and enthusiasts. Sorry for being out of touch for the last few months, but as a wise man once told me, sometimes LIFE GETS IN THE WAY OF OUR HOBBIES !

We hope each and every one of you have been enjoying the summer months, with family, friends and perhaps some outdoor activities, in particular those “antenna” projects you had in mind during the winter months.

Just a reminder, we cordially invite you to join us for Wednesday evening summer chats. We still meet at 0100Z on 3.668. I had a nice chat with Bill, KD2NZO on the frequency last night, and it was fun to catch up with him. Bill mentioned I had just missed Steve, KA4CZL who had been on earlier.

Stop by and say hi next week, there should be a few folks there. Bill mentioned one evening, they even had some operators stop by to say hi, who were not familiar with the net, and who may actually stop by during the upcoming season.

Also, another reminder that next season, we have agreed to start the net at 9PM Eastern, regardless of the time change. Again, this was done to promote more check-ins from our members and hopefully new folks from west of the Mississippi.

Finally, a reminder we will be having elections next season for all our open Board members, so give it some thought, and if interested we will be taking nominations in the Fall. Both the Chairman and Vice Chairman positions are open.

SILENT KEYS

With sadness, we remember the following GERATOL members who have passed:

NT0V – Dennis from the state of North Dakota. GERATOL Number 1144. Many of us who were active in the late 80’s and early 90’s on the net, surely remember Dennis, who was there to put ND in the logs of many of us working to complete the basic award.

Dennis was also a Navy Veteran, who served aboard the USS Nimitz. Following the service, he pursued a degree in EE, at the University of North Dakota.

KY0E – Milt from the state of Colorado. In addition to his GERATOL number of 1023, Milt had a Directors number of 423. He was also a licensed pilot, and an Air Force veteran.

He once made contact with the Space Station while NASA had deployed a licensed ham as part of the crew assignments.

May their souls and all the souls of the faithful, departed Rest In Peace.

SUMMER NET SCHEDULE IS BACK !!

Back by “popular” demand is our weekly Summer informal net routine. The plan is to be on our net frequency of 3.668 Mhz at 0100Z Wednesday evenings during our off season.

The approach is same as last summer, to allow net members, or non-net members to stop by and say hi, compare notes on antenna work, etc etc, make a few contacts and who knows, perhaps even put a few new states into our log books.

There is no NCS schedule for the summer, we simply ask whoever is on frequency to step in and take a turn as moderator. Make sure to welcome any newbies, as we always do, and just have fun staying in touch.

Feel free to compare notes on antenna work, ham radio activities, or even an update or two on how the fishing is in your particular neck of the woods. No topic (as long as compliant with FCC guidelines) is off limits.

I will be out of town on our first summer sked evening, but hope many of you get to stop by and say hi on Wednesday, MAY 6th at 0100Z on 3.668 Mhz.

NEW AWARD LAUNCHES OCT 1st 2026

Next season we will be introducing a new award for those who enjoy chasing a unique challenge throughout the season. The award will be called the APPALAICHIAN TRAIL CHALLENGE !

The trail passes through a total of 14 states on it’s way from Georgia to Maine. The challenge will be to work stations from each of the 14 states, no QSL’s will be required, it’s all done on the honor system. We will have application forms available on the website, as the time approaches. We have a few DRAFT Award templates, two of which are shown below, and one under development by Bob, AI4IL. We will decide on the final prior to start of next season.

This should be a fun one to chase, throughout next season, and any input/suggestions in advance much appreciated.

GERATOL NET BOARD of DIRECTOR ELECTIONS !

This past season, we lost our long time Chairman of the Board, Frosty – W0FP.

In addition, Kenny – KE9TC has decided to retire as our Vice Chair.

Currently Bob – AI4IL is serving as “ACTING” Chairman, and Kevin – N1KL is serving as “Acting Vice Chair”.

The Board of Directors consists of the following four positions:

Chairman

Vice Chairman

Secretary

Treasurer

Current duly elected board members are:
Secretary – Dale Chrisman – WG5N
Treasurer – Bob Gurka – AI4IL

As this season comes to a close tonight, it is time for the net to take nominations for all four BOD positions. The plan will be to solicit nominations from anyone interested in running for one of the four BOD positions themselves, or to receive suggested nominations from anyone who wishes to nominate another operator. If you wish to nominate someone on their behalf, we ask you check with them first, to make sure they are ok with running for the office. Nominations will be open starting May 1st. Feel free to submit your interest to Bob, AI4IL who will keep track of all nominees, and at the beginning of next season, we will have a special BOD Election session on our net frequency.

