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Here's the StormWatch net protocol that a ham anon was kind enough to write up.

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It's funny…I haven't done any ham radio since Nov. 1st, except to check the rigs and antennas. Q's drops have completely changed my activities.

I'm (was!) an HF CW contester with a modest station. Living in an area where there is scarcely any VHF/UHF, unless we'd put up a MUCH higher VHF antenna which hasn't been a priority. We can hit some distant repeaters because they are on mountains. We use SSB very rarely, but we are prepared to do it in the event the internet is down.

Our station has backup power and can operate if the grid is down.

I have ARES training and some experience as an ARES net control when living at a different QTH.

Over.

>>2858804

Morse Code (called CW) is not necessary to get an amateur radio license anymore, but most oldfag hams know CW since it was necessary in the past when they got their license, and many of them simply enjoy using it. For HF comms (80-, 40-, 20- and 10-meter bands), nothing beats CW to drive a modest signal (say, 100 watts) all the way around the world. And nothing beats the thrill of a 2-way contact with a distant station in, say, Ukraine, Japan, Antarctica or Peru.

CW means "continuous wave" and the signal consists of simply switching the carrier wave on and off. The bandwidth of a CW transmission is narrow, about 200 Hz.

If you are interested in learning Morse Code there are some excellent trainers to use off-the-air.

→ http://aa9pw.com/morsecode/ (online)

→ http://www.g4fon.net/CW%20Trainer.htm (download & install, use offline)

→ http://www.rufzxp.net/ (download, use offline)

There are tons of trainers available, but these three I can personally recommend.

Here are two PDF papers that explain why the some of oldfag hams are in love with CW.

→ The Art and Skill of Radio Telegraphy

http://cw.hfradio.org/cw_resources/The_Art_and_Skill_of_Radio_Telegraphy-3rd-edition.pdf

→ Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy

http://www.qsl.net/ik0ygj/enu/ZART_r20101008m.pdf

-.-

>>2859516

Kek. I figured it was you. You are doing wonderful write-ups.

Maybe a few anons will decide to spend the time and effort to develop some new skills. I was afraid to admit I was a ham for a long time because of fear of doxing myself. Now, it's too late, kek. Both spouseanons are licensed, but I'm the primary ham of the household. A squirrel bit the VHF coax and I patched it but haven't had the desire to try transmitting on VHF since there's nobody around here to talk to anyhow.

My main HF antennas are carolina windoms, a Windom 40 and a Windom 80. These are practically equivalent in terms of range and band coverage, except the 80 can get on 80m and can be tuned to drive a weak signal out on 160m. We get a lot of wind and tree movement here so these antennas receive a lot of mechanical abuse. Lately we had a coax jacket split from wind flexing and I patched it with waterproofing tape. Really would take a weekend of contesting to compare its current performance with how it was working before the damage. So far we have not taken any significant time off QResearch to do anything else in our lives. I guess I should get on the air and do some testing and make sure the station is still intact.

Funny how kek reminds of -.-