Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time is upon us, and hence, we should start getting some improved band conditions as the net rolls along. So, if you have not already done so, take a minute to stop by the net at 0100Z (or 8PM Eastern Time) on 3.668 Mhz to say hi, and perhaps help some of the folks working on their basic award.

Welcome Aboard

We would like to welcome the following Operators to the GERATOL Website. Thanks for taking the time to register folks, and if you have any questions about our website and/or the net, feel free to send me an e-mail at n1kl@arrl.net

Welcome to:
Sherrill – KE9UA from the state of IL
John – W3BJ from MD
Larry – W9SX from FL

50th ANNIVERSARY CERTIFICATE STILL AVAILABLE TO WORK

Just a reminder, the Special 50th Anniversary Certificate, commemorating 50 years of the GERATOL WAS Net, is still available to anyone who wishes to work toward it. No GERATOL # is required to earn this colorful commemorative certificate. (See Example Below)

To achieve the certificate, you must complete the following requirements:

Fifty (50) contacts must be made on the GERATOL Net itself, during an official net session.

One of those 50 contacts must be made with the GERATOL Net Club Station W0NL GERATOL #1M, Frank – AA0ZP Trustee of the GERATOL Club Call. Both Frosty – W0FP and Dave – KJ8V may be contacted to work W0NL, should the trustee, Frank – AA0ZP not be around.  They will email the QSO details to Frank, for him to officially log the contact.

The 50 Stations worked, must have a GERATOL number. However, you DO NOT need to have one to complete the certificate.

Further details on the Certificate as well as blank application forms can be found by clicking on the link below:

The GERATOL Net » GERATOL 50th Anniversary Certificate

VETERANS DAY THIS FRIDAY

Happy Veterans Day to all our fellow GERATOLers who are current and former members of our military. As many are aware, we have an award entitled the VETERAN’S SALUTE AWARD.

You must contact one each U.S. Veteran or Active Duty service member i.e. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard in each of the contiguous 48 states. 240 contacts are required for this award. No QSL cards required. Specifics for the award may be found by clicking on the link below:

The GERATOL Net » VETERANS SALUTE

WEBSITE NEWS:

Just a reminder, for anyone who has CONTRIBUTOR STATUS, (your call sign must be given when registering on our site for this status) you may make POSTS and/or add your own COMMENTS to POSTS placed on the site. For more information on that, feel free to contact me at n1kl@arrl.net

MILESTONE ACHIEVED !

We’ve been flirting with the 300 Registrants mark for months now, on our website. The number ebbs and flows, as some subscribers chose to unsubscribe, but we did crest the 300 mark this week. Again, my thanks to all those who have taken the time to register, and hopefully check on the site periodically.

SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED !

If anyone has any suggestions, requests or otherwise any input they would like to make about what gets posted on our website, feel free to fire me off a note at: n1kl@arrl.net

All the best, and 73’s to all !! Kevin N1KL

The GERATOL Net remains a unique opportunity for working all states on 80 Meters, and for meeting and getting to know many of the operators who frequent the net each evening. This of course, is due largely, to the dedicated Net Control Stations. Attached you will find the latest list of Net Controllers, and the evenings they are scheduled to run the net.

Please take a minute to respond via a COMMENT to this POST, and thank these ops for their support of the net, which continues to celebrate it’s Fiftieth Year of operations !!! Congrats to ALL GERATOLers, and a special tip of the cap to our Net Controllers for making the net, the most friendly, cordial and fun net on the bands !!

73, and a reminder, the GERATOL Season is under way, so stop by, check in and say hi !! Kevin N1KL

Hi all, there have been a couple of POSTS folks attempted to make on our GERATOL Website, and unfortunately, those were not made in a timely fashion. The site uses WordPress, an open source content management system. The software is SUPPOSED to alert me, or Al, of any pending POSTS and/or COMMENTS. The system often does not do that, or it does it sporadically, so we remain unaware of the pending POST.

I do periodically log into the site, and try to see if there are any outstanding POSTS and COMMENTS, (time permitting), and to update the operating system, and various PLUG-INS we use, to insure security remains a priority on our site. These recent POSTS also escaped my attention during my routine maintenance updates as well.

The best thing to do, especially if you have a time sensitive POST and/or COMMENT, is to send me, Kevin, N1KL an email, to N1KL@ARRL.NET and I will make sure the POST gets approved ASAP. The reason for the approval, is once again, security of our site, and to protect our users. We can’t risk spammers getting into the system, and sending out random, unwanted POSTS.

