Hi Kevin;

I vote for the 2100 UTC on a Thursday or Friday if possible.

73 De Anthony W2AJV
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ECHOLINK NODE NUMBER: 74389

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Minor" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 7:13 AM
Subject: EchoLink Net: RE: record-setting net today!


> Hi.
>
> I'm willing to get the EchoLink net up and running.  The following things
> are some thoughts of mine.
>
> First, if we use the Handiham node as our meeting point, we should get
> permission from the owner of the node.  It's based in Minnesota, and is 
> tied
> to a local repeater there.
>
> As for the time of the net, the only times I think we should avoid is when
> the Handiham net is on.  I haven't checked into that net for quite a 
> while,
> so the following times I list may have changed.  Last time I listened, the
> net was at noon Eastern Monday through Saturday, and 8:30 p.m. Eastern on
> Wednesday.
>
> Here's my ideas.  I have an EchoLink node set up on a repeater in 
> Lexington,
> KY.  I've done this to link the repeater to other locations for emergency
> communications.  The repeater is quiet most of the time, so we shouldn't 
> be
> tying up a frequency, and if there is activity on the channel, I can 
> change
> frequencies easily from my apartment location.  I'm lazy, and don't want 
> to
> be tied to the PC, so I use good old radio waves to talk the DX distance 
> of
> fifteen feet or so from the TS-2000X by my rocker recliner, or lying on 
> the
> couch with my HT.  I have EchoLink set up for up to 25 simultaneous
> connections, but I'm not sure if my broadband setup can handle that many.
> As they say, the only sure way to learn is to try things out.
>
> As for when to have the net, I'm flexible on that.  Saturday works for me,
> but as I said above, we might want to avoid noon Eastern time, since I 
> think
> the Handiham net is on at that time.  I suggest either an afternoon or
> evening time for us to meet.  Just let me know what works for folks.  I'll
> throw out the time of 21 UTC, which translates to 4 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m.
> Central, 2 p.m. Mountain and 1 p.m. Pacific.  This is just a time to work
> from, so if it is inconvenient for folks let me know and it can be 
> adjusted.
>
> If you haven't used EchoLink before, and you'd like to participate in the
> net, there are two ways you can access the EchoLink network.  You can 
> either
> use your PC, or you can get to it via a local station who has EchoLink
> hooked up to a radio.  If you're using a PC, go to
>
> http://echolink.org
>
> and download the software.  You'll also need to validate yourself to prove
> you're a licensed ham.  This involves sending a copy of your license to 
> the
> folks who operate the EchoLink server.  For more details on what you need 
> to
> do, go to the above web site.  If you're accessing EchoLink over a radio,
> talk to the sysop who operates the EchoLink node to find out how to 
> connect
> to other nodes.  Some sysops have access codes that you'll have to enter 
> to
> connect to a node.
>
> When you initially run EchoLink, you'll be in the index view.  I've had
> problems with this view, so I've switched to Explorer view.  To do this, I
> used my mouse emulation feature in my screen reader (in my case the JAWS
> cursor), and clicked on the Explorer view tab near the bottom of the 
> screen.
> In this mode, things are in tree views and list boxes, which you can 
> access
> with the keyboard.
>
> To connect to someone, you can just go through the list of calls and hit
> ENTER on the one you want to reach.  To talk, press and release the space
> bar.  When you're finished talking, press and release the spacebar again.
> You can set EchoLink to use a different key to act as a PTT key, and you 
> can
> also set it to work only while you hold the key.  To disconnect from a
> station, hit ALT+D.
>
> This may sound like the "Warning, don't do the above before you do this"
> instruction, but before you connect to a station, you should connect to 
> the
> EchoLink test server to check your audio.  There are two ways to reach it.
> You can either go to the Stations menu choice, and it's under there, or 
> hit
> CTRL-O, TAB, type in 9999 for the node number and hit ENTER.  If you have
> everything set up right, EchoLink will say "Connected", and it may 
> announce
> that you're connected to the test server.  To test your microphone level,
> hit the PTT key, say something, unkey the PTT, and a few seconds later you
> should hear what you said.  Make any adjustments you need, and repeat the
> above.  When you're done, disconnect from the server.
>
> EchoLink is pretty easy to get up and running.  I did switch internet
> providers a few months ago, and I had to enable port forwarding in my DSL
> modem.  To do this, consult your internet provider.
>
> That's about it from me.  I apologize to those who already know how to use
> EchoLink, but I felt this message was the best place to tell folks how to
> get things going.  Feel free to connect to me to see if things are 
> working.
> I have the TS-2000X always listening to the EchoLink node, so if I'm awake
> I'll hear you connect.  You might want to give me a call so I know you're
> looking for me.  Give me a minute or so after you holler for me to either
> give me time to reach the radio, or you'll know I'm either asleep or am 
> out
> with Paterson, the flying dog.  During the next week it's supposed to be
> really cold here, so I should be around.  I will be out for about an hour
> tomorrow to get groceries, so I may not respond then.
>
> To connect to me, do one of three things:
>
> Find my call in the list of calls, it's N8EGA-R, and either click on it or
> if you have Explorer view on, hit ENTER.
>
> Hit CTRL-O, and type in N8EGA-R in the call sign field, then hit ENTER.
>
> Hit CTRL-O, TAB, and enter 453581 as the node number, then hit ENTER.
>
> If you're using a radio to access an EchoLink station, if there's an 
> access
> code, enter it, then enter 453581 as the node number.  You can enter my 
> call
> sign, which is N8EGA, but that's a convoluted way to do it.  If you do 
> want
> to enter my call sign with the touch tone pad, go to the EchoLink web site
> and look up the DTMF codes on the page.
>
> That's about it from here.  The above is my offering to be net control. 
> If
> someone else feels he or she can do a better job, then by all means go for
> it.  Someone needs to throw something out there for folks to ponder, so I
> figured I would do it.  By the way, I always have EchoLink running, so if
> I'm not around to be net control, someone else can connect to my station 
> and
> do it.
>
> Look forward to hearing opinions from everybody.
>
> 73
> Kevin Minor
> [log in to unmask]