Every now and again you will fall into that rut… You want to spend time in the shack but the group you usually gab with are not around… It makes for great background noise if you just tune into one of the long distance service nets.
I really enjoy listening to 14.300 usb which is the home frequency of the INTERCON Net and the Maritime Mobile Service Net and the Pacific Seafarers Net. 3 nets all on one Frequency… What a deal!!!
What this means to you the listener that as long as your location has propagation on the 20m band you should be able to hear some sort of activity on 14.300. First of all you have background sounds to keep you occupied but it also means that there is a chance that you might be able to assist with that one station that no else one can hear strong enough to assist. You never know….
And you will never know unless you give it a listen for a while….
So if you follow the above links and read up on the websites which will put you in sync with the net proceedures… Then when you know how they do things you will feel a little more comfortable listening and participating. Feel free to jump in with your call WHEN the NCS calls for general check ins or if you hear that station that no one else seems to hear with a relay.
In addition and this is a hidden benefit after a few days of listening you will have a better understanding of where 20m works at what times…. You will notice that you hear certain areas at certain times and that there seems to be a pattern forming…
But sooner or later you will be “the only station” who can hear “that station” … “That station” being the one who needs some sort of assistance and then you get that warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you have helped someone…
Find the time to give a listen…
73bob
