February 26, 2026 – We were happy that member Scott – WR0U was able to join us this morning! Scott was in Mystic Connecticut (east of Groton) visiting family. Dayne – K8CHY mentioned that he had recently worked station HD2GRC from Ecuador on 6 meters.  Good work Dayne! Scott – WR0U and Dale – WA4CQG have worked this station as well in the past. We also briefly discussed Mike Wegner’s blog which can be found at https://wegnerbooks.com/. The blog focuses on Mike’s books and Dayne found the site to be remarkable.  This correspondent is eager to visit the site myself. Scott mentioned that he uses the JT-Alert software.  This software lets the operator know if you have worked a particular station in the past and provides associated guidance relating to band or mode goals.  There is also a logging feature. We touched on WinLink.  Mike – KX4YZ mentioned that we have a WinLink gateway in Opelika that is available for our use.

February 19, 2026 – Bob – KA4PKB used a new screen background this morning that generated some discussion. It was a graphic of ham operator and Nobel laureate Joe Taylor, Jr. – K1JT. Dr. Taylor is a tremendously accomplished astrophysicist who, along with Russell Alan Hulse discovered a new type of pulsar in 1974. The two were subsequently awarded a Nobel Prize for this accomplishment. Dr. Taylor is likewise a visionary amateur radio operator and is instrumental in the development of several communication protocols such as WSPR, WSJT (“Weak Signal/Joe Taylor”), and others. Gail – KB4JAA was congratulated on her recent placement in a cooking competition near her home. Her winning entry was a blackberry cobbler with meringue. John – NK4N mentioned that he had heard KP5 on 10 meters recently, but no one reported any two-way contact. As we know, KP5/NP3VI is a DXpedition on Desecheo Island. The early development of FT2 was brought up. An article on DX World mentions FT2. Richard – WA4IWD suggested that we look at a You Tube video that is available on the Vera Rubin telescope in Chile.

February 12, 2026 – At this point, none of our group reported contacting KP5/NP3VI the DXpedition to Desecheo Island. Also, we briefly discussed the QRZ sponsored USA250 which is underway and runs until the end of 2026. Most of the group appreciate their coffee. We had an intense discussion about types of coffee, coffee makers, roasting coffee, grinding coffee, and the like.  Black Ivory Coffee did not come up in the discussion.

February 5, 2026 – None of the members of the group experienced any damage due to the recent chilling temperatures and snow. Some have home generator systems available if needed. We discussed the hazards of lithium batteries (and the hazards of any stored energy in fact). On January 12, 2026, a vehicle accident and fire involving the transportation of lithium batteries in Macon County Alabama made the news. Bob – KD4PK reminded us of the brief implementation of the Gyrobus in Europe during the 1940’s. We briefly recalled the history of the Tennessee Copper Company and the scars that their operations left on the land near Ducktown, TN. On the ham radio side of things, we discussed the DXpedition on Desecheo Island that is taking place this month. Apparently, the operators are working remotely to a transmitter on the island itself. Gail – KB4JAA reported that the female cardinal has departed and its pecking on their glass door in Elmo has ceased. We continued our discussion of birds with Richard – WA4IWD explaining that three Owl species are commonly seen in our area of Alabama. This would be the Great Horned Owl, the Barred Owl, and the Screech Owl.

January 29, 2026 – The group reported some band improvements in 10 meters and 40 meters (at night). Dale – WA4CQG, continues to do some meteor scatter. Gail – KB4JAA reports a female Cardinal pecking on her sliding glass door incessantly. The group offered several solutions including newspaper adhered to the glass, cat security, and so on. Richard – WA4IWD has a couple owl boxes that he plans to assemble and put up. This seems a good idea as owls reduce the numbers of rodents in your yard. And this is the recommended time of the year to put them up. We covered delivery services and how they respond to the presence of dogs when they make their rounds. We can’t blame them for being cautious.

January 22, 2026 – Most members attended our meeting this morning. Our area is preparing for some inclement weather coming up this weekend, but the current forecast indicates that the worst of it will be north of us. Tennessee could potentially see freezing rain, ice, and snow. Everyone is tuning up their generators and buying milk and bread. Dale – WA4CQG said he has been doing some meteor scatter recently. Also the recent uptick in solar activity has generated some variation in band conditions that most have noticed. The earth was hit by biggest solar radiation storm in 23 years this past Monday 19 Jan 2026. Northern Lights were visible as far as Southern California. Bob – KA4PKB introduced us to the “Precip” application. I think several of us immediately downloaded it and like it very much. Both free and pay versions are available.

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