Friday, October 21, 2011
HF EARS
Those who would suggest that they can "bone up" on traffic handling apparently have never handled traffic on an HF Net when conditions are BAD. When you are in the middle of a triple or quadriple relay of a Radiogram, trying to accurately pick a station up out of the QRMary or QRNancy... or when it band conditions make it sound like the station is on Jupiter... it is then that the only people passing traffic are those who have spent the hours it takes to develop HF EARS! And I can testify from experience... HF EARS are a developed skill!!! Those who think they can wait for the schummer to hit the fan and then just sit down and pass a couple pieces of traffic better hope that they are on a local 2 meter Repeater Net and all stations are located within 10 miles of the Repeater.
KNOWING WHEN TO STOP
Last night was going a very "normal" 4 Nets Tuesday night in my shack. To get my night started, I checked into our Michigan Section Net at 7pm on 3.952 Mh. Conditions were not good, but I did manage to send 2, receive 2.
During the following 90 minute break from the radio I enjoyed one of my favorite
comfort foods before I then got back to the shack for my second Net duty of being NCS for the 75 Meter Interstate Traffic Net.
At the beginning of the Net band conditions still had not improved much; fortunately they would improve, but not quick enough to matter. However, as stations began to report it was rapidly becoming obvious it was going to be a very busy traffic night. As I continued to take check-ins, I was trying to get listed traffic organized. A plan was NOT easily coming together.
I quickly got a couple of pieces of traffic moving between 2 stations, which gave me an opportunity to slip off frequency for a few seconds to look for an open spot to perhaps move stations off Net frequency. My hopes of being able to get double use of our time were in vain... 9pm on 75 meters is jammed! We were going to have to do it the slow way.
Band conditions were slowly improving, but traffic between Maryland and Missouri required full relays with an Illinois station in the middle. Nothing was going to be easy.
The particulars of listed traffic combined with the unavailability of open frequencies were not being "kind" to me. Band conditions weren't helping me. And I had liaison stations that were short time.
About 40 minutes into the Net, while traffic was being passed, I checked into my 3rd Net of the evening, a local 2 meter Motor City Radio Club Net, but my brain was still plugged into the Traffic Net, so I screwed up the Club call substituting one of the Traffic Net Manager's call instead. This was the point where I realized I was
getting weary.
It was about at this point that I discovered I had excused on of my liaison stations too soon. I had a piece of traffic still on the list for which I now had no receiving station... ARRRRGHHHH.
Brain weariness was getting worse...
Because NTS stations are typically such a patient and great group of people with
which to work, I was able to finish the Net at 63 minutes with only 1 piece of traffic remaining. I was glad to be done with the Net. I glanced up at the clock and saw that I had 10 minutes 'till the start of the 4th and final Net of my normal Tuesday night... and I was tired.
It had been a long day at work and a long evening at the radio... and I was tired. It was at this point that I realized I had probably done the good that I was going to do. And then... I made the decision. I would not be checking into my 4th and final Net of the evening. I turned off the radios and the kerosene heater. I told my dog Pepper to "come on", and I turned off the lights and called it finished.
My point in sharing my evening with you is that I think it is important to know when to step away from the radio desk. In an emergency situation, it will be important to know when you become too tired and brain weary to do the job accurately and well. Others very likely would have been able to keep on going, but I had to recognize my own mental limitations. Knowing when to stop, or at the least when to take a break, may be as important as knowing when to begin.
During the following 90 minute break from the radio I enjoyed one of my favorite
comfort foods before I then got back to the shack for my second Net duty of being NCS for the 75 Meter Interstate Traffic Net.
At the beginning of the Net band conditions still had not improved much; fortunately they would improve, but not quick enough to matter. However, as stations began to report it was rapidly becoming obvious it was going to be a very busy traffic night. As I continued to take check-ins, I was trying to get listed traffic organized. A plan was NOT easily coming together.
I quickly got a couple of pieces of traffic moving between 2 stations, which gave me an opportunity to slip off frequency for a few seconds to look for an open spot to perhaps move stations off Net frequency. My hopes of being able to get double use of our time were in vain... 9pm on 75 meters is jammed! We were going to have to do it the slow way.
Band conditions were slowly improving, but traffic between Maryland and Missouri required full relays with an Illinois station in the middle. Nothing was going to be easy.
The particulars of listed traffic combined with the unavailability of open frequencies were not being "kind" to me. Band conditions weren't helping me. And I had liaison stations that were short time.
About 40 minutes into the Net, while traffic was being passed, I checked into my 3rd Net of the evening, a local 2 meter Motor City Radio Club Net, but my brain was still plugged into the Traffic Net, so I screwed up the Club call substituting one of the Traffic Net Manager's call instead. This was the point where I realized I was
getting weary.
It was about at this point that I discovered I had excused on of my liaison stations too soon. I had a piece of traffic still on the list for which I now had no receiving station... ARRRRGHHHH.
Brain weariness was getting worse...
Because NTS stations are typically such a patient and great group of people with
which to work, I was able to finish the Net at 63 minutes with only 1 piece of traffic remaining. I was glad to be done with the Net. I glanced up at the clock and saw that I had 10 minutes 'till the start of the 4th and final Net of my normal Tuesday night... and I was tired.
It had been a long day at work and a long evening at the radio... and I was tired. It was at this point that I realized I had probably done the good that I was going to do. And then... I made the decision. I would not be checking into my 4th and final Net of the evening. I turned off the radios and the kerosene heater. I told my dog Pepper to "come on", and I turned off the lights and called it finished.
My point in sharing my evening with you is that I think it is important to know when to step away from the radio desk. In an emergency situation, it will be important to know when you become too tired and brain weary to do the job accurately and well. Others very likely would have been able to keep on going, but I had to recognize my own mental limitations. Knowing when to stop, or at the least when to take a break, may be as important as knowing when to begin.
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