Many of you will remember when we used to produce weekly reports of our nets. We stopped a while back, due to the effort involved, but with a little help from AI, we asked an AI engine to produce a 500 word summary of tonight’s Monday Night Net. See how well you thought it did:
Stations heard: M0PSX (Pete) net control on GB3DA; M0NFJ (Rory); M7SDA (Aubrey); M0LMR (Dorothy); M7TRU (Mick); M7XSR (Steve), plus a couple of quick “nothing heard” calls for others.
The evening’s net on GB3DA was chaired by Pete (M0PSX), who kept things running smoothly with his usual blend of friendliness and efficiency. Rory (M0NFJ) was first to check in, pleased to be on time for once and clearly in good spirits. He shared that life had been busy but enjoyable, with family outings and school visits taking centre stage. His daughter had even treated the household to an apple crumble, which earned approving nods across the airwaves. Pete’s update balanced nicely with Rory’s: he noted that his own daughter had just started university, which was a big step for the family. Radio activity had been a bit quiet on his end, but work on amateur radio training courses was keeping him occupied.
The first theme of the night arrived courtesy of Aubrey (M7SDA), who recounted receiving a very convincing but ultimately fake letter demanding payment for a Klarna purchase at Selfridges he had never made. The letter threatened court action and included order numbers and details that looked official at first glance. Aubrey had already rung Selfridges and confirmed it was bogus, but the story sparked a lively discussion. Rory noted Klarna is a legitimate “buy now, pay later” service, but the letter clearly wasn’t genuine. He gave a very helpful explanation of the difference between debt collectors and bailiffs, underlining that debt collectors have no right of entry. Pete added observations about scam tactics, from strange payment instructions to giveaway email addresses, and remarked how the scammers play a numbers game—send out a hundred letters and catch one unlucky victim.
This prompted others to chime in. Dorothy (M0LMR) said she always uses PayPal or a separate bank account with limited funds when shopping online, just to reduce exposure. Mick (M7TRU) shared that he once received a debt collection letter that turned out to be linked to fraudsters using his address; fortunately, a quick call to the genuine agency cleared it up. Later on, Mick also recounted his brush with alarming “abnormal” blood test results on the NHS app, which turned out to be nothing more sinister than slightly raised cholesterol. His story highlighted how easy it is to misinterpret raw medical data without a doctor’s guidance. Pete backed him up, pointing out that “abnormal” just means “not average,” and Rory added that many such letters and results cause unnecessary worry.
As often happens, the net took a lighter turn, with participants wandering into childhood TV nostalgia. Programmes like Bagpuss, The Clangers, Ivor the Engine, Rainbow, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Dogtanian, Trumpton, The Herbs, Mary Mungo & Midge, Pipkins, The Magic Roundabout, The Wombles, and The Flumps were all fondly remembered. Pete chuckled about how he could recall obscure shows like Battle of the Planets yet not remember what he had for dinner yesterday. The conversation was full of laughter and affectionate teasing, with everyone chipping in their own favourites and half-forgotten theme tunes.
There was also plenty of off-topic chatter, from bread making (with Dorothy and Richard turning out a successful bloomer) to film reviews. Pete warned against wasting time on The Tomorrow War or the recent War of the Worlds remake, while Children of Men got recognition as a bleak but powerful story.
Amid the fun, Aubrey painted a vivid picture of visiting a friend in Burnham who keeps unusual pets, including tenrecs—hedgehog-like creatures from Madagascar—as well as axolotls, tortoises, and reptiles. Pete gamely googled along and supplied facts about conservation status, while the group laughed at the idea of Essex being an unlikely home for Madagascan species. Aubrey’s enthusiasm for the animals and his friend’s endless DIY talents made for an entertaining interlude.
Steve (M7XSR) joined later, admitting a noisy dishwasher was part of his interference woes. He’d recently visited Callington ARS in Cornwall, where Essex Ham’s reputation had already reached thanks to training videos. He also mentioned finishing a portable 10-metre antenna that looked promising on the VNA.
Throughout, Pete kept things light and inclusive, calling regularly for new check-ins, acknowledging Discord listeners, and joking about “Dorothy for PM” at the club AGM. Closing rounds were full of 73s: Rory headed for an early night, Aubrey joked about AI-generated Lamborghinis, Mick noted that callsign plates exist on cars, and Dorothy laughed about Bagpuss and other TV favourites.
In all: it was one of those classic community nets where technical talk, family life, scams, TV nostalgia, and bread recipes all mixed freely. Less about radios than about people on radios, it showcased exactly why local nets matter: they build warmth, trust, and community—one QSO at a time.
So, how well did AI do? Leave a comment below
