The Tailgaters & Freewheelers Nets.....The Friendly Nets on 75 Meters!

75 Meters has a reputation for being 'the wild child' of ham radio bands. Bring up 75 meters with any ham and you'll hear words like 'wild', 'bad taste', 'hard to break into' and 'I don't have an amp'. Indeed, 75 meters can be somewhat intimidating, especially when you consider the the sheer number of operators on 75 at night as well as the vibe that many hams seem to send to newcomers----a message that suggests "Don't come in here, we're not looking for new people."

In spite of all the craziness, 3.916 Mhz has emerged as an exception to the 75 meter stereotypes.

The 3916 Tailgaters & Freewheelers Nets

Every night of the week, you'll hear a 2 very friendly groups on 3916. Starting at 8:30 PM (Central), The Tailgaters is a 'pass it around net' that doesn't have a net control. No Net Control?Sound crazy? Well the format actually works. Instead of one station directing the check ins, The Tailgaters is like a game of 'radio tag'. When a station checks in, he or she is tagged by the calling station and encouraged to take over the net control duties long enough to find another check in. The result is fun and fast-paced net that does an incredible job of including everyone. On any given night, 30-40 stations check in and all have a chance to put out a call as net control.

From 10PM to 12:30 AM, The Tailgaters gives way to The Freewheelers Net. The Freewheelers features a different net control station each night. Net operators call check-in stations from around the country. In the 2 1/2 hour net, there are generally 2-3 rounds. The Freewheelers averages between 50 and 70 check ins each night. The record for one night of check-ins is over 100 stations.

W4FCW-Ken Odom: The 3916 Refugee

The late Ken Odom (W4FCW-sk) is given credit with starting The Freewheelers in 1998. As several senior net members recall, Odom had been trying to check into a 75 meter net when he was rudely asked to leave the frequency and not return. Frustrated, he found 3.916 open and put out a CQ call. The rest, as members say, is history. Odom and several other hams all agreed that 75 meters needed a frequency where 'all are welcome'. Further, Odom and other founders created a net policy of 'no politics, religion or inappropriate topics'. The policy remains in place today and is one of the reasons the nets have found success. Regardless of your background, politics, religion or other traits, 3916 is a frequency that welcomes all.

The Tailgaters & Freewheelers Nets are on the air nightly, Sunday-Friday nights. On Saturday night, the group holds 'The Saturday Night Free-For-All' which is essentially an unstructured rag chew that runs from around 8PM to well after Midnight.

Milestones:

The Freewheelers Net recently passed the 1,000 member mark on Yahoo Groups. And, when you consider that the Club was at around 150 members in 2005, it's clear that this is one of the fastest growing nets in amateur radio.

For more information on The Tailgaters & The Freewheelers, go to 3.916 Mhz or check out the Net's web sites. On Yahoo Groups, search the keyword 'Freewheelersnet'. On WWW.Facebook.com do a search for 3916.

A Texas Snow Storm

Every year we get at least one...a Texas Snow Storm. It's funny...just before it comes, everyone storms the grocery store as if we'll be trapped inside our homes for weeks...maybe months. Bread...gone. Milk...nowhere to be found. Beer....forget it. It's like a mini-Y2K. And then, as previous years have all shown, life returns to normal.

Here's a picture of a recent snowstorm at our home. This was taken at about 7am just after a fresh blanket of snow.

Winter's Beauty

It's Wintertime in Texas....my favorite time of year. My wife loves winter because the bugs take a break. I like winter because it's a time when friends and family come inside to be with each other. There's nothing I'd rather do that get a big ol' 'Yule log' in the fire place and watch a movie with the family.

As a Ham Radio operator, wintertime often brings the best band conditions that allow for clear, long-distance communication. As a kid growing up in Iowa, I remember staying up way too late at night during the winter listening to DX (distant) shortwave broadcasts from far-away, exotic places.

Winter's great. Enjoy...and don't forget the feed the deer!

Pete

Getting Ready For Christmas!

In my opinion, it's never to early to get the Christmas decorations out. Along with Thanksgiving, it's my absolute favorite time of the year.

The picture above is one of many Christmas trees we have up in the house each year. This tree is located in my office. We actually have a storage room in the house just for Christmas trees!

And while taking them down is a bit of a bummer, it's worth it. One year we put off taking them down until Valentines Day!