Other key positions for the net, which the board of directors appoints, include the following: (these are not elected positions, but appointments made by the Board of Directors.) Anyone interested in filling any of these key positions, should make their interests known to our current acting BOD Chair asap.

Net Control Coordinator – Bob – AI4IL is currently “Acting”

Net Historian – Ed – K7OC

Net Information Officer – Bob – AI4IL

QSL Bureau Manager – Mike – WX4H

Public Relations Officer – Kevin – N1KL “Acting”

Website Administrator – Kevin – N1KL

NEW TIME FOR NET !!!! PLEASE READ !!!!

Beginning with the 2026/27 Season of the GERATOL Net on October 1st Zulu time, the net start time will be 9PM Eastern Time. We will NOT be shifting start time with daylight savings time, but will keep the 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, 7PM Mountain and 6PM Pacific time throughout the year.

No more trying to remember when net time begins, it begins same time ALL SEASON.

We have decided on taking this approach for the following reasons:

1. This will allow and perhaps promote more stations west of the Mississippi, to join us each evening, since the net has been wrapping up well before they are able to hear us.
2. We will no longer have to worry about the time change, in terms of net start time
3. The later start time in Winter, clearly improves conditions on the 80 Band, thereby giving those working on the basic or for awards/certificates a better chance of hearing stations.
4. The QRM we have been experiencing above and below our net frequency, is typically NOT there at the 9PM Eastern time.

We hope this approach will allow for an increase in participants, thereby making the net more interesting for one and all.

73, Kevin N1KL

2025/26 Season In Review

Mr Frosty/W0FP:

This past season of the GERATOL Net was our first year in MANY, in which our long time Chairman of the Board, and extraordinary Net Control guru, Frosty – W0FP was not around to run and support the net. While we lament his loss, we also remember his guidance, leadership and determination to keep the GERATOL Net active through it’s 50th year and beyond.

In celebration of his role as our Chairman, and frankly, the glue that held our net together for so many years, a special award commemorating his contributions to our net was created by Phil – AE4GH and
Bob – AI4IL, and was appropriately called, THE FROSTY AWARD.

Several of our regular operators completed the requirements for the above beautiful certificate, designed by Bob, AI4IL this season, including:

Louis – N9LY
Bill – KD2NZO
Marty – AC8JU
Nelson – K1NF
Steve – AA3KC

GERATOL SPECIAL EVENT STATION GOES QRV !

The net also sponsored a Special Event station, “K1G” to celebrate our 54th season as a Worked All States net serving the Amateur Radio Extra Class community. The Special Event went QRV in the March time frame, and was active on many bands/modes for one week.

All our NCS ops took turns putting K1G on the Air, and in addition, we had several of our regular ops take time slots, operating K1G throughout the day, on bands and modes, other than 80 Meter SSB, spreading the word about our net, and inviting other hams to join us on the net.

Over 700 QSO’s with K1G were logged, in a variety of modes including, SSB, CW, FT8 and SSTV !! A special hats off to Nelson, K1NF for putting K1G out on the airwaves so prominently.

USE OF NETLOGGER APPROVED FOR USE

As part of our efforts to expand the visibility and hence, increase participation in our net, we began the use of Net Logger, for listing check-ins and getting on the radar of folks looking to check into nets on a regular basis, or just stopping by to say hi. The effort was promoted by Nelson, K1NF who has been at the helm of putting us out on Net Logger many evenings, and hence, garnering some new check-ins as a result.

If you have not already downloaded Net Logger, it’s free and easy to use, and would be a great way, when Nelson is not around, to have other folks on the net, put us out there.

The old argument amongst the purists was that we did not use aids such as NetLogger, since we wanted folks to hear call signs on their own. However, as we ALL know, at check-in time, the station gives his/her call, and their call is then repeated by the NCS, in effect having the call listed by someone other than the licensee of the call anyway. So, NetLogger will be used as often as possible going forward.

THE GERATOL WEBSITE

After many, many years of sponsoring the GERATOL Website, as well as our DOMAIN NAME, Al, AE2T asked that we find someone to volunteer as the owner, caretaker, webmaster, etc. of the GERATOL Website. After a few glitches at the start, Kevin – N1KL has assumed responsibility of the Website, which uses WordPress via IONOS, and the DOMAIN name of GERATOL as well.

