QST de N7GMT

Last night [sic] was Simplex Night for our local ARES group. I was on the net frequency early and heard various stations from around the county getting ready: turning off the repeater, NCS and several other stations exchanging signal reports, verifying that a training item is ready. All proceeded like a well oiled monkey.

So, 2100h rolls around; time for the Net … then 2105h comes, and goes … I’m still not hearing Net Control. I glance over at the mobile radio I have in the kitchen, prepped and ready for the net, and see the S-meter jumping up and down like a three-year-old on Christmas Eve. (You have experienced a three-year-old on Christmas Eve, haven’t you? If not, can you remember when you were that frenzied child? )

That’s odd. I think to myself. Why would it be jumping about so— at which point I remember I had had to turn the squelch threshold up quite a bit while scanning earlier. Problem easily solved … but I’m still only getting a word here or there as the S-meter hits a high, every second or so. OK, squelch wide open: lots of hiss and a broken, ever-so-faint transmission (I would have given him a “21″ report), dramatically punctuated by various stations in the area booming in with full-quieting signals as they check in to the net. Well, since I can barely make out NCS, I crank up the power and wait for a pause to check in. Normally I can check-in — even on simplex night — with just 5 Watts. I have a decent two-element, colinear J-pole on the back of the house, and can hear south county stations easily (30+ miles away, through the Orem bench), so I’m surprised I’m having difficulty; NCS is in Lehi, probably only ten miles distant, and over flat terrain at that.

My brother-in-law was over with his brand new FT-60R, all eager to check in with his new acquisition, but he’s having the same reception problems as I. He wanders outside to see if he can find a sweet spot to get over to the neighboring city where NCS is located. He actually circumnavigated the house and could not find a spot where reception of NCS got any better … until he wandered out into the street in front of the house. Viola! Nice clean, strong signal from NCS.

So there you go. I have a Black Hole hoovering somewhere over my house that prohibits communications with Lehi.

I hope the Black Hole decides it likes my neighbor’s house better and goes to hoover there for a while; they don’t care as much for radio waves, and I don’t care for ye olde Black Hole, so I think that would be a perfect match. What say you?

[Sheesh! It took me so long to write this that it's now tomorrow. Well, at least according to the clock.]