73 and Merry Christmas!

Pete

Fall in Texas---Great For Putting Up Antennas!!!

I love fall. Unlike areas further north, Texas' fall comes after November 1. In the last 10 days, we've seen beautiful fall colors in North Texas. We've had daytime highs in the 60s and low 70s....just outstanding weather. At night, you can smell the scent of neighbors burning leaves. Cooler days are perfect for antenna projects. Here at KE5GGY, we've put up 2 diapole antennas this fall. My friend and fellow-Ham Bill Dyer (KE5BTZ) orchestrated both of my new antennas---an 80 meter Van Gordon which is fantastic! Just today, we finished up an Alpha-Delta 10-160 diapole. I have yet to put this on the air, but I'm hearing 160 on it pretty well.

Today was a beautiful fall day...and you can kind of feel the winds of November getting ready to take over. Usually early December is the real transition from fall to early winter.

Huckabee For President

For a number of reasons, I'm supporting Mike Huckabee for President. In addition to his rock-solid values, I find his perspective on 'big government' and shutting down the IRS most refreshing. Given the current momentum (and delegate count), it's a long-shot for Mike right now. Still, he's done an incredible job and has beaten huge odds to get as far as he has. Regardless of his success this year, look for Mike Huckabee to be a key leader in the GOP for years to come.

Merry Christmas From KE5GGY

Christmastime is my favorite season. The Season brings people indoors to reconnect with friends and family. It is a time of completion...from the completion of the harvest to the end of the year. And it is a time of reflection too. For all of these reasons and the birth of our Savior, this Season is one that we look forward to.

In spite of the fact that 4th Quarter is an unbelievably busy time in my business life, I always try to slow down a bit at Christmas. Whether it's taking an extra day off or breaking away for a long lunch, doing this seems to really increase the quality of the holiday season.

Time is Flyin' By....Just Ask The Beav!

Ya know, watching "Leave It To Beaver" as a kid was great. It was the ultimate 'feel good' show. Wally was the 'All American' kid who somehow managed to keep on the straight and narrow in spite of the constant efforts of Eddie Haskel. Eddie was the the mis-behaving classmate we all loved to watch but didn't have the guts to be. We loved watching him pull the wool over Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver's eyes but took comfort in knowing that they really were 'on' to his antics. And Beav, he was was just pure innocence and fun.

Back in 1965, turning 30 (let alone 50!) seemed impossible. Now, being a bit north of the BIG FIVE OH, I now have a different perspective on things. But even me turning 50 can't begin to compare to how Eddie, The Beav and Wally (right) must feel. These guys were frozen in time at age 12 for most of us. In fact, until seeing this picture of this gang at age 60, my last memory of them was on the TV program.

Jeez Wally....life sure goes by fast.

No Code.....Good for Amateur Radio

Last month, ham radio changed in a significant way. No longer do Hams have to learn Morse Code in order to get access to the best portions of the ham bands. Among the Ham community there was great debate regarding whether this was a wise move for the hobby. I submit that is is a very wise move:

1. New Blood: Our numbers have been dropping in recent years. In just the few weeks that the new rules have been in place, thousands of upgrades have been processed by ARRL and the Commission.

2. Keep Spectrum: With shrinking numbers and minimal traffic on some bands, we could have lost spectrum. New blood will be hopping all over the place. Already I'm hearing much more activity on 10 meters!

3. More Kids are Becoming Hams! Across the country more young people are coming into Ham radio. As we get kids into our hobby at a younger age because of the ease of entry, we'll make 'hams for life.'

Thus far the new traffic, while noticeable has been very easy to deal with. Nets, like The Freewheelers, that used to have 30 check-ins on a busy night, now have 50+. And, so far I'm not hearing any bad behavior on HF (other than some of the operators who have been on HF for years).

And lastly, The Code will never fade away. Like other modes, people will gravitate to it as they do packet, D-star or Echolink.

73 Pete

Growing Up in Charles City Iowa -- America's Hometown

I grew up in Charles City, Iowa. Nestled in northeast Iowa, it's the closest thing to 'Mayberry' I've ever seen. As kids we could ride our bikes all over the neighborhood and be kids without the worry of problems.

Even though my family now lives in North Texas, we get up to Charles City at least once a year and sometimes more often.

(Photo: Peter pictured in front of the Suspension Bridge in Charles City, Iowa)