The good news is, we keep the exact same DOMAIN name (GERATOL.NET), URL, etc. etc. that has been in place for decades.

As the transition took place, many of the links for referencing data, as well as outdated requirements for awards, contributors, along with a broken email and POST notifications, plug ins, etc. etc. were discovered. As of this writing, nearly all issues have been repaired and updated. The information out on our website is now mostly accurate, with a few minor areas that need tweaking.

With over 350 official subscribers, Kevin has gone through ALL registered emails, to insure they remain active, and if needed have updated them, based on the latest email found on QRZ for the corresponding amateur operator.

In the coming months, we hope to refresh the look and feel of our site. More to come on that topic over the summer months.

NET CONTROL ROTATION

As we have mentioned many times, without our dedicated Net Control Operators, there would be no GERATOL net. We once again wish to thank our NCS Ops for their commitment to keep our net alive, and for their dedication to running the net on their designated days.

NCS OPS:
N5WGA – Chuck
AA8PI – Ron
AC0SG – Steve
AI4IL – Bob
KA4CZL – Steve
N1KL – Kevin
KD2NZO – Bill (Alternate NCS)

SUMMER IS ANTENNA TIME !

While Summer Time is a great time for antenna work, both wire and tower type antennas of all sorts, SAFETY is key. Some safety reminders below, for those planning on modifications/improvements or new antenna efforts:

1. Never Climb Alone: It is never safe to climb a tower without a helper or observer. Your ground crew isn’t just there to hand you tools — they’re your safety net. They can call for help in an emergency, guide you through difficult maneuvers, and keep an eye on changing conditions like approaching weather.
2. Proper Equipment is Non-Negotiable: When climbing a tower, you must have sufficient training on safe tower climbing techniques, use appropriate tie-off to the tower at all times, and always wear an approved climbing harness. This isn’t the place to cut corners or improvise.
3. Crank-Up Tower Special Rules: A crank-up tower must not be climbed unless it is retracted, or mechanical safety locking devices have been installed. These towers aren’t designed to be climbed when extended without proper locking mechanisms in place. The telescoping sections can collapse if improperly secured, leading to catastrophic results.

Here’s a real-life scenario: A ham decided to make a “quick adjustment” to his antenna on a crank-up tower without retracting it or using the safety locks. A sudden gust of wind caused the tower to shift slightly, and the unsecured sections began to telescope downward. Fortunately, he wasn’t on the tower at the time, but his expensive antenna system wasn’t so lucky!

STAY TUNED TO OUR WEBSITE !

Stay tuned over the next few days/weeks for updates on things to come, including:

New Award for Next Season – 2026/27 Season 55 !!

Elections for Board of Director Openings

GERATOL Special Event Station 2027 !

Status on new Logging Software under development !

Summer Operating Net time/days !!!!!

Hi all, I have sent out K1G QSL cards to all the GERATOL folks who requested one, but if I have missed anyone, PLEASE let me know, and I will send one out to you ASAP. Just give me the QSO particulars, so I can fill in the information on the card. Just email me the request and QSO details.

Meanwhile, here is a collage of the QSL’s received to date, from mostly non-GERATOLers…..

2025/26 Season Winding Down

As Spring quickly approaches, we will be wrapping up another season of the GERATOL Net at the end of April.

Again, our thanks to the Net Control Operators for sticking with us this season, through some pretty rough conditions.

Let’s give a round of applause to our NCS ops, Chuck – N5WGA, Ron – AA8PI, Bob – AI4IL,
Steve – AC0SG, Steve – KA4CZL, Steve – AC1DR. Well done guys, and hang in there through the end of the month.

Some of the folks working on their basic award, inched a bit closer, despite rough conditions and a paucity of check-ins. We had some invitees come on frequency, who helped us move things along.

A tip of the cap also to our nightly regulars, who keep the net active: N9LY, KD2NZO, KA4CZL, K1NF, AC8JU, AC0SG, AA8PI, N5WGA, K9MQ, K2DJL, AA3KC, K9CMJ, AI4IL, AC1DR to name a few.

Bob and I are discussing some ideas for improving participation, in addition to now using NetLogger, which clearly has already brought a few newbies on frequency. Thanks Nelson for that effort.