Myself and Al are grateful for the increased number of users we now have (nearly 300), and we really want to encourage ALL those who wish to do so, to make POSTS and/or COMMENTS as often as you like. If you need assistance on how to do this, again, fire me a note via email, and I will send you a tutorial on how to get it done.

All the best, and let’s get the GERATOL NET jumping with some new folks checking in !!!

73, Kevin N1KL

GERATOL Net has resumed operation

As always, the net is once again active, beginning on Oct 1st on 3.668 Mhz starting at 0100Z. The net remains in the midst of it’s 50th anniversary season, which started the second half of last season, and ends the first half of this 2022 season. If you have not done so, take a look at the special 50th Anniversary Certificate which you can work toward. No GERATOL number is required to qualify for this colorful certificate. See the website for more details.

It’s time to put those improved antennas and new rigs, or even the old ones, to good use and renew old acquaintances and make some new ones, by checking into the net. Come join us !!

GERATOLer SK Report per November QST

Per W0FP, Frosty, there were no reported SK’s from our fellow GERATOLer population for the month of November. Let us always keep those GERATOLers whom we lost over the years in our thoughts, and thank them for their contributions to the net.

NCS Needed for Monday Evening Net

As we all know, one of the main reasons the GERATOL Net remains in operation, is due to our dedicated and patient Net Control stations. Without them, there would be NO GERATOL Net. We thank them, one and all for their efforts.

Currently, we are in need of a Net Controller for the Monday evening shift. Being NCS can be rewarding, as you facilitate the checking in and list generation for those working toward, not only their GERATOL Number, but for other awards and endorsements as well.

The website has a copy of the preamble, and there are ALWAYS experienced NCS’s or long time GERATOLers on frequency to lend a hand, if needed and provide relays.

If interested, please contact our Chairman, Frosty, W0FP via email, at frostyw0fp@gmail.com

WELCOME ABOARD

We would like to welcome Patrick, WX7M aboard the GERATOL Website. Thanks for taking the time to register Patrick. He has GERATOL #1505 and checked into the net for many years, putting NV into the logs of our folks looking for the basic. Welcome.

That’s it for now from the site Administrator. 73, Kevin N1KL

I’ll be checking net freq this every now and then at 0100Z, QRN permitting. See you folks in October. 73, John K5VG #2097

I am very sorry to report that, during a routine license expiration date check this month, I discovered today that both ND4N John (G #1115) and N4ENX Sue (G #829) are listed as SKs on QRZ. The SK date is given for Sue only.

Greetings fellow GERATOLers, welcome back, and those who have recently registered on the GERATOL Website, Welcome !! The 2nd half of our 2022/2023 50th Anniversary Season resumes this coming Friday evening, at 0100Z or 9PM Eastern on or about 3.668 Mhz.

It’s time to renew old acquaintances, and to make some new friends on the net. We have provided news flashes on several Ham Radio web pages, regarding the net starting up again in hopes of bringing on some new folks. As the GERATOL gang ALWAYS does, we will provide the new folks a warm GERATOL greeting.

We would like to welcome Jim, K8SI who recently registered on our website. Thanks for taking the time Jim, and we hope to work you on the net this upcoming season.

73’s to all. Kevin N1KL Website Admin

NET RESUMES OCT 1st 0100Z, or Friday evening September, 30th at 9PM Eastern.

Just a reminder, as summer comes to an end, it’s time to renew old acquaintances, and perhaps, make some new friends, via the GERATOL Net. Our net frequency remains at 3.668 Mhz, and our start time, based on Daylight Savings, is 9PM Eastern, starting Friday evening September 30th.

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Time remaining for net to resume operation, so get that antenna work done, the clock is ticking !!

OFFICIAL NET MEETING TO TAKE PLACE THIS OCTOBER

Per our Chairman, Frosty – W0FP, he will gavel to order, a formal GERATOL NET group board meeting over the air in October. The exact date/time is TBD, but will be announced by Frosty and the NCS ops over the net, and we will post via our website, and send out an email reminding folks as well.

If there are any topics you would like to have discussed at the upcoming meeting, feel free to fire a note off to any our our elected net officers including: Frosty – W0FP, Kenny – KE9TC, Frank – AA0ZP or Sandy – KJ8W. Or just send myself N1KL or Dave, KJ8V a note, and we will insure it’s forwarded.

SPECIAL GERATOL NET AWARD REMAINS ACTIVE

As a reminder, the special award we launched during the first half of the 2022/23 season, to commemorate our 50th Anniversary as a WAS Net, remains available for all to work, and complete throughout this season, and beyond. If interested, simply check out the details on our website for requirements to complete the award, or ask one of the ops on the net.

