The American Preparedness Radio Net

Hello TAPRN,

For 5/5/13 Net:

As of this posting (5/5/ 13 8:53pm Eastern), thunderstorms are rolling thru the usual net control’s location, so it’s too risky to power up their rig.

If there is someone else who would like to be net control tonight, please feel free to do so.

For 5/12/13 Net:

Unfortunately, the usual net control will not be available the evening of 5/12/13, so if someone would like to be net control 5/12/13 at 9pm Eastern, please comment/reply to let us know.  Thank you very much in advance.

Edit To Add: Someone (in KY) has volunteered to give net control a try on 5/12/13.  Thank you in advance.

So God willing, the usual net control will be back 5/19/13.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Long Live the Republic,

GeorgiaJack

Hello TAPRN,

Despite the semi-rough QRN, we are still having our weekly Sunday Night HF Voice Nets.

So if you are available Sundays at 9pm Eastern Time, feel free to check in and join us in the topic discussion.

Lately our topics have covered LED bulbs for lower power consumption in off-grid situations, freeze-dried food comparisons, aquaponics, bartering ideas, and small livestock suggestions/lessons learned.

So God willing, we’ll have our next Sunday Net 4/21/13 at 9pm Eastern.  Our default frequency is 3.818, but more than likely we’ll be a bit higher due to QRM.

As always, if someone has a suggestion for a topic, please feel free to comment here and we’ll do our best to fit it in during the upcoming weeks.

Long Live the Republic,

GeorgiaJack

Just like “As seen on TV”, this is “As advertised on the TAPRN Voice Net”!

The TAPRN BBS system is a store and forward email system, much like the email system we pretty much all use via the internet. EXCEPT, when there is no power grid, no cellphones, no internet, the TAPRN BBS system will remain fully functional. It is intended to be your point of connectivity with like-minded (ham) individuals whether impacted by natural disaster or a man-made SHTF scenario.

The system presently has over 50 users in nearly 40 states. If you are not already a user/member of the system, YOU can be a part of the growth of this network!

The BBS System provides exchange of email over radio via HF on 80, 40 and 20M, 24/7. There are presently BBS connect points (nodes) in Maine and Oklahoma. And, with the frequencies monitored users are able to connect with the system from almost anywhere in the US around the clock. You can exchange “private” emails with other TAPRN members. You can also send “bulletin” traffic to all TAPRN BBS users, as well as receive bulletin traffic generated by other users.

To utilize the TAPRN BBS system requires digital communication capability, the same basics you would have in place for PSK or RTTY; you only need to add “RMS Express” software. RMS Express is the same software utilized by the Winlink system and is fully described at WWW.Winlink.org. RMS Express is available for free download at ftp://autoupdate.winlink.org/User%20Programs/.  Download “RMS Express setup”… all necessary files, including the “Winmor TNC” are included with the RMS Express Setup download. Comprehensive “getting Started” information is available at http://www.dtreg.com/Getting_Started_with_Winlink_and_WINMOR.pdf.

If you have any questions or need technical assistance in the setup process, contact either of the BBS sysops at the email addresses posted below.

The TAPRN BBS is a controlled access system. When you are RMS Express/Winmor mode capable, contact either of the sysops via the email addresses below, and include the following:
NAME
CALL
QTH (city/st)
COMMERCIAL EMAIL ADDRESS
You will be notified of your activation in the BBS System and you will receive a copy of the BBS User Guide which will provide instructions how to access and utilize the BBS System.

For more information, technical assistance or BBS System authorization, send your request to either of the following:

IMPORTANT..When sending email to these addresses, YOU MUST INCLUDE “//wl2k” in the subject field; otherwise your email will be returned.

KB1TCE Steve (Maine) KB1TCE@Winlink.org
W0ECM Jess (Oklahoma) W0ECM@Winlink.org

DON’T FORGET… Place “//wl2k” in the subject field of your message!

Hello TAPRN,

Hope everyone had a great week.  We will be having our weekly Voice Net this Sunday, 3/10/13, at 9pm EST, God willing.  As always, we’ll do our best to be at 3.818, but history is proving 3.819 or higher due to QRM is needed.

For this week’s topic, W0ECM has offered to discuss the TAPRN Winlink BBS system and answer any questions ya’ll may have.  If you would like to learn about this valuable digital mode, or maybe you know a little about it but would like to learn more, feel free to join us tonight.

Sidenote:  Last week’s topic started out with aquaponics.  And then we moved into solar powered water pumps for a well.  Very good information on the well pumps.  One example included the simple pump.  Thanks to those who joined in.

Long Live the Republic

GeorgiaJack

Hello TAPRN,

Thanks to everyone for being patient the last three weeks during the Sunday Voice Nets.  It’s been pretty noisy, from QRM to QRN and everything inbetween, but it’s been good practice to find open frequencies on a busy band and carefully listen for folks (and/or perform relays) in less than desirable conditions.  Kudos to everyone!