Stand by folks, more to come about next season…….stay tuned, and we will be sending out some updates via the Website.

73, Kevin N1KL

Greetings all. For those who worked K1G recently, Bob – AI4IL has created a handsome Certificate to commemorate the Special Event, and your working K1G during the event period.

SAMPLE

Click on the image below, to download your certificate.

73, Kevin N1KL

Greetings GERATOL NET members. Our GERATOL NET special event station, K1G has wrapped up it’s two week activity on the HF bands. The Special Event served to commemorate the fact our net has been in service to the amateur radio community for over 50 years now, 54 to be exact, and in addition, to spread the word about our net, beyond the net frequency and operating times.

We want to take a moment to thank each and every one of our operators who took the time to put K1G on the air, and to promote our net as part of the celebration.

A big thanks to our weekly NCS ops, who put K1G on the air each evening during it’s tenure including:

Chuck – N5WGA
Ron – AA8PI
Bob – AI4IL
Steve – AC0SG
Steve – KA4CZL
Kevin – N1KL
Steve – AC1DR

In addition, we wish to recognize the great effort put forth from operators who put K1G on the air, off net times, and on many of the HF bands and beyond, including:

Ron – AA8PI
Bob – AI4IL
Bill – KD2NZO
Nelson – K1NF who amassed over 700 QSO’s alone !

If you are a GERATOL member, and you worked K1G and would like to receive a special QSL card, send your QSL with contact information (NO SASE for GERATOLers) to:
K1G
POB 124
Wheelwright, MA 01094

We would like to welcome aboard, the newest batch of Subscribers to our GERATOL Website. Welcome each and every one of you, and if you should have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask Kevin, N1KL (n1kl@arrl.net) or Bob, AI4IL (AI4IL@ARRL.net) We are both good on QRZ.

NEW SUBSCRIBERS

• AB4GR – Don from GA, who was first licensed in 1972
• KD2JO – Joe from NY, and the beautiful city of Oneonta
• KD2NZO – Bill also from NY and his SB221 sounds great on 80
• W3WC – Peter from PA and a member of the Allegheny Valley Radio Club
• K8AFP – Gerald from SC, the Palmetto State
• KD9UFQ – Larry from WI

Welcome gentlemen, and thanks for taking the time to subscribe to our website, and we hope to work you on the net in the near future !!

73, Kevin N1KL Website Administrator

Just a reminder to our subscribers, our Special Event station, K1G will be on the net frequency each evening at 0100Z, on 3.668. Anyone who has not worked K1G as yet, should stop by and say hi and work the special event to celebrate 54th year of the GERATOL WAS Net.

See you soon !

K1G is active through to this Friday evening, 3/13/26

73, Kevin N1KL

Just a reminder to all our net members, and especially the NCS Ops, this weekend we SPRING AHEAD !

Mar 8, 2026 – Daylight Saving Time Starts

When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 2:00:00 am clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, March 8, 2026, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Mar 8, 2026 than the day before. There will be more light in the evening and less light in the morning.

Also called Spring Forward, Summer Time, and Daylight Savings Time.

After your initial reaction of YUCK ! Mine too, let’s remember the net still starts at 0100Z, but now begins at 9PM Eastern time. I should be the first NCS victim of the time change, so hope to hear you all on 3.668 at 0100Z on Sunday evening, or 9PM Eastern.

73, Kevin N1KL

The GERATOL Net will be operating special event station, K1G from March 3rd through to March 14th, to commemorate the nets 54th anniversary as a Worked All States net in the Extra Class portion of the
80 Meter band.

In addition to working our Special Event station, we cordially invite you to join us on the net some evening, to say hi and to check out the various awards, certificates and endorsements we offer to Extra Class Radio Operators.

The BASIC WAS Award, which is the only award that requires QSL cards, is one of the most challenging awards in Amateur Radio. Since it’s founding 54 years ago, the net has only issued 2680 Awards. The good news is, as you work toward that goal, there are numerous other events, awards and certificates that are open to anyone checking into the net.

To receive a QSL after working K1G simply send your QSL, with contact information, along with an SASE to the following address:

N1KL
POB 124
Wheelwright, MA 01094

In addition, the net will be offering a printable Certificate available for downloading on our website, to those who work K1G.

K1G Volunteer Operator Schedule:

K1G V6 SCHEDULE 2026-latest version testing.xlsx