Surprise Net 03-30-2020

Edward_Bulmer-Lytton-source_for_Aroldo_by_VerdiTonight will be a dark and stormy nightand so we’ll publish another edition of our famous literary surprise net: Tonight at 19:00 on the 146.88 repeater, we’ll write a short story over the air! We first did this in the summer of 2015, and it was tough going…but our effort in January of 2018 was excellent and a lot of fun. You can read our masterpiece in the February, 2018 newsletter. If you read it, be careful of your toes.

Skynet 3-28-20 “Sir Isaac Newton: Calculus, Light, and Gravity” & “Pollux and Castor” 9PM CT

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SKYNET!!!! 9PM CT – 10:30PM CT

Saturday’s Topic: “Sir Isaac Newton: Calculus, Light, and Gravity” & “Pollux and Caster!”

Net Control: Billye KF5PDS

Afterglow Movie 10:30PM: “Blade Runner 2049” (2017)

2-Meter Repeater W5FC: 146.880MHz, PL 110.9, –
Echolink: W5FC-R, node 37247.

Youtube.com Search “DARC Skynet”
Facebook.com Search “DARC Skynet”
Twitch.tv Search “KE5ICX”

Direct Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCishlh8WmW7OXy9Q6sxsaag

IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topics
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.

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Tech Net News 03-28-2020

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A clever kea. Credit: Amalia Bastos, amaliabastos.com

Remember that the next DARC board meeting and club meeting, on April 7th, 2020, will be held on-line and over the air. The board meeting will use Google Meet; details about the apps for Android and IOS can be found in last week’s news.

The clickable link to the board meeting is found in our event calendar.

The April Old-Timers’ Night program will be held on our 146.88 MHz repeater at 7:00 pm local time on April 7th, 2020. Please charge up your batteries and get ready to participate on this unique meeting over the air!

Future programs like the April Lecture and Lab are still in a very uncertain state, so please keep an eye on this website and on our Facebook page for the latest news.

And finally, don’t forget our 10 O’Clock Coffee Break! Meet us on the 146.88 repeater every weekday at 10:00 am for the latest news and humor.

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Tech Net News 03-21-2020

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Honestly, this looks more like a sora to me than a chicken, but it’s the WONDERCHICKEN. CREDIT: Phillip Krzeminski

UPDATED: The next DARC board meeting and club meeting, on April 7th, 2020, will be held on-line and over the air. If you’ve never used Google Meet before, and you’d like to attend our on-line board meeting,  you’ll want to make sure you have a working microphone and speaker on your computer, or get the proper app for your mobile device:

The clickable link to the board meeting is found in our event calendar, or you can click here.

Our popular Old-Timers’ Night general meeting will be held on our 146.88 MHz repeater at 7:00 pm local time on April 7th, 2020. Our club president, Bill Brady KF5ZBL, will get things started and our program will be lead by Tom General, KE5ICX. Old-Timers’ Night is all about participation from our members, so we’ll need your contributions. Please charge up your batteries and get ready to participate on this unique meeting over the air!

The fate of the April Lecture and Lab is still uncertain. Currently, public health regulations prohibit non-essential visitors to hospital facilities, and so we’re not sure where or when the the Lecture and Lab will take place.

Our club has added a new net: the 10 O’Clock Coffee Break. Tom, KE5ICX, and others have been meeting up on the 88 machine at 10:00 am local time each morning, Monday through Friday, to say hello and fight cabin fever. If you’re spending weekdays at home, you should check in and say hello to your fellow hams.

And from all of us in the DARC to all of our fellow hams in and out of the club: whether you’re staying home for safety, or out and struggling to find toilet paper, you have our sympathies and best wishes.

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Skynet 3-21-20 “Ring Systems” & “What’s Going On, On Mars?” 9PM CT

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SKYNET!!!! 9PM CT – 10:30PM CT

Saturday’s Topic: “Ring Systems” & “What’s Going On, On Mars?”

Net Control: Brenda WB5OZL

Afterglow Movie 10:30PM:
“The Brain from Planet Arous” (1957)

2-Meter Repeater W5FC: 146.880MHz, PL 110.9, –
Echolink: W5FC-R, node 37247.

Youtube.com Search “DARC Skynet”
Facebook.com Search “DARC Skynet”
Twitch.tv Search “KE5ICX”

Direct Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCishlh8WmW7OXy9Q6sxsaag

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Skynet 3-14-20 “The Alcubierre ‘Warp’ Drive” & “What’s Up with Venus?” 9PM CT

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SKYNET!!!! 9PM CT – 10:30PM CT

Saturday’s Topic: “The Alcubierre “Warp” Drive” & “What’s Up With Venus?”

Net Control: Tom KE5ICX

Afterglow Movie 10:30PM:
“Planet of the Apes” (1968)

2-Meter Repeater W5FC: 146.880MHz, PL 110.9, –
Echolink: W5FC-R, node 37247.

Youtube.com Search “DARC Skynet”
Facebook.com Search “DARC Skynet”
Twitch.tv Search “KE5ICX”

Direct Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCishlh8WmW7OXy9Q6sxsaag

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Tech Net News 03-14-2020: Happy Pi Day!

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Yes, there will be a quiz. Credit: nasa.gov

It’s Pi day! I hope you’ve calculated the circumference of at least one circle today. If you’re arriving late to the party, NASA has a page of Pi trivia and math challenges you can use to get started with, including one about how many digits of Pi you really need. Hint: it’s not just 3.14!

It’s less fun to talk about this next bit, but: There are a lot of concerns about travel and public gatherings lately, thanks to the community spread of SARS-CoV-2. Please check this page and the club’s Facebook page for information about our activities, including any schedule changes.

The North Texas Mentorfest is still on the calendar, at least for now; it’s scheduled for April 18th, 2020.  If you’d like to help out at the DARC table, please contact us or get in touch with Randy Patterson, KE5JIT. For more information, including how to volunteer as a mentor, please check the ARRL NTX Newsletter.

The contest calendar for the next few days is very busy with lots of lesser-known events you can try out; the Tesla Memorial HF Contest is only one of many. There are also QSO parties going on in Oklahoma, Idaho, Wisconsin, and for many clubs.

UPDATE: are you looking for new friends? Have extra time on your hands? If you’re a member of the ARRL NTX section groups.io group, there’s now an on-line database of nets in our area. Have fun!

UPDATE: Don reminded us that radio astronomers have recently discovered the biggest bang since the big one, and that multi-frequency observations have been critical in understanding what happened.

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