Despite the rough conditions, participation has been very good (anywhere between 15-20 folks), and we’ve even had two or three folks still checking in via the chat room when it’s too noisy for them that particular week.  Special thanks to those who have made suggestions on topics.  Last week we discussed how to protect electronics against EMPs and CMEs.  Tonight we covered things to consider if you ever need to temporarily or permanently bug out – locations, routes, how to move a lot of items or heavy gear quickly, etc.  Lots of good comments, and as always, enjoyable to hear everyone’s ideas.

One idea for next week’s topic is aquaponics.  So God willing, we’ll have our next Sunday Net 3/3/13 at 9pm EST.  Our default frequency is 3.818, but more than likely we’ll be a bit higher due to QRM.

As always, if someone has a suggestion for a topic, please feel free to comment here and we’ll do our best to fit it in during the upcoming weeks.

Long Live the Republic,

GeorgiaJack

Hello everyone,

Hope ya’ll had a great week.  We will be having our weekly Voice Net this Sunday, 2/10/13, at 9pm EST, God willing.  As always, we’ll do our best to be at 3.818 but QRM may require us to move up or down a bit.  Hope you can make it.

Last week’s topic started out with what folks suggested for heating, lighting, and water during an off-grid situation, which was fitting considering the Net started shortly after half the Superdome went lights out.  And then we dovetailed into experiences with root cellars.  Very good and useful information.  Thanks to those who joined us.

Long Live the Republic

GeorgiaJack

Hey TAPRN,

Hope everyone is having an outstanding week.  The past two weeks of the TAPRN Sunday Voice Net have been very good, and God willing, we’ll have another good Net this coming Sunday evening, 2/3/13 at 9pm EST.

Even though this Sunday is Super Bowl, we’ll still have a net for anyone wishing to check in.  If you have that Super Bowl party planned and can’t make it to the net, no worries.  We look forward to hearing from you next Sunday.

FYI about 1/20 Net – Two weeks ago we were on our normal frequency of 3818 (thanks to those who held the frequency for us before the 9PM EST start time).  We had 17 folks check in.  We discussed dehydrating food and curing ham.  Some of the highlights included great reference books like Back to Basics, Firefox, and the Morton Salt Curing Guide.  An interesting note of the evening was the mention of  dehydrating cantaloupe and watermelon.  Though we were told it takes a long time, the end result is like a hard candy.

FYI about 1/27 Net – Last week, due to QRM from 3817, we had to move up to 3823, but 12 folks found us and joined in on the topic of the evening, which was water pumps and purification of water.  There were a lot of different well/water pump arrangements discussed – generator driven, hand pumps, compressed air versions – all very informative.  As mentioned, there’s an article on this website discussing one of many options on the subject.  Feel free to search on “homemade well bucket” in the Search By Key on the right hand side of the home page.  Other notable mentions were websites like www.lehmans.com, www.simplepump.com, and Emergency Essentials website www.beprepared.com, for several available options on water pumps and/or purification.  Speaking of purifying, most leaned toward using unscented bleach (no additives).

Thank you everyone for taking the time to find the net and participate/monitor.

Long Live the Republic

GeorgiaJack

Hello TAPRN,

The next voice net will be this coming Sunday at 9pm Eastern, God willing.  We’ll do our best to hold a frequency on or close to 3.818, but if not, either check the Chat Room or try finding us.  No topic yet, but if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

And for the digital world, if you can do PSK-31, join Werner on the PSK-31 Net tonight (Thursday) at 7:30pm Eastern.  Those who are registered with the TAPRN WINMOR BBS, please don’t forget to check for messages.

Thank you for your continued support and participation.

Long Live the Republic

GeorgiaJack

Hey everyone,

Due to QRM from 3816 all the way up to 3825, we had to move up to 3827.5 tonight, but once we got settled on a frequency, it was smooth sailing.

It was a short net due to the lateness of starting, but it was a very good topic about the lessons learned on canning zucchini.  Thank you very much for that information.

And thank you everyone for finding the net and participating/monitoring tonight.

FYI – Last week’s net was also very good.  We were able to hold a frequency much closer to our normal net frequency and had 23 check-ins.  Our topic was short-term and long-term storage of heirloom seeds.  Everyone was very patient and informative.  Thanks again!

Long Live the Republic

GeorgiaJack

Hello TAPRN,

Hope things are going well with everyone so far into the New Year.

A good number of folks stopped by to say hello for the last Voice Net of 2012 – 25 folks checked in, from IL to FL and from OK to VA.  We had a good discussion on vacuum-tube radios and the maintenance of them.  Thank you very much for everyone’s participation.

TAPRN’s next Voice Net will be this coming Sunday 1/6/13 at 9pm est, God willing, on/around 3.818.

If anyone would like to make a topic suggestion for this Sunday, feel free to do so in the comments section.

Also, concerning recent activity, on my last post I accidentally left out another digital mode that is currently ongoing for TAPRN:

PSK-31

Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Sundays at 7:30pm est

7.073  +1000

If you have PSK-31 capabilities and the time, stop by and say hello to Werner, who is nice enough to currently run that Digital Net three times a week.

ETA 1/9/13: Changed the PSK-31 time from 7pm est to 7:30pm est.  Also added Thursdays to the PSK-31 Net days.

Long Live the Republic

GeorgiaJack