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.

January 15, 2026 – Band openings on 6 meters recently was the topic of some conversation today. As always, selecting antennas that can span several bands challenges us. The degradation of performance associated with working an antenna at wavelengths other than the resonant frequency for which it is designed is significant. The Cushcraft R8 vertical antenna in particular was discussed. It ostensibly is functional at 6,10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 30, and 40 meters at a gain of 3 dBi. Also on the topic of antennas, the idea of a phased-array configured by using a pair of receiving antennas was raised. This setup requires that the antennas be arranged with an accurate phase delay between them. This arrangement seems to this correspondent to be one which would be highly directional. SDR receivers were also discussed. A lively debate ensued at to whether or not the Airspy product and the “Swedish SDR” are one and the same. Our group compared their internet service providers and how reliable they may be. One conspicuous fact relates to the type of conductor that travels that final distance to one’s QTH. Fiber was acclaimed to be the best. Off topic conversations included making sourdough bread, alcohol distillation and comparing and contrasting bourbons, and the juxtaposition of the words whiskey, and whisky.

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