AWARDS MANAGER – Dave, KJ8V

Dave and Sandy once again, plan to avoid some of he harsh weather in the Upper Peninsula of MI this winter, and Dave will be notifying folks of the exact dates, as well as how he would like to handle any applications for awards/endorsements, etc. during their hiatus.

MEMBERS NO LONGER WITH US

As always, we wish to take a moment to remember those fellow GERATOLers, whom we lost this year, and in years past. We will miss them one and all, and wish to remind their friends and relatives of how much we appreciated their contributions to the net over the years.

GERATOL WEBSITE REGISTRATIONS

We would also like to thank those ops who took the time to register on our GERATOL Website. We now have 290 registered users. Feel free to pass the word to your fellow GERATOLers not yet registered, to sign up. Should they, or anyone who has registered have any questions about the website, or how to place POSTS and/or COMMENTS on our site, feel free to reach out to me at: n1kl@comcast.net

All the best, and 73 from Kevin – N1KL Website Administrator

The July 2022 copy of QST has NO GERATOLer Silent Keys listed. For those fellow GERATOLers previously listed, may we all continue to remember them, and their contributions to the GERATOL Net over the years.

Dave, KJ8V reporting

We would like to welcome aboard the GERATOL Website, our newest subscriber, Larry – KN8N. Larry hails from the great state of Michigan, and he’s been licensed since 1973. Next season, Larry will be one of the gents to work, if you are looking to complete the 50/50 Award, since he would have been licensed for fifty years. Thanks for taking the time to register on our website Larry, and we hope to work you on the net, when it resumes again this Fall.

HAM RADIO FUN FACTS

As part of celebrating their 65th Anniversary, CQ Magazine had published an article listing “65 Great Things About Ham Radio” Here are ten of those great things, but feel free to make your comments or additions, by responding to this POST.

1. It works when nothing else does
2. It makes you part of a worldwide community
3. The opportunity to help neighbors by providing public service and emergency communications
4. Some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet
5. Some of the smartest people you’ll ever meet
6. Some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet
7. Some of the most generous people you’ll ever meet (along with some of the cheapest!)
8. Lifelong friendships
9. Friends around the world (including those you haven’t met yet)
10. The opportunity to go interesting places you might not otherwise go to in person

AMATEUR RADIO, FCC LICENSE FEES

New FCC Application Fee Will Not Apply To Amateur Radio License Upgrades

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff has clarified in response to an ARRL request that the new $35 application fee will not apply to most license modifications, including those to upgrade a licensee’s operator class and changes to club station trustees. The FCC staff explained that the new fees will apply only to applications for a new license, renewal, rule waiver, or a new vanity call sign. As previously announced, the new fees take effect on April 19, 2022.

AMATEUR RADIO YOUTH ON THE AIR (YOTA)

The 2022 Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp will be on the air and streaming online. The campers will be operating special event station W8Y from the National Voice of America (VOA) Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio, as well as from their hotel. Activation of W8Y will begin on the evening of Sunday, June 12, and conclude at 1 PM EDT on Friday, June 17. Campers will operate the station as they finish projects, between camp sessions, and during their free time.

In addition, dedicated HF station operating times will be on Monday, June 13, from 2 – 11 PM EDT. Dedicated satellite station operating times will be on Thursday, June 16, and Friday, June 17, from 10 AM – 1 PM EDT. Earth-moon-Earth (EME) will be in operation on Tuesday, June 14, and Monday, June 13, from 9 to 11 PM EDT.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel. The opening ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 12, from 4 PM EDT – 6:30 PM EDT and will feature keynote speaker Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, the founder of Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI). The closing ceremony is on Friday, June 17, from 1 PM – 2 PM EDT. The YOTA YouTube channel will also feature a daily video that will spotlight the activities of the previous day.

For details about the 2022 YOTA Summer Camp, download the brochure from the YOTA web page, at Home – Youth on the Air

For additional information, contact Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, at director@youthontheair.org.

Source: ARRL NEWS

2022 FIELD DAY THIS MONTH

Field Day is ham radio’s open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.

For additional information on Field Day – 2022 version, feel free to click on the link below.

http://www.arrl.org/news/some-new-rules-going-into-effect-this-year-for-arrl-field-day

Source: ARRL Website

SUMMER IS ANTENNA TIME !!

This is a great time of year to get out on to your property, and make those antenna upgrades, to insure you are hearing all the states that will be checking into the GERATOL Net this coming Fall. Remember, the net resumes operation October 1st, ZULU time on 3.668 Mhz/ We hope to hear you all this Fall and Winter !!!

73 from your Website Administrator/Public Relations dude, N1KL