ORCA
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2/Dec/2014
Check-Ins: 8,
KI6RIT
KJ6UPE
W7ZAP
KA7ULG
KJ6WDL
K6PIJ
KF6NYC
K7KY/NCS
Traffic: 4
ORCA Digital went very well tonight. Band conditions were much better than last week. Last week we had more difficulty as the evening progressed and finally QSY’d to the FW repeaters for final comments. Tonight we had 8 check-ins, two of which were first time on ORCA Digital. We missed some of our regular Ops in Eureka who have club meetings on the first Tuesday of the month and Paul KE6NVU who had a family event.
Digital traffic went well. No retransmissions were necessary. Steve K6PIJ joined us from Humboldt Co and sent a keyboard msg that was copied by all. Our other new Op was Marlene KF6NYC in ID. I met Marlene an hour before the net when I visited an ARES/RACES digital net where she is NCS. Marlene sent us the info for their voice and digital nets:
‘Please join us every Thursday for the Idaho combined ARES/RACES net at 0230 Z on the 3929 LSB. Also the ARES/RACES Digital on Tuesdays at 0200 Z on 3578.5 on PSK-31’
Mindy & I did a little work with Marlene after the net closed and sent her the ORCA logo image.
Mindy & I began work on the ORCA website in earnest this week. We should have the initial rollout ready shortly. It will bring much of the information and resources needed by new digital Ops together in one place. It will also provide a forum for communications between members between net meetings.
When we began thinking about our mission statement, we realized that ‘Emergency’ in our net name is not too accurate in describing the net. We are actually a learning and training net with strong emergency potential. We have not sought linkage with civic agencies, preferring develop our procedures and skills first. As a training net, we are doing very well. Some of our members were digitally skilled when they joined and others have learned their digital skills while working with us on the net. Today, we have a solid group of digital Operators who will do well with emergency traffic. We have also refined our net procedures to make the net flow smoothly and efficiently.
We are thinking to rename ORCA EMERGENCY NET to ORCA DIGITAL NET to change the emphasis the current name has on EMERGENCY. It would also make a small distinction from the original group that continues on VHF. ORCA HF Digital does not require linkage with any specific VHF net. Most communities with Amateur Operators have one or more VHF nets and we can exchange traffic with them easily.
Let me know what you think about a change to our net name. And, any other thoughts or questions regarding the net.
73 Doug K